"The exalted aspiration of the last generation's gedolei
Yisroel, in keeping with the guidelines set before Bais
Yaakov's founder, was to etch yiras Hashem and
faithful adherence to halacha onto the clean slate of
young benos Yisroel, and to avoid exposing them to
knowledge and advanced studies that do not foster avodoso
Yisborach."
With these words gedolei Yisroel addressed Bais
Yaakov girls in every city during the month of Kislev 5760
to alert them to the issue of advanced secular studies,
which have become widespread in recent years. In their
remarks gedolei Yisroel not only discussed teacher
training and advanced studies, but also clarified the goal
of Bais Yaakov's lofty ethics.
Unfortunately the original concepts and purpose have been
distorted in recent years to the point where competition
between Bais Yaakov educational institutions is now based on
who can attain the new goals that have been introduced, even
though this represents a major departure from the reason for
the existence of Bais Yaakov schools.
Recently more and more people are heard claiming that a
bas Yisroel must be assured of a dependable and
respectable source of income in order to allow her to marry
a "ben Torah" and to allow him to continue learning
with peace of mind.
The truth of the matter is that in today's reality, many
fathers -- whether they are ameilei Torah who do not
earn a living or others who are overwhelmed by today's
"skyrocketing prices" -- are unable to support young
couples, and the burden of making a living falls squarely on
the shoulders of the young woman. Undoubtedly they are
worried about how they will be able to allow their husbands
to learn Torah and to run a bayis letiferes at the
same time.
We must keep in mind that it is much more difficult to
protect the home from the winds of kefirah and
taivah prevailing in the streets, when in the streets
nearby the tumah is pervasive and all lines of
taharoh and kedusha have been crossed and our
daily contact with people in the streets has allowed the
tumah to predominate, Rachmono litzlan.
Ayin ro'eh vehalev chomed. The eyes see various
service providers, the window displays filled with allures
from olam hazeh, food, modern furniture, ostentatious
clothes, etc. How is the young lady able to retain her
kedusha and taharoh, and to fill her mind with
thoughts of yiras Shomayim and ahavas
Torah?
This is the primary goal Bais Yaakov institutions were set
up to achieve and the purpose of their existence today. If
so, obviously it is crucial to take precautions to prevent
the claim Lovon lodged against Yaakov Ovinu -- " . . .
because you greatly longed for your father's house, but why
have you stolen my gods?" -- from being lodged against us.
The Kotzker Rebbe said that this was Lovon's only real,
valid claim. He explained this posuk to mean that
Lovon said, "You claimed you longed to return to your
father's home because you found it repulsive to live in a
house filled with avoda zora. Why then, did you take
my gods along with you?"
The same is true in our case: if we set up an educational
institution aimed at keeping out the degenerating effects of
the street, we must be vigilant to leave no room for the
question, "Why have you brought the gods that have taken
over the streets into the halls of Bais Yaakov?"
When we offer a young lady an opportunity to engage in
studies presented by people whose knowledge derives from a
tainted source -- i.e. university and the like -- what can
they be expected to pass on to the young lady? Tumah
produces tumah. The young lady sees before her an
intelligent teacher who is very conversant with the material
and develops a sense of respect toward someone whose
everyday life includes impure conduct. If the teacher has
absorbed her thinking from a source of tumah,
distorted ideas will penetrate the mind and heart of the
student, and she will come to use expressions that are
foreign to our lexicon. How can the student be expected to
resolve to learn the material without absorbing the
tumah into her mind?
Some of the professions young ladies are taught will
eventually lead those who want to advance in their careers
to highly problematic work places where they will encounter
severe isurim and spiritual decline. Thus providing
young women with such studies brings them into a world of
difficult nisyonos.
Furthermore, when emphasis is placed on time-consuming
studies for these professions, there is a tendency to give
them priority, leaving little time to acquire eternal
kinyonim and true hashkofo. In our experience,
the level of learning and the degree of concentration and
devotion to shiurei kodesh have been in sharp decline
lately. All of these forms of deterioration result from
overemphasizing professional studies.
Our duty now is to stop to reflect on what has taken place.
A teacher who wants to teach Torah, novi, Yahadus and
hashkofo in Bais Yaakov schools need not demonstrate
that she has advanced training in these areas. Young women
who elect to take upon themselves the task of teaching
subjects that touch the neshomoh are really not given
enough instruction on how to learn and how to teach.
Pedagogy for these subjects is neglected -- while, in
contrast, teachers of math, Hebrew, graphics, and the like,
must acquire special expertise in order to compete for the
good positions.
Subjects associated with greater "professional" status, such
as accounting and computer science, require even more study
and more testing, and our young women rush to draw from
wells containing turbid waters devoid of kedusha. The
study of these subjects brings questions and guidelines for
professional development into Bais Yaakov schools that
contradict the spirit of the Torah and yirah learned
in the shiurei kodesh.
All traces of ahavas haTorah have vanished from our
young women. They are willing to make great sacrifice for
Torah, which certainly is tremendously important, and the
sechar they will receive is enormous likewise. But
the kind of ahavas haTorah that staves off all
feelings of want or sacrifice for the amenities of olom
hazeh -- the aspect of al kol pesho'im techase
ahavoh -- and which stems from the great pleasure they
derive from the Torah in their homes, is becoming extremely
rare. They are all looking for Torah together with olam
hazeh and feel they are making a major sacrifice every
time they pass up something from olam hazeh, such as
when they cannot serve fleischik meals on weekdays,
or have to use disposable utensils sparingly. Certainly even
this willingness to sacrifice comes from a some level of
gadlus hanefesh, but this is still not really
ahavas Torah.
They are so preoccupied with making a living and other such
concerns that making ahavas Torah part of their lives
is not a part of their value system.
Gedolei Yisroel, the leaders of our generation, who
take note of what has been taking place in the area of
advanced studies for young women, have also noted the
general decline of the Bais Yaakov system, and as a result
issued the call that appears at the beginning of this
article.
To ameliorate the situation, gedolei Yisroel have set
up a rabbinical council to establish guidelines for Bais
Yaakov institutions in general and for advanced studies in
particular. The ability to distinguish between what is
permissible and what is prohibited, what does not hinder
yiras Shomayim and what does represent a threat, what
comes under the rubric of eis la'asos leHashem, heifeiru
Torasecho, and what remains prohibited outright, is not
within the realm of human understanding, not even to those
engaged in chinuch and amelim beTorah, but is
understood only by those few who have been chosen by the
Borei yisborach to be ma'atikei shmu'a and
morei derech, the leaders who have been accepted to
guide Klal Yisroel and have been selected by the
luminaries of our generation, who were selected by the
luminaries of the previous generation, stretching all the
way back to Moshe Rabbenu.
This is the meaning of the posuk, Ube'amud eish
leho'ir lohem loleches yomom voloiloh. A close
examination of the posuk reveals that the column of
fire lit the way during the day as well, for the "column of
fire" refers to the fire of Torah which illuminates the way
during the day as well as at night.
And in fact sometimes during the day one's vision seems to
improve and he is unaware that his entire sense of
perception is as if he were looking through sunglasses
equipped with light-ray filters, which prevent him from
seeing the true picture. Only the luminaries of our
generation are able to see clearly and thus can say what
must be done.
One of the foundations of Klal Yisroel is the rule of
asei lecho rav: a single rav to act as guide and show
the way. And there is no heter to go to one rav to
ask about dinei Shabbos and isur veheter, and
to ask another rav about general guidelines for living. The
Chazon Ish fought against this approach. One who wants to
stay on the path of Torah must follow the same column of
fire by day and by night.
Let us all gird ourselves, fathers and mothers, teachers and
principals, and most of all, Bais Yaakov students, and march
behind the "column of fire" -- gedolei hador. Let us
listen to their call, gain wisdom through their words, and
put Torah, halocho, novi and hashkofo first
and foremost, and let us maintain taharas hakodesh in
all of our studies, from teachers and rabbonim who know how
to teach benos Yisroel and how to remain on the path
of kedusha and taharoh.
Let us take pains not to bring into the halls of Bais Yaakov
schools, which carry this fabulous and holy name, all those
who are unable to purge the study material for peripheral
subjects of even the smallest bits of foreign matter.
Furthermore let us heed the words of gedolei hador
regarding which subjects to study and which subjects to
avoid, to avoid subjecting our young women to nisoyon
or to the bizoyon of going to work in places where
stumbling blocks are ever-present, places which require
investments in time and energy that are not conducive to the
life of a bas Yisroel who must also set aside time
for her home, to help her husband learn and to teach her
children yiras Shomayim.
The Rabbinical Council that has been set up by gedolei
ume'orei hador has been given explicit instructions as
to what should be embraced and what should be kept at bay.
As a result of recent developments gedolei hador have
said that the crown of Bais Yaakov should not be made
available for all, but should be reserved for those who are
on the path illuminated by the "column of fire." Only those
who accept the Rabbinical Council as responsible for and in
charge of all matters of chinuch in everything that
entails are to be accepted.
Then we will certainly merit the blessing issued by
tzadikei hador and the column of clouds and the
presence of the Shechina in this holy house, Bais
Yaakov.
