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Derech Eretz Values

boy in school

Honor. Courage. Kindness. Community.

דרך ארץ

For us, these four core values lie at the heart of what our school is all about. They provide the foundation for our communal Derech Eretz/דרך ארץ pledge, connecting our students and faculty to each other and to a higher purpose.

As members of the Barrack kehillah (community)/קהילה, our students and faculty pledge to uphold the highest levels of Derech Eretz/דרך ארץ in keeping with our school’s four values:

 

Honor/Kavod/כבוד

Being truthful and showing respect

  • To students and adults
  • To the school's building and grounds
  • To our tradition

 

 

 

Courage/Ometz Lev/אמץ לב

Showing strength of heart and courage

  • To act on principle
  • To be an upstander
  • To seek understanding
  • To develop and pursue my own academic and extracurricular interests
  • To resist peer pressure

 

Kindness/Hesed/חסד

Showing generosity of spirit

  • To give to others
  • To share what I have readily and generously
  • To be thoughtful, caring, and inclusive
  • To look out for those in need of a kind word or deed

 

Community/Kehillah/קהילה

Extending friendship in a spirit of inclusion

  • To celebrate the achievements of others
  • To respect and celebrate our individuality and our diversity
  • To represent my school in positive ways within the larger community


רבי אלעזר בן עזריה אומר, אם אין תורה, אין דרך ארץ; אם אין דרך ארץ, אין תורה

Pirkei Avot 3:17

Rabbi Elazar ben-Azaria teaches, "Without the study of Torah, there can be no Derech Eretz; without Derech Eretz, there can be no Torah.”