Regards from Cincinnati! That’s where I am for a few days, visiting Mendel at the Yeshiva where he is studying this year.
When we sent Mendel out of town to Yeshiva many people asked me about our decision. Why send him to Yeshiva and not to a regular High School? In Yeshiva he spends hours each day studying all parts of Torah; Chassidic Philosophy, Talmud, Jewish Law and the like. Conspicuously absent from the curriculum however are the usual subjects studied in High School; Math, Biology, Physics and other typical subjects.
That’s right, in the Yeshiva we chose for Mendel to attend he does not study any secular subjects at all.
I recognize it’s hard for people to comprehend; are we dooming him to failure? How will he be able to get a job?
Of course not - no sane parent intends to harm their child.
I think people are confounded by our decision due to a fundamental flaw in their understanding of the educational objective.
People tend to think of education as being all about acquiring information; the more information they gain, the better educated they are considered. I view education as guidance for life.
A good high school provides a solid base of information about a variety of topics but it provides next to nothing in the realm of education. Education is about morals and values; proper choices in an increasingly confused world. Good education provides a solid path in life, no matter where your life may lead.
Whether one subsists off of menial labor or one works in a high-tech environment, there are two elements to their work (and by extension, their life). There are the necessary information and skills required to get the job done and there are the much more important foundational, life-guiding mindsets that ensure that we do our work and live our life in an upstanding, honorable and righteous manner.
Anyone, at any point in their life, can increase their information quotient but the fundamentals - not unlike the foundation of a building - need to be instilled during the foundational years of a child’s life.
A child who graduates from high school may have much information but they may well be lacking education. They might be ready to get a job but they’re not necessarily ready to create a life.
A child who graduates from Yeshiva is highly educated, well aware of their place in the world and their responsibility toward it. But they may be lacking information. The good news is that any information they may need in order to get a particular job or obtain a certain credential can easily be studied and achieved.
While I understand that not everyone will agree with me to the extent of sending their child to Yeshiva, I do hope that parents will consider their true role and responsibility, that of providing their child/ren with the proper foundational education for life - and not suffice with the information that they are learning at school.