Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Do not “Yeshivish” people believe that (1) the Gedolim are Divinely inspired (i.e. more than ordinary people), and (2) one as a result must listen to them?
DY, do you think my definition is lacking, or do you disagree with it?
Yeshivish, as used colloquially, generally means:
- A belief in Daas Torah – that the Gedolim’s words and actions are inspired by ruach hakodesh, and that one must obey their words.
- A preference to stay as separate from the rest of the world as possible: this means no TVs, no movies, little internet, sometimes no secular literature, and generally no knowledge of popular culture.
- A belief that men should spend as much of their lives learning Torah as possible, even at the expense of things such as money, education, and time.
- A very strong sense and appreciation of Jewish tradition, though some argue that many of “yeshivish” traditions are really the Jews’ host countries’ traditions.
- Yeshivish communities are often close-knit, with large families and much gemilas chasadim.
I tried to be impartial. Feel free to dispute these points, or call me an apikores, or never look at my posts again. 🙂
I’ve heard people in kollel compared to fresh psychology graduates: they know all the theory and are caught up with all the texts, but aren’t familiar with actual reality. After twenty years of experience, they’ve tested their previous work and they theories they learned. It may not match what they had imagined, but it is genuine and more realistic.