Yeshiva University Observer

Issue date: 12/21/09 Section: Opinion

I am a pre-med student at Stern College for Women. With that statement alone, I have associated myself with a certain large group of young women here. I have taken many of my classes, attended numerous pre-med events, and vied for research positions and Honors project mentors with these same young women. Together, we have assembled lists of extracurricular activities and interests, combed the hospitals of New York City for suitable volunteering and shadowing positions, and researched Albert Einstein College of Medicine's admission requirements. Many of us have also seriously pondered the question of work-family balance and the anticipated challenges of medical school and marriage and of residency and responsibilities to a family. For me, the question has given rise to many late-night conversations, tossing and turning in bed, and a nagging uncertainty regarding whether pursuing a medical career is the "right" thing to do.

While my response is arguably extreme and owes much to my family's predilection for meticulous advance planning and decision-making and to my own tendency to worry and wish to work out everything for the rest of my life, many Stern students do seriously consider the impact of medical training on their personal lives and the possibility of conflict with marriage and a family. Yet it was not until recently that I become more aware of another, equally pressing, potential conflict presented by medical training and residency. To understand that issue, we will require another statement of self-categorization and self-identification.

I am Shabbat observant. With that statement, I associate myself with a large number of Stern students. Together, we mark the entrance of Shabbat with candles lit 18 minutes before sundown. We abstain from melakha (activity forbidden on Shabbat), honor Shabbat with special clothing and food, and associate this day with menuha (rest) and greater kedusha (holiness). We learn hilkhoth (laws of) Shabbat to keep Shabbat properly, and we take seriously the many additional mitzvoth that pertain to Shabbat, to the extent that we shudder if we accidentally turn on a light by leaning against the light switch. Shmirath Shabbat (Shabbat observance) is a badge of honor. I am proud to be shomer Shabbat (Shabbat observant) and would be horrified to compromise regarding this observance.

Continued...

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