This week, the Warrior Word sat down with Rabbi Grossman, a new Judaic studies teacher at the school. Get to know him as he discusses what inspired him to become a teacher and how an injury led him to Miami, teaching here at the Hebrew Academy.
Robert Zohar: What school did you teach at before Hebrew Academy?
Rabbi Grossman: I taught at TABC (Torah Academy of Bergen County) for 29 years. I was asked a number of times to get involved in administration, but I did not want to. I only wanted to be a Rebbe. When I was a student, I was in a Rabbi Soloveitchik shiur at YU, and Rabbi Soloveitchik always used to tell us: “I am a teacher, a melamed.” And that is how I pattern my life, after my Rebbe.
RZ: Life is different in Teaneck than in Miami?
RG: Um, I don’t know. As far as the life, I have only been here for two and a half weeks. It is a lot different now with the humidity, you don’t have to worry about the cold. I think it’s much more difficult for students to concentrate on their studies when everyone is going to the beach, but I don’t think the life is different.
RZ: I know that before you came to our school you retired, so what inspired you to come back to teaching at our school?
RG: Last year I hurt my knee and I had surgery in Manhattan. Afterwards, the doctor told me that I need to drop 50 pounds. I needed to lose it quickly, so I took a sabbatical and came down here last winter, and only worried about exercising and building up my knee. Thank G-d, everything is perfect. I planned on going back to teaching full time in Teaneck this year, and when I came back in May, my doctor suggested that I only work part time because I need to keep up with my exercise. So, I decided to come back here to Miami because the weather is so conducive to help my knee become better. I love to swim, and I love to swim outside.
By: Robert Zohar (10th grade)
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