Living Torah Archives

Rabbi Shmarya Katzen was a beloved teacher for close to five decades. After becoming observant in the 1960s and spending several years in yeshivas, he began to think about his life ahead. The Rebbe encouraged him to take an aptitude test to discover how to best use his unique talents, and it was this that led him to his long career as an educator, with the Rebbe’s guidance and blessings.

Zlata Hertzel is a veteran educator living in Israel. In the early 1970s, she had an audience with the Rebbe. Being both a young mother and a committed teacher meant that she found most of her earnings going towards childcare for her young children. Asking the Rebbe if she should quit her job evoked a response that has inspired her since.

Throughout the summer months, it is customary to study Pirkei Avos - Ethics of Our Fathers. In this talk to women and girls entering the field of education, the Rebbe uses the first mishna of the tractate to lay the foundation for success as a teacher.

After having made numerous trips to New York to see the Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Michoel Halpern, the rabbi of Givat Tzarfatit in Jerusalem, tells the Rebbe that he still feels no change in their connection.