There Are No ‘Drop-Outs’, Only ‘Push Outs’

There is really no such thing as a “drop-out”. When students fail to accomplish the milestone of education they are often labeled as “drop-outs”. The question society has to ask themselves is: did these ‘failed’ kids drop out of school OR were they in fact pushed out?

This week’s Parasha, Shoftim, grapples with this very issue. Although the Torah is thousands of years old, it is far from outdated. Rather, it continues to teach us society’s timeless obligation to the most vulnerable individuals.

Softim discusses the Eglah Arufah, a ceremony that took place in ancient Israel when a murdered corpse was found in a field and the killer remained unknown. Upon discovering the corpse, 5 elders of the Sanhedrin (the Rabbinical court) were dispatched from Jerusalem to determine which city the dead body was closest to. The city the body was closest to would assume responsibility, and the leaders of the community would gather to absolve themselves for any possible neglect.

The focus of the Eglah Arufa ceremony is that no one bothered to escort the victim on their journey to their destination, and that resulted in the murder being able to take place. The Eglah Arufah symbolizes an individual who is cut off and unattended to by a society that can’t deal with their existence.

Those who have a firm connection and kinship to others, don’t succumb to whatever adversaries may come their way. When you are connected to loved ones you are held upright and no wind in the world can ever erode the roots and beliefs that hold you strong.

Biblical Joseph is a striking example of this. When Joseph was working as a servant in Egypt, his master’s wife desired to sin with him and constantly harassed him with temptation. Joseph could very well have caved in and fallen victim to her immoral whims. Because, after all, “what happens in Cairo stays in Cairo”. There was a moment, where Joseph was about to submit to her constant pressure, but just then an image of Jacob, his father appeared before his eyes. Joseph immediately came to his senses and held strong to his noble upbringing.

Joseph was cast all alone in a world that unjustly punished him. Even in a foreign land, with the world totally indifferent to his plight, with every reason to succumb to temptation, the deep emotional roots that he had with his father at that moment was so strong that it made him refuse to give in. It was their bond alone that gave Joseph the strength to refuse to crumble in the face of adversity, and emerge victorious.

This connection was manifested through the last conversation Joseph had with his dad- discussing the tradition of Eglah Arufa. If a community ensures that all of its members are an integral and certainly not expendable, they will not end up in an abandoned field, or vulnerable state in the first place. It is up to the entire society to look out for each individual, and to provide kinship and nurture to the most marginalized.

Far too often, addiction occurs when an individual feels helplessly isolated. This absence of connection, this void, leaves room for addiction to grow in the place of meaningful connections.

Joseph’s story is the antidote to a situation which could easily have followed in the way of Elga Arufa, when a person is left abandoned in a field, symbolizing a detached environment that quite frankly no one cares about.

The more we hug our kids, the less “drop-outs” and effectively “push-outs” there will be. We must be mindful not to push people out, but in fact draw them in, and never let them go.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Areyah