[By Rabbi Yair Hoffman]
For the Moshav HaChinuch Convention recently held in the Nir Etzion Hotel, the Mayor of Modiin Illit, Yaakov Gutterman, presented a number of questions in writing from Torah educators to HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita. Below are 11 of the 12 questions presented. Please bear in mind that these questions were posed by educators in Eretz Yisroel for students in Eretz Yisroel, particularly the Bnei Brak community. Schools in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway communities may be slightly different. Consult with your own Rav as to whether the questions and responses apply to your own children and students as well. These questions were not part of the questions presented by Mr. Larry Gordon, owner of the Five Towns Jewish Times a month ago.
1. Should one involve parents in all that pertains to their child, or is there no need for this? IT IS WORTHWHILE.
2. Should an educator involve the principal in important educational issues or should he manage them himself? IN GENERAL ITS BETTER BY HIMSELF.
3. A child that, at night hears shiurim in Daf Yomi or something else in the framework of adults – should this be discouraged? WHAT FOR? ITS VERY GOOD.
4. Should one try to encourage children to study other things – beyond what they learn in cheider? YES.
5. Should the topic of honoring parents be brought up in Cheider? Or is this not the responsibility of the melamed? THE MELAMED SHOULD ALSO WORRY ABOUT THIS.
6. A child who does not have payos, because his family custom is not to do, should one encourage his parents to do so? YES.
7. Is it the responsibility of the melamed to ascertain who of the student’s friends is not within the rubric of the Talmud Torah? YES.
8. Should one prevent children from attending various Masmidim programs because quite often it affects their sleep? NO NEED TO PREVENT THEM.
9. Should one learn mussar with children in school? YES.
10. Is there an inyan to take children on the yartzeit of the Chazon Ish, the Steipler, Rav Shach and others to their gravesites to pray? YES THERE IS AN INYAN.
11. Is there good advice in the education of one’s children and students? TEFILAH.
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13 Responses
Nu.. and what was the 12th?
“6. A child who does not have payos, because his family custom is not to do, should one encourage his parents to do so? YES”
There is no custom not to have peyos! It is a chiyuv d’oraisa. Is the questioner referring to the extra stuff people put behind their ears? If so, he should rephrase the question, should one be encouraged to grow extras behind or in front of his ears when he has no minhag to grow them. In other words should he have regular peyos like countless gedolim have or should he be encouraged to grow extras?
I read this in the original Hebrew. The translation is flawed, and thus some of the questions and answers are less than 100% accurate. I would respectfully request that this be redone.
These questions are so vague it is almost silly to post them. Litvishe Gedoliom are not rebbes. If you a chinuch question don’t rely on snippets but find a rov or godol who you can thoroughly discuss the issue with you.
12: Are we wasting your time?
Why was the 12th question not printed? You didn’t like his answer?
It’s sad that “educators” can’t figure out the answer to most of these questions on their own. Most of them are no brainers- like should we encourage children to learn more than what’s covered in cheider? Come on!
Rabbi Hoffman . I gleaned nothing from this. ! Did you ? Please inform me of the chiddushim you grasped from all this that I seem to have missed. Thank you.
Additonally, I must say that these encounters of time wasting with a Gadol are a BIZAYON HATORAH !
When you foster a generation, telling them that they may not think for themselves and that every tiny, little issue requires Daas Torah, you get these questions. Our ancestors would be appalled. What a sorry state.
to number 9 the yeshivah world doent post things just so you should learn it.Its for everyone im sorry that you are a gadol and other ppl arent
All the silly questions aside, #1 should have been about Chinuch Ahl pi Darko. I guess Yeshivos wouldn’t want an answer to that.
“It’s sad that “educators” can’t figure out the answer to most of these questions on their own.”
Rebbeim are not educators. Torah chinuch is the transmission of mesorah and as such relies on what the baalei mesorah regardless if they are “litvishe Rabbonim” or chasidishe Rebbes.
“When you foster a generation, telling them that they may not think for themselves and that every tiny, little issue requires Daas Torah, you get these questions. Our ancestors would be appalled. What a sorry state.”
Quite the contrary. Our ancestors would be proud that even after so much mesorah was lost in Churbon Europe, we still seek the guidance from the she’eiris ha’pleita or from those who did.
“All the silly questions aside, #1 should have been about Chinuch Ahl pi Darko. I guess Yeshivos wouldn’t want an answer to that.”
Exactly, which is why the name of the school and it’s location is mentioned, and even more importantly why the 12th question is missing. As general as the 11 questions are, they may still only apply, if only in part, to the particular school as was mentioned (ask your own Rav) . The 12th was likely very specific and had no place here.
Yeyasher kochacha for posting the piece.