Checks and Balances III

Another Path — Once in yeshivah, now rooted in chassidus

As graduates of our yeshivos and kollelim, we would like to express a viewpoint that seems to have been overlooked in the conversation regarding the difficulties of transitioning from yeshivah or kollel to the working world presented in Mishpacha’s special theme issue. It is with deep gratitude and respect for the yeshivos and kollelim in which we were educated and from which we have graduated that we attempt to express a different perspective, one shared by many Jews of all ages and backgrounds.

We have found that while the yeshivah system successfully fortified our appreciation for a particular style of limud haTorah, it implicitly marginalized other forms of avodas Hashem, making it seem as if the primary path toward spiritual success passed through the yeshivish style of learning. Yet for most working men, learning in that style — and finding satisfaction — is simply not practical. And any other avodas Hashem is implicitly only “kosher b’dieved,” which leads to frustration and anxiety and even bittul Torah.

It was only after discovering a somewhat different path that we realized the root of the issue and began the long road to true yishuv hada’as and simchah. As a chaburah, we focus now on Hashem as a perceivable Reality, Who seeks a personal relationship with each individual Jew regardless of circumstance. We contemplate the imminence of Hashem’s presence and work on maintaining a vibrant relationship with Him, and we nurture this relationship.

We have learned to think about Hashem not only in terms of sechar and onesh but as a loving Being, accessible and interested as a father in his children Whose presence in each particle of physicality grants His nation the opportunity of serving Him with every element of their lives. We see our lives outside of the beis medrash not as an obstacle to spiritual success, but as a means of aliyah.