Version History

It's 7:33 AM, and I pull up to Zal with droopy eyes, ready to start my day with Chassidus Boker. I sit down, open my Sefer, and space out for a couple of minutes before I begin to learn.

Just a regular day.

I notice the bochur sitting at the table right next to me. I haven't caught his name yet; I just know him as the bluntstoned, top-button-open bochur topped with the latest pink C-Teen kippa.

As usual, he's seated with his maamer open, and next to it, a cup from Chocolatte with an amazing aroma. Again, just a regular day.

My chavrusa hadn't shown up yet, and neither had his. So I decided to make conversation.

Me: Hey, what do you have there in your cup?

Him: It's a hazelnut mocha choco latte frappuccino from Chocolatte.

Me: How much do you pay for it every day?

Him: It's $7 for a small.

Me: $7?! Why don't you just drink instant coffee?

Him: Instant coffee?! Ever since I started buying these hazelnut mocha choco latte frappuccinos, I can't drink instant coffee ever again.

Now that's the problem with people these days.

This bochur, just three short months ago, was perfectly fine drinking his Nescafé instant coffee every morning to function. And now, he has voluntarily invited this new taavah into his life. Forget about how expensive it is every day. Instead of living a simple instant coffee life, he now willingly made his life more sophisticated, now dependent on his hazelnut mocha choco latte frappuccino.

I'm not saying taavos are a problem. The Aibeshter created us with so many taavos. We all like to sleep in, enjoy a nice roll of sushi, or perhaps savor a fresh deli roll from Mermelstein's (halevai that should be bochurim's taavos). But that's how the Aibeshter created us. The Aibeshter never asked him to be dependent on his hazelnut mocha choco latte frappuccino. He willingly invited it into his life.

That's the problem with us. Instead of living simple lives and just being content with what we have, we willingly invite unnecessary extras into our lives. "I need a queen-size mattress, I can't drink tap water, I need my Evian bottle of water." (Keyedua, what Evian backwards is.)

As for myself, I personally love chicken. I poshut love it. In fact, I think everybody should; it's a core part of every yeshiva and camp menu (keyedua the song).

But then one day, I go across the street to Mendy's to get some chicken. I go once, I go twice, I go three times, and suddenly, I can't eat yeshiva chicken anymore—the same chicken I've been eating for the past few months.

The point is, you don't need your hazelnut mocha choco latte frappuccino; you can live perfectly fine with your instant coffee. If you can willingly force yourself to start drinking your hazelnut mocha choco latte frappuccino, then you can also willingly choose to live more simply with your instant Nescafé.