Your article about Yeshiva University is not only inaccurate—it fails to convey the full story, especially the deeper context. On top of that, it borders on motzi shem ra and lashon hara. Who do you and your readers think you are, playing God—pretending to know why things happen and focusing on finding fault in others?
We are living in a time when the world is revealing its true colors toward the Jewish people. Haman, Hitler, and Hamas did not discriminate among Jews—they hated us all equally. The painful irony is that while the world unites in its hatred, we divide ourselves in the name of “defending God.” But God is big enough to handle His own judgment. He doesn’t need our help condemning others. What God truly cares about—and perhaps does not forgive—is how we treat one another.
Instead of constantly pointing fingers, take a hard look at yourselves. If you’re truly seeking truth, consider this: according to a Pew study, 30% of the Charedi community identifies as atheist. Within that same community, there’s often more concern with looking frum than with being frum.
This brings me to another issue: avodah zarah. What is avodah zarah? It’s the worship of things—objects, people, ideologies. We are meant to be a people of questions, of respectful disagreement, of seeking truth. In my view, the way “Daas Torah” is used in some circles borders on avodah zarah. If something doesn’t make sense, we are meant to question—respectfully but persistently—until truth emerges.
People are fallible. Even the greatest among us can make mistakes. What is true in one community might look different in another. We are all human, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave each of us our own daas. The Torah warns us about nevi’ei sheker—false prophets. Just because someone is considered great does not mean we must blindly follow their every word.
When it says talmidei chachamim marbim shalom, it means that if someone is not increasing peace, he is not a talmid chacham. Learning Torah is one thing; truly understanding it is another. Torah is a living, breathing entity. It’s not just about keeping mitzvot—Torah and mitzvot are a means, not an end.
We see in the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza that the destruction of the Temple was attributed to the actions—and inaction—of leaders. The Gemara holds Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkolas responsible because of his narrow-mindedness and his silence in the face of public humiliation at that infamous party.
Sadly, we’ve adopted some of the same black-and-white thinking found in Christianity and Islam—acting as if we represent God, deciding who is good and who is bad, who is “in” and who is “out.” But the truth is, everyone connects to God in their own way.
You owe a public apology to Yeshiva University and to the broader Jewish community—especially given that you clearly have no real understanding of what Yeshiva University represents or what it has contributed to the Jewish world. YU has produced true talmidei chachamim who are not only deeply learned but also serve as leaders and professionals across all fields. Some of the world’s greatest poskim have come through its doors.
Just because their approach to Torah differs from yours does not make it invalid. On the contrary—this is exactly where avodah zarah begins: when we start worshiping ideology over truth, and when we believe that only our path is the right one.
Signed,
Judah Hartman
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
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14 Responses
I’m completely lost with what this letter is trying to say. I would be the first to defend YU. I remain super willing to hear any limud zchus on them but this letter really isn’t giving one. It is little more than a bashing of the Charedi world over completely unrelated issues but then demands a public apology to YU. Please rewrite it in a way that I can understand.
I do not know the article you are referencing but i do know this.
YU has sullied the purity of Yiddishkeit. It has adopted a Tzorah to the Torah which we are wed.
And the fruits of its endeavors are therefore inherently lacking!
This claim you make of unity? You twist it on its head!
Unity doesn’t mean acceptance of those whom it ” lo amud… Leitzim lo yashav”.
Unity has always been achieved when the blunderers set aside their ego and embraced Hashem, not when the Chareidim embraced the Resha’ims values.
In YU Kefirah is taught regularly.
Torah is supplementary, and indeed, many times inferior, to “science”.
Disdain for Chaza”l a given, not an exeption.
I know, because my brother went there. And he told me not to go. He warned me of what transpires there.
Yes, I also know of some Talmidei Chachamim who have gone there. But They are the exception, not the rule. A real case of “in spite of, not because of”.
Does YU espouse adherence to Tznius? DO they espouse adherence to Dikduk in Halacha? No. Sadly that died with Rabbi Soloveitchik, who tried, and I would say failed, to make Torah u’mada YU’s legacy. Alas, the legacy is left to behold, You cannot be Meshatef a Tzarah to the Torah. It hasnt worked. It doesnt work.
All that and no explanation for what actually happened? And along with that whole bash about our holy leadership which obviously you don’t value when some of the biggest names on Earth warned about that school, what’s your defense for them now? The Torah never preaches this fake love for everyone baloney, the Torah insists we stand up for its principles, even at the risk of being unpopular. There is no room for bending on this topic when it comes to the rainbow crowd, we don’t accept it, and a school that contains students that embrace it is already a problem with the school. It’s clear a religious person can’t go there no matter who the dean is
YU is no longer an orthodox institution. This “approach” is invalid. You cannot recognize officially actions which has been forbidden for every single person that ever walked the face of the earth. And you never explained anything at all regarding how the article was wrong.
I was born in the morning but it’s wasn’t this morning. 30% of chareidi Jews are not atheists. I don’t know whether you accurately cited the pew study or not but it’s not at all believable for one second. The lesson here? Don’t believe everything you read. Not from pew and not from ywn articles about YU.
op-pretty ironic that youre claiming we adopted ideas from the goyim
What a bunch of substance-less tripe. You hit ALMOST every Reform talking point- you got Loshon Hora, V’Ahavta Leraiacha Kamocha, Antisemitism, we need to stick together, got some Hitler in there, blah blah blah. You just left out Tikkun Olam and being a light into the nations.
I enjoyed the mussar, but you didn’t once explain why the YWN article was wrong.
@smerel, spot on, it’s a regular bash against chareidim, without explaining in any way why yu are right, admittedly it could be true that us chareidim sometimes play gods policeman, but that is irrelevant, when you are trying to justify yu, I would happily justify them, but there IS no justification, but I fully agree that to speak about it publicly is loshon horo, being that there is zero toieles, and also, Mr Hartman to me this letter looks like your speaking loshon horo against chareidim, which I fail to understand why that is any better!!!!
YWN, I don’t know whether or not you have a Rabbinical advisory board (or Rov) that allows you to print this type of article but on a personal level I think we owe you a tremendous Hakoras Hatoiv for printing it. This dribble is a wonderful illustration of why our Gedolim warned us to stay away from that Makom Tumah like the plague.
The author’s “am haratzus” would border on the laughable if it wasn’t so sad. Calling R Zecharya ben Avkulas closed minded is utter stupidity and is never even mentioned as a reason in the remarks.
You might not agree with, or even like what “days torah” says, but throughout our history all we had to guide us was days torah. Had the author lived in the times of the Purim story, he probably would’ve went to Achashveirosh’s party and said that Mordechai is an idiot!
This article is trash and should not have been posted
“But God is big enough to handle His own judgment. He doesn’t need our help condemning others. What God truly cares about—and perhaps does not forgive—is how we treat one another.”
This maskilic thought process would also condemn Pinchas for killing Zimri. After all, G-d “doesn’t need our help”. By that logic, YU haskala would also condemn Moshe Rabbeinu for breaking the luchos and his “Mi LaHashem Elai”. After all. G-d “doesn’t need our help”.
Of course, He indeed does not need help from anything. He is kol yachol. But – and this is the part that maskilim distort when one of their secular humanist or other idolatrous values comes into play – He also commanded us to defend His honor in various situations.
“Just because their approach to Torah differs from yours does not make it invalid.”
That “logic” could be applied to, “Open Orthodoxy” – which is essentially MO taken to its logical conclusion – and, for that matter, Reform Judaism, too.
That one’s “approach to Torah differs” is of course not necessarily a problem. But when the approach is anti-Torah, like “Modern Orthodoxy”, then that is indeed a problem.
Recently Yeshiva World has been publishing many open letters from the “Mailbag”.
While that is nice, I dont understand why they would post this apikorsus.
The writer opens with a plea of unity & acceptance & then goes on to attack the chareidi community based on *drumroll* a Pew study – are we supposed to laugh or cry?
the writer then goes on to compare our emunas chachomim to avodah zarah, this is an outrage!!
I opened this page thinking that someone wanted to be melamed zchus on YU (and i dont think there is a lack of ways to do so) but this author chose violence.
What a hypocrite, what a shame.
“Just because their approach to Torah differs from yours does not make it invalid.”
“some believe there this statue here is God”
“everyone connects to God in their own way.”
POP QUIZ:
You may have missed it, but one of the above quotes from this article is MADE UP and the other two are actual quotes! CAN YOU SPOT THE FRAUD?
Submit your guess soon, as I will soon be revealing the heretical line that is not actually a direct quote from this letter. Winners will be announced!