The answer is simple: They were simply scared to go out and start fresh. The world literally had been destroyed, and they were facing the scary proposition of going out and making something of themselves in a brand new world. Both animals and humans tend to cling to the familiar and “safe” territory – as bad as it is – instead of the new and unfamiliar.

Sometime in your days in Yeshiva you must have heard one of your rebbeim or mashgiach describe a Yeshiva as a Tayva. It protects one from the outside world and all the negative influences that can wreak havoc on a young yeshiva boy. Yes, a yeshiva is a Tayva. Just like the Tayva, there is a time that one must leave the Tayva. After the many years of insulation and the spiritual development that took place in the insulation and protection of a yeshiva, there comes a time for one to go out of the Tayva and set out to accomplish his purpose.

So if your Rebbeim don’t kick you out of the Tayva when it’s time – you have to get up and leave on your own. When it’s time to go, there is no mitzvah in staying within the cocoon and the perceived comfort of a yeshiva. As a matter of fact, it’s even a mitzvah to leave.

bookmark this post

More »

If others could do it, why couldn’t you do the same? The excuse is, they are super achievers who are great at what they do. But the real truth is that excellence is only a tad better than average.

Being excellent at something doesn’t require you to be so much better than the other guy. If you are just a bit better at something, that is already a good enough reason for the business to come your way. And then you have the resources to get better and better, leaving the competition in the dust.

Remember, back when you were a bochur in yeshiva, the ones who became the ‘best’ in learning weren’t miles ahead of everyone else. Their success came by being just a drop better than everyone else. When everyone was goofing off, they weren’t. When everyone else thought about the kashya one time, they thought about it an extra time. When everyone else wasn’t paying attention, they were. And before long, they were miles ahead.

The difference between excellence and average starts out small, but it quickly becomes a wide gap that is almost insurmountable. (Think of Google vs. Yahoo). You already have what it takes to be excellent at whatever you do, it just takes diligence. Be just a drop better than everyone else, and you will have won the battle for good.

bookmark this post

More »