“Another report? If she cared about us she wouldn’t be so demanding.”
“We asked for some free time but she insisted that we keep learning. All we do is work.”
“Her tests are so hard. She doesn’t care about us.”
How many times have I heard the above sentiments expressed by students either verbally or nonverbally? How many times have I attempted to reassure students that a teacher — by definition — cares?
A teacher thinks about her students when in the classroom and when at home. She worries about her students’ spiritual academic and personal growth. She’s always thinking of ways to engage her students to help them develop and succeed. A teacher will give challenging tests so that her students learn to stretch themselves. A teacher will insist on utilizing every moment of the class period in order to maximize her students’ learning opportunities.
Why does she do it all? Because she cares.
Students are incredulous when I tell them that assigning a test or report is mesirus nefesh on the part of the teacher since she’ll need to devote an inordinate amount of time writing and grading the tests and reports.
The girls may complain and feel overly taxed. They may feel that they are doing the teacher a favor by doing their homework and studying for tests. The teacher however knows that she is acting in the best interests of her young charges.
As we know everything in the physical world has a parallel in the spiritual world.
The Ribbono shel Olam is called “HaMelamed Torah l’amo Yisrael — the Teacher of Torah to His nation.” The teacher-student relationship can provide us with valuable insights into the relationship between Hashem — our Teacher — and His students Klal Yisrael.

Too Many Tests?
Don’t we behave like students in a classroom when we complain that our life tests are too hard?
Yet just as we understand that a teacher cares about her students and assigns homework and tests not to make their lives miserable but to benefit them we need to recognize that Hashem the perfect Teacher gives us tests for our benefit as well. Each test and challenge is an expression of His love and caring. He gains nothing from our mitzvos; we aren’t doing Him a favor. We are doing ourselves the ultimate favor by working hard to pass the tests that Hashem gives us in life and thereby accomplish our life’s mission.
We were placed in this school of life to work — to develop ourselves and to pass our tests. As the Ramchal writes in Mesillas Yesharim everything in This World whether for good or for bad is there to test man. Every test is another opportunity for us to come closer to Hashem and fulfill our ultimate purpose.
Imagine a school without any homework or assignments. A student’s dream but an educational nightmare. Without rigorous assignments requiring the students to think and make the learning their own the students’ learning opportunities would be greatly compromised.
Someone once approached the Brisker Rav and asked a question that was troubling him: A very wealthy individual in the community who had been a noteworthy baal tzedakah faced a major financial setback and lost all his wealth. If this wealthy man had been using his resources as Hashem wanted him to why did Hashem take away his wealth?
The Brisker Rav replied: Life is like a school that offers many and varied courses. After a student takes a challenging course and earns an A does this exempt him from other courses? Certainly not. He must proceed to other courses and learn everything required of him until he is ready to graduate. The wealthy individual passed his course of wealth superbly earning high marks. Now Hashem has decided that he needs to move on and take another course — the course of poverty.

Unearned Marks
“Why do I have to work so hard? Can’t you just give me an A?”
Does the teacher have the power to give the student an A even if the student didn’t earn it? Perhaps. But what value is there to the A if it doesn’t represent the student’s mastery of the learning?
The school system is based on the student working to achieve and the teacher grading that achievement. While from the student’s perspective the teacher has the power to mete out the “reward” of an A or the “punishment” of a D in reality it’s the student who determines the grades on her report card. The greatest pleasure for a teacher is to give her student a good grade. How disappointed she is when she’s forced to give a poor grade.
The system Hashem set up in This World is that we need to work hard to do the mitzvos and pass the tests of life. It’s not Hashem who metes out reward and punishment; it’s we who create our reward and punishment based on our actions.
The Nefesh Hachaim explains the pasuk “Tenu oz Leilokim — Give power to Hashem” (Tehillim 68:35) to mean that a person is enjoined to give Hashem the “power” to do what He wants to do for us — to shower us with goodness. How do we give Hashem that power? By doing His mitzvos and passing our life’s tests. How “happy” Hashem is to give us blessing and success.

Greater Opportunity
It seems pointless to ask Hashem for unearned reward. Why then in Avinu Malkeinu do we entreat Hashem: “kasveinu b’Sefer Zechuyos — write us in the Book of Merits”? Either we earned merits or we didn’t. Are we asking for an unearned A?
Rav Mattisyahu Salomon quotes Rav Doniel Movshovitz who explains it in the following way: We are not asking Hashem to give us credit for merits that we haven’t earned. Rather we’re asking Him to provide us with opportunities to earn merits. We’re asking Him for assignments and tests that will enable us to grow.
This idea which I heard from Rabbi Menachem Frank was life-changing for me. Now when I’m asked to do a favor that seems to come at the wrong time or place instead of feeling overwhelmed I try to think: Thank You Hashem for this opportunity to do chesed. When someone offends me instead of dwelling on my hurt feelings I try to think: Thank You Hashem for this opportunity to be patient and forgiving. When I’m feeling overworked and underappreciated I try to think: Thank You Hashem for this opportunity to serve You lishmah.
The recognition that at any given moment our loving and perfect Teacher is giving us the customized test we need to earn a zechus creates a paradigm shift and enables us to have a new perspective on life. It enables us to identify our challenges not only as tests but as opportunities and helps us pass the tests we face.
I’ve had the privilege of being a teacher for over 40 years. Only recently though have I begun to understand my own role as a student. How fortunate we are to be the students of the perfect and loving Teacher.

Rebbetzin Suri Gibber has been involved in chinuch banos for decades first as general studies principal in Bais Yaakov High School of Miami and for the past 11 years as principal of Bais Yaakov High School of the Twin Cities. She gives adult education classes as well.