Messages From A
Lost Israeli #8

Last year while at home, I found myself constantly busy. All of my time was spent on USY work, a little bit of school, with a little bit of basketball and athletics on the side. I always fit into my schedule time to recite tefillot, and Shabbat was a designated day of prayer and rest; yet I rarely found time to study. In fact the only time that I did learn was strictly for the sake of teaching others. I would prepare divray torah for when I visited various regions, but my learning seemed only for the reason that others would be taking in my words, and not for the sake of teaching myself.

I can recall many examples of American and Israeli teenagers who may have gone to Jewish day school all their life, or public school, and go to Hebrew University for the year. They often regret the fact that they never experienced a yeshiva study, where they could study for the sake of furthering their personal Jewish identities. It is an experience incomparable to any other learning environment. Without the pressure of studying in order to teach, you have free reign as to how to deepen your own intellect.

For the past two months, I have been studying five days a week at the Conservative Yeshiva. My experiences there have been incredibly fulfilling, and I enjoy it more and more every day. While I am learning a great deal from Talmud, mishna, philosophy, and many other classes, I have taken in greater lessons that will remain with me years down the road about how to actually learn, and apply it to my life.

This coming week we will read from parshat Noach. In the opening line, chapter 10, verse 9, we see an interesting passuk:

"This is the line of Noach- Noach was a righteous man; he was blameless in his generation; Noach walked with God"

Rashi, the great medieval commentator, is very perturbed by the extra word "b'dorotav" - "in his generation". Why is Noach not simply called a blameless and righteous man? Why is there this excess word? He comments that while Noach was righteous in his time, he does not compare to other tzadikim. While he did follow God's instructions, he was not on the same level as Avraham. When God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gemorrah, Avraham bartered with Him, begging Him not to kill many lives- the siftay chachamim develop this idea, stating that Noach walked with God, while Avraham, as stated in Chapter 19 verse 27, "et pnay adonay" - before the Lord; Avraham sought out righteousness before God asked him to, whereas Noach only performed what God specifically said to him. Because Noach did not go one step further - because he did not battle for the lives of his generation, a generation that did not have the opportunity toHim change their behaviour, they were all killed in the flood. He only became involved with God superficially.

Pirkay Avot states, Chapter 4 verse 6:

"Halomed al menat lelamed, maspekeen beyado leelmod u'lelamed; vehalomed al menat la'asot maspeekeen beyado leelmod ulelamed, leeshmor v'la'asot"

"A person who studies so that he may teach, will have the opportunity to study and to teach; a person who studies in order to observe the mitzvoth, will have the opportunity to study and to teach, to observe and perform mitzvoth."

Before I came to Israel, much of my learning was for the sake of teaching fellow USYers - not for myself. While at yeshiva, I have learned that this is only part of the reason why we study - we also learn to observe and fulfill the commandments. This important lesson, that teenagers just out of high school seated alongside adults who hold a Doctorate in Talmud all participate together - everyone studies, teaches, observes, and pursues mitzvot - we are continuously learning, for the sake of learning, for the sake of teaching, for the sake of observing, and for the sake of fulfilling the mitzvoth. We should not restrict our learning the mitzvot only to teach it to others - we must take this one step further, to incorporate them in our lives. Noach was only a tzaddik in his time, a person who only did what God told him to, without challenging Him, without taking Him a step further.

Learning is not restricted to teaching - it is also for the sake of developing the self. We must recognize that even though it is upon us to teach, we must also apply the lessons from the Torah into our daily lives, on a level that enhances our lives, both secularly and religiously, as dedicated Conservative Jews.

This summer, when USY sent triple the number of teenagers on USY Israel Pilgrimage trips from last year; when 8 Wheels buses ventured across the United States and Canada; when a group stayed at Matilda Schechter Residence Hall studying at the Jewish Theological Seminary; when for the first time Conservative Jewish teenagers traveled to Costa Rica; when for the third year in a row USYers spent 4 weeks in Europe; when we will see over 1000 Jewish teens come together in Toronto for the 53rd International Convention; our generation learned and continues to learn the lesson of Avraham - to go beyond the step of studying for the sake of teaching. Rather, every USYer on each of those programs also brought back to their families, their friends, and their community a sense of observance and pursuit of mitzvot.

As I am completing my life as a USYer, as I am furthering my leadership skills while on Nativ, as I am preparing for my life as an active leader in the Conservative Movement, I am constantly remembering a critical lesson that I learned from the Conservative Yeshiva - to study, to teach, to observe, and to keep the mitzvoth. I hope that all of you will begin to consider not only being involved in Jewish life, but also immersing yourselves in Judaic study for its own sake. Pursue the example of Avraham, of trying to go the extra mile. I pray that all of you will continue your quests for learning, teaching, observing, and pursuing the mitzvoth.

Shabbat Shalom.