Rishon L’Tzion Rav Bakshi Doron Shlita joins a growing number of rabbonim opposed to the Ministry Education’s new Tanach curriculum for the coming school year.
The former Sephardi chief rabbi commented that after reviewing a portion of the new program he was compelled to stop reading for he realized continuing would involve reading forbidden texts, explaining the ministry’s effort to bring Tanach down to the “people’s level” is a miserable failure.
“It is not just misguided, but it undermines the foundation of faith and kedusha of Am Yisrael, and one should distance oneself from this.”
The rav adds,
על ההבדל בין הדורות הורו לנו חז”ל “אם ראשונים כמלאכים אנו כבני אדם, ואם ראשונים כבני אדם אנחנו כחמורים” (שבת קי”ב)
The rav explains that unfortunately, those who view Rishonim as “bnei adom” particularly the Avos, bringing them down to our level, seeking to instill this into small children do not have a clue regarding the kedusha and maalos of the Avos and Imahos and chas v’sholom to lend a hand towards accomplishing this as chinuch for Jewish children.
The rav adds that not only are they seeking to teach Tanach with a new method, but to change around all the chinuch for our children chas v’sholom, adding he reviewed a suggestion for one text that seeks to ‘correct’ the errors in the yesodos hatorah, calling upon students to evaluate halacha and provide their insight towards improving on it. That means the rav explains, they wish to educate young children to understand that their opinion against a halacha is valid and chas v’sholom this is the path they should accept.
“I do not understand how Jews who recite אתה חונן לאדם לדעת daily, believing all the knowledge if from HKBH, can entertain educating children with the knowledge that their evaluation may weigh against torah”.
The rav adds that he has seen prominent rabbonim have already signed against this and he feels compelled to add his signature in protest and as a warning against this new methodology.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
after reviewing a portion of the new program he was compelled to stop reading for he realized continuing would involve reading forbidden texts
It seems to me that if you’re going to pasken on it you have a duty to press on and read the whole thing, however bad it is, just as members of the Sanhedrin had to learn all about avodah zarah so they could pasken on it, and just like a beis din trying a blasphemy case must (in the end) hear the actual words the defendant is alleged to have spoken. Even after you find that the first part is apikorsus, it seems to me that you still need to know what’s in the rest of it, because you’re paskening on the whole thing.
to nmber 1.
Apparently the rav disagrees with what “it seems to” you.
To ywn editor
did the rav really say “do not have a clue “?
Why would the rav use an American expression?
Reply to milhouse: oh c’mon, get alive do you really mean what you write? Or just being sarcastic?
??????
Why should he go further. He found something “forbidden” already.
If you read the ingredient panel on a product and item 2 was lobster, is it necessary to read the rest before paskening the “whole thing” was treif.
I guess it seems to the Rav otherwise, but thanks for sharing your interpretation of the Halacha. Really, a little bit of Kavod for the superior Torah knowledge of others is a good thing. Kind of like an exact microcosm of the exact problem that the Rav sees with this “new education”…
A מום makes the whole קרבן not kosher…
#1: That’s a joke, right?
Milhouse, when did you become a posek? “It seems to me…” is exactly the methodology that the new system espouses and that Rav Doron rejects. Who cares what “it seems to” you? You are not da’as torah. Go ask a shailah from a real posek before you inject your personal opinions.
Watch it Milhouse…the last time I questioned a Gadol’s statement here I was told by a local in my community that if I did not immediately fly to Yerushalayim to beg (yes…beg)the Gadol for Mechila that I might meet an intimely and imminent demise…and he cited the Steipler as a source for that.
the shame is there is no vehement group at this time who is fashioning alternative
There is nothing new in any of this. It was once called “enlightenment” and lead to the darkness of the assimilation of a large percentage of the Jews in Europe into the culture of the Goyim. They quickly intermarried and all we have of them today is what is written about them in history books because after a few generations all their decedents were Goyim.
Those who promote such thinks are working to destroy the Jewish people and are traitors. Their goal is to trivialize our history, culture and beliefs by putting them into “perspective” and “free” us of our “superstitions.”
No one who values their Jewish identity or who wishes to pass it on to their children can participate or in anyway support such things.
But if we try to put all our traditions and Halachos into the Poshut Pshat, the Talmudim will realize that it’s just not there, and it will backfire.
For instance every Bochur will realize that No-where in the Pesukim does it say that, Avrohom learned in Bais Medrash Shem Veiver, not Yitzchok, nor Yaakov.In fact no Posuk even mentions the words Bais Medrash Shem V. Nor is there a mention that Yaakov was ‘learning’ with Yosef right before sending him to the brothers, nor does it say that Yehuda was sent to Mitzrayim to establish a ‘Bais Hamedrash’. The Pesukim do not mention Yaakov’s reciting Shemah when meeting Yosef, nor is there a mention of any other Tefilos of the Ovus.
Any Mechanech will painfully tell us that the kids at risk that we are losing happen to be the sharpest and brightest, the cause seems to be, that the Yeshivos are telling them things like, the Ovos wore Vaaseh Zoken and a Shtreimel.