“A
nd every wise-hearted person among you shall come and make everything that Hashem has commanded.” (Shemos 35:10)

Wisdom is generally associated with the brain. Why is the Torah requesting people with wise hearts build the Mishkan?

Pirkei Avos says (4:1): “Who is smart? One who learns from every man.” Rabbeinu Yonah comments that someone who acquires knowledge, but doesn’t love knowledge, isn’t wise — he’s a fool. Someone who loves knowledge and desires it, even if he doesn’t know much, is called a wise man; because he desires real wisdom, he will eventually reach it. (Rav Shach, Meirosh Amanah)

“A new yeshivah ketanah’s starting next year.”

“Umm-hmm.” I was trying to figure out why the washing machine was swallowing socks again and wasn’t really paying attention to my husband.

“The open house is on Wednesday, and I’d like both of us to go, hear the rosh yeshivah speak, meet the rebbeim, get a feel for what they’re planning.”

“Sure. Unless that’s the day the repairman finally gets here.”

This is why the Mishnah says that someone who desires wisdom will try to learn from everyone. He’ll ask questions of people, even people who don’t know much, because he wants to know what they do know. He’ll refine what he knows based on what he learns from others.

Apparently, repairmen are busier than I am, so Wednesday night found me approaching the new yeshivah’s headquarters — two dilapidated caravans strung together with electric wires and duct tape. At least we won’t be worrying about Olam Hazeh luring the boys off the path of true Torah!

Struggling to be comfortable in a folding chair that insisted on folding, I tried to zero in on the rosh yeshivah’s opening remarks without sliding onto the cracked floor.

He was so young! That was my first impression. Weren’t roshei yeshivah supposed to be old? Sport long white beards and frocks? This guy looked like he hadn’t hit 30!

He passed the mic to the main rebbi. Here I started seriously shifting in my seat, not a great idea considering my precarious position.

This guy looked like a bochur. I mean, he couldn’t be old enough to drive. What little beard he had was straggly, forget long, and his suit looked more like my son’s than my husband’s — which meant hip and trendy, not sturdy and sensible.

Come to think of it, everyone here was young. The parents, too! I glanced surreptitiously around, trying to find someone who was born before the turn of the century.

Why would we send our son here when these guys looked like they could use a few more years of yeshivah too?

If someone’s wisdom is confined to his head, then it’s not part and parcel of who he is. He’s like someone who carries a sefer Torah but doesn’t learn from it. A truly smart person’s wisdom is within his heart, dictating his thoughts and actions. This is the type of person who’s worthy of building the Mishkan.

One after another, the teaching staff got up and gave their rendition of how to reach today’s youth — teach them Gemara and Mishnah and how to play soccer. (Abie Rotenberg would get a kick out of these guys!)

After finally reconciling that I wasn’t getting any younger and these guys weren’t getting any older, I started tuning into what they actually were saying.

A boy’s self-esteem is his most powerful weapon to succeed in today’s society.

How your son feels about his accomplishments in learning will set the tone for how he feels about continuing his learning.

Despite my earlier skepticism, I found myself intrigued, caught up in their enthusiasm.

I used to be like that. The thought hit me like a meteor. I used to stand in front of groups of parents and talk about their children’s self-image, and I’d radiate confidence and conviction like these young men were. When did I give that up and become so cynical? Am I so full of life experience that I’ve forgotten life’s excitement?

The folding chair ceased to annoy me, the caravan’s decrepitness seemed to fade with the confidence that charged the air.

I may not be able to find the solution for my washer’s sock-snatching syndrome, but I think we’ve made a match between my son and this yeshivah. Because despite their youth, these rebbeim have sage advice.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 632)