DEAR CHASHUVAH MENAHEL…

Courtesy of Family First Magazine

Dear Chashuveh Menahael,

     I’m the mother of a five-year-old Yiddishe neshamah waiting to be accepted into a yeshivah.

     Your yeshivah has a sterling reputation, and we carefully considered many aspects of it before we approached you with our request.

     You are a busy man and perhaps we came at a time that was inconvenient or difficult for you. Please bear with me now, dear menahel, while I explain our situation, as you did not seem to have the time to hear us before turning us away.

     Our beautiful child was born five years ago, earlier than most children are born. As a result, his body does not function the way other children’s do. He cannot stand, sit, or walk on his own. He cannot use his hands to color, play, or feed himself. He is confined to a wheelchair.

     Now let me tell you about his neshamah. My child was blessed with a beautiful neshamah and the ability to communicate and learn, like any other child. He is inquisitive, thoughtful and sensitive, friendly, funny, and playful. His favorite color is sunshine yellow, like the parts on his wheelchair. He knows alef-beis, the ABC, numbers, and brachos. He loves to read books, play with his siblings, and learn the parshah with his Tatty.

     Despite his physical limitations, his neshamah, is perfect. Despite his wheelchair, he is just like any other child in your Pre-1A class.

     We had hoped you would meet our child before you became acquainted with his wheelchair. You didn’t want to. Perhaps you’re concerned, dear menahel, about what a wheelchair would look like in your classroom. Perhaps it will be a distraction or an eyesore. Perhaps the other children will be afraid.

     But perhaps the children will accept the wheelchair and its bright yellow parts. Perhaps the pure neshamos will see past the guf to the adorable little boy who looks just like them. Perhaps they will talk to him and realize he speaks their language and likes the same snack. Perhaps they will share and become friends.

     Perhaps my child will not get this chance.

   You are not the first menahel, to pass us along to the next yeshivah, giving us an evasive response. You are not the first, and will not be the last menahel that we approach, because we will not give up. This beautiful neshamah will not chas v’shalom remain unnourished. B’esras Hashem we will find the right yeshivah for our child.

     You hold great power in your hands. The ability to decide whether a child is worthy of attending a yeshivah is great responsibility. Our situation is not unique. I beg you, dear menahel, when making such decisions in the future, please look past the limited body. See the unlimited child who is just as deserving of a Yiddishe education as the other children in your yeshivah. Please give this neshamah a chance.

                                                                                                                 Sincercely,

                                                                                                                Mother of a Yiddishe Neshamah