Chofetz Chaim Yeshivos

I’ll address the BTL part.

I guess your asking because you have some delusion of using it to go to law school.

If that is the case, it is a very bad idea. You will need to score in the top 1% of LSAT test takers to have a chance at a good school, and even that the good schools, half the graduates are not getting jobs in the big firms anymore.

And unlike other jobs, in the legal field, if you don’t get a job in the big firms, you make about a quarter the amount and still work the crazy hours.

Plan your own life, but yeshiva —> law school, is not a good plan.

Moodche,

Tell that to Ner Yisrael

Wow…Chofetz Chaim bashing, litvishkeit-bashing, Lubavitch-bashing, and college bashing in 1 post. THIS should be a fun thread.

Shmuelgr, your high school should have Rabaim that know you well enough to direct you to a yeshiva that would be the right fit for you. Chofetz Chaim is a really nice yeshiva, I wish you hatzlocha.

*Dallas

*Vancouver

*Miami

*WITS

*Israel

etc.

If I’m not mistaken, WITS gets the most serious guys of the group, then Miami, then Dallas and then Vancouver. Israel, I believe is more of a wild card. They have a mix of people, some of whom are quite serious, some of whom are not. Like I said, I’m not really sure about this, so you should probably get someone to confirm before trusting me.

“…the Yeshiva only allows [college] in special cases”

(Unless this is referring to CCJ,) I’m pretty sure this is very false.

“Accounting School” is just an undergraduate degree. Before one can sit for the CPA they need to go through an approved CPA program (no easy way out). To apply to medical school, you need an undergraduate degree. People who go to decent schools and get good grades still often don’t get accepted to Medical school, so I could almost guarantee that a BTL won’t get you in, even if you somehow managed to teach yourself Bio, Chem, Orgo, and Physics well enough to do well on the MCAT. Law school is theoretically the only grad school that has no set prereqs, but as others have said (it isn’t my area of expertise) it is extremely difficult to get into a decent/good school with a BTL, which makes all the difference in law.

shmuelgr — If you are in a CC high school as you say, then your current Rabbeim definitely know the nuances between each branch and can help guide you to a good match. A general question of “what is the difference?” will not get you too far.

In a nutshell, all the branches are following the same basic derech halimud and learning the same mesechtos each year. They also have the same style of Mussar. The difference lies primarily in the fact that each branch gets slightly different types of boys, and each branch has different Roshei Yeshiva and magidei shuir. You need to figure out which type of boy is most likely to be a good fit for you (and by some of the smaller branches this may vary year to year as well), as well as where there are rabbeim who you will likely connect with. Only someone who knows you can help you figure that out.

Good luck!

… the Litvish Lubavitch

That’s an interisting phrase, considuring that when the Baal HaTanya was studying by the Mezeritcher Magid, his colleuges referred to him as “The Litvak”.

Those most serious about harbatzas hatorah actually make a point of taking the necessary courses, so they can teach Torah in the most professional way.

A relative of mine used to come to Ner Israel to give such courses on site.

Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim… what the yeshiva does believe is that if someone feels he is not cut out for harbatzas hatorah he should plan a reasonable parnassa which nowadays requires college many times.

They do not. My brother was there for almost 2 decades. They will never say that anyone should go to college under those circumstances, except maybe in private. The closest they will say in public is that if you think you will hate harbatzas torah, and will be miserable, or it is impossible for you to do it, then you can go work. While they cluck their tongues. Nebach.

Having a few boys in the CC system makes me eminently qualified to answer this:

WITS often gets the most serious guys. R’ Zachai, the 1st year BM Rebbe is considerd by some to be the best in the system;

MIAMI also gets serious guys, but they have a drop more fun then at WITS. Guys are very attached to the Rebbeim from there;

ISRAEL – as noted, a mixed bag of types, but all are very “good boys”, regardless of their learning skills. Not all are from CC high schools.

With the other branches, I’m not as sure. VALLEY TORAH sometimes gets weaker guys. But that can vary (as is true of all branches) from year to year.

Some guys, when they come back to The Hills for 4th year, are doing things like TTI, Fairleigh Dickenson, and other “alternative” programs. But it’s not officially “encouraged”.

I know very little about PTI, other than the fact that one of my older boys was collecting for them when it first opened. I have heard that CCJ has really turned itself around and is now getting a much stronger group of guys. If you’re in Mesivta in Queens, I’m sure Rabbi Singer will have some good ideas for you. And as for college, although the hanhala have told parents that, under certain conditions, they will allow it (maximum 6 credits per semester), it is highly discouraged, especially during the first 5 or so years of BM. It’s only once the guys get into their early 20’s, that some begin to see that perhaps they won’t be staying for the full 14 years (or whatever it is now) s’micha program, and that’s where a lot of these alternative college programs have cropped up.

sorry to say davesirr, but you’re mistaken. koolay alma modeh that WITS and Miami are the two most serious branches, both have expert, veteran, and experienced rabbeim, and are a good choice for any serious bochur. IF you’re looking for younger rabbeim who are easier to get a kesher with, vancouver and Dallas are excellent choices, and St. Louis just started a bais medrash program, and Rabbi Goldman is one of the best in the business, everyone who has had him wil swear by him.

Shmuelgr – if you’re looking for small, WITS and Miami arent what you want, it sounds like Vancouver is the best of the three options, smaller BM, amazing younger rabbeim. hatzlacha.

Can someone give me information about Zichron Aryeh in Bayswater?

Thanks.