Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

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Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin Rabbi Dr. Emanuel Rackman Yeshiva University has flourished in a period of dynamic growth. No two men have done more to foster this growth than Rabbi Dr. Samuel Belkin and the Assistant to the President for University Affairs, Rabbi Dr. Emanuel Rackman.

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From the very beginning of our college career it seemed natural that we would one day have the honor of dedicating our yearbook to Rabbi Morris Besdin. He scares you at first. There ' s no doubt about that. It takes time to develop the deep, strong, fervent love for him that is characteristic of all of his students. He ' s really a jovial man who always has a warm greetingand a broad smile for everyone. He ' s a friendly man. You can talkto him; he ' ll listen. He has a wonderful sense of intellectual honesty. When he interviews a prospective freshman, he ' ll tell the truth about student life at Yeshiva. Success requires a commitment, he ' ll say, firmly enunciating each syllable. You must be totally dedicated to Torah and Torah ideals, otherwise you can ' t go on here. We ' ll part, but we ' ll part friends. I ' ll respect you, and you, I ' m sure, will respect me, but you won ' t be able to go on here. Most stay, and most learn to appreciate that intellectual honesty so much that they don ' t fear to discuss anything with him from G-d to Christ to sex. At Yeshiva he built a school and guided it so lovingly and devotedly that you can sense his presence in every single class. He is dedicated to his students and revels when they have learned their lessons well and are ready to go on to higher, morechallenging work. Years after those of us who studied under him have left Yeshiva, we will remember the first words he uttered at the first class meeting. Gentlemen, the chumash is Bereshis. the sedrah is Bereshis, the perek is aleph, the pasuk is aleph . . You Must Be Totally Dedicated to Torah and Torah Ideals, Otherwise You Can ' t Go on Here.

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Dr. Isaac Bacon Dean Yeshiva College In our present day society it has become fashionable to accept conclusions predicated on premises which upon closer examination have, at best, questionable validity. The unhealthy climate thus created is causing cherished values and ethical standards to crumble and to dis- integrate. This state should be of deep concern to every thinking human being. The unique education at Yeshiva College has given you the oppor- tunity to confront and to see through the pseudo character of the presently prevailing philosophies of life, and has guided you toward developing the kind of critical judgment which does not merely reflect somebody ' s prej- udices. Your Jewish studies have provided you with the signposts which should make it possible for you to find meaningful and purposeful answers for a life which, false prophets of our time proclaim, has no meaning. As you, members of the 37th graduating class, leave the sacred halls of Yeshiva, my best wishes as well as those of the faculty and ad- ministration go with you. I hope that whether you be far or near you will always retain interest in your Alma Mater and her concerns, and I wish each and every one of v u farewell in the sense that you may truly fare well. ytriu: i I ' i L Dr. Isaac Bacon Dean June 13, 1958