The truth is that this is not as far fetched as one might
imagine. At least from a purely Hashkafic perspective. If one looks back to the
early days of American Chinuch post Holocaust, one would see exactly this kind
of institution existing at the grass roots level.
Outside of New York - elementary schools catered to all kinds
of students from all kinds of homes. My classmates came from Yeshivishe homes,
Chasidic homes, Modern Orthodox homes, Lubavitch homes, and even non observant
homes. Our teachers respected those differences and taught us accordingly.
Learning Torah came first, but secular studies were considered very important
and treated seriously. Even among those on
the right. The idea of attending college was a given then in almost all circles.
Parnassa, was the number one concern in
those days.
How important was college to the right wing in those days? If
one looks at Yeshivos like Chaim Berlin and Torah VoDaath, the vast majority of
their students attended college while in the Yeshiva – usually at night. They got degrees in fields like accounting or
went on to professional schools to become doctors, lawyers, dentists, engineers…
what have you! All while maintaining Yiras
Shomayim and a strong commitment to Torah and Mitzvos.
The idea of learning full time for long periods of time well
into marriage was an ideal reserved for very few people. Only the most elite
and most motivated people would even consider doing that.
But somewhere along the line the paradigm started changing.
As the religious communities grew new schools were created to cater to specific
Hashkafos.
On the surface that might seem like a good idea. But that
was the beginning of the divide that ‘keeps on giving’. We are moving further
and further apart. As the community grows, there are new schools with even more
fine tuned Hashkafos being formed – adding to the division. I believe that all this fine tuning is one of
the most divisive forces in Orthodoxy.
There are now schools on the right that consider secular
studies a waste of time at best. Secular studies are belittled! There are
schools on the left that are pushing the envelope of ordaining women and
allowing them to act as Chazanot in certain parts of Tefilah. Some may see these divisions as a plus. But I
don’t.
I prefer an Orthodoxy that has a broad Hashkafic spectrum
under one roof. While we may (and I emphasize the word “may”) lose some on the
fringes of the right and left, the vast majority of Orthodox Jewry would
experience a far greater sense of Achdus. We had a hint of that at the last DafYomi
Siyum. Although it was sponsored by
Agudah it was attended by almost the entire spectrum of Orthodox Jewry. And it was a positive experience for the vast
majority of them – over 90% were inspired by it according to one poll (mine).
So in theory I think it is possible to create this hybrid. The practical
benefits of such a merger would transcend even the sense of Achdus that it
would generate.
Each Hashkafa has a weakness that is hurting it. On the
right, the disdain for a decent secular education pushes their masses into a
life of poverty. On the left the weakness is in the inability to produce enough
great rabbinic leaders. While there are exceptions in both communities, I think
that this is basically the rule.
On the right - the aggrandizement of full time Torah study for everyone and the default second class status of the working man has resulted in
1000s of families who are unable to make a decent living. Unless they have some
family connection or have the courage and determination to do the unthinkable
and go to college late in their lives, most of these people are qualified to do
little else than go into Chinuch. And most of those are not properly trained to
do so.
Enrollment in Yeshivos like Lakewood that currently number over
6000 and increasing annually means that over the course of generation there
could be tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews that re unqualified to do anything other
than teach Limudei Kodesh. Teaching I a noble profession. But how many teachers
do we need? Even now there are far more
applicants for teaching positions than there are available positions.
On the plus side, the concentration on learning full time
has produced a tremendous number of Talmidei Chachamim who have the potential
for becoming great rabbinic leaders.
Without getting into a discussion about what constitutes a Gadol in
terms of being more than a Talmid Chacham, it is undeniable that the majority
of Talmidei Chachamim are being produced by the right wing.
On the left (Centrist) side of the Orthodox aisle, there is
a conundrum that prevents it from producing large numbers of Talmidei
Chachamim. While it is true there are great rabbinic leaders like Rav Hershel
Shachter and Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Yeshivos like YU produce far more Baalei
Batim.
The reason for that should be obvious. YU does not denigrate
secular studies. It places a high value on them. While Torah study is considered
the greater of the two values of Torah U’Mada, giving students these choices enables
them to choose careers that best suit their needs and talents. So there are a
great number of the become professionals – even among those on the right wing
of modern Orthodoxy. That means that there are far fewer that will choose learning
Torah as a career, as did Rav Shachter and Rav Lichtenstein.
While this is good for Orthodoxy as a whole it must be admitted
that not producing large numbers of Talmiedei Chachamim is a built in
shortcoming of the Torah U’mada philosophy – at least in practice if not in
theory.
A merger of the two philosophies would go a long way to
solving those problems. The intense focus
of learning full time would be tempered by the availability of a college on
premises for those who want to pursue a career at some point. And it would
encourage more people with the talent for doing so to consider a career in
Torah study.
The Lakewood community needs a way to alleviate the poverty.
The YU community needs to be able to produce more rabbinic leaders. A merger
would create the environment for that. And it would minimize if not entirely eliminate
the extremes.
I realize that the two Hashkafos are not entirely
compatible. But why not allow students the opportunity to be educated in both? Why
not allow them to have Rebbeim and Mechanchim on both sides of the Orthodox aisle?
Let them hear both perspectives without one side disparaging the other. Why not
allow our students make choices based on knowledge instead of ignorance? Wouldn’t
that make them better Jews? And wouldn’t that make a far more balanced and
unified Orthodoxy than the divisive one that exists now?
Imagine a Moetzes that included a broader spectrum of rabbinic
leaders. And a population of educated
Jews that can make a decent living in all fields – including the field of Torah
study… Alas this is just an unrealistic
pipe dream, I suppose. But I can dream, can’t I?
