KOACH Open Forum

This article from Gil Varod inaugurates our KOACH Open Forum. From time to time we’ll bring you interesting opinion pieces meant to inspire discussion. We hope you’ll send us your replies, which we will gladly publish, so that the KOACH e-zine will become an interactive exchange and not just something else to read. Send your replies and reactions to koachoncampus@uscj.org. Happy reading (and thinking)!

Shlep Uptown, Shlep Downtown

By Gil Varod
New York University

As someone who's spent his entire life living in "there's nothing to do here but go to malls" suburban New Jersey, I very happily maintain that it is a delight to live in New York City between the ages of 18 and 22. After all, the latest Princeton Review did name NYU as #1 for "Great college towns" (yet interestingly enough, next-door neighbor Cooper Union was only #5 in that category). So with tons of comedy clubs, theatre, museums, and eateries, few are likely to argue that the city that never sleeps is an ideal undergraduate environment.

That said, few are also likely to argue that Manhattan can’t get expensive when you're having fun. And the fact that NYU and Columbia make it very easy to never have a class on Friday doesn't exactly help your wallet now that you're enjoying the wonders of many 3-day weekends in NYC.

So here's where the Judaism part finally comes in, and this is the important bit: By being actively Jewish in NYU, Shabbat makes my life cheaper.

I know what you're thinking: "Being Jewish is cheap?" No, seriously, I mean it. See, I'm not Shomer Shabbat per se. And while I myself might physically handle money on a Friday evening, I spend too much cash on a Thursday night bowling game and a Saturday night visit to the Improv to go out to the movies on Friday night too, even if I have a Student Advantage card.

And honestly, do I really need to go out every night of every weekend? Do I really need to spend money to watch a bad action flick? And do I need to deal with the hassle of the stupid guy at the Ticket Sales window who doesn't know how to slide my Student Advantage card through the rather simple slide-thingy? New York City has enough hustle & bustle during the week that I don’t need to push myself to "go out" all weekend as well. So Friday night I get to see a whole bunch of my friends, enjoy a peaceful dinner and just relax. That's what Shabbat is to me.

Shabbat doesn't have to mean for you what it means for the next guy. I'll use my computer on Shabbat, but never to do schoolwork (though I find that leisure writing rests my nerves more than anything else). I'll make the occasional purchase, but only if it can serve my relaxation. I'll swipe my MetroCard on a Saturday afternoon and shlep uptown on the 1/9 subway to Columbia, but only to visit my best friend. So we can sit. And just talk.

Just because you use electricity on Shabbat doesn't necessarily mean you don't keep it at all. It's my personal belief that God was just trying to tell us, "Once a week, take a vacation".

So I do that, and I learn to really kick back. And while I'd be a horrible liar to say that I'm Shomer Shabbat, I freely call myself "Shomer Shabbat Style." It's a big joke among many Jewish friends, and perhaps as time goes on I'll become more observant according to Jewish law. Until then, I can at least say that I've found a meaningful purpose to Shabbat in my life.

Find your own meaning for Shabbat. Your nerves will thank you for it. So will your wallet.