It’s been four years since I was last in Israel, yet as I landed in Tel Aviv this week, I felt an overwhelming sense of homecoming. There is something special about the air here, as the Talmud puts it, “Aviva shel Eretz Yisrael Machkim” – the very air of the holy land makes one wise.
Just today I decided to take a trip back to my old Yeshiva in Kfar Chabad and indulge in a little nostalgia. Walking through the familiar study hall, I began reminiscing about the many years I had spent bent over my books at these very tables. Those years were by far the most spiritual I have ever experienced, as my schedule demanded rigorous study from 7am until 11.30pm. My day revolved around pages of Talmud and Mishna, in my spare moments my brain pondered concepts in Chassidus and Tanya. We lived in a Torah bubble with no television, no radio, no internet, no blackberry, no email and certainly no magazines. The two hundred bochurim were expected to share the two public payphones on campus.
And yet, despite the demanding program, I reveled in the sharpening of my mind and I drank in the words of my teachers. Those were the most incredible years of growth and development. The lack of outside communication was welcomed- that way, we could study undisturbed for hours on end. The years that a boy spends in Yeshiva not only impact his physical development, transforming a child into a man, but more importantly, those years mould his mind and shape his character.
I look back and am amazed at the discipline of the system- today I cannot go more than five minutes without checking my blackberry and responding to the numerous messages received.
In this week’s parsha we read “Ve’asu li mikdash veshachanti besocham.” – “Make Me a Sanctuary and I shall dwell within it.” Our purpose in this world is to build a home for G-d. We create a home for Him not just in our physical world, but also in our hearts. When we set aside time for Torah study, even a small amount of time, we welcome G-d into ourselves and make Him comfortable in our lives. Each person ought to make a daily commitment to switch off all blackberries and all internet to retreat into a space inhabited by only G-d and I. A half hour is all it takes: thirty minutes of no outside communication, thirty minutes of pure heaven. Try it out - you won't regret it!
ב"ה