(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
Attached are clips from the Hamakor program with Shmuel Rosner about the Chassidic Midrasha in Betar Illit headed by Rabbi Menachem Bombach.
He explains that by 2028, forty percent of first graders will be chareidim and there will be 460,000 children between the ages of birth and 14-years-old. This means 16,000 to 17,000 each year in each grade, a large number of people who lack the skills required to face today’s reality, not just the state’s economy, but their own lives and their ability to make a living for their families. He laments the fact hat 60% of the children as classified living below the poverty level.
Bombach learned in a Eida Chareidis cheder, then mosdos of Vishnitz and on to the Mir. He explains he began questioning himself at the age of 14 and 15, but when he went to work after getting married, he began his education journey. This led him to realize he cannot deal with a minimal amount of history, complicated texts and more, and has since achieved a master’s degree and then began his work. This led him to the conclusion he must establish a yeshiva that offers the secular studies, but a real yeshiva without compromise on Limud Hatorah, yet the ability to earn a full matriculation diploma.
With the arrival of spring, the rav takes his students with backpacks for a three-day journey to the Galil, something new for most of them. Their need to carry the load and live outdoors for a number of days. “I want them to be trailblazers – to be the best” explains the rav.
Rav Bombach feels it is of the utmost importance that they maintain their frum lifestyle, but in addition, he wants to se them become doctors, lawyers and engineers.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Amazing!! Wishing Rav Bombach and the Yeshiva much Hatzlacha.
Kol hakovod to Rav Bombach for recognizing the reality that the chareidi tzibur is confronting an existential crisis unless it finds some way to provide basic secular education and job skills to younger men and women, consistent with maintaining a frum lifestyle. Several recent studies by the Bank of Israel show that the current level of government programs, welfare and transfer payment for the Chareidi population are unsustainable if the most rapidly growing segment of the population fails to contribute to EY’s economic growth and public sector revenues. His efforts, and those of several similar mosdos in EY demonstrate that a mindless adherence to denying an entire generation any ability to support themselves is a roadmap to misery and disaster.
NOT IMPRESSED because Rav Schach zt”l forbid Yeshivas In Israel With General Studies.
I am sure what Rabbi Bombach is trying to do is change the culture movement of Hasidishe boys and girls in the Ultra orthodox communities. I can not agree more with him BUT let me say that i learned in Chasidishe Yeshivas all my life and YES i had report cards like C for conduct, 63 for grammar, and 40 for history.
I learned that Thomas Edison invented electricity and Benjamin Franklin invented printing machine and The Wright brothers invented the first airplane. With all this said i built a business empire and burech hashem was matzliach with parnassah and wonderful kids who continue in the same direction.
Our Yesodos for Chinuch Hatoahar was set by the Tzadikim who survived the Holocaust and they were Rabunim from past generations who carried the Torah chinich from Tzadikim ,Rosha Yeshivas ,and Gedoyle Hador.
If you travel to Kiryes Joel and Monsey you will find many many yingeleit with their pick up trucks coming from morning Mikveh,Shier,davening and off to a days work in every field of construction,and business .
Rabbi Bombachs way of education is probably the right approach but i dont think its for parents who want their children to grow up REAL talmidei chachumim,Lomdei Torah, the future generation of Melamdim,Dyunim,Roshe Yeshivas,Mashgichim, …We need a Yissoscher and Zevilin partnership and i am sure Rabbi Bombachs talmidim will grow up erliche yidishe yingeleit who will be a model for Yiddishe balei battim and will support those Kolel yingeleit who dedicate their lives to avodas hashem..
THIS IS REAL TORAH JUDAISM!!!
FINALY!
What he doesn’t mention is that the next step is the army. Any yeshivah where they don’t learn for a minimum 48 I think hours per week doesn’t have the option of the bachurim getting army deferrals – they have to enlist. Of course, he doesn’t have any problem with that, because the army just helps these poor bachurim mire themselves even more in the secular world.
And then, he says that the learning isn’t anything less – but of course it is, it’s only half a day!
Yashir koach to Rav Bombach. What a lot of people are missing when discussing the subject is that while the majority of young men are not cut out for the Torah 24/7 path, that doesn’t mean that those that are can’t follow it, with enough general studies to ensure that they can survive in the modern world. We need a whole spectrum of yeshivas, with differing amounts of time spent on secular studies and Torah, and a willingness of parents to send their children to the yeshiva that’s appropriate for the boy, not the one they want to brag about to the neighbors.
In Israel there is always the problem of politics and ideology getting in the way of choosing what’s best for particular young people. Hopefully Rav Bombach will succeed in overcoming these obstacles.
Wow this is amazing…
True, these kids won’t all be talmudei chachamim, but there’s a reason God didn’t create us all to fit one job and one mold.
I hate when I see parents shove their kids into schools that aren’t a good fit. I think people really need to take a good look at their kids and their needs, every kid seerately and send them to the place where they can flourish.
We often forget, these boys are still kids. 14, 15, 17, they want to run around, grow, learn new things and not sit and study all day.
Which Gedolei Yisroel, if any, support this?
Virtually ALL the very many Gedolei Yisroel, both Chasidic AND Litvish, that have addressed this issue have ruled that secular studies should NOT be taught in yeshivos in Eretz HaKodesh.
I am so glad to see that a yeshiva like this exists in EY ! Looks like any ‘normal’ yeshiva in Chutz L’Aretz. These boys looks so happy ! I really hope Rabbi Bombach succeeds in this endeavour, and many more institutions such as this open up.
Could not agree more with @Joseph. In Judiasm we have a concept of following what our Gedolim tell us. We don’t need to make our own cheshbonos. The Gedolim are not stupid, and they understand very well the economic situation in EY. They have ruled that yeshivos should not have secular studies. Which Gedolim have endorsed this yeshiva? Or in todays backwards world we dont need approval from our Gedolim because we know better.
@yehuda26, good point. The actual amount of hours are 45 for a bochur, 40 for a yungerman (per week) to qualify for a deferral.
”Da’as Ba’alei Batim Hefech Leda’as Torah”