HaGaon HaRav Tzion Boaron Shlita has come out against chareidi colleges, explaining “Unfortunately, they teach kfira (heresy), real kfira by professors with small kippot filled with all kinds of heresy and blasphemy that our ancestors could never imagine”.
During the end of a ‘Shovavim’ fast day last week, Rav Boaron addressed the matter of the chareidi colleges and the education of the children. He calls for “Distancing from the colleges in which women are studying, learning heresy, mamosh heresy, apostasy; as all kinds of professors and lecturers with small kippot and different ideas full of heresy and hate that our ancestors could not have imagined is being disseminated. Each person should keep his wife and daughters away and they should not chas v’sholom go to these schools”.
The rav quoted the Mishna (Taanis) regarding the people of Nineveh, citing one who fasts during Shovavim is commended but the fast itself is not the main issue, rather it is a vehicle to achieve a different level of avodas Hashem and Yiras Shomayim”.
Rav Boaron calls for increased adherence to mitzvos; especially Shabbos and watching ones’ eyes and distancing oneself from forbidden sights. The rav advises against reading newspapers, even the so-called chareidi ones. “Shabbos is Shabbos and we must distance from reading newspapers, including ‘chareidi’ and ‘kosher’ ones which are all full of rechilus and loshon hora and other [unwanted] content, as if they offer a clean forum. Sit with the little ones around the table and sing with them, learn with them and study the weekly parsha with them”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
It is really disturbing to hear a rav who is respected in some segments of the tzibur engaging in such disparagement of the hundreds of distinguished educators who serve on the faculty of the several of these colleges and universities and the thousand of frum boys and girls who benefit from the instruction they receive. Its not clear what kefirah or heresy he is ranting about but clearly the majority of frum yidden don’t want their children to grow up in a dark cave with no secular education or job skills. These educational institutions offer a basic program of secular teaching under the guidance of highly respected rabbonin and askanim
Gadolhadorah, you are referring to “these institutions”, which you claim don’t teach kefirah. Which Israeli “frum college” are you reffering to specifically? Because we have been looking for a good real frum one for a while and it seems like by most each one has it’s own set of problems.
Gadolhadorah – it is really disturbing to hear a woman who doesn’t come to the heals of a true gadol baTorah such as HaRav Boaron describe his serious concerns as “ranting.” I happen to know a fine girl who attends one of these colleges who also “rants” against them. She has seen how damaging it is and has become active in publicizing what actually goes on there. And I’ve heard this from others as well, including an older single who described the ill effects on the younger girls and would absolutely not recommend it even it did help her advance professionally. We do need solutions – I will not deny that – and if the Ministry of Education weren’t trying to secularize the chareidi public by putting stokes in the seminaries’ tracks, we’d be in a better position. There were excellent tracks that seminaries used to offer such as speech/communication teachers that the Ministry of Education did not accept retroactively; girls who studied and trained for 2-3 years were not hired because the Ministry would not give funds to the special-ed frameworks for their salaries because it was not a full degree. Believe me, they were just as good as the college educated speech pathologists, and all courses that were relevant to their profession were taught. It’s all about secularizing the chareidi public. The motivation is purely political rather than concern about chareidi poverty. A relative who works in a senior municipal position can give dozens of examples of secularization attempts – many of them very subtle but when added up, are significant. And there are many highly respected rabbonim and askanim who are well aware of what’s going on and are therefore speaking out against these colleges.
If he’s trying to become irrelevant then he’s succeeding.
Gadolhadorah seems to be more informed than I about how distinguished the educators are. I personally don’t know.
However, I find it strange for the Rabbi to yes provide ideas of how to make Shabbos more meaningful without newspapers, but at the same time is ok with disqualifying the chareidi colleges without providing a meaningful alternative. He would add teeth to his message if he would organize and found a chareidi college or series of them that would be devoid of the elements he finds objectionable. To merely disqualify all the educators, the colleges and the students, without providing a viable financial solution, seems to be weak and not well-thought out. A real manhig does not just point out what the community is doing wrong. He also goes all out to help the community find a way to obtain their needs in a permitted manner.
Rainus, the only thing Gagglehabora is more informed about is her Hellenistic hashkafos about which she pontificates regardless of the issue.