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NEWS
Gedolim Oppose Attempts to Introduce Secular Studies into Chareidi Yeshiva High Schools
by Yated Ne'eman Staff

Upon the instructions of the gedolei Torah, Yated Ne'eman is publishing some of the letters that were issued in past years by the Torah leaders zt'l and ylct'a, opposing yeshiva-high-school-type institutions and related initiatives to provide our youth with secular studies.

Torah leaders of the past decades repeatedly raised the issue of preserving the traditional forms for Torah's transmission and for yeshivos, warning against allowing any breaching thereof and voicing their strong opposition to attempts to open any alternative educational frameworks. The gedolim always stressed that youngsters should see themselves spending the years of their childhood and youth solely within yeshivos kedoshos, amassing Torah knowledge in purity, with no extraneous additions.

Recently, attempts to open more institutions of this sort and to broaden and enlarge the existing ones -- to which the rabbonim voiced their strong opposition at their inception -- have come to light. Over the past months, there has been activity within talmudei Torah, within Chinuch Atzmai schools and within other chareidi educational institutions, to try to influence students and their families to take this unwholesome path. New options are being offered of various combinations of Torah and secular studies, in preparation for obtaining a Bagrut certificate.

Some institutions also advertised in the chareidi centers and in certain religious periodicals. They circulated flyers that present them as Torah or yeshiva-type institutions that aim to prepare their students for entry into yeshivos gedolos, while "graduating in general studies" at the same time. Several such institutions declare that they particularly mean to address parents of fine students who desire to learn but "for whom uninterrupted Torah study is beyond their capabilities."

It should be noted that these are the methods employed by both new institutions that seek to open, and also by existing ones. They work among families whose children study in all the various streams of chareidi education.

News of the latest initiatives was met by the trenchant opposition of the contemporary Torah leaders, who called for every effort to be made to bring a halt to this activity and to block all attempts to broaden the programs that adulterate Torah learning with secular studies.

Some of these institutions actually call themselves "Chareidi Yeshiva High Schools" (Yeshivot Tichoniyot Chareidiyot as opposed to plain Yeshivot Tichoniyot, which in Eretz Yisroel are all associated with the National Religious camp). Others portray themselves as having a Torah or chareidi ambience, or a yeshiva atmosphere, which is particularly misleading and dangerous.

In one of his letters addressing this subject HaRav Shach zt'l, mentions the need to ensure "that all of a talmid's time is utilized solely for learning the holy Torah. It is forbidden to give the talmid any possibility of engaging in secular studies and how much more so is it forbidden to open a yeshiva or Torah institution under a different name, and to introduce any changes in the program of study that we have received from our teachers ztvk'l."

The Current Outcry

In view of the recent developments, the contemporary gedolim -- led by HaRav Eliashiv -- instructed Yated Ne'eman to publish the letters that were issued in past years by the Torah leaders zt'l and ylct'a, in which they expressed their staunch opposition to all such new programs.

The protest of the gedolim and the letters' publication in the paper's Hebrew edition last erev Shabbos had some immediate effects. One individual, who had planned to open such an institution in Tel Aviv, withdrew last week after rabbonim and roshei yeshiva conveyed to him HaRav Eliashiv's instructions that he was to cancel the initiative immediately. Many of the parents who had been preparing to send their sons there, expressed their willingness to send them instead to yeshivos kedoshos and efforts are underway to place these students in institutions that will suit them.

There are however, other parties that have not heeded the call of the rabbonim and who continue to work towards opening improper institutions. Some of them are trying to hide their plans, while others are going about them quite openly. One recent attempt to open a Chareidi Yeshiva High School was made in the grounds of the educational complex at Yad Binyomin. The project had the official backing of one of the political parties.

In 5721, the Tchebiner Rov, HaRav Y. Abramsky, HaRav E. Y. Finkel, HaRav Y. Sarna and the Steipler, zt'l, protested against, "people who are attempting to breach the guidelines laid by geonim . . .of yesteryear and introduce secular studies into yeshivos kedoshos."

They point out that this undermines the yeshivos' aim of training G-d-fearing Torah scholars with superlative character traits, of upright conduct, "without any admixture of secular studies chas vesholom . . . It is quite superfluous to expand on the severity of this matter, when the opinions of earlier gedolei hador both in Eretz Yisroel and abroad are so well known. They warned in the most vehement terms against implanting alien grafts into the soil of the holy yeshivos and against becoming ensnared in the net of haskoloh, which consumes both body and soul."

The signatories convey a dire warning that, "this matter contains within it the seeds of the destruction and devastation of the remnant of our Torah in the holy Land". They end their letter with a heartfelt plea to parents not to, " . . . prefer the glitter of [a more comfortable] temporal life, over the eternal light [that is the reward] of a life dedicated to timeless values."

The False Equation

The subsequent twenty years saw further attempts to open such institutions. In a number of his letters, HaRav Shach spoke out strongly in opposition to these initiatives, calling for every possible action to be taken against them. Responding to this directive, Yated Ne'eman made a point of publishing articles and essays denouncing the phenomenon and encouraging parents not to be enticed by such institutions. HaRav Shach declared unequivocally that during the youthful years, there is no place whatsoever for secular studies and therefore, neither should institutions be opened, "that enable talmidim to study other disciplines at home."

HaRav Shach writes of his profound shock upon hearing that an institution with plans to combine Torah with secular studies was about to open, "and they entice the students' parents by telling them that by engaging in these studies, they will have a more comfortable life. . . . It is obligatory to realize that comfort and success in life come only from Hakodosh Boruch Hu, who is the sole Source of blessing and success, not from secular studies, chas vesholom."

In another letter HaRav Shach writes, "It is imperative that one amass ever more Torah knowledge and is strong, during the years of youth, then, `even in old age, he will not veer from it [i.e. Torah].' Everything is determined by what one acquires in his youth and how much [of it] he holds onto. Nothing about this prevents a talmid who has attained maturity and has married, from being able to engage in worldly pursuits in search of a livelihood, if he is one of those who sole occupation is Torah."

Writing sadly about new initiatives like those that are being launched at the present, HaRav Shach notes, "In fact, now is the most auspicious time for opening yeshivos ketanos and gedolos that are [dedicated to] untainted [Torah study], without any admixture."

At the end of the letter he conveys the severity of the matter with a fearsome warning that, "all who introduce changes and who wreak damage and all those who abet them, are in a weak position and will be called to account in the future; their fate is stated [by the Torah] explicitly in parshas Re'ei."

A Call from the Heart

Several years later, a call was issued by a number of distinguished roshei yeshiva zt'l and ylct'a, who were joined by HaRav Eliashiv. They wrote that, "[an integral aspect of] the Torah that has been transmitted to us from previous generations is that a point was always made of teaching Torah in the yeshivos without the inclusion of any other disciplines. Our teachers in every generation were utterly devoted to this principle, not allowing any foreign disciplines to take find their way into the Torah. This principle is being continued in our generation too, boruch Hashem, in the yeshivos hakedoshos, whose sole vocation is Torah alone. They are continuing our teachers' Torah tradition from generation to generation.

"Parents and teachers therefore have a holy obligation to guide their children and students to yeshivos kedoshos where Torah study is the sole occupation and not to send them to institutions where secular studies have been added.

"Addressing you, precious youths, we say, `Do everything that is in your power in order to merit the crown of Torah and arouse yourselves to toil in it. Know, that the yeshivos hakedoshos are the source of our vitality and within them -- and only within them -- will the embers of the holy Torah, which will be your strength and your light, be preserved.' "

Rabbonim and Torah disseminators have expressed their hope that the publication of these letters will lead to a widespread arousal and will heighten the community's awareness of the great dangers to which gedolei Yisroel have been drawing attention for decades. They urge whoever has any ability, to do everything possible to prevent destructive elements from undermining the walls that protect faithful Jewry by damaging the ongoing transmission of Torah in purity.

Teves 5721

We have heard rumors that there are people who are attempting to breach the guidelines laid by geonim and tzaddikim who supported the world of yesteryear and introduce secular studies into yeshivos kedoshos.

"As is known, the aim of the yeshivos is to train great Torah scholars, who possess abundant fear of Heaven, adorned with fine character traits and of upright conduct and [all] without any admixture of secular studies chas vesholom."

Now, it is quite superfluous to expand on the severity of this matter, when the opinions of earlier gedolei hador both in Eretz Yisroel and abroad are so well known. They warned in the most vehement terms against implanting alien grafts into the soil of the holy yeshivos and against becoming ensnared in the net of Haskoloh, which consumes both body and soul. However, since recently there are parties that have been enticed by the counsel of the yetzer hora to introduce high school studies into yeshivos, we are conveying a dire warning, in order to remove obstacles from the path of Hashem's nation, and to make it known that this matter contains within it the seeds of the destruction and devastation of the remnant of our Torah in the holy Land. Choliloh that anyone should be take the step of introducing high school studies into the yeshivos.

"We call out loudly to you our brethren, bnei Yisroel, the holy descendants of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, who cherish divrei Torah: don't breach the wall of the holy education that your children are receiving and do not adjust the boundaries that have been set for us by the angelic leaders of earlier times. Place your sons in yeshivos that, with shackles of love, are perpetuating the tradition of the yeshivos within Klal Yisroel, without any veneer or embellishment. Don't prefer the glitter of [a more comfortable] temporal life, over the eternal light [that is the reward] of a life dedicated to timeless values.

"Those who hearken to our words will live in security and will merit seeing the swift raising of our holy Torah's prestige, with the arrival of the righteous redeemer, bimheiroh beyomeinu, omein,

Signed, in the month of Teves, this year of 5721 . . . in our holy city of Yerushalayim

Dov Berisch Weidenfeld, Yechezkel Abramsky, Eliezer Yehudah Finkel, Yechezkel Sarna, Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky

BS'D, Erev Shabbos Kodesh, 10th Iyar, 5744

To my precious friend . . .

I shall reply [only] briefly, due to the many demands on my attention. The roshei hayeshivos of the yeshivos haketanos and gedolos must certainly ensure that all of a talmid's time is utilized solely for learning the holy Torah. It is forbidden to give the talmid any possibility of engaging in secular studies. How much more so is it forbidden to open a yeshiva or Torah institution under a different name, and to introduce any changes in the program of study that we have received from our teachers ztvk'l, in order to enable talmidim to study other disciplines at home. It makes no difference whether the talmidim are from Eretz Yisroel or from abroad, for it is imperative that one amass ever more Torah knowledge and is strong, during the years of youth, then, `even in old age, he will not veer from it [i.e. Torah].'

Everything is determined by what one acquires in his youth and how much [of it] he holds onto. Nothing about this prevents a talmid who has attained maturity and has married, from being able to engage in worldly pursuits in search of a livelihood, if he is one of those who sole occupation is not Torah."

From one who honors and respects you,

Elozor Menachem Man Shach

BS'D, Yom Chamishi leseder Ki Siso, 5755

I was profoundly shocked by the evil tidings that I heard, that people are about to make a breach and open an institution for youngsters called . . . that will be ordered differently from the yeshivos hakedoshos, adding and mixing the holy and the profane, studying and being engaged in secular and worthless studies R'l. They entice the students' parents by telling them that by engaging in these studies, they will have a more comfortable life. Naturally, this later leads them to engage in more and more secular studies. It is obligatory to realize that comfort and success in life come only from Hakodosh Boruch Hu, who is the sole Source of blessing and success, not from secular studies, chas vesholom.

I hereby declare, choliloh, choliloh that one should be a pupil at that place, where they alter the accepted method of Torah transmission, that we have received from our righteous teachers zy'a, who transmitted Torah from generation to generation [in the way that] has been instituted in the yeshivos kedoshos that are our legacy. Chas vesholom that other studies be incorporated in the yeshivos hakedoshos. All who introduce changes and who wreak damage and all those who abet them, are in a weak position and will be called to account in the future; their fate is stated by the Torah explicitly in parshas Re'ei.

In fact, now is the most auspicious time for opening yeshivos ketanos and gedolos that are [dedicated to] untainted [Torah study], without any admixture.

from,

Elozor Menachem Man Shach

BS"D, 15 Av 5748

Chazal tell us that divrei Torah need [constant] strengthening. Our obligation to raise our children to Torah is part and parcel of this rule.

[An integral aspect of] the Torah that has been transmitted to us from previous generations is that a point was always made of teaching Torah in the yeshivos without the inclusion of any other disciplines. Our teachers in every generation were utterly devoted to this principle, not allowing any foreign disciplines to take find their way into the Torah.

This principle is being continued in our generation too, boruch Hashem, in the yeshivos hakedoshos, whose sole vocation is Torah alone. They are continuing our teachers' Torah tradition from generation to generation.

Parents and teachers therefore have a holy obligation to guide their children and students to yeshivos kedoshos where Torah study is the sole occupation and not to send them to institutions where secular studies have been added to the study of Torah.

Addressing you, precious youths, we say, "Do everything that is in your power in order to merit the crown of Torah and arouse yourselves to toil in it. Know, that the yeshivos hakedoshos are the source of our vitality and within them -- and only within them -- will the embers of the holy Torah, which will be your strength and your light, be preserved."

Signing in honor of the Torah and with blessing to those who study it,

Meir Halevi Chodosh, Simcha Zissel Braude, Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg, Shlomo Zalman Auerbach,Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, Ben- Zion Abba Shaul,

'Blessed will be whoever perpetuates the teachings of this lucid and accepted Torah'

Yochonon son of moreinu Moshe zt"l Sofer of Erlau

 

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