Yeshiva University - Masmid Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 11 text:

The images of Torch Ll ' modo ore clear and shorp for us all. Who hosn ' r seen the wonderful picrure of rabbis — generously bearded, garbed in block — sronding with o hosr of sifrei roroh on rhe steps before rhe originol IXobbi Isaac Elchonon Theological Seminary? Who hosnr seen photographs of Yeshiva students, distinctive in their kippot or denim skirts, toiling in front of computers ond test-tubes? Who hasn ' t been con- fronted with an imoge of secular and sacred books mingled on a desk with the straps of t ' fillin? These ore all good images, poetic images, suggestive im- ages. They tell us much about the con- cepts of Toroh U ' modo: continuity with the post, interest in modernity, synthesis. But they don ' t tell us a heck of a lot about how the idea of Torah U ' moda permeates our life at the college, like soy souce permeates a pepper steak. This is on aspect well worth considering.

Page 10 text:

The idea of Torch Ll ' modo flifs rhrough oil ospecrs of the college; ir shows up in odd places and strongly influences the flavor of fhe whole, like birs of Cheddar cheese in a chef ' s salad. And we hove heard ir discussed rime ofrer fime. We hove heard ir debored, berored, expounded, confound- ed, eulogized, criricized, perfecred, dissecred. We ' ve seen ir used ro churn our public relarions mareria l, as fresh heads of cabbage are rurned in- ro cole-slaw. We ' re roo used ro rhe idea, roo nunnbed by irs frequenr use for cynical purposes. We ore ofren unoble ro realize rhar Toroh U ' modo plays o viral ond consronr role in our doy ro day life or Yeshiva.

Page 12 text:

For insronce, we hove school on Chonuko. Shiur and Jewish studies on Chonuko is one rhing; bur it ' s crazy rhor we hove ro sir through lectures on Vic- torian poetry ond Quantum mechanics when our minds ore filled with Mocobees and twirling dreydls. Be that as it may, every nighr for o week we trudge bock to class to light Chonuko candles in the holls. With our heovy books and our shoes wet from the snow, we shiep out choirs, overturned garbage cons, little tables, ond we light the menoroh. This yeor, the members of one floor in Morg started singing Chonuko zmirot after hodlokot nerot. Maybe It was the spirit of the day, maybe it was the spirited music someone was ploying on his saxophone, but all of a sudden they started to donee. Soon the dancers ran wild through all the rooms, pulling people owoy from the telephone, grobbing them out of bed. Cramming into the elevator, they came to the next floor, song ond danced and recruited more people. They visited every floor, they shanghaied every guy they met to donee with them. Finally they reached the lobby; tired as they were from the long school day, they found the strength to whirl for half on hour in a circle Ground the confused security guards. They sang louder ond louder. Thot, my friend, is Toroh U ' mado. Lit • ! ] I