They said you’d never be able to pull it off, that you were the wrong person for the job, that it would never work, that you were sure to fail. But sometimes, life’s greatest lessons are the ones that catch you by surprise — and teach you that you can do more, be more, than all those predictions after all
Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin
I’m 34, but my hair looks like it’s in its mid-sixties. When I was in my late teens, my hair started turning gray. Until then, I was your average mischievous teenager. Now, most people contend with the effects of aging in their forties, but there I was, a teenager, staring into the mirror of a midlife crisis. Watching yourself physically change at such a young age can be traumatic, but not the kind of trauma that gets you any sympathy. No one organizes marathons or sends packages to those who need to confront a crisis sooner than they could have ever expected. Instead, I would get comments like, “You must be stressed out,” or worse, “Better get married fast.” I decidedly airballed the latter piece of advice. But even those trying to be sensitive could only muster, “You look so mature for your age.” I didn’t want to look mature; like everyone else, I wanted to look young.
Excerpted from Mishpacha, Issue 763. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, director of education for NCSY and columnist for Mishpacha, recently published a book on failure entitled, Sinagogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought (Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2019). Dovid has been rejected from several prestigious fellowships and awards.
Ira Zlotowitz
At 19 years old, I was an average bochur in BMG. I wasn’t the greatest masmid, I wasn’t a “top boy,” I wasn’t going to be the next Rav Aharon Kotler.
But I had a dream. I wanted to contribute something to the Torah world. There was a fire in me, fueled by a background of enterprising Torah activity. My father, Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz a”h, had devoted his life to spreading Torah through ArtScroll. My mother was an acclaimed chinuch and early childhood expert. My maternal grandfather, my namesake, had founded the first cheder in Montreal. Influenced by their passion, I was determined to use my own talents and strengths to advance limud haTorah by inspiring young boys to learn.
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