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12 Sivan, 5780 - June 4, 2020 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
A Covid-19 Story

by Yisrael Lemberger

A yeshiva set up for the Corona age
3

When the administration of the Yeshiva Gedola Kinyan Daas in Beit Shemesh understood that the yeshivos would not be opened as before, they began feverishly looking for new quarters suitable for the new government directive of study in isolated `capsules.'

They approached, both directly and indirectly, dozens of places, receiving an identical reply from each one — negative. In the end, they came to "Midreshet Shadmot Mechola" which agreed to house them. This site had several advantages: it overlooked the spectacular eastern vistas of the Jordan River; it was quiet and serene, with luxuriant green lawns and was distanced from all habitations. In short, it was gevaldig.

The next step was to adapt it to the strict rulings of the Health Ministry and obtain the necessary government approvals.

Two days before the opening of the `capsules,' the yeshiva received two notifications, from two different bodies.

1) Everything had been approved.

2) An intensive heat wave was in the offing.

Fifty degree weather was predicted for the Jordan Valley, and bear in mind that the prayers had to be held outside!

Total despair.

Would the thermometer be victorious over Keren Daas?

The Answer

"We aren't the first ones to be tried by such extreme temperatures. We have precedents from whom to learn.

"When Yeshivas Mir stayed in Shanghai, its students also suffered from extreme temperatures. And yet, in spite of this, the yeshiva flourished extraordinarily!

Learning Corona style
3

On the contrary, we were being faced with an exceptional opportunity (one that occurs every eighty years)! While other yeshivos are only opened partially, with a third or quarter of their usual numbers, we had full representation! Weather conditions did not faze us in the least!

We decided to daven Shacharis at 6 a.m., before the sun shone full force. And wonder of wonders! Instead of expecting to suffer under these circumstances, our early rising turned out to be a refreshing and blessed success.

One of the students who participated there defined it for us: "One can study without hindrance — we triumphed! Over whom did we triumph? Over ourselves! We overcame our weaknesses; we were victorious over the imagining that we wouldn't be able to study in such extremely trying conditions. We also overcame the seeming inability to get up so early in the morning.

"We were victorious because each and every one of us, in the flesh — and so, too, can you readers experience this — saw that we are capable of achieving far more than we could have imagined."

This turned out to be a most significant preparation for life, in general!

 

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