Chinuch is the quintessence of Judaism. Avrohom Ovinu
was commended, "For I know him, that he will command his
children and his household after him." From all of Avrohom's
laudable deeds and practices, the one chosen as outstanding
was that he instructed his children and household. The
essence of Yiddishkeit is to teach and to instruct.
Ever since the time of our ancestors study, or yeshiva
as it was called, has not ceased. Avrohom the elderly sat in
yeshiva-study with Yitzchok. Yaakov transmitted to
Yosef, and each father in succession taught his son, who in
turn taught his son/s down the line. In later
generations, when it became clear that someone who did not
have a father, did not have anyone to learn from, R' Yehoshua
ben Gamla took the initiative to establish schools in every
settlement so that not a single Jewish boy would be deprived
of his heritage and would be able to learn Torah.
At a time when the general public was completely illiterate
and ignorant and only the clergy was educated, the elite
would purposely keep the masses benighted and uninformed,
while the Jewish educational system was fully organized and
established to the extent that no one had to be illiterate
and unlearned in Torah.
The Purpose of Study
The purpose of study is completely different by the Jew than
by a gentile. A gentile is interested in acquiring knowledge,
that is, know-how. A Jew learns in order to be able to keep
the mitzvah of Torah study, and to know the Torah so that he
can perform all of the other commandments.
This is why one cannot begin to draw a comparison between our
holy studies and the purpose behind it — and the
motivation of the gentile world for acquiring knowledge and
its attitude towards it. Our goal: to primarily produce
gedolei Torah, Torah scholars, but our aim is also
that even baalei batim be well versed in Torah and
regimented in its study.
Our educational purpose is to raise Jews who are thirsty for
knowledge, whose every day is imbued with a yearning to
increase knowledge of the holy Torah. That is why those who
complete a curriculum of study continue, nonetheless, to be
involved in Torah study to the end of their days.
The secular sector, whose purpose is to acquire knowledge,
can do so on a simple, basic level or on a higher, more
technical one. The common denominator of all levels is that
after the student has already acquired the desired knowledge,
he has no need to study further.
Our `syllabus' is the Torah, which one can study repeatedly
and in greater and greater depth, indefinitely, infinitely.
"I thought I would become wise — but it is far from me"
(Koheles 7:23).
In the secular Jewish world, which is designed after the
gentile one, there is no need to delve deeper into any branch
of knowledge. The educators must seek subjects which will
satisfy their curriculum at each designated level and
therefore they have a variety of subjects: a veritable
supermarket of required and elective topics, some of which
are learned thoroughly, and others only superficially.
Whoever needs to know a particular subject more in depth,
pursues it for a degree in a more fundamental manner.
The syllabus in the secular world, and even the approach
— that is, its methodology — is arbitrarily
chosen by the faculty of that educational institution. To be
sure, the main required subjects are math and the language of
that country, while all the other subjects are tailored to
the students' particular needs or areas of interest.
Educational Methodology
The secular sector is constantly experimenting with different
ways to improve the methods of teaching, with the primary
goal being that the study material be absorbed by the student
in the easiest manner possible. But achieving this has its
drawbacks. The disadvantage is that it causes intellectual
laziness. There is no need for the student to exert much
thought in order to understand. Rather, he must primarily
remember. By us, the emphasis is upon exertion and effort,
that "You exert yourself (tihiyu ameilim) in
Torah."
"You toiled and achieved — believe it. You did not toil
and succeeded? Don't believe it." Every scholastic
achievement is dependent upon using one's brain and
intellect. That is why gedolei Yisroel are not
satisfied with methods that come to simplify learning (of
course, we are talking about those with average intellects,
not slow learners), lest they lose out on that precious and
honored commodity called omol baTorah, the toil and
effort in Torah. All the blessings promised to those who
study are dependent upon the effort one invests in one's
study.
And the Results:
We produce young men who are great in Torah knowledge and in
yiras Shomayim as well. It goes hand in hand; one
cannot be without the other. This is true even with average
and less-than-average students, for they continue to toil in
Torah and devote their lives to Torah study, many even for
the rest of their lives. It is interesting to note that when
those considered weak by us, who are not at all cut out for
steady study, go out into the work field, they are able to
find comfortable niches in most fields and even chalk up
outstanding success, be it in business or the commercial
sciences.
This is the achievement of our education: to establish as
many Torah scholars as possible who make it their goal in
life to remain within the four cubits of study. But even with
those who are not suited for full time study, to send them
out to succeed in the general market scene as proud products
of a Torah education. (We do not intend to go into the
results of the education in the secular arena . . . )
Our Mission:
Whoever enters the field of chinuch as an educator, a
teacher, principal or supervisor etc., assumes upon himself
the responsibility for transmitting Torah from one generation
to the next, in the same way that it was given over from our
ancestors, back in time. Since the time of Avrohom Ovinu,
they learned without changing an iota from tradition without
the express directive of the Torah sages of that
generation.
At the giving of the Torah we promised that "our children
will be our guarantees." Our children will be the conduit for
the transmission of Torah from generation to generation. We
have nothing to be ashamed of from our methods of education.
We are successful in our chinuch. The mishna in
Perek Vov, Ovos says, "Do not yearn for the tables of
ministers, for our tables are greater than theirs and our
crown is greater than theirs. And trustworthy is our Employer
to pay us the wages of our efforts." To be sure — under
the condition that we do our work honestly and reliably,
according to the will of our Creator.
We find ourselves in a period of trials and great tests, both
from threats and from enticements. This is the great hour for
those of us who stand guard over our educational system, and
we must make ourselves aware of this. Not only don't we have
to be ashamed of our way of upbringing — we should be
proud and boastful of it.
In this period of educational inflation in all the sectors,
we produce splendid saplings, proud plantlings. Not that we
should rest on our laurels, for we know that as much as we
invest, we have not done justice to this cause, and in
comparison to the early generations, we are as donkeys. But
relative to the other sectors of the population, we are a
success story. We must certainly not allow them any foothold
in our system. We must know that "this is the method of the
yetzer hora: today he says do this, and tomorrow, do
that, until he tells you to come and worship idols . . . "
Let us not deceive ourselves that we can be satisfied with
this percentage or that rate of success. This is only the
beginning. We do not need anyone to dictate to us how to
teach, how to educate. We have our sources for that, and they
are not experimental, but tried and proven to succeed, as
they always have.
Let us not let them even insert as much as a fingernail into
our system, lest we eventually find ourselves altogether
under their supervision and authority. We have a mission, a
trust. Let us stand guard over our Torah education with
steadfastness and sacrifice. Let us remember that all Hashem
has in this world is those four cubits of halocho. Let
us rejoice in Him and He will surely uphold and reinforce
us.
