Yeshivos for Eternity

Is a popular family magazine the place to discuss the state of our yeshivos today?

If the discussion focuses on “what and how yeshivos ought to do,” the answer is an emphatic no. First, even if this were a secular professional issue, it’s a bit presumptuous for a lay audience — with varying degrees of understanding about the topic — to read an article and then conduct spirited discussions about “how to.”

Second, a broad public assessment of the yeshivah system, with “how to” recommendations, is misplaced because there is no “central yeshivah board” that sets policy. Each yeshivah is its own entity headed by its Rosh Yeshivah (who may still have his own rebbi that he looks to for guidance). And it is the independent nature of each yeshivah that allows for growth and diversity within the greater system. In the end it is parents who choose a particular yeshivah, thereby signaling agreement.

If, however, the point of an article is meant to focus on us parents who bear responsibility toward our yeshivah-aged children, then, especially once a discussion has already started, it is only right that some points be clarified.