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It’s always been considered the most prestigious – and hardest to come by- privilege of the yeshiva world, to be accepted into Brisk. It makes little difference if its the uncle or the nephew, the second cousin or the wannabee, entreance to Brisk has always been considered the coveted spot.
But now, with drconian Israeli laws, insisting on keeping bochurim from abroad from joining those in E. Israel even after the quarantine period, plus extensive red tape and financial difficulties – coupled with numerous bochurim who went home for Pesach choosing to continue their learning in the US, the brisker yeshivos are making an innovation, never done before since the days of the beis haleivi, accepting bochurim for Elul zeman, and accepting anyone prepared to come.
R’ avrohom Yehoishua has declared the gezeira on yeshivos to be worse than the gezeira of Corona itself, with many bochurim going to work, so if anyone wants to get into brisk now is the time …
“It’s always been……”
Like, the past thirty or thirty five years.
” the gezeira on yeshivos to be worse than the gezeira of Corona itself, with many bochurim going to work….”
A truly mindless analogy. The rules governing who is allowed in to EY and under what terms are the best effort by public health officials to manage the risks of bringing in outside infections on top of an already high communal infection spread. They are trying their best under conditions of great uncertainty and are still learning about the virus and what guidelines work. Yes, it is inconveniencing some American bochurim who might have planned to attend yeshivos in EY. But for nO mesorah to say the that having some bochurim earn some money in the interim to help support themselves and finance the tuition when they can return is worse than being infected with the virus? Either a bad joke or someone who truly is detached from reality.
I must object; the most prestigious and hardest to come by privilege of the yeshiva world is to be a true Talmid Chacham.
They’re running a special at Brisk
A free case of Lipton Tea for all new students…………………………We need some levity in this time of Covid
What’s so bad about learning Torah. Plain. Without the prestige… fanfare… just some good old Torah (Taireh, Toyruh, Tooraah) Lishma. Anywhere. For HaShem’s sake. Nobody to see you… nobody to ooh and ahhh… Not even to “shteig” and become a “somebody”. Just learning for it’s OWN sake… Great idea..
All of the heroic banter about how the yeshivos in Europe would never have closed because of Covid (absolutely false, bordering on slander).
Meanwhile bochrim are passing on a chance to learn in the pinnacle of Litveshe learning because its INCONVENIENT.
Of course bochurin learned in Siberia. And in concentration camps. Because they were יושבי אוהל and עובדי ה’, so they bore adversity with courage and strength.To little froggie ayin gemara nedorim 62b
At some point, there will be ads for a “Coronaproof Shtender” which will include a plexiglass shieild on 3 sides, ultraviolet lighting and a mister spraying Lysol at preset intervals. A must-have for all bochurim returning to shteig after bein hazmanim. Also on the must have list will be the new facemasks developed in EY with materials that purportedly make them much more effective than conventional N85 masks.
“It makes little difference if its the uncle or the nephew, the second cousin or the wannabee, entrance to Brisk has always been considered the coveted spot.”
Please explain this sentence, I don’t understand it. To whom does it make little difference, and who covets the spot? The uncle? the second cousin?
I once saw a cap, “I go to Mir but was accepted to Brisk”
The most significant benefit flowing to an American bochur able to spend 3 or 4 years shteiging at the Hareidi Harvard (aka Brisk) is that when he comes home to Brooklyn or Lakewood, the shadchanim are lined up at the airport arrival area to introduce him to the daughters of their wealthiest clients who come with a lifetime of financial support and they don’t have to worry about the “w” word.
I’m always so amazed and impressed at your accurate insight into the lives of the chareidim! It’s so refreshing. Perhaps you should contact the producers of “south Park” who share your vision and would probably appreciate your contributions.
🙄
Brisk is indeed prestigious, but brisket is delicious. I’ll accept brisket any time.
Syag: I offered a demo video to Comedy Central (the network carrying southpark) of a new reality show focusing on the daily lives of a bunch of frum yidden posting on social media but apparently there was little interest in producing my version of The Caffeine Club.
I’ll keep you updated.The purpose of learning in Brisk is primairily to bekoine seder kodhsim by roshei yeshiva who have devoted their lives to this seder,
If this was the primary reason to go to Brisk, there would only be a dozen bochurim. There are other roshei yeshiva who fit that billing more than the Soloveitchik. In reality, if Brisk would offer the regular mashechtos there would be more of a clamor to attend.
ppl have this mindset that bochurim today are terrible and dont learn lishma and halevi they should be like the bochurim of yesteryear i dont know about u i peresonnaly know hundreds and hundreds of bochurim who sat in their room with their kosher flip phone trying to hear although it was unclear their chavrusahs anr rebbeim and yes most of the tome no one was ooohing and ahhing them pls respect our bochurim
Dear Mesivta,
Nice post!Why does the ‘kosher flip phone’ deserve a mention? (Is it about Talmud Torah or not?)
I have a nephew who learned in Brisk for a few years. When the masmid’s name was put out on the market, a wealthy man came unannounced to his home and asked to speak to the father. The gvir pulled out a checkbook and said, “I have a daughter. I want your son. Just name the amount “.
I place the blame on the wealthy who covet the kavod, and not on the boys who truly learn lishmah.
By the way, the father threw the guy out.Oh please. That’s not even almost possible. Unless you mean in 1925 but I don’t know if there were checkbooks then.
Dear Rational,
For what is there to blame? Seems like a nice story.
If the Brisker boys were as smart as would be implied by some of the comments above, they would “auction” themselves off for a shiduch in a true competitive market format with a “meiskeit” opt out provision. Likewise, the girls would have the right for an inspection of the bochur (like a home inspection) prior to the funds being wired to the bochur’s family. Shadchanim could only claim a percentage fee arranged in advance.
Hello Syag
I guess when a fact doesn’t fit one’s world view, it is deemed false. How convenient.
It’s a true story and it occurred in February 2006, a minute’s ride off Route 9 in New Jersey.Nom – he was using the flip phone to paticipate during lackdown
Hi rational – not true at all. When a fact doesn’t fit my world view i question the fact and the world view. But when a “fact” given over by an anonymous source who is not usually kind to the chareidi lifestyle, is highly farfetched AND doesn’t fit at all into any of my personal experience, i have trouble believing it happened.
Having said thst, if you insist it happened, i have no reason to say it didn’t. But i have no reason to believe (based on direct experiences) that it’s any more than an odd isolated incident, or that there’s a major backstory that got omitted.
Can someone please explain why brisk or yeshivas of that nature (i.e. Reb tzvi) are considered among the top? What sets them apart (other than shidduchim prep) among the others?
Respectfully submitted.Since it is a new limud (Kodshim) intelligent boys cannot keep up by cruising through the shiurim , and relying on what they know from high school. If a bochur is keeping up in these yeshivos, you know he is either putting in some real hours, or he was an iluy at a young age. Brisk specifically, has no attraction for bochurim that are not learning. Since space is limited, most of those that get in, only do so with the recommendation of their rosh yeshivah. Which implicates that the rosh yeshivah thought it was worth it for the bochur to go to Brisk.
Dear Syag,
Oh, you need not believe my true story at all. But to proclaim disbelief and give it equal weight to a first-hand account is absurd and quite indefensible.
Was it an islolated incident? I don’t know, but if you believe the attitude is unheard of, then you are not connected. I have many relatives and friends in Lakewood and I can assure you none were surprised at the story, even though to their credit they were most saddened by it. Is it the norm? Of course not. Most peole have neither that much money nor a first-class masmid son to allow for the two sides of the story.By the way, this once-bochur was also offered a young woman with off-the-charts yichus. This was also rejected as the boy’s parents were not interested in being owned and micro-managed by the meyuchas royal family.
He ended up marrying a wonderful bas yisrael with neither money nor yichus and they have been living a life of Torah and Yiras Shamayim in Israel, with love and respect for all. Even for the Zionist uncle who davens in a blue shirt sans hat. Threw that in because I knew you would understand the expression, what with your college education and all.I can corroborate NoMesorah’s words. The boys of the Brisker yeshivas are almost all bright and serious. The fact that these yeshivas specialize in Kodshim is cute, but these boys spend plenty of time learning other sedarim. Occasionally, one gets in because of money or yichus, but no system is perfect. Are they worth more on the market? What a horrible thought. What market? Never heard of such a thing…
Rational- you are misrepresenting my response. I have no reason to doubt you, but your unkind general attitude gave me no reason to take it at face value in your first post. Call it the boy who cried wolf in a sense.
Now you go on to explain that thisvreally is the prevailing attitude of some toward shidduchim. I know that, and i don’t participate in it, nor support those who do. But my comment was on the idea that this man went straight to someone’s house with his checkbook. If you said the same exact story but said he sent a shadchan over with the checkbook i wouldn’t have questioned it.
As for your false impression that it is only them who have such heartbreaking flaws in their system or character, no, unfortunately there is much to be repaired on both sides of the isle. And you don’t have to believe that true story either.
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