By Rabbi Dovid Abenson. In my last article, I-pad I-education I-crisis, I presented my concerns on contemporary Jewish education. I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received and the many private correspondences the article generated. I thank all those readers who took the time to consider my suggestions. My intention in the present article is to expose some of the common approaches and perspectives on Jewish education which I think are erroneous and decidedly harmful to the developing student and talmid. I will also attempt to offer some solutions, as requested by my readership.

Teaching Judaism is like teaching no other subject. Or, it should be. The most prevalent deficiency I observe in Jewish education today is the attempt to package Judaic studies as one might organize a math course. While it is possible to draw many analogous goals and features between ‘secular’ (for lack of a better term) and Jewish education (the acquisition of knowledge, problem solving, critical thinking), there is a profound difference between the two. If a talmid knows every gemara, every halacha of Shabbos and kashrus, every medrash, he may be considered a ‘top’ student according to a secular model. But, if he has not internalized a love and appreciation for his knowledge, a passion to better himself, a faith and security in Judaism and his community that will last his lifetime, can we, as parents and teachers, really call his/her education successful? What about the student who scores poorly on his tests but davens with kavana thrice daily? My fury is that Jewish studies are being treated and administrated as though they were subjects to be studied, rather than principles by which to live. Tests cannot accomplish this latter goal. Neither can an over-abundance of stress, studying and homework. If Judaism is taught like a ‘secular’ subject, knowledge will be crammed and instantaneously forgotten after the examination. The emphasis on ensuring that the student is happy can be easily forgotten, even though, when it comes to a child’s faith, it is the most important goal. Our religion is not a subject to be studied but a body of knowledge to be mastered. Why aren’t we looking to the methods of our forefathers? I can’t help but ask, did Moshe Rebbeinu assign homework? Did the yeshiva evaluate the students textual skills in place of memorizing a tosefos or a shtikel Torah which does not show the strength of a student’s learning ability before admitting him to his Yeshiva? Given the unique goal of a Jewish education, we must reconsider the derech we have assumed to deliver it.

When it comes to Jewish education, it pains me to observe the wisdom of our sages and the recommendations of our leaders selectively ignored. An example, which dates back some years, exemplifies what I think is the start of this troubling trend. Rabbi Kaminetsky and the Steipler Rav were both approached in the 1970’s, and asked whether new American yeshivos should be taught in Yiddish or English. A common belief was that a Yiddishe yeshiva was more choshuv than an institution which instructed in English. It was not a straightforward matter, however, to instruct a talmid in a second language. What was best for the student? How would his absorbtion of the material and connection to Yiddishkeit be affected when transmitted in a foreign tongue? The opinions of two Daas Torahs were rightly sought. Their complimentary responses, however, were not what the inquiring administrators were hoping to hear. Both Rabbi Kaminetsky and the Steipler Rav recognized the confusion and frustration (rather than the desired passion), teaching in Yiddish would generate. Consequently, they both recommended that the language of instruction be English. The ruling must have conflicted with the wisdom of the inquirers, however, since it is well known that the Gedolim’s recommendations were not heeded and the Yeshivos became Yiddish institutions.

I am not arguing, Chas V’shalom, that there is anything inherently wrong with Yiddish instruction. My point is only that in this case, a community’s popular perception of ‘frum’ trumped the recommendations of America’s greatest scholars. We must take great pains to ensure that we do not ignore the voices of our leaders. In regards to homework and studying, Rav Steinberg zt”l lamented, “girls are drained by the time they get to the Chuppah’. Yet, the assignments and homework keep coming. Even though Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon Shlita who advocates strongly a no homework policy, and I quote “ schools should be a place to learn and the home should be a place of refuge and time with the family”. (With hearts full of love”, p 79-83 published by Artscroll/Mesorah.) Although I would recommend that Chumash be taught in full before progressing to more complex matters, teachers introduce abstract Gemaras (which young students cannot hope to understand) before basic Chumash. The need to have our children appear to be on a higher madreiga than can possibly be expected of them, has corrupted the school curriculum and turned many students away from enjoying their learning. Our children’s potential to become great thinkers has been squashed by an education system that emphasizes over-memorization because it sounds impressive. We cannot place the education of our children beyond the purview of our Gedolim, and we cannot sacrifice the quality of our children’s chinuch to appeal to contemporary notions of what is ‘more frum’. My recommendation is that the opinions of our Daas Torahs must be sought on how to run our schools and how to accommodate all types of students—even those boys who do not want to wear a black hat—so that every child can develop a healthy, enthusiastic relationship with their Jewish learning. We cannot succumb to the pressure to make our schools appear more frum, rather than actually being so. Put quite simply, the Jewish people cannot afford it.

Jewish education, as it is practiced today, is substandard. With a curriculum modeled too closely after ‘secular’ subjects, students fail to develop their spiritual compass and incorporate Torah into every aspect of their lives. We must give over Torah to our children as Chazal tells us to, starting from the earliest stages. The first step is to introduce alef bais when a child is between the ages of six and seven. The material should be kept as simple as possible and vowels should be introduced only when all consonants have been mastered. When consonants and vowels are completely internalized, a teacher can begin to show children how to combine letters and vowels with the tradition of ‘ kometz alef oh ‘. Syllable reading comes next, followed by whole word reading at the right speed. It is imperative that all translations and discussions take place in the mother tongue of the student. Mixing in ‘Yeshivish’ or Yiddish confuses the absorption of the rules being taught. For example, a teacher should say that Brocha is ‘blessed’ not ‘benched’. Teachers must emphasize to the students repetitively that the sentence structure in Chumash is different from English syntax and it requires concentrated analysis to put the words together into comprehensible sentences. Students must know this is a difficult process so that they do not become frustrated or feel deficient in their abilities.

Chazal teaches that only when each of the above skills have been mastered should a student be introduced to Rashi. Furthermore, before a child learns mishnayos, they must have mastered the chamisha Chumshei Torah pesukim (Also Nach, at least until Malachim Beis, will be most beneficial. As students work their
way up through the levels, Shishah Sidrei Mishna should be completed before starting Gemara. If that is not possible, then only the sidrei mishnayos which are needed for the upcoming Yeshivos should be introduced. Chazal emphasizes that a talmid should not start learning Gemara until he has mastered the above skills. This will of course vary according to ages and abilities. This basic approach, combined with hashkafa, halacha and Hebrew, constitute the full elementary curriculum. How to teach these latter topics together with Gemara with I”H appear in my future publication.

When our children receive a substandard Jewish educational (substandard meaning memorization without comprehension, hours of learning without passion), we fail our kids and we fail Klal Yisroel. Chazal has taught us how to teach our children and it is time to implement their recommendations. On an individual, societal, and national level, we must revamp the education system, and change the course of Jewish history.