Footnote

- The most difficult day in the life

of Prof. Shkolnik -

I'm going downstairs.

Are you coming?

Prof. Uriel Shkolnik, head of the

Mandel Institute of Jewish Studies

at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem,

as well as a colleague in the Max Copper

Cathedral of Jewish Thought,

a tenured professor for Talmud studies

and an international expert

in the study of the Talmud and Hazal Literature.

Among the prizes he has won are:

the Bialik Prize for Hebrew Studies,

the Jerusalem Prize for Rabbinical Literature,

the Kaplan Prize and the Orbach Prize.

To the Israel Museum, please.

He was elected as a member of the American Academy

for Jewish Studies in New York.

His research and innovations are

gathered in nine books

and dozens of articles,

discussing subjects such as marital relations

during the Hazal period,

law and morality in the world

of the scholars

and memory and identity during the

Babylon diaspora.

Prof. Shkolnik's scientific achievements

show the depth and courage

of his thought process,

his wide range of knowledge,

and his ability to view problems

in a new light

in the field of editing the Mishna,

Jewish culture,

and the history of intellectualism.

Because of all of the above, and more,

the Committee for Presenting Candidates

in the Dept. of Human Sciences has decided,

with the approval of the High Committee,

the president and vice-president of the Academy,

and by the decision of the General Assembly,

to accept Prof. Shkolnik

as the newest member of the

National Israeli Academy of Sciences.

Welcome, Prof. Shkolnik!

We are proud to have you join us, sir.

- Thank you.

His honor, President Shimon Peres,

the president of the National Israeli

Academy of Sciences, Prof. Yehuda Grossman,

my fellow members of the academy,

my father, my teacher, Prof. Eliezer Shkolnik,

who is here in the audience tonight.

My mother, Dr. Yehudit Shkolnik,

family members,

friends, esteemed colleagues.

I have learned a lot from my teachers,

and have stood on the shoulders of giants.

That is how I feel tonight,

as I stand in front of you on this stage,

somewhat embarrassed, grateful,

and mostly filled with appreciation

to those I've learned from.

I want to tell you a story.

When I was a child, maybe 8 years old,

I came back from school one day

with a form I had to fill in

with my personal information,

which also included a field for

"Father's profession".

I knew that my father

worked at the university,

that he was very busy there, that he

studied the Talmud and old books

and that he's a professor,

but I didn't know if that

really was a profession...

If that's what they meant

by "Father's profession".

So I asked my father what

I should write as "Father's profession".

And he told me, without any doubts:

"Write down 'teacher'."

"Teacher?", I said. "You're no teacher.

I have teachers at school.

"You're not like them.

You're a professor!"

My mother, who was in the room next door

and listened to our conversation,

called out:
"Write down 'Talmud scholar'

or 'Talmud lecturer'!

"I mean, write down 'Senior lecturer

of Talmud in the Hebrew University'".

But my father insisted

and made me

write down "teacher".

He also demanded to see the form,

as one would expect from a manuscripts expert.

To make sure I did not make a mistake,

or left a blank space to add something

after he went away.

I wrote "T E A C H E R" on the entire line.

"That's my profession, a teacher",

he said.

And I... I was disappointed.

I was ashamed.

What kid goes around school

bragging about his teacher father?

A lecturer, maybe... But a teacher?

Several years have passed since then,

and today I know two things

I didn't know at the time.

First, even a senior lecturer of Talmud

in the Hebrew University

is not something that children

brag about in school.

And the second thing, more seriously,

and now I'm being serious,

if we really have to define our profession,

accurately describe the nature

of what we do,

the "essence" of this vast entity

that takes over

every second of our professional lives,

and, to be honest,

our private lives,

our aspirations,

our social relations, our dreams...

We are teachers.

We give others knowledge,

we take from previous generations,

and give forward, to the next generation.

This is our duty.

So thank you, father,

for this insight,

for being a role model,

for the way of life you instilled in our house,

for the cultural fortress

you built around us.

When your grandchildren, my children,

ask me what is my profession

I tell them with great pride,

just like you did,

that I am a teacher.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

It's nothing. It's just one lecture.

a dinner, and some one-on-one conversations.

Beside that, I'm free.

I can't complain.

I'll be in New York

on February 6th,

so maybe we could meet then.

No, a "fundraiser" of the friends of the university.

Sure, at the Pierre.

Otherwise, do you think Tzila

would have came with me?

Listen,

I'm at the Israel Museum,

and I can't talk inside,

so I went outside.

I have to go back.

Nothing, just some ceremony

of the National Academy of Sciences.

Where to, Sir?

I was inside earlier.

- Inside where?

Here, at the ceremony.

I just went out for a moment.

Can you fold your sleeve, please?

Why?

What's your name?

- Eliezer Shkolnik.

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