In the yeshivah ketanah where I am a rebbi, we launched and innovative new program this past year. During third seder, bachurim of all ages and levels learned a seemingly easy maseches independently b’chavrusa. Every young bachur is paired with an older one as a chavrusa, and we’ve seen, baruch Hashem, that this works out beautifully for both the younger bachurim and the older ones.
When the time came to register for yeshivah gedolah, we saw something incredible: Every bachur who learned throughout the year with a younger bachur whose abilities were weaker than his – over 50 percent of all those who completed shiur gimmel – immediately received a positive response from whichever yeshivah gedolah he had applied to.
Generally, when the time comes to register in yeshivah gedolah, we are prepared to deal with disappointments. We know how often bachurim are not accepted to the yeshivos of their choice, and we have to help them find other suitable yeshivos. We know the process, which includes a lot of pain and ogmas nefesh. This was the first time that so many bachurim were accepted, smoothly and quickly, within a few hours after they had passed the entrance exams for yeshivah gedolah.
Each of these bachurim had taken upon himself to invest in a younger bachur and to dedicate time and koach to him. Often, it seemed that it was on the account of his own personal advancement, but l’maaseh, these older bachurim only gained. When I told the bachurim who are currently entering shiur gimmel about this discovery, they asked that they too be given the opportunity to give of their time and energies to younger bachurim. They understood that this is a type of segulah: If you learn with a weaker bachur, you will easily be accepted to yeshivah gedolah.
I felt that it was very important to publicize this story, so that bachurim will know that one only gains from giving. I don’t think this is a matter of a segulah alone. The mitzvah of chessed opens many doors, and there are also great benefits to the older bachur who invests in the younger one. He builds his middos, practices the art of explaining and directing, and acquires wonderful abilities that will stand by him as he continues on his path, to rise onward and upward, with Hashem’s help.
