Baltimore, MD – September 3, 2026 - I have been privileged many times to watch beginnings, the first day of camp, the starting line of a 180-mile bike ride, unexpected reunions, and so many other moments filled with anticipation. Yet, there is something special and unique about the day before school begins, as boys return from a summer away and make their way back to Yeshiva of Greater Washington.
It was still before the expected arrival time, so I had not even noticed the car pull up outside the Yeshiva high school dorm. But then I watched two boys come running in, and their energy immediately gave me a renewed excitement for the school year ahead.
They were like children walking into a candy store.
They jumped up and down, exchanged high-fives, explored a house they already knew so well, and began reminiscing as they unpacked. Watching them made me wonder: Where does that kind of excitement come from?
Certainly, part of it is the rekindling of friendships. Part of it is the warmth, love, and sense of belonging that the Yeshiva provides. But I think there is something deeper.
It is the anticipation of possibility.
There is something powerful about a new beginning. But a new school year is not simply a chance to start over. It is a chance to build. The friendships, lessons, accomplishments, challenges, and growth of previous years do not disappear when a new year begins. They become the foundation for everything that comes next.
That may be what makes the excitement of a new school year so unique. The boys are returning to a place they already know and love, but they are not returning as the same boys who arrived a year ago. They come back with another year of growth behind them and an entirely new year of possibilities ahead of them. New friends, new programs, new teachers, and new opportunities are not replacing what came before, they are being added to it.
As I watched these boys, it struck me that they were not simply excited to be back. They were excited, perhaps without even realizing it, about what they could become.
And having had the opportunity to watch the Yeshiva prepare for their return over the past two and a half months, that excitement takes on even greater meaning. Behind the scenes, tremendous thought and care have gone into preparing for these boys. Decisions large and small have been made with their growth, success, happiness, and Torah learning in mind.
Perhaps that is part of what makes the beginning of a school year so exciting. We do not yet know exactly what the year will bring. We do not know which lesson will inspire a student, which Rebbi will make an impact, which friendship will develop, or which challenge will lead to unexpected growth.
We only know that the possibilities are enormous, and that those possibilities begin from a foundation that has already been carefully built.
Watching those boys run into the dorm reminded me that the beginning of a school year is about much more than returning to a building. It is the excitement of taking everything that has already been accomplished and building the next level upon it. With the right support, encouragement, and effort, the sky truly is the limit.
Wishing students and educators everywhere a year filled with excitement, continued success, growth, and the realization of possibilities that today we can only begin to imagine.