It’s been a little more than two weeks since I arrived here in Israel and made my way to the north of the country to begin the seemingly daunting task of spending a year here at Yeshivat Ma’aleh Gilboa in the pursuit of Torah knowledge. The matriculation process is at first a little overwhelming, as it was necessary for me to acquiesce to the fact that I would have a difficult time, initially, understanding and communicating with all the other yeshiva bachors here. Unless your native tongue is that of the Hebrew language, it is a veritable shock to the system. Coupled with that, the thought of engaging in the complex discipline that is Torah in a language that isn’t entirely your own sounds like a fool’s errand!
However, almost immediately after arriving at the yeshiva, my fears were swiftly assuaged. The Israelis are beyond amiable and engaging. Luckily for me and all the other chutznikim they are great about forcing us to speak in Hebrew to help us improve upon the vernacular we came here to perfect. Nevertheless, it’s nice to know that if you’re frustrated and want to speak in English for a bit, you’ll have no dearth of people with whom to talk—some of the other Israelis have even picked up some English. Maybe television is good for something.
Similarly, the Rabanim are very sensitive to the needs of the chutznikim---really, all the students, and you can always approach them with any concern and question you may have. While it may be difficult at first to attend only Hebrew shiurim the Rabanim are spectacularly eloquent and articulate when they speak which makes the transition easier.
Now, you may be curious about the difficulty of the actual material we spend all day learning. I was really nervous at first. Again, this fear was quickly put to rest by one of the most succinct and beautiful insights into Torah I have ever heard.
For his introductory class, Rav Yosef Slotnik told us that the Torah is the divine word of the Lord and is at times an ostensibly incomprehensible text. In response to any aversion you may have to it as a result, the Torah assures us that its vast troves of knowledge are absolutely not unattainable. The Torah tells us, “Surely this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should say ‘Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us, and impart it to us that we may observe it?’ ” (Numbers 30: 11-12). This Holy Scripture can be ours but only if we truly desire it and endeavor to obtain it.
Now, you may ask, “Who am I to even dabble in the word of the Lord?”. The Torah has an answer for that as well. True, the Torah is the God’s holy text, but it is just as much ours as it is his, as it says in Psalms, “Happy is the man… [For whom] the teaching of the Lord is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night.” (Psalms 1: 1-2). The wording of the text here uses the possessive when it refers to the Torah of the Lord, citing that it is indeed His. However, once we engage in its study, the wording changes to reflect that now we possess it; we’ve made it ours through its study. Upon hearing this, I was ecstatic and incredibly excited to spend my year here at the yeshiva; my anticipation and expectations were incalculable. Although it has only been a mere two weeks, I have already seen the Rabanim and students live up to those expectations, as they help make me a better and more learned Jew. I look forward to spending the rest of the year here.
by Max Segall
by Max Segall
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