The Philosophy Behind 50 Years of Excellence

This past Wednesday, Posnack Jewish Day School began its 50th year providing South Florida’s Jewish children high caliber Judaic and secular education. For its jubilee year, Posnack’s Davie campus welcomed back 914 students, of which eighty-nine are seniors. Posnack’s Hallandale campus is the academic center for 249 students, while our affiliate school in West Palm Beach, the Meyer Academy, opened its doors last week to 196 students. We are grateful for the enduring and broad-based support the South Florida Jewish community has shown for our educational program over the last half-century.

We must ask, what is the educational philosophy that underpins Posnack’s success?

Over two thousand years ago, the אנשי כנסת הגדולה, “the Men of the Great Assembly,” (the special title given to the Supreme Court of Israel in the time of Ezra the prophet) established many legal parameters and uniformity for our religious worship. There were 120 prophets and scholars on this court including Jeremiah, Nechemia, Chaggai, Malachai, and Mordecai. Returning to Israel with Ezra, marking the end of the first exile, this court began construction of the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem. They fixed the twenty-four books of the Tanakh (Bible) and created all the prayers and blessings we recite daily, on Shabbat and each Yom Tov.

One of the blessings Ezra and his court created is recited when we see a Torah scholar. “Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the Universe, Who has apportioned from His knowledge to those in awe of Him.” So too the Men of the Great Assembly created a blessing should you see a recognized secular scholar, a renowned professor such as a Nobel Prize candidate. “Blessed are You, Hashem, King of the Universe, Who has given of His knowledge to human beings.” The establishment of these two blessings informs us of something fundamental and unique about Judaism’s philosophy of education.

It is understandable that a blessing is required when we see a Torah scholar. God gave us the Torah and through its insights, revealed to us by our Torah scholars, we come to a greater relationship with God than we would ever achieve on our own. What is novel about Judaism is that it has the same attitude and regard for secular knowledge and scholarship as well. Since secular truths of the universe emanate from the same source as the Torah, God, it is only logical, fitting, and appropriate to recognize that these scholarly men and women also reveal and reflect God’s infinite wisdom.

It is not surprising, then, that throughout Jewish history there was never condemnation or punishment meted out to a person who discovered a truth in the secular world of knowledge. Rather, since the source of both realms, the physical universe, and the system of Torah, is the Creator, both must reflect His infinite wisdom. Ultimately, there must be agreement between them. If there appears in our mind to be a contradiction between them, then we do not know the Torah properly or we do not have the proper understanding of how the physical universe works.

Our greatest sages past and present were and are not only experts in Torah law but were and are recognized as well for their knowledge of science, psychology, mathematics, history, language, and literature. Their teachings and understandings of our system of Judaism coupled with the best secular knowledge underlies Posnack’s educational process and philosophy. A student at Posnack engages God’s wisdom equally in science class and Jewish law, in the study of Chumash and AP psychology.

To have a true knowledge and awe of God one must see Him from all His creations, “the world is full of His possessions.” In keeping with this unique Jewish perspective, at Posnack we aspire to see God and His wisdom from all vantage points. When we understand and internalize the reality of God from every aspect of His creations, we cannot help but closer to God and become more caring and thoughtful people.

We are grateful to God for the past 50 years of Posnack’s existence and may Hashem continue to grant Posnack’s students’ opportunities to engage with His infinite wisdom displayed in all His creations.

Mazal Tov the entire Posnack community on reaching this educational milestone!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Robert Kaplan
Rabbinic Dean