The Day After Shavuot, by blogger of the month Sakal Kiv

Dr. Shimon Glick, co-chair of the MSIH admissions committee, delivering a lecture on Endocrinology to first-
year medical students at the MSIH.

As I sat in Dr. Glick’s Endocrinology class looking at the backs of all my classmates on the day after Shavuot vacation, I was reminded that one of the things that I like about my class is that there is a lot of camaraderie. All of us, without exception, are generally good-natured, interesting, and personable. We share notes, help one another out, and invite each other to parties and get-togethers.

We study and play together. There is a lot of maturity here. Many of us are married or are soon to be married. Many have served in a humanitarian capacity overseas. Almost all of us speak at least one other language. Others bring corporate work or graduate school experience to the mix. I have rarely been part of such a dedicated group of leaders and compassionate people. I know my classmates will all make amazing doctors. This past Shavuot, I was reminded of other things we have in common. We like to travel and go to the beach. We are hooked on technology, even on holidays. We want to change the world, even on holidays.

 Even in our apparently more significant differences, such as faith, there is commonality. As a cheese-lover, I was not only glad to learn that cheese is such an important part of Shavuot festivities, but as a Christian, I was happy to learn that Bible reading was so integral to Shavuot. In fact, I was invited to read the Bible, along with other classmates, at the home of an observant Jew for the evening of Shavuot, something I was quite happy to do. I am thankful to learn about how Shavuot commemorates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, a story I have often read and heard preached. For me, this adds richness and dimension to Pentecost, the Christian celebration of the receiving of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church during Shavuot. Being here in Israel, reminds me of the Jewish roots of my faith, the land where Jesus and his family went to the temple in Jerusalem and where the disciples read the Scriptures in synagogue. It reminds me that my classmates and those around me are able to function together, even synergize, because of tolerance. Not the blanket resignation that everything we believe is the same, but the ability to maintain social conversation, even a mutually beneficial and thriving relationship, while acknowledging the very real value we each place on personal ideas, beliefs, and traits that make us unique.

I think that the basis of tolerance, the idea that all people have value, is the cornerstone for any healthy society, no matter how seemingly homogeneous. Not so long ago, my parents had to flee from a country where Cambodians were murdering other Cambodians, sending millions to the killing fields. I think something similar has happened in other parts of the world. What happens is that one group of people begins to envy and despise another group of people within their circle. They begin to think themselves superior. Even after the extermination of the Others/Inferiors within that circle, they start to find in their ever-shrinking circle still more Others/Inferiors. The slaughter never ends so long as there is untrammeled pride and a vacuum of tolerance. In conclusion, i.e. the moral of this story/blog, I want to thank the MSIH class of 2016 for their example of tolerance. Thank you for being curious about my life and for asking questions. Thank you for talking with me about food and faith. Thank you for accepting me among your fold, even though I am a Cambodian, a Texan, and a non-traditional-orange-glasses-wearing-medical-student-father-of-four-children. - Kiv Sakal, MSIH blogger of the month