Volume 67, Issue 4

From the SOY President
Josh Goldman

“I.D.?”  It’s the first word you hear from the security guard when you enter any Yeshiva building.  As we get used to wearing these cards on our necks, key chains, and belts, we adjust to being identified by a piece of plastic.

While we may desire a less artificial and more personal source of recognition by the University staff, students on our campus are readily discernable by these tags.  But if these cards serve as a distinguishing characteristic, they also raise our awareness of our common identity as Yeshiva students.

That’s right.  From the day security issued your I.D. card, you became a representative of the Yeshiva community, whether you realized it or not.  Of course, even without your I.D., other people will form opinions about our institution based on their impression of you.

But it’s not really about being recognizable as a Yeshiva student.  It’s about being perceived as a Jew.  Whether by your Tzitzit, Kippah, or name, you carry with you an I.D.  And whether you are at work or on the train, those around you are forming a judgment of what the Jewish people are like based on what they see of you.  Is this desirable?  It depends what kind of impression you are making every minute.

People won’t notice how long you daven or how often you put on tefillin (though, for the record, SOY still recommends adherence to these precepts).  They will notice how you speak, how you treat others, and how you dress. Without knowing traditional Jewish sources, they will test whether you hold up to the high measure they inherently assume you are expected to reach. 

Do you keep your word?  Do you give generously of your resources?  Do you cheat?  Do you speak maliciously about others?  Do you give back to your community?  The traits highly regarded in such Jewish writings as Ethics of the Fathers will be searched for, every action measured against the great works of the Mussar movement. Everyone from street performers to ticket takers are expecting to see only the highest ethical conduct from this outwardly religious person.

200 Yeshiva students traveled to Israel last winter on a good-will mission, and were dubbed “Ambassadors of Tourism” by the government.  They were expected to represent the goals of the mission to those that they would encounter upon their return.  Through their interactions with people back in America, these “Ambassadors” were (expected) to present these values that they absorbed on our mission to the greater populace.

We too are ambassadors.  We represent Judaism to the world at large. We take the lessons in Judaism that we have gained from our education, no matter how extensive, and impress the benefits we have gained to those who witness our daily actions.

When we are at Yeshiva, we are immersed in what Judaism means.  But when we’re home for Shabbat, for the summer, for holiday breaks, we transmit to everyone else what that Yeshiva education means.  And not necessarily by giving classes and running programs, but by living our lives and serving as demonstrations of the role Torah has played in making us better people.  There’s no problem with making them jealous.

Give yourself a test.  Next time you flash your I.D. at a guard, picture yourself as an ambassador of the Jewish people.  Do you grudgingly show him the back of a credit card?  Or as a member of the chosen people do you greet him with a smile?  For you it might just be an insignificant detail, an irrelevant decision in a busy schedule.  However, for the person who observes you, this one perception will determine whether the Jewish people are identified and honored as the People of the Book, or whether they will be disappointed that our religion has not lived up to its standards.  Why should we let them down?  If we don’t make an attempt to display impeccable standards of behavior, we are degrading an entire community.  But should we impress our peers with the high level of care put into our actions, how much prouder should we be to display the colorful card when we are asked, “I.D. please?”

What do you think? Click here to send a letter to the editors.
All content is copyright © Yeshiva University Commentator.