Every year before Rosh Hashonoh the editorial board of the
Hebrew Yated Ne'eman pays a visit to Maran HaRav Yosef
Sholom Eliashiv shlita, who closely oversees and
guides the newspaper throughout the year, setting aside
valuable time to issue instructions, answer questions posed
by the rabbonim of the Vaada Ruchanit. At this year's visit
as well, the members of the editorial board sensed his
concern for the paper and the importance he attaches to it as
the mouthpiece of Torah-true Jewry — a shofar calling
for unadulterated truth.
During the course of the conversation HaRav Eliashiv shared
his concern over the present and future of the Bais Yaakov
system, mentioning the Education Ministry's pressure to
require a third year of studies for seminary students. During
the past year Maran issued instructions to stand firm against
the decree and eventually it was rescinded through chasdei
Shomayim.
Still HaRav Eliashiv said the matter of continuation courses
for Bais Yaakov teachers must be rectified. "It is
unconscionable for future teachers of girls to take all sorts
of advanced courses when there is no oversight or guidance by
gedolei Yisroel over every last detail regarding what
is taught and what is not taught. Without oversight and
setting the study arrangements and curriculum, heretical
material is liable to make its way in. How can somebody who
absorbs these kinds of studies then teach bnos
Yisroel?" said Maran with deep concern. He also said he
does not know how this has gone on unchecked for so many
years.
"The teachers' desire to receive better pay by taking courses
to obtain these and other certificates does not make them
permissible," said HaRav Eliashiv.
According to the Education Ministry, teachers who have passed
their courses are better qualified to teach, added Maran, but
we should see this in a totally different light. He said
every teacher who has taken or takes advanced courses under
the current circumstances is actually at a lower rank in
terms of her ability to teach at Bais Yaakov and therefore
school principals and parents should give preference to
teachers who have not taken these courses.
"This is an issue that affects the entire Bais Yaakov system
and nobody can do things without oversight and guidance just
because of the Education Ministry's salary terms and
directives."
Rabbonim from Vaadas HaRabbonim LeInyonei Chinuch, whose
members were appointed by gedolei Yisroel, had already
heard HaRav Eliashiv's views on the subject several times
recently when he instructed them to bring the matter before
the government authorities and various figures involved in
the issue. As such Vaadas HaRabbonim recently held talks with
top-ranking Education Ministry officials to discuss Maran's
remarks and the decision by Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah on the
issue several years ago.
HaRav Eliashiv's decision to discuss the matter with Yated
Ne'eman demonstrates the need to alert the public and
reveals his concerns regarding the possibility of breaches in
this area. Of course his remarks carry an obligation for each
and every one of us, not just the officials dealing with
government authorities, who clearly informed them we will not
back down from any of the instructions given by our rabbonim.
The matter is resonating throughout the public, thereby
compelling Bais Yaakov heads, principals and parents to stand
guard against the erosion of educational independence, which
could potentially lead to disaster.
As Maran said with deep regret, the matter is so commonplace
that it has gained acceptance, although anyone with eyes to
see realizes in such a sensitive area as the preparation of
the future generation of those who will take charge of our
daughters' education a foreign entity cannot hold sway. The
present arrangement effectively places the curriculum and the
selection criteria for course lecturers in secular hands,
creating a situation in which the aspiration for a higher pay
level or ranking (according to outsiders' perspective) pushes
aside the essential matter: the need to employ teachers whose
inner spirit is formed only through the way of the Torah
handed down to us through the generations.
No new demands have been made, but merely an insistence on
upholding the parameters set by the rabbonim of earlier
generations. Limitations were laid down through decisions by
Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and a series of stipulations made by
Rabbenu Hagodol HaRav Shach zt"l. According to these
stipulations, advanced course work could only be arranged if
the principles of sur meiro and asei tov were
upheld: totally blocking the Education Ministry's dictates
regarding the courses, ensuring all of the lecturers were
senior Bais Yaakov teachers, making the aim of strengthening
emunoh the common thread binding the courses and
including issues of chinuch at home as part of the
material in order to prepare the students to become
mothers.
These stipulations, based on daas Torah, articulated
the demand not just that the courses be under rabbinical
supervision, but also that the contents be justified and
worthy from our perspective rather than basing them on the
dictates of the government authorities whose approach to
education is anathema to us.
Rabbenu Hagodol said the goal of advanced course work should
not be merely to receive higher Education Ministry ranking
with a "hechsher," but should reflect a genuine need
to train women to become better mothers and educators. And if
the Education Ministry agrees to recognize courses consistent
with our ways lechatchiloh, fine. But achieving rank
should not be a goal in and of itself.
Viewed in retrospective it remains hard to see just where the
conditions set by maranan verabonon zt"l were pushed
aside and disintegrated, nor is there any need to dig through
the past to find someone to blame. Our task is to look toward
the future. As a general rule we strive not to repeat or
maintain the mistakes of the past, or as stated in the
lexicon of Chazal, he who eats garlic should not go back and
eat more (Brochos 51a). The fact that an undesirable
practice takes root among us does not permit us to perpetuate
it by virtue of inertia. As Maran HaRav Eliashiv said, if the
only "heter" found was based on "ovor veshonoh"
of course it cannot be allowed to continue.
The truth of the matter can be laid forth because the public
awakening to seek a fundamental solution to the problem
followed on the heels of the campaign against the decree to
impose a third year of studies at the seminaries. During the
exchanges it came to light that the issue of advanced course
work and oversight has been neglected over the years, leading
to the current situation in which it was wielded as a weapon
against us by government officials, who tried to justified
their decrees by arguing that many seminary graduates are
willing to accept the dictates of the secular higher
education system in order to rise up on the pay scale, so why
not agree to bring these studies into the regular teaching
certificate studies program?
The remedy does not lie in technical changes here and there,
but a need to turn the entire system around —
muchlefes hashitoh — from top to bottom. All of
the advanced courses must be transformed into courses
suitable for a bas Yisroel in full accordance with the
guidelines and limitations established by HaRav Shach
zt"l.
Every yirei Elokim knows that our rabbonim
shlita, who bear the burden of the generation, are the
ones who understand the needs of every period. In his book,
Tzidkas Hadin, HaRav Tzodok Hacohen of Lublin,
explaining the verse, "And of the children of Yissochor, men
who had understanding of the times to know what Yisroel ought
to do..." (Divrei Hayomim I 12:33) writes, "For the
Tribe of Yissochor, whose men toil in Torah, know the will of
Hashem Yisborach regarding the leadership of the world
in every generation according to the times, their
requirements, the public and the place."
Our rabbonim are the men of understanding of the times who
know what Am Yisroel needs to do, and if they urge us
strongly to stop a certain breach it is a sign this is the
need of the hour. Thus if for whatever reason laxity has
taken hold and we have grown complacent we must buttress the
wall set up by the rabbonim of past generations and rectify
the situation completely. We should feel deep concern over
the gradual erosion that has brought us to the point where
the Education Ministry alone decides how the teachers and
mothers of the future generation advance their credentials
based on the principles accepted in the secular system of
higher education.
Yet even if a sense of olom keminhogo noheig and
sholom olay nafshi has come about, we must always keep
in mind the words found in Mesillas Yeshorim regarding
matters that have become so routine and widespread people
know longer pay attention to them, and we have an obligation
to do what is required of us. Vehanotel eitzoh min
hazekeinim eino nichshal.
