It is stated in the first
chapter of Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of Our Fathers, "Rabban Gamliel
said: Provide yourself with a teacher and free yourself of doubt." Of
the numerous ethical teachings found in Pirkei Avot, this lesson has
proven to be one of the most valuable in my personal experience. Studying
at Hadar Hatorah freed me of many doubts and aided me in my personal
development tremendously.
I began my study at Hadar
Hatorah shortly before Shavuos 5758 (May '98). I had never been so
delightfully exhausted. In college I usually had 3 or 4 classes per day
that were leisurely spread out throughout the day. In yeshiva, the days
were jam-packed from morning until night, with only a short break in the
afternoon to recoup. The teachers, Rabbi Goldberg, Rabbi Wircberg, and
Rabbi Osdoba, were the warmest, most knowledgeable, and most admirable of
men I had ever studied under.
Two common sayings about
yeshiva study were definitely true in my case: the more you learn in
yeshiva, the more questions you have; and just like you go to school to
learn how to make a living, you must go to yeshiva to learn how to live.
While at the yeshiva, I learned about laws and customs I had never dreamed
existed and I regularly badgered my teachers with questions. Attending
farbrengens (Chassidic gatherings), learning Torah and watching my
teachers taught me a way of life that was dramatically different from the
lifestyle that I had grown up with. Popular culture had brainwashed me
with TV, movies, and music. In yeshiva, Torah became my entertainment,
Talmud became my pastime, and Chasidus was music to my ears. The chanting
of nigunim (Chassidic melodies) had pierced through to my soul and
purified my ears.
I have enormous gratitude
to Hadar Hatorah for teaching me, guiding me, and for helping to
"free myself of doubt." Since leaving Hadar Hatorah I worked for
some time until I met my wife, whose self-sacrifice allowed me to later
study at the "770" Kollel in Crown Heights where I obtained
s'micha (Rabbinical ordination). More recently, my wife gave birth to our
lovely daughter Perel who has brought great joy into our lives. I am very
thankful to Hashem for His merciful kindness in granting me all that I
have, and for showing me the wonderful way of life that I learned so much
about at Hadar Hatorah and that I now live. May Hadar Hatorah continue to
be successful in helping young men learn about who they are and where they
come from. And may the faculty, staff, and students of Hadar Hatorah be
blessed physically and spiritually and may Moshiach be revealed
immediately in their merit.
