Our Time on the Hill
If you have ever played “King of the Hill” (I haven’t), you know that you only get to be king for a few seconds before you're pushed off and replaced. But, even if only for a brief moment in time, you stand your ground and look out at the expanses of your kingdom.
The beginning of this new school year, like every beginning, is ripe with potential and full of the unknown. We can look out into the expanses, but we don’t know what it holds. It’s both daunting and exhilarating.
Despite all of the unknowns, there are a few things I know to be constant. First, The Commentator’s dedication to reporting responsibly, investigating thoroughly and acting as a platform for student voices. This year, we recommit to our mission because we believe that sharing the news and highlighting student opinions creates a well-informed community, one that fosters meaningful discourse and is equipped with agency. The Commentator does not shy away from serious or sensitive issues, nor does it overlook the importance of cultural events and fun. Everything we cover is a reflection of the YU community, highlighting what the student body thinks and cares about. Every investigation and interview is an invitation to learn more about how this school operates and who we are.
Once an issue is off the presses, it inevitably becomes part of the past, with each issue adding a new layer to YU history. A large portion of my summer was spent delving into The Commie’s archives, and I was constantly struck by how each article is a memento, testifying to Yeshiva and its students’ lives since the 1930s. This leads me to the second known factor. We are the kings on this hill for only a handful of seconds. While the days feel long, and the to-do lists feel longer, the year is short. We have an incredible opportunity, perhaps a responsibility, to make the most of it.
Another known — the more you give to this community, the more you gain from it. Yes, you can go from one class to the next, you can walk from your dorm to 245 Lexington or the Glueck beit midrash and back, and you can still graduate. Or, you can find ways to get involved, and you can live this year in a way that leaves a positive impact when it’s over. The truth is, you don’t have to look so hard to find those opportunities. YU is overflowing with them. So long as you have the courage to apply, sign up, fill out a Google form or attend an event, you can do almost anything.
Two years ago, I came across a flyer to write for The Commentator. Filling out the questions back then, I never would have thought that it would lead me here. Measured in relative time, those two years working for this paper feel as though they have passed in the blink of an eye. But if I measure by the impact it has had on me, the people I have met through it, the things I have learned and everything I started to appreciate — or specifically not appreciate — about this school, I would come up with a very different result. I love this paper and its community, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to help lead it. Beginnings are full of unknowns, but I am confident in our paper’s mission, in our board of talented editors and writers and in our dedicated readers.
By the end of this year, The Commentator will have added a new chapter to the YU history books. Will you be a part of it? We only have a few seconds on the hill. How will we spend it?
No matter what unfolds throughout this year and within the confines of these pages, I know that by the end of it, we will be proud of ourselves, of the challenges we overcame, the kindnesses we did for others and the contributions we made to this community. I hope we make this institution a bit better than how we entered it and that each one of us is a bit better than how we started. But most of all, I hope you will join us on the top of this hill, building together a kingdom that is both momentary and magnificent.
