As we are all 'preparing' ourselves during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva, working on our Middos, looking for extra mitzvos, extra opportunities to help others, there are also numerous shiurim being held in all communities to help 'boost' and 'inspire' us to do good, and be better people.
I decided to keep my evenings 'open' in order that I can attend some of these shiurim and B"H I attended a few thus far.
Here's when my inspiration came to be: I walked into the Shul where the Shiur was being held and there were quite a few women attending, as well as girls. Only, when I took a careful look around the room, I realized that in addition to the 'typical' girls whom I would expect to attend shiurim, I also noticed the 'other girls'. The ones that didn't attend the 'typical seminaries in Israel' the ones that are not 'so yeshivish' or not quite 'as frum as' the typical Bais Yaakov girls. In fact, they may be people you know, your neighbors, friends, classmates, etc. These were girls who attend college, girls who are working, and some were girls who just 'fell through the cracks' and lost touch with her background.
Yet, here they were-in Shul, with the rest of us, dressed appropriately, and with notebooks to take notes.
The scene tugged at my heart. Can everyone see this? Can they notice these girls, making the effort, coming to the shiur, putting on the long(er) skirt, taking notes, wanting, yearning, to make herself into a better Bas Yisrael, to embrace Yiddishkeit.
Wow! I thought I was good, schlepping out to hear the shiurim-but these girls, who probably live farther away, and some of whom had to take the extra citybus 20 minutes out of the way, and maybe even miss out on something else-they made the effort-and their efforts DEFINITELY didn't go unnoticed!
"The ones that didn't attend the 'typical seminaries in Israel' the ones that are not 'so yeshivish' or not quite 'as frum as' the typical Bais Yaakov girls. . . These were girls who attend college, girls who are working, and some were girls who just 'fell through the cracks' and lost touch with her background."
ReplyDeleteUmmmmmm . . . did you put college and work into the same category as "fell though the cracks"?
I think I'm getting a little offended. Who dictates what is frum and what is not? I didn't go to seminary at all, never mind the wrong one. My family is not yeshivish. Who came up with these requirements for who is more likely to go to a shiur? Why the "surprise"?
Data: ur comment made me realize I may not have worded this post properly. I too, didn't go to seminary and my family isn't yeshivish, nor do I consider myself Yeshivish, AND I went to college, and am now working!! Obviously no one can decide who's more frum or less frum. Please don't take offense-my point was, being that I, myself, am not a typical shiur-goer, but had the impression (like others) that a shiur would be attended by the 'Bais Yaakov Idealings' as well as 'Yeshivish' people, and seeing others not from that group, gave me inspiration. I guess I consider myself 'labeled' as one of 'The Others'.
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