Sealing the Deal

The young American man was in the midst of reviewing the Gemara. It was a mere week and one day until he would be orally reviewed. He was interrupted. He was summoned by R Cohen.

This was bound to be as dramatic as last time

As the young bochur traversed the short distance from his spot to the office his mind quickly raced through the possible cause of such a summons. He was a good bochur. What on earth could it be?

He knocked and entered the dank little office. There R. Cohen sat, a Gemara open before him on the small round table and various papers at his hands. He looked up at the young man and gave his characteristic nod. “Please, have a SEAT.” The young man sat.

“You exPRESSED your desire to…return, or shall I say…CONTINue here. We on our part are ready to fulfill such a reQUEST that you…remain here for anotha year….however…[this is the part where the young man panicks at the pause, dreading the drama]…the honholah want you to first COMMIT to make some…changes or…imPROVEments on yourself before returning.”

R. Cohen gave a sheet of paper to the young man. It was written specifically for him. He saw the other sheets of paper before the Rosh were of a similar kind, each for a different person with different things written on them. He took his.

“Read it CAREfully and THINK about what it is that they are ASking. ONly if you really feel you want to, then you should…go to the mashgiach and say that you are… ready to SIGN it. Do you underSTAND?”

The young man read the paper. Three points. Minor ones that showed just how much attention the yeshiva paid to the bochurim. Two of them he didn’t even realize were issues, just things that could be improved. It wouldn’t have mattered what the paper said anyway. If it demanded he jump into a frozen lake he’d sign it. The young man had fallen in love with the place. He had met so many people, grown and improved so much, gathered so many things and experiences, all of which were leading him to finding himself. No way he’s leave just yet. There was still more to take and spread to his community back home.

He took a pen, firmly resolved to do what the paper asked of him, and signed his name. With the ink that flowed from that pen to the paper he signed his soul over to the institution for a whole year,

Again