Is yeshiva worth it?
A guest post by JS:
Finally, there is so much hashkafically that I was taught in yeshiva that I simply don’t agree with. This ranges from secular hashkafa relating to politics and how to interact with the outside world to Jewish hashkafa. When I was a teen and completely obnoxious and thought I was right about everything, the yeshiva took advantage of this to force hashkafic arguments at home. Every Shabbos without fail the meal would denigrate into a heated debate about how my parents were wrong about everything and weren’t properly adhering to Jewish values, halachas, and ideals. The yeshivas pitted me against my parents as what they taught wasn’t what we did at home. Another major problem is the outright racism and xenophobia explicitly taught in yeshivas both subtly and not so subtly. We were taught we’re superior to everyone else, other religions are lies and their practitioners are just stupid and will see the light when mashiach comes, other races do drugs and commit crimes.
via DovBear: Is yeshiva worth it?.
This debate has been going on for some time in Judaism in all the movements: how best to pass on our values to the next generation. Is it about teaching halakha, bible stories, talmud, or philosophy? Or is it just how to ‘think like a Jew’ so that one can continue his or her Jewish journey in a thoughtful manner. I favor the latter. Rather than learning ‘facts’ that may be specific to a particular movement not to say person or school, it is, in my opinion, better to teach people to love the process and to find their place within it. The problem, though, is that some people may not have the personal resources to investigate on their own and follow up in their learning. In that case, hopefully some basics can be agreed upon to be taught to do, rather than to understand.
ולא המדרש הוא העיקר, אלא המעשה;
[Shimon ben Gamliel: ] And the learning is not the main thing, but the deed
וכבר היה רבי טרפון וזקנים מסובין בעלית בית נתזה בלוד נשאלה שאילה זו בפניהם תלמוד גדול או מעשה גדול נענה רבי טרפון ואמר מעשה גדול נענה ר”ע ואמר תלמוד גדול נענו כולם ואמרו תלמוד גדול שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה
Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were once reclining in the upper story of Nitza’s house in Lod when this question was raised before them: Is study greater or practice? Rabbi Tarfon answered, saying: Practice is greater. Rabbi Akiva answered saying: Study is greater for it leads to practice. Then they all answered and said: Study is greater for it leads to action.
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