Talmud Study is Not Enough

Lubavitch Mesivta in Chicago. Are religious studies enough?  (Chabad News)

Moshe Krakowski, an associate professor at Yeshiva University’s Azreieli Graduate School, makes a good point in his Forward article. He provides a very detailed picture of what Yeshivos through high school are like.

Additionally he argues that much of the education provided in the Limudei Kodesh (religious studies) portion of the school day is of great value, perhaps even greater in many ways than what is offered even in the best of public schools. An argument that is hard to dispute. 

In the main he describes those elements of religious study that sharpen critical thinking skills - drilled into them very early into their elementary education. Here are some excerpts that demonstrate this: 

(V)ery early into their elementary school experience—2nd or 3rd grade… (students) eventually… analyze (biblical texts) using ancient and medieval commentaries. Detailed text-based questions like “Why is this word repeated?” “What was this character’s motivation?”, “Why does the text appear to stop mid-stream?” are typical. These classes offer students a top-notch education in close, critical reading and analysis...

By middle school, male students are studying Mishna and Gemara, which make up the Talmud, for the plurality of the day…. In Talmud class, students are asked to read, translate from Aramaic, and analyze complex, dense, and sophisticated legal arguments (originally codified between the 2nd and 5th centuries in present-day Israel and Iraq)…

Talmud presents an unusual dichotomy; its study has profound religious meaning to members of these communities, but its substance is not always self-evidently “religious.” For example, students often begin Talmud study focusing on laws of damages, torts, and monetary law, and implicitly learn more about ancient Roman and Jewish law and life than any other group of eleven year olds in the world.

There is much more to the Yeshiva day described by Krakowsky and  his article is well worth reading in its entirety. But even with just these excerpts, one can see the level of mental development that is the goal of virtually every Yeshiva. This can not be understated. 

And I agree with the author about the lack of understanding this by people unfamiliar with Yeshivos. As he notes early on in his article - religious study is not about 'catechism memorization or ritual practice'. It is actually about studying the development of our religious observances by using the mental tools taught to these students. He is also correct in noting that public schools do not come any where near doing that at so early an age. In this area, successful Yeshiva students are way ahead of most of their public school counterparts – even in the best of those schools.

But even though that is the case, that does not obviate the need for secular studies. And I’m sure that Karakowski never intended his article to say so. I doubt he would even disagree with what I am about to say. His point was only to explain the value of a Yeshiva education. And he did a good job of doing so. But I am not limiting myself to that.

As valuable as the Limudei Kodesh curriculum in a Yeshiva is, it does not replace a good Limudei Chol (secular studies) curriculum. They are separate and apart. Two different disciplines While it is true for example that certain mathematical skills can be learned by studying the Talmud, clearly a basic knowledge in math prior to studying the Talmud has great value in better understanding those very texts in the Talmud. That is why the most brilliant sage of the last 2 centuries, the Vilna Gaon, asked one of his prize students to write a text book on  Euclidean geometry. 

The Talmud does not teach the full scope of mathematics offered in typical public high school courses. Nor does it teach the proper usage of the language indigenous to one’s country (which of course is English in America). Not how to read, speak, and write... There are no spelling or grammar lessons in the Talmud. No English composition lessons... 

Nor is American history taught there. Which in my view every American citizen should know in order to understand what this country is all about. 

There is also the fact that as advanced as critical thinking skills learned via studying the  Talmud are, there are important other study skills that  are learned in a secular studies curriculum. 

It is also quite clear that the sages of the Talmud were very well versed in the secular knowledge of their day. There is no reason that we shouldn’t be well versed in the secular knowledge of our day as well.

But perhaps the most important thing about a solid secular studies curriculum (aside form the intrinsic value of knowledge in general) is that it will help those who choose not to spend their lives studying Torah full time better prepare for the workplace. This is especially important for those that do not do well in Yeshivos. And there are a lot more students like that than most people are willing to admit.

Talmud study, which by and large is the primary focus of the day by seventh or eighth grade is not for everyone. Not every student is capable of developing the skills needed to study Talmud successfully. Those students would do much better spending less time on Talmud study and more on studying the things they can better succeed at. A secular curriculum will give them a better chance to find out what that is. 

It is no secret that the Yeshiva system is designed for the best and the brightest among us. Contrary to popular belief, not all Jews are Vilna Gaons.  Jews might be more study oriented. And more motivated along those lines But we fall along the entire spectrum of the intelligence scales. Some of us are very smart and some of us are...  well... not so smart. Some of us are actually of average intelligence. And some are below average.

While that does not preclude becoming adept at Talmud study albeit with far more effort, the Yeshiva system is not geared for the student of average intelligence. And they will very often fall behind. In a school with no secular studies at all, they will quickly fall through the cracks and can easily go OTD. 

I have known more than one Mechanech who started off every school year by telling his class that he teaches those students want to learn. He would add that those that do not, please don’t disturb the rest of us. What happens to those students? If they can’t thrive in Limudei Kodesh they have no place else to go. With a secular curriculum they may very well find their niche. 

This is even true for smart students that for whatever reason do not take to Talmud study. These students are all but ignored and left to their own devices. the plain fact is that the typical Yeshiva  day as outlined by Krakwosky is not for everyone. I know a lot of people that were turned off by it and are now quite bitter about their educational experiences

So as important as the religious curriculum is to develop the mind, it is not enough if you factor in all concerned. We cannot afford to just tell our unmotivated students to not disrupt the class. We need to proactively find positive goals for them all, whether it is because of not being smart enough to catch on ...or because the motivation is just not there. And that starts with good teachers - Mechanchim that  understand this very point and will not ignore those students. 

But that is not enough. Those Mechanchim need a place to direct those students to. Offering a decent secular curriculum can go a long way toward helping such students thrive. 

This should be the goal all of our educational institutions. Unfortunately there are far too many that don’t. Starting with those schools that offer no secular curriculum at all.