It’s cloudy weather outside, new elections are imminent and another closure has begun. On the other hand, the COVID vaccinations mark the potential return to sanity. 

On the backdrop of these strange times and amidst the sea of masks and capsules and plexiglass dividers, students at the Robert M. Beren Machanaim Hesder Yeshiva just started studying Chezkat HaBatim (the third chapter of Bava Batra, detailing the law of presumptive ownership). 

These are moments in which the importance of ignoring petty and divisive current events is sharpened… The ability to learn about building homes and investing in the future in the face of petty power struggles and other depressing current events creates a safe haven at the yeshiva, and a stable voice of faith and optimism.

Photo of the yeshiva at sunset: Israel Malkiel