A Good Choice

“How good are your tents, O Yaakov…” (Bamidbar 24:5) 

The Value of a Torah Education 

As technological advances continue to accelerate, more people now have access to devices that pose a serious threat to spiritual well-being. These tools provide easy exposure to content that promotes idolatry, immorality, and violence. 

Increasingly, children are becoming addicted to these devices, spending the majority of their time engaged with harmful material. The result has been a sharp decline in both moral character and personal development.

The constant stimulation of base desires causes children to become immersed in harmful lusts, affecting their thoughts, speech, and behavior. This numbs their minds and significantly diminishes their ability to concentrate. As a result, a noticeable decline in academic performance within the school system has emerged. 

However, this is not the case within our community and the yeshiva system. We understand that Torah study instills true wisdom only when accompanied by clear boundaries and safeguards that protect a person from becoming absorbed in the material world. 

Our yeshivas and educational institutions consistently teach that the ultimate purpose of life is spiritual growth—not material gain. When one upholds our discipline and guards himself, he can merit a life that is both good and joyful.

Over the course of many decades, I have met and observed tens of thousands of children. In recent years, the distinct advantages of the yeshiva system over secular education have become increasingly evident. Students in yeshivas exhibit greater focus and achieve deeper success—both in spiritual growth and even in material well-being.

Secular Jealousy 

It is precisely this growing distinction that has triggered intensified efforts to draw young children away from Torah study and expose them instead to heresy and moral corruption, all to erode this advantage. For the same reason, the forces of darkness continue to wage war against the learning of Torah, seeking to weaken the dedication of yeshiva students and aspiring scholars. 

We must always remember that when the secular world seeks to interfere with the curriculum of Torah institutions, it stems from a deep-rooted jealousy of the Torah itself. They are envious because they see the profound impact Torah study has on our children—it fosters wisdom, integrity, and refined character. 

Every Jew should recognize that these new laws and regulations targeting our schools are not merely challenges, but clear affirmations of the truth and strength of our way of life, our educational system, and our unwavering commitment to Torah. They reveal just how much the world envies what a Torah-centered life produces. 

In response, we must strengthen our resolve and stand united in our mission—to continue raising our children in the path of our forefathers, with lives guided by spiritual purpose. 

Passersby in this World

The Divrei Yechezkel of Shinova, zt”l, taught that in Hebrew a Jew is called “Ivri” because he knows he is only a “passerby” (Over) in this world, as Dovid HaMelech said in Tehillim (119:19), “I am a stranger in the land…” The Jew views himself as a stranger in this world. 

The Chaffetz Chaim, zt”l, did not have proper furniture in his home. As his student, Rabbi Ephraim Oshry, zt”l, personally told me, there were only a few chairs—simple wooden planks without backrests. 

On one occasion, a wealthy guest came to visit and expressed surprise at the lack of respectable furnishings. The Chaffetz Chaim looked at him and asked, “And where is your furniture?” 

The man replied, “I’m only passing through here—my permanent home is filled with beautiful furniture.” The Chaffetz Chaim responded, “I do the same. In this world, I consider myself merely a passerby. My true home is in the World to Come—that is where I will establish my dwelling. For that reason, I saw no need to fill my temporary home with elegant furnishings. All that I strive for in this life is to acquire eternal treasures through the service of the Blessed God, so that I may merit the World to Come.” 

Choosing Spirituality 

For this reason, when Jewish boys are given the choice between attending a yeshivah or summer camp with a strong spiritual atmosphere or going to a place where the physical comforts are greater, but the spiritual level is lacking — they choose the path of spirituality. 

They are willing to live in accordance with the Mishnah (Avot 6:4): “This is the way of Torah — eat bread with salt and drink water in small measure”.

Reb Bunim of Peshischa, zt”l, offered the following parable: 

A merchant would travel every few months from his hometown to a major fair held in a distant city. Along the way, he typically stopped to rest and eat at a familiar inn. On one trip, however, he found the inn closed and locked. With no other option, he made do with the small amount of food he had packed and rested beneath a tree by the roadside. Yet it never crossed his mind to turn back—for doing so would mean forfeiting the great opportunity that awaited him at the fair. 

So it is with a person’s journey through this world. This life is the path toward acquiring Torah and reaching the World to Come, where one will merit to bask in the radiance of the Shechinah. And if along the way, one has only meager provisions—bread, water, and a place to rest under a tree—that is no reason to abandon the journey. The hardships along the road are a small price for the eternal reward that awaits those who persevere in the toil of Torah and the pursuit of true happiness. 

Tents of Jacob 

This principle is found in our forefather Yaakov. The pasuk describes him as (Bereishit 25:27), “And Yaakov was a simple man, dwelling in tents…” He would sit and learn in a temporary tent, not seeking a permanent structure, because physicality had no hold on him—he always remembered that this world is merely a passage to the next. 

And it may be said that this is what the wicked Bilaam was forced to admit when he saw the virtue of Bnei Yisroel’s camp: 

“How good are your tents, O Jacob” — how good it is for the Jewish people that they follow in the ways of Yaakov our forefather, dwelling in this world as in a temporary tent. 

Through this, they merit a good and joyful life in this world and in the World to Come. 

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The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at www.kaalov.org.