Israeli Column Debates Late Wake-Up Times Among Yeshiva Students During Bein Hazmanim

Last week, a prominent therapist, Mordechai Roth, addressed a common issue among yeshiva students who wake up late for prayers during Bein Hazmanim, the inter-semester break in the Jewish calendar. Roth highlighted the mental and spiritual pressures these students face, including long study hours, social stress, and prayer schedules, which contribute to their late rising. However, a father of a yeshiva student expressed frustration over his son waking at 11:30 a.m., viewing it as a lack of proper religious commitment and basic decency, since waking late is seen as unnatural and disrespectful to Torah values.

The article presents a nuanced perspective on this phenomenon, emphasizing that while the pressures on students are real, they do not justify neglecting mitzvot (commandments) such as timely prayer or wearing tzitzit. The author questions the implicit leniency toward skipping religious obligations due to fatigue or discomfort, comparing it to other scenarios where a son might want to abandon commandments or eat non-kosher food, which would clearly be unacceptable.

The debate extends to parenting approaches, contrasting the father's repeated shouting to wake his son with Roth's suggestion of a gentler method involving kindness and understanding. The article suggests that neither extreme may be ideal and calls for a balanced, educational approach to address these challenges.

As the new yeshiva term begins, the article reminds readers that Torah study and prayer will resume early in the morning, reinforcing the importance of maintaining religious discipline both during and between study periods. It concludes with a call to uphold the acceptance of divine sovereignty consistently, regardless of the time or circumstances.