A recent decision by Education Minister (Yesh Atid) Rabbi Shai Piron to eliminate achievement exams and some of the bagrut matriculation exams has led to opposition. Prominent dati leumi rav Rabbi Baruch Efrati is one of the pen opponents, for he fears students will “learn what they want when they want and how they want” because the incentive to study the course curriculum has been removed.
Counted among the opponents is Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who commented during the Sunday’s 19 Elul 5773 cabinet meeting. Mr. Netanyahu spoke out harshly against Piron’s decision. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid joined in to defend his education minister, supporting the decision to cancel the Tanach, literature and history bagrut exams. Piron defended his decision, explaining to the prime minister it is not all about test scores but students can also learn the merit of learning strictly for the sake of academic advancement without test scores. Piron explained he does not plan to eliminate all exams but he does feel the number of exams must be cut.
Those present report the argument was to the point, but the prime minister was visibly annoyed with Piron’s and Lapid’s policy, which he feels will not be to the betterment of the nation’s education system. The prime minister pointed out that in recent years the education system trend was on an upswing as a result of the policies of former Education Minister Gideon Saar, questioning the wisdom of the drastic changes. Mr. Netanyahu added that throughout the generations Am Yisrael has always placed an emphasis on education, reminding Lapid and Piron that we may not make do with our own internal monitoring system but there must be compliance with international standards.
The prime minister concluded that the planned cancelation of the history and Tanach exams is particularly worrisome for these topics represent the very existence of the Jewish People.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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Battling for the Spirit / Rabbi Amichai Gordin
Yeshivat Har Etzion and Shaalvim High School
In the following lines, we will try to shed a small amount of light on the reasons for studying Torah. Together with this study, I ask the reader to remember the words of the Psalmist of Yisrael in Chapter 119, words which center on the love of the Torah:
“Happy are those who follow the simple path – who go in the way of the Torah of G-d. Happy are those who perform His testimonies, they search for Him with their full hearts.” [Tehillim 119:1].
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“Dozens of lecturers and students are demonstrating in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem against the decision to close a hundred courses in the faculty of humanities… The university announced the cancellation of the courses, which are taught by external faculty members, if less than ten students sign up for them… The courses which will be closed are in a number of subjects, such as archeology, history, and geography. The demonstrators are protesting to the university management about what they call ‘a mortal blow to the faculty of humanities.'” [Galatz, IDF Radio Station, 9 Tammuz 5773].
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“The study of the Mishna and the halachic rulings plays the same role for holy material as does the study of geography in secular matters, as a way of maintaining a logical approach and establishing a basis in reality” [Rav A.Y. Kook, Orot HaTorah 6:9].
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“The study of Torah… adds the light of our lives as Yisrael to our souls, and awakens within them pleasant knowledge and good hidden feelings, along with the unique trait of Yisrael, just as general studies help to awaken within us the knowledge and the feelings of mankind in general.” [Ibid 6:11].
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General study… has a benefit in addition to the fact that it is worthy to know all we can from general knowledge… We broaden our intellect by adding general knowledge to it… There are some things that in themselves have no intrinsic value, but which are nonetheless worthwhile to know as a way of exercising our intellect and broadening it to strive for perfect knowledge.
The same is true for various subjects in the study of Torah… Every item of the Torah, even including a small insight… has great value… because of the importance of knowing real truth and understanding it. And what is true for the secular study of historical details and also the knowledge of ancient languages… is also true for every subject which is beneficial in general that the study of its details are a welcome addition to the glory of the intellect. Logically (by a “kal vachomer”) this leads to the conclusion that every single detail of our entire Torah must be something that is very dear and well liked. [Ibid 8:6].
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In the past, Amos Shapiro, the President of Haifa University, managed giant Israeli companies, including El Al and Cellcom. In an interview that he gave a few months ago, Shapiro strongly criticized the attitude of Israeli society towards the world of research.
“The universities are the yeshivot of the twenty-first century,” he said, “I am surprised by the lack of understanding in Israel of how important research can be. The Jewish nation, which was so tolerant of those who studied in the ‘cheider’ and whose sole occupation is Torah study, does not show the same tolerance towards the universities.”
Shapiro’s starting point is mistaken. The universities are not the yeshivot of this century. The yeshivot are the yeshivot of the twenty-first century. But he is absolutely right about the attitude of our society with respect to general knowledge. Large sections of Israeli society despise knowledge as such. Every item of knowledge is analyzed in practical terms. “What can we get out of it?” Knowledge that does not teach a person practical skills is considered a waste of time and effort.
The controversy about the studies of yeshiva students is not only related to the understanding of the importance of the Torah. Rather, it concerns the very importance of studying and the value of knowledge in general.
It is clear that those who do not recognizes the value of the Torah or of knowledge in general will view Torah study as an illusionary waste of time. As Tommy Lapid said, “Just think of the billions of hours that Jews with their fantastic brains spent during past generations on the questions of one ox goring another… Two thousand spiritual energy years were wasted by one of the most talented nations that ever came to be on the earth…”
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Those who do understand the value of knowledge, who declare that the fate of the country depends not on the Arrow Missile or on a magic wand but rather on the education of this nation that resides in Zion – should do all they can to preserve the one place in our country where the study of humanities is being developed. This is the only place where the number of students of the humanities has grown from year to year – the yeshivot.
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“Logically (by a “kal vachomer”) this leads to the conclusion that every single detail of our entire Torah must be something that is very dear and well liked.”