The four teams that competed in color war this week each represented a different trait described in Pirkei Avot. Who is the person who is actually wise (team chachmah), rich (team osher) respected (team kavod), and strong (team gevurah)? It was amazing to see everyone pushing themselves to the bounds of creativity over the two and a half days of color war!
The mishna in Pirkei Avot that the color war teams were based on teaches: "איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו"--"Who is the rich person? He who is satisfied with his part" (Avot 4:1). The Slonimer Rebbe notes that this mishna seems to promote a sense of complacency or mediocrity. Is the mishna actually suggesting that we should be happy with what we have and never strive for anything greater? Instead of the standard interpretation, the Slonimer Rebbe reads it differently. Who is the rich person? Not he who is satisfied with his part, rather he who recognizes his own personal strengths and his own individual role in the world. "Chelko" does not refer to his wallet but to his purpose. The mishna does not teach us how to be wealthy but how to be rich. The challenge is to discover what makes each of us unique, what is our personal "chelek," and how we can live up to our individual mission in life.
Color war is an opportunity to show creativity and to contribute in ways that help each student discover his or her own voice and passion. Artists, athletes, musicians, engineers, managers, leaders, scholars, and so many more contribute competitively and with good sportsmanship. It was beautiful to see so many students find their own "chelek" as they participated and created an environment of ruach and creativity. Thank you to the color war coordinating committee: Mrs. Shira Englander, Mrs. Amy Horowitz, and Rabbi Danny Kroll for your inventiveness and organizational acumen! Thank you to Mrs. Claudia Cohen, Zachary Cohen, Moshe Kaminetsky and Ariel Schneider for their expert photography and videography which ensured that the memories of this year's color war will last forever. And thank you to the captains of each team for your tireless work on behalf of your teams:
Eliana Loskove, Elie Zaghi, and Leora Kroll for team Osher.
Shuli Mayer, Saul Len, and Jeremy Purow for team Chachmah.
Yael Frank, Mikey Pearl, and Vida Romano for team Gevurah.
Chaya Cohen, Josh Bakst, and Alec Gelman for winning team Kavod.
