Rav School - Part 1

During class, someone asked a question of Rabbi Peril and she began yelling like a banshee. “All of you wrote in your applications that you knew all these things.”

I was tired of her teaching style and almost said, “No, Cheryl. My application detailed exactly what I know. I’m here to learn, not be yelled at by a spoiled five-year-old. If you don’t want to teach us, I will walk to the office right now and withdraw from the program.”

Usually, when I need to speak up for myself, an invisible hand wraps itself around my throat and my words are trapped. That time, there was no invisible hand. I looked at the faces of my fellow classmates, remembered them discussing how important it was not to make waves, and I held myself back.

At that moment, I guess still had some of the confidence I’d mysteriously gained over the last few years. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last much longer in that environment. Speaking up in that moment might have gained me some allies among my fellow classmates. Or not. I’ve never understood what happened there.

Part 1    Part 2 (Prelude)     Part 3