על סף בית המדרש

Summary:

The writer returns to his old school after many years. He had stopped learning there a while back and went in a path of ההשכלה. In his life he had to overcome many tough obstacles and from that he began to understand that he had gone down the wrong path. He wanted to return to דרך התורה and return to his friends and the teachings in the confines of the בית המדרש.

When he returns to the בית המדרש he is unpleasantly surprised. The building is almost destroyed, the grass has grown and the walls are black with soot. He realizes that many people from his generation left דרך התורה and their teachings and went down the path of ההשכלה. A lot of them also assimilated with the non-Jews and there was no one left to care for the בית המדרש.

The writer tells us about the all the let downs he experienced because he went down the path of ההשכלה. And now he wants to repair the בית המדרש and he wants to enlarge the walls of the building in order for there to be more room to accept a plethora of Jews. He also wants to add windows to the walls of the building and this symbolizes his intentions to open the יהדות so it won�t be so closed up. He wants to give Jews the opportunity to not only learn torah studies but learn secular subjects as well in the environment of the בית המדרש. He believes that if Jews get opportunity to learn secular and torah studies in the same environment then they won�t resort to assimilating with the non-Jews.

First Stanza:

The writer speaks about the בית המדרש in a form of האנשה (personification) and he describes what he sees inside � הסף נקרב, the walls are dirty and filled with soot and smoke, the floor is dirty (סחי קרקעך), the ceiling has signs of soot, and people no longer go to the building and therefore the grass has grown really, and on the walls there are spider webs (ארג/קורי עכביש). The roof is falling apart and crows/ravens nest there � symbols of sadness, danger and death. The building is crumbling and pieces of stones are falling (תשמט אבן אבן). The pillars of the building are shaking and it�s a miracle that the building is still standing. The broken down בית המדרש symbolizes the condition of Judaism in different places in Europe 105 years ago.

Second Stanza:

The book case for ספרי הקודש is on the floor and is bare (no books) but full of ashes and dust. And old pieces of ספרי הקודש  are in a barrel and are torn and old. The beams of sun that come through the cracks in the building are gazing with sadness and every corner of the בית המדרש is crying with agony (האנשה). The writer asks the walls that had protected the Jewish people so many times and was like a shelter for the nation, why are you standing in silence and without hope? Why do you just stand here and cast a black shadow? Do you think that G-d left you forever and will never return to you? Is this all that is left for you? To stand around covered with dust and to drown in it?

Third Stanza:

The writer continues to speak to the walls and returns and says they are like mourners who mourn in silence. He asks them are you sad when you remember the good times in the past that are no longer present? Do you remember the students that used to come here with sadness? The writer then asks a question using aשיבוץ מתהילים קכ״ב: שאלו שלום ירושלים and from �יהודה הלוי : ציון הלא תשאלי לשלום  אסיריך �

 The writer then tells the walls that the boys who used to learn in the confinements of these walls were at war and fought like brave, honorable men but the enemy won � this is a symbolic war ההשכלה vs. יהדות. In his conversation with the walls, the writer is speaking to the hearts of the Jewish people.

Fourth Stanza:

The writer returns to המדרש בית and he�s embarrassed because he understands that he took the wrong path in life. He feels like he is standing like a poor man who is embarrassed to ask for tzedaka (דמוי). The writer then asks, what am I crying about? Is it because of the חרבן of the המדרש בית or is it because I�m mourning over my own חרבן? Or maybe I need to mourn over both.

The nest is now empty because the גוזלים left � symbolize the students of בית המדרש.

The writer admits to being part of the second group, the group that tried to do both but instead they ended up falling and breaking their wings.

Fifth Stanza:

The writer admits to have not followed the right path in life and to have had many failures and obstacles. The writer then uses alliteration of R that expresses a feeling of anger and sadness. In the past he separated himself from G-d and the torah and then he began to feel that his entire life was crumbling into little pieces. His situation because hard and miserable and he began to fear that he might lose himself and his religion. He was in danger of losing everything but he didn�t give up and he made himself strong and saved himself because of the 3 angels that left with him the המדרש בית and followed him on his journey in order to save him.

Sixth Stanza:

The writer then speaks of how he was met with strong anti-Semitism in the world of the גויים and he encountered a lot of hatred towards him. The Jews respect the גויים but their kindness is received with disrespect. And he now understands that basis of ההשכלה (that all men are created equal and deserve equal respect) is one giant lie. The Jew are not equal to the גויים and don�t even receive equal respect.

So for the Jews � � ימין ה׳ רוממה�

And for the גויים � �רוממה השקר�

What good does it do for the Jew to try to live amongst them? I don�t agree to give up my beliefs and my religion, I won�t defile G-d�s flag (metaphor). I�m not willing to sell my בכורה for �בנזיד עדשים�!�this is a משל that is built on a רמז from the story of Yaakov and Esav. He says he is from Yaakov and he has the בכורה that he is unwilling to sell for �בנזיד עדשים�/the life in the ההשכלה. Yeah, in the beginning he wanted it but why would he give up the בכורה for something so unimportant like the ההשכלה.

The Jews are described like midrash describes them, as sheep surrounded by wolves or lion (כפירים). And the wolves or lions want to eat the sheep. But I choose to be with the sheep even though it seems like the lions or wolves are stronger it is better to be with the sheep. The reason for that is that it�s better to die (להיספות) with my nation and my people than kill and be with the גויים. He says that he wants to be with the pure ones and not with the murderers. He also says, G-d didn�t give me (חוננתי לא) didn�t give me fangs and claws � things that wild animals have. I don�t need to get strength from weapons or fangs and sharp claws. Where do I get my strength from? I get it from G-d. And only G-d can protect us and decide whether we live or die, its not up to anyone but G-d.

Seventh Stanza:

The Jews need to separate themselves from the גויים and they need to protect themselves inside a fortress of spiritual Judaism�just like the lizard that protects itself from the predator with the help of its tough skin. We need to protect out fortress which is the המדרש בית and not allow the enemy to penetrate the walls of our fortress and capture us. When we return to full strength (when everyone returns to the ways of the מצוות and the torah) then we will be able to go out again and fight our war against assimilation and this time we will succeed. Our strength comes from G-d and not from ourselves. People are life plants that need water or they�ll just shrivel up and die (�כל הבשר חציר�)�water symbolizes the torah and our lives, we need torah to survive.

Eighth Stanza:

Ninth Stanza:

The anti-Semites want to wipe the names of the Jews from ספר החיים and the writer fears that the גויים will do anything to make this happen. He also fears that something horrible is going to happen (he wrote this before the Holocaust!) but he is sure that the Jews will survive and they will rise from the ashes and will continue to bring good unto this world. They will be G-d�s messengers. The Jews from Abraham�s time until today are like �צלוחית של פליטון� that cleanse the world. The go from country to country and they pass on a silent prayer. 

Tenth Stanza:

The Jews promise the בית המדרש that it won�t fall. The Jews will rise up and they will dust away the ashes. The writer then proposes 2 changes to בית המדרש:

1. To make the walls and the building bigger so that more Jewish people can come and learn and also make windows so that the students can see the outside world and be more open to the world and not so closed up.

2. Have both secular and Judaic studies. This will keep the Jewish people from seeking something else because they now have everything within the confines of the בית המדרש. But no matter what, they should always remember that G-d s forever.

Return to Junior Review Sheets

� Review Sheets Central

www.reviewsheetscentral.com