The Commentator

            The Yeshiva years are a time for personal growth and development, introspection and self-definition. The unique intensity of Yeshiva University’s multifaceted experience can and should provide an ideal environment for this broadening and deepening of a ben or bat Torah’s religious growth. Especially after a year or two of devoted growth in a Yeshiva in Israel, the YU undergraduate experience should not be viewed as hindrance to continued growth, but instead as a springboard.

            While we all know that the path of religious development in YU is winding, filled with trials, sacrifices, and sometimes even risks, I believe that the tension filled lifestyle generates a special energy that directly propels spiritual growth. The long, demanding, and overly busy days, for example, force every serious ben or bat Torah to create a sturdy yet versatile hierarchy of life priorities that informs the choices necessitated by the constant balancing act in YU. This daily process, when greeted with integrity and cautiousness, nurtures and perpetuates the formation of a more nuanced and sophisticated religious self-awareness.

            While the conditions for such growth are obviously specific to the individual, in this short piece I offer some practical strategies and tactics that have served me well in trying to tackle some of the tests and trials of my YU undergraduate life.

1.    “Aseh Lecha Rav:” Guidance From Those Who Have Made It Through The Maze

In Messillat Yesharim, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, presents a metaphor for life that accentuates the need for finding ourselves role models and Rabbeim and to “shepherd us:”

Our world can be compared to a garden in the shape of a maze. In this garden the hedges are arranged like walls and among them are numerous paths, confusing and interconnected, one the same as the next. The goal of the person walking through the maze is to reach the gazebo at the center of the garden. Of these paths, some lead directly to the gazebo and some deceptively lead a person further from the gazebo.

One who walks along these paths is not capable of seeing or knowing at all if he is taking the right route or a mistaken one since they all look the same to the observer. Only the individual who stands at the gazebo knows the most direct route. The one who stands at the gazebo sees all the paths before him and discerns the correct ones from the false ones, and is capable of forewarning those who are walking through them: “this is the route. Take it!” Any person willing to trust in this individual will reach the desired destination; one who is not willing to do this and who follows his own eyes instead, will surely remain lost and fail to reach it.[1] 

Attending YU and taking both sides of the institution seriously can be described as nothing less then a maze. Often we find ourselves confused and a little lost, not knowing which path to take in order to reach our desired destination. Guidance from those who have made it through to end of the maze, whether it is an older person that we identify with and look up to or our Shiur Rebbe, is of utmost necessity. While we must never surrender the independence and free choice that gives us our dignity as human beings, we would all benefit from the sagacious advice of a Torah personality that understands us and cares about our spiritual well being. It would serve us well to take fuller advantage of the reservoirs of life experience and Torah wisdom that are availed to us through the many and diverse personalities around YU.

2.  “U’Kaneh Lecha Chaver:” Creating A Community Of Friends With Shared Values

The centrality of a strong Chevre can not be underemphasized. Rabbenu Yonah, in his commentary on Pirkei Avot (1:6), stresses that as bnei or bnot Torah we must surround ourselves with a tight-nit group of friends that share our commitment to living a Torah lifestyle. We must create the atmosphere crucial to proper religious and emotional development by forming a cohesive community of seekers (mevakshim) that pray, learn, socialize, and question together.

By creating a circle of good people with similar values and that care about our state of religiosity, we establish a spiritual support system. There will always be someone to hold us to our own standards, to provide a spiritual lift when it is most needed, to share our spiritual high points, and most importantly, to mitigate our feeling of loneliness and helplessness in a time of intense religious struggle.

3.    “Taphasta Merubeh Lo Taphasta:” Less Is More

There has developed an unfortunate sentiment at YU in which many of the talmidim are compelled to finish and get out of YU from the moment they walk in. This feeling of urgency has created impossible workloads, severe pressure and anxiety, and worst of all it has precluded the possibility of reaping the benefits of religious growth in YU.  

One of my Rabbeim in Shaalvim explained this increasing problem through the following parable:

There was once a young man who was determined to drive across America, from NY to LA, in less than three weeks. Before the trip he planned carefully, making sure that he had the best set of directions. Along the way the pressure of time weighed heavily so he began to drive with increasing speed; soon enough he became obsessed with trying to pass as many cars as possible. After three weeks of driving he found himself crossing the boarder of Canada. He realized that he had become fixated upon the wrong values and goals to the extent that he neglected to refer back to his own set of directions. He had planned on being on the other side of the continent, but he was somewhere else; he was lost.

My Rebbe compared the tendency to rush things in YU to the driver who was pressured into pressing on the gas harder and harder without even realizing where he was headed. The most effective strategy to overcome this palpable pressure in YU is to take things slowly. This means, for instance, taking fewer credits a semester in order to allow for ample time to do Chazarah on Iyun shiur. This means choosing extra curricular activities carefully and sparingly in order to ensure the permanence of a night seder. In a sentence, if we are to maintain religious growth in YU we must slow down the pace in order to take the necessary time to check our directions so that we know at all times where we are, where we are headed, and how to get there.

4.     Cheshbon HaNefesh: Self-Reflection As The Groundwork For Growth. 

Performing a Cheshbon HaNefesh, a directed introspection about religious progress, is an essential ingredient to the recipe of growth in YU. Whether this means taking ten minutes at the beginning of every semester to write out our goals for growth, discussing certain ambitions for self-development with a best friend, or keeping a daily or weekly journal, we must capitalize on the power of Cheshbon HaNefesh. Such a simple act can make such a big difference; it forces us to live life more efficiently. Reflecting concretely upon our strengths and weaknesses, upon our deepest yearnings, hopes, and dreams helps move our ideas and feelings from thought to deed.  It allows us to track our journeys of religious growth and create stronger memories of our rises and falls; we are better prepared to gain confidence from our successes and in a better position to learn from our mistakes and to try again.

5.    “Havi Dan et Kol Adam L’Kaf Zechut:” Developing An Attitude of Optimism
 
Pessimism, cynicism, and negativity may be the greatest threat to religious growth in YU. In order to create a paradigm shift from these sentiments, we need to begin with ourselves and then work outwards. We need to rid ourselves of the unnecessary sarcasm and hostile complaining that hovers over our campus. If we fill our fertile minds with toxic waste, with negative attitudes, then we will wreak havoc in our inner worlds by stunting  our efforts at sincere religious growth.

To combat this pervasive force of anti-growth, we must adopt a positive outlook. This means standing guard at the gate of our minds and only allowing in the very best information. This means that we accept responsibility for the fact that no matter what happens to us, we alone have the capacity to choose how to respond to it. We must control our thoughts, eliminate the weeds of negativity, and strive to interpret events with a cautious optimism.

    As we continue along our life-long trek towards the religious ideal of spiritual ‘wholeness,’ it would benefit us to realize and appreciate all the positive opportunities for growth that the YU experience places so conveniently at our fingertips. Personally, I can share that each source of tension, and there are many, has forced me to mold my spiritual personality, to dig deeper into my religious self and to understand it in a more sophisticated and nuanced fashion. Indeed, Yeshiva University has served as a sanctuary for my religious growth.

    It is my sincerest hope that we, as individuals and as a YU community, continue to genuinely look into our souls, to engage in a process of inner refinement, and to thereby strive for deeper and higher standards. Such is the ideal and perhaps the essence of any ideal in this world of imperfection is the very striving for fulfillment, the very attempt to overcome each obstacle and use it as an opportunity for growth.

Noah Cheses is a staff writer for Kol Hamevaser

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