In Parshas Metzorah, during the description of the metzora’s purification process, the Torah instructs the Kohen to take from the blood of the korban and place it successively on the ear, the hand, and the foot of the metzora. For what reason did the Torah single out these three organs for this specific task of purification? We know that the ear is the organ of hearing - the organ of entrance to the inner self of man. It is the subject of Shema Yisroel, of "v’haya im shamoa," and similarly of reward and punishment - "v’haya eikev tishme’un." The Midrash Rabbah compares the purification process of the metzora to the healing of a wounded man. Once he puts salve on his wound, the entire body is healed. Similarly, for someone whose soul is ill, listening to the words of Torah [i.e. putting salve on his ear] heals the entire soul.

Just as the ear serves as the entranceway to man’s inner self, so do the hands and feet serve as the outlet - the means through which his will is put into action. In terms of accomplishing ideas and actions, man’s will finds expression principally through the movements of his hands and feet. Thus we see that all of man’s spiritual and material activities are determined by these three limbs: the ears, hands and feet. Therefore, when one comes to be purified, as in the case of the metzoraAaron HaKohen and his sons during the inauguration of the mishkan, the Torah focuses on these parts of the body.

The Yeshiva experience is supposed to be one of both purification and sanctification. The Yeshiva is meant to be an oasis of spirituality amidst what at times may look like a barren wasteland of hedonism surrounding us. Thus it is the task of the Yeshiva to nurture us, secure us, and cultivate in us the necessary tools for continued growth and sanctification in our future.

Our Yeshiva, because of its complex demographic composition and its inherent competitive forces vying for every minute of our time, necessitates an extra infusion of spirituality, another means of sanctification.

This is the task of the Student Organization of Yeshiva. This year’s SOY, as the Yeshiva’s student organization, regards as its mandate a mission that inherently and continually promotes harbatzas haTorah and achdus. Therefore, this year we have instituted additional elements to our Torah environment in the fervent hope that they will buttress the future of our Torah institution. We began an ever-popular Tuesday night hashkafa shiur with R’ Mayer Twersky and instituted a Daf-Yomi shiur that began the eleventh cycle of the Daf Yomi this past Elul. This inaugural Daf Yomi shiur coincided with our subsidized and organized attendance, and thereby our Yeshiva’s participation, in the 10th Siyum HaShas celebration. Over 250 talmidim attended what amounted to be one of the greatest events of Kiddush Hashem in recent memory. Our inclusion as a Yeshiva among the throngs of other Bnei Torah resulted in a feeling of collective inclusion with the vast Torah community, neglecting all labels and divisions in this exhibition of kavod haTorah.

Besides the ever popular weekly SOY Sichos Mussar series, we successfully organized a series of pre-Yom Tov shiurim, including a pre-Chanukkah Lecture by Rav Aaron Kahn, a three part pre-Pesach shiur series featuring R’ Schachter, R’ Sacks, and R’ Rosensweig, as well as other successful shiurim.

But SOY’s mission is not only to sanctify our Yeshiva through entering the inner self by means of words of Torah - by placing the blood on the ear of the metzora, our mission is also to attempt to meet the needs of the Bnei HaYeshiva in order to ease the hassles of everyday Yeshiva life and to simultaneously connect our talmidim to the glorious heritage that they inherit upon them entering our hallowed Beis Medrash.

We therefore held numerous events that combined both goals. At our beginning of the year Seforim Sale, which offered talmidim the opportunity to purchase those seforim they need for the upcoming z’man at substantially reduced prices, we distributed a complimentary copy of Zichron HaRav to incoming students. At the onset of the Yomim Noraim, we combined an Arba Minim and Tzitzis sale with the distribution of a biographical compendium of our former Roshei Yeshiva who are no longer with us. This was meant to imbue a sense of responsibility within our present-day talmidim as they gazed upon the faces that once disseminated Torah "bein koslei HaYeshiva." It is our responsibility to continue their efforts.

The work of the Beis Medrash, the "ameilus," and the Torah learned therein can be best appreciated by the outside world through action - expression through the movements and the accomplishments of the hands and feet. This year, SOY began several projects that attempt to forge tangible and meaningful links with our surrounding Jewish community. SOY began to sponsor a series of projects aiming at bringing our students to the forefront of chesed projects throughout the area. Although SOY has always been a tremendous supporter of such causes in the form of tzedakah contributions, this was the first time that such projects as Bikur Cholim for sick children came under the direct sponsorship and coordination of SOY. In an attempt to help our immediate community of Washington Heights, SOY donated a giant menorah to the Jewish Community Council of Washington Heights thus enabling our community to more greatly participate in the mitzva of pirsumei nissa.

But what more contribution to our students, alumni and the entire Jewish community can we offer than the Annual SOY Seforim Sale. This year’s sale, the most successful to date, attracted close to 10,000 visitors to our campus. The Sale’s tremendous success was a result of the tireless efforts of our Seforim Sale Committee and its Chairman, vice-president Josh Muskat (Mazal Tov!).

While twice during the year we gave our talmidim the opportunity to gorge themselves on seforim, we also made sure to give them the chance to gorge themselves on gashmius as well. This year, our Chanukkah and Purim Chagigas attracted many from outside our Yeshiva and featured a traditionally popular University delectable delight. While Mishmar featured late night sustenance, our Rosh Chodesh program provided our students with the most important meal of the day. Similarly, our many SOY-sponsored Shabbatonim provided all the day’s meals as well as intellectually stimulating hot-cholent tishes.

SOY’s initiatives were not limited to food alone.

Our multiple publications made their way throughout the global community on-paper and on-line. On the occasion of the anticipated 30th annual publication of our Beis Yitzchak, a thorough index of the past 29 issues made it to hardcover. Our weekly publication, Enayim L’Torah, surpassed previous readership with its marvelous web site and booming e-mail subscriptions, thanks to its Editor-in-Chiefs, Shelly Stohl and Menachem Schechter. Other SOY publications included the occasional Hamevaser, the up-and-coming Bein Koslei HaYeshiva, and the RIETS Guide.

Finally, the revamping and restocking of the seforim in our several Battei Medrash, a project that we began last summer, is on the verge of completion. With the help of Facilities Management we hope to provide a coat and locker room for the main Beis Medrash, thereby allowing for much needed space for seforim.

None of these activities could have come to fruition without the inspiring effervescence of Ephraim Shapiro and the precise accounting of Daniel Kaminetsky. Their constant twenty-four hour support made my job all the more interesting.

All our activities, spiritual and material, comprised the bulk of one exceptional year. It is my hope that future SOY administrations will continue SOY’s mandate of providing a true Torah atmosphere both inside and outside the walls of the Beis Medrash.