As the school year comes to an end, people will be facing many choices. Some will be trying to figure what they are doing for the summer. Some soon to be graduates will be thinking of what to do for the summer and next year and probably beyond that. How do people decide what they want to do with their life? Some people have dreams from the time they were five that they want to be a doctor or a rabbi or pick a profession. Some people figure out what they want to do in college. They either suddenly come to a realization or they like a class they take and then take more classes and enjoy that subject. Those people are the lucky ones. I wish I was one of those people. It is very nerve-racking to not know what you want to do with your life when you are graduating and you have to support yourself. Well I guess there are those that have parents that will support them. I feel bad for those people because what will they do when their parents money runs out? I will not discuss that right now.
Some of my frustration with trying to figure out what to do with my life has to do with Jewish day school education and some has to do with YU in particular. I will start with day school education. Throughout my Jewish education I have heard numerous times for people not to sell themselves short and how they have so much potential. What the hell does that mean? If Michael Jordan would have wanted to play baseball instead of basketball, would he have been as good as he was? Of course not. If someone doesn't want to do something, then they don't have potential for it. And the story that rebbeim like to tell about living up to potential is the Netziv story. I think most people know what I am talking about, but just in case one is not familiar with it, I will tell it. The Netziv was not such a good student and was not doing well in school. One night his parents were talking and they said they will send him to a carpenter to be an apprentice and he will make a living that way. He heard this and his parents crying and he said to himself that he was going to try harder. He told this story over when he was older at a siyum (I forgot for what). He said that when he would go before Hashem, He would ask "where is the Haamek Davar(the Netziv's work on chumash)?" or "What about all the Gemara's you were supposed to finish?" The Netziv was happy that he lived up to his potential. The question that always bothered me about this story is maybe God is going to ask where all the shtenders and benches he was supposed to build. Why does the Netziv assume he fulfilled his potential? I understand that as long as we are the best Jews we can be, that is all that God asks from us. How do we know exactly what we are supposed to do? Should one be a rebbe or a doctor? Maybe he should be a businessman and support a guy in kollel? Every rebbe I had told this story at least once. Just because one person made a right decision doesn't mean everyone will. Why don't we hear stories about people not living up to their potential? It makes it seem like the Netziv's story is the norm. I doubt it is. Why does Jewish education place so much guilt on the students? That is why I think it is harder for a religious Jew to make a career choice, than a secular American. They don't have the pressure of guilt on their mind.
So if anyone has input on what I should do, please let me know. As always, I welcome all comments.
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ReplyDeleteI think it has to do with the Jewish way. Recently I heard (secondhand) that a rav in Teaneck was speaking about how the Jewish way-is to chap something--everything is a chap-in a negative way. It's always about how to get to the next level (mainly financially) and in the easiest way possible-it's all about cutting corners.
ReplyDeleteAs an outsider, I admit my view may be unfounded and is also biased by my experiences, but that the view-of chaping things as an ideal-has extended to YU and Jewish education and ideals in general.
I heard another rav say that people often go to YU to get an "advanced plumbing degree"-a degree that will enable them to work in a comfortable profession and make a comfortable living (Not that there's anything wrong with being a plumber).
This has led to an abundance of students majoring in Accounting, Business, etc. Majoring directly in a profession and not allowing for a more complete reflection and thought process on what one would like to do with his life. People get pigeon-holed early on in their academic careers to a major that may not suit them and then a profession for which they have no interest.
There has been a loss of interest in the Humanities in YU-a loss in secular learning for the sake of learning/for the sake that we are not just Jews, but also humans-and should care about humanities studies which allow us to study our past and look towards our future. And learn new interesting things-and discover potential professions that we may not have been privileged to be aware of beforehand.
I feel blessed to be one of those people that you mention in the article that finds their passion in a college class that they take. I used to have this naive dream that I would be a successful businessman and give a lot of money to tzedekah and that would be the entirety of my contribution to humanity/specifically Jewish needs. However, I now have been inspired to seek a profession in which I will be actively help people-specifically in Education and Economic Policy. This was born out of the true lessons of the college that I attend-that being a contributing member to the global community is extremely important, significant, and imperative. I still hope to be involved in the Jewish communal aspect-attend shul and learn on a daily basis, be involved in my children's Jewish schooling, and give tzedekah to Jewish organizations, but I also see the need to be involved in the humanities--and (again as an outsider) I see this aspect as truly lacking at YU.
Please feel free to respond openly-I would love to hear people's opinions-especially YU students.
Anonymous
ReplyDeleteVery good points you make. I am very jealous of you that you were able to explore and find something you thoroughly enjoy. I have heard many people say that in YU people choose classes by the teacher and not by the course. This is definitely true. Another reason it is difficult to explore different classes in YU is because most people are only around for 3 years. YU is trying to offer incentive for people to stay 4 years on campus. That is good for some people, but who would want to stay in that atmosphere another year? YU should make the school better and stop trying to put on a facade that we are an Ivy League school. When I was my first semester in YU I thought I might be interested in Psychology. I wanted to take the Intro class with a certain teacher(he was a good teacher and the teacher I was put in was a wacko and I did not understand what he was talking about). I needed to switch these two classes so my schedule would be good. I went to a dean to sign off on it. He said that the class I needed to switch was closed and couldn't put more students in. I asked if there was an open computer and the teacher didn't mind because I was taking that teacher for the same course just later in the day, can I switch. He said no. There was no reason for him to say no and I dropped that Psychology course. I did not get to explore my first semester on campus. This is just one example of why YU is a bad place. I think students in YU don't explore humanities is also because the course selection is terrible. They offer the same classes at the same time every semester. I was going to write about YU in this post but it was getting too long. I would like to write about it in another post. This one was to focus on Jewish education.
There have been studies that show that student performance increases in smaller classes. The threshold at which it becomes an insignificant increase is 25 students-therefore-given that there were only 20 students in each class-it is understandable for the university to not want another student in the class.
ReplyDeletehowever, I cannot speak to the rationale of that dean. If it was unfounded on this principle-it was likely the right move, but for the wrong reason.
Good stuff, Eis. you and me should talk shop one day soon. We could figure our sh*t out together.
ReplyDeleteThe term "potential" I think is used often as the tool of guilt itself. A persons "potential" is really their own self confidence. I do believe that we have a purpose in life but we dont know what it is and should not even try to guess. I believe that we should only be our best.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your other issue. Rebbeim for the most part decided before college that they were going to become rebbeim. Thus, they have never been in the secular world and remained within the jewish bubble as long as they possibly could. Their advice comes at best from a hearsay source and is not something they experienced themselves. For the rebbeim that were professionals themselves and left also carry a chip on their shoulders because they did not make it themselves. The truth is that the people to ask are those involved themselves. Life advice does nto have to come from a Torah scholar. It should come from those knowledgable. And guilt? yeh it exists but allowing it to control you is beneath us. We are stronger than Jewish guilt, hell, most of us grew up with it and should be immune at this point. I am going into advertising,a field that not many "Orthodox" jews are in but nonetheless it is what i am p[assionate about and that is what people are good at. The netziv may have had a natural talent for learning he just hadnt discovered it and no natural talent will get you anywhere without the effort. So, I say, trust yourself, seek your passions, and enjoy the ride.