To our Jewish Brethren around the world, may they live long, healthy lives.
I was very happy to hear from distinguished community activists, who are doing strenuous work to save the souls of Jewish children of the Bukharian community in New York, that lately many children from public schools have been registered into yeshivos for the coming year.
We see this in the past several years, throughout the country and throughout the world, that more and more Jewish parents are realizing the importance of sending their children to Torah institutions, since the chasm between yeshivos and public schools is consistently growing.
In addition to the prominence of studying the Holy Torah, which yeshivos provide, there are three essential issues which improve the academic, spiritual and emotional education of children, which can be found onlyin Yeshivos, not in public schools:
1) Single-gender education
In days gone by, even public schools operated under a single-gender rubric, with the understanding that this eliminated unhealthy distractions and therefore improved the quality of education. Each gender received gender-specific education which ensured success. The problem of distraction when genders are mixed is much worse today because of the immodest and enticing clothing that students often wear. Lust and temptation, in thought and deed, lead to lack of focus and confusion in their studies. Test scores plummet, engendering tension and strife, particularly with parents who are upset about their children’s’ failing grades. These practical issues are, of course, in addition to the obvious Torah prohibitions that are transgressed.
2) Good friends.
Studying together and associating with good Jewish friends are positive influences on children. This helps them avoid outside temptations, and brings them a life of peace and tranquility. In public schools, children may associate with friends who are strong negative influences and who waste their day online with unfiltered internet devices. This encourages children to engage in viewing and acting out the cardinal sins of idolatry, adultery, and murder. It is also not uncommon for children in public school to lose their life altogether through homicide, suicide, or drug abuse, which has already caused the deaths of dozens of Jewish children - may Hashem spare us. And who can even count the number of children who have lost their spiritual lives! Assimilation has cut them off from the Jewish People and caused tremendous pain to their parents and families in this world and the next world.
3) Growing with Faith.
When children are raised from their early youth with simple straightforward faith in the existence of the Creator, they develop and shape their very Jewish essence strongly and with stability, continuing the traditions of their ancestors. Introducing different conflicting ideas and belief systems to young children, who do not have the mature intelligence to discern true from false, will fill their impressionable minds with uncertainties and confusion. They will grow up muddled in their faith, and their lives will lack stability. This is especially so when it comes to the study of natural sciences who base their conclusions on false hypothesis of evolution and other heretical ideas, and are taught as facts rather than as the mere unproven theories they really are. This causes young people to grow up as heretics with total abandonment of ethics and morals.
Some parents will not send their children to yeshivos because of the high cost of tuition. However, they need to know, that just as we accept paying more for kosher food to feed the body, we also need to pay more for kosher food to feed the soul – kosher studies. We must keep ingrained the teaching of Chazal that money spent on tuition for Torah study is not deducted from the total amount of profit decreed in Heaven on Rosh Hashanah for each person for the year. Rather the opposite; the more one gives for Torah study, the more one receives from Heaven in profit.
For these reasons, it is imperative that every Jew send all his children to only authentic Torah institutions. It is a tremendous merit for each individual to influence others to understand these fundamental truths, and that if they want to see abundant nachas from all their children and grandchildren, the only way to ensure this is to send all their children only to schools where they teach the Holy Torah.
May Hashem help every Jew fulfill this mandate, and be worthy of abundant nachas and success, good news and joy from each and every descendant, and to help bring honor to Hashem, and introduce more of His holiness into the
world.For assistance with transferring a friend or relative to Yeshiva please contact Chazaq at 718-285-9132
By Rabbi Moshe Taub, son of Grand Rabbi Menachem Shlomo ztvk”l of Kalov
A Letter from the Kalever Rebbe Shlita On The Importance Of Jewish Children Attending Yeshiva
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