Before talking numbers, we need to ask a more basic question: Why are we sending our daughters to seminary at all?
At 39, I’ve discovered another, far less publicized life milestone: the moment a teenage daughter tells her father, “You were right.” You sit there quietly, wondering what rare alignment of the universe has just occurred.
It happened when my daughter, who was in a North American seminary, returned from a monthlong trip to Eretz Yisrael as part of a program that condensed the highlights of a seminary year (kevarim, gedolim, world-renowned lecturers) into an intense, inspiring four weeks.
Why was her admission so significant? Because when she started 12th grade, I told her that sending her to seminary in Eretz Yisrael would cost me about C$50,000 (we live in Toronto) — and that was just for one daughter. With five daughters, the math was simple, and frightening. Even with Hashem’s brachah in parnassah, there’s a difference between mesirus nefesh and financial self-destruction. I explained that there are strong Torah institutions here in North America, and that choosing a local option did not mean giving up on a meaningful year. I am sure I do not need to tell you how that went over.
Before talking numbers, we need to ask a more basic question: Why are we sending our daughters to seminary at all?
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