A theoretical discourse on educational motivation in Judaism and Jewish literature must be understood not as a pedagogic problem for children but as a serious issue for adults. It revolves around the concept of Torah lishmah (T"L) – Torah study for its own sake. To such a distinguished assembly, I need not elaborate on the virtue of T"L. The sixth chapter of Pirkei Avot is a poetic tribute to it, and countless sources throughout our Talmudic, ethical, and devotional literature extol its greatness. Yet while its significance is beyond dispute, its definition remains contested – and that definition is crucial to this conference's theme, “Beyond the Four Walls.” Motivation lies beyond school or home, deep within soul and psyche. The Talmud says of Torah, “it is not across the sea,” but also “not in heaven.” There was never unanimity on the meaning of T"L – indeed, it was a key point of contention between the early Hasidim and Mitnagdim. Interestingly, definitions of T"L fall into three categories corresponding to Saadia Gaon’s classic division of personality – will, emotion, and intellect – which echoes Plato’s triadic soul structure and reappears in thinkers like Paul Tillich. First is the pragmatic view, expressed by the Tosafists and others, including R. Elijah de Vidas, that Torah should be studied to improve one’s behavior. Second is the devotional view, rooted in Lurianic Kabbalah and Hasidism, that Torah is a means to cleave to God – Torah as religious experience. Third is the intellectual view, advanced by R. Hayyim of Volozhin in Nefesh HaHayyim, that the motivation should be the pursuit of knowledge itself. We shall not adjudicate between these views; all are authentically Jewish. The challenge is that all three are largely irrelevant in our cultural context. America may be pragmatic, but not in the sense of na’aseh ve-nishma – a desire to behave like a Jew cannot be taken for granted. The devotional path is rarer still, limited to esoteric existentialists w…

The difference between פורש מן הציבור and פורש מדרכי ציבור is actual – social separation versus digression from the ideal norms of the Sinaitic community. R. Zadok says that even if you recognize the flaws in the community and are aware of your own moral superiority, it is no reason to separate yourself from the real, living community despite all its shortcomings. You must seek to be a מלמד זכות for Israel and see it in its best possible light. However, this leads one to skew his objective judgment, because he always advocates a single point of view subjectively. R. Zadok must therefore warn the student against overdoing this tendency in situations and places where it is inappropriate. He therefore says, “Do not make yourself into a lawyer,” in the sense that the lawyer must always seek to present his client’s case in the best possible light – and that is something which causes the subversion of justice (in the absence of an adversary who does the same for the other point of view). One must seek to advocate the cause of Israel without losing his sense of objectivity and truth. Hence, one must recognize the flaws and shortcomings of the Jewish community and still remain with them and participate. The next element deals with the abuse of Torah – one must not make personal, egotistical use of the Torah. The conclusion of the second half of the mishnah is that if one does so, מחלל את השם, which is normally explained as an idiom for “loses his life.” More specifically, I would say that this is a reference to the blessing, כי הם חיינו ואורך ימינו. When you study Torah for its own sake, then it is as if God has implanted חיי עולם, the life of eternity, within us. But when you study Torah not for its own sake, but in order to glorify yourself or advance your own egotistical ends – when you seek to use Torah for enhancing your position in this עולם הזה – then you take the חיי out of חיי עולם. You remove the liveliness of the “eternal life” that Torah should mean for us. The…

It is with a mixture of personal pleasure and the poignant pain of nostalgia that I preside over this commencement which is the last official ceremony of our Centennial year – which has now lasted more than two years.... Last September, at the beginning of this academic year, I spoke at our formal Centennial Convocation and pleaded for greater awareness of moral values in education. Secretary William Bennett, who was present at that event, had been talking the subject up and down the nation, and Governor Mario Cuomo had just recently spoken in the same vein. Finding myself in such distinguished company from both sides of the political divide, I expected little passion in reaction to my comments, even when they were condensed in an op-ed page article for The New York Times.I was sorely mistaken. There was passion aplenty in both my supporters (who obviously were in the right...) and my detractors. My opponents, all from the academic community, were all high-minded, sophisticated, and articulate — but not always consistent. Thus, a typical response was that I was merely mouthing truisms to which no one could take exception, and hence I was really saying nothing, AND that my thesis was a disguised attempt at introducing denominational indoctrination into our universities. That the two propositions contradict each otherwas not apparent to my critics.More to the point, other critics, equally oblivious to the need for elementary consistency, asked why my values should be preferred to others, and continued to assert a basically relativistic ethos according to which all values have equal validity in the "marketplace of ideas," a theory which if pursued to its logical conclusion leads to moral nihilism. They then proceeded to assure me and their own readers that the academy certainly does act upon certain accepted moral principles, such as no murder, mayhem, robbery, or cheating. How nice.There is, however, a fundamental error committed by both sides in this national debate…

Amongst Western religious traditions, Judaism is alone in the high esteem accorded to intellectual achievement by the masses as well as professionals, and the broad communal role accorded to scholars and scholarship. But first – the definition of some terms. “Torah” = the Hebrew Bible (“Old Testament”) (last book in canon approx. mid-4th century BCE); Torah as literary corpus: the 3-fold canon (Tanakh); Torah as religious instruction: Written and Oral Torah, the Talmud and its literature; Torah as concept: the teaching – the way. Both narratives and commandments lead to ennobling of character and fidelity to the Covenant. In the Biblical period, the Pentateuch and the Book of Joshua emphasize the command to teach Torah. Psalm 119, the longest in the book, is largely praise of Torah study. Neglect of Torah study occurred from the time of Solomon’s sons to Ezra the Scribe (4th century BCE), who ushered in an intellectual and religious revolution with the return of the exiles to Israel. Ezra instituted public Torah readings on Shabbat, Mondays, and Thursdays. During the Talmudic period (~50 BCE–475 CE), universal free education was established by Joshua b. Gamla before the destruction of the Second Temple and codified in law (Maimonides, Hilkhot Talmud Torah 2:1): no town could exist without education for children from age six. This led to thousands of full-time Torah students in Palestine and Babylonia during the first five centuries CE. Torah study was so central that persecution often took the form of banning it. In the medieval period (Europe: ~4th–16th or 18th centuries; Islam: from the 7th century on), Torah study remained a legal mandate. In Maimonides’ Code, every Jew, regardless of status or wealth, is obligated to study Torah and teach his children. Lay societies of study among artisans and laborers spread widely, with ordinances like those in Lithuania mandating daily Mishnah study, and 24-hour batei midrash were common. Illiteracy among Jews was rare. Con…

There is a bitter-sweet quality to this celebration. On the one hand, there is a sense of joy when, at this impressive quadrennial Chag Hasemikhah, we initiate a new group of Rabbis into their roles as congregational Rabbis and educators. On the other hand, this is the first such celebration in my memory, since my student days, at which our two great luminaries, The Rav and Reb Dovid, of blessed memory, did not grace the occasion with their presence. In a sense, both the joy and the sorrow speak to the same theme – the transferring of spiritual authority from one generation to the next, the passing of responsibility for the entire mesorah and Thrall leadership from teacher to student.Permit me, therefore, to refer you back to an incident in the early history of the Jewish monarchy, when the prophet Elijah invested Elisha as his disciple and sue-cessor, as related in I Kings, chapter 19. It is a chapter which is itself worthy of study and also serves as a metaphor for your Semikhah at this juncture of our history.Elijah had just gone through a soulsearing experience. Having challenged the prophets of Baal, confronted their royal supporter, Ahab, and therefore earned persecution by the infamous Isabel, Elijah finds himself distraught, in to-tai despair, having given up hope that his people are ready for their mission as the am Hashem. He is so filled with grim fore-bodings and feelings of inadequacy that he wants to die. God instructs him to stand at the mouth of the cave, where He reveals Himself to him. Elijah learns that God speaks to him not in the howling winds or the raging fires or the savage earthquake, but in the sound of gentle stillness, i.e., in patience and sensitivity. God then gives him three very specific commands: to anoint Hazael as the new king of Syria, Yehu as the new king of Israel, and, last, “Elisha, son ofShaphat, as a prophet in your place.”What does Elijah do? Does he proceed to follow the divine instructions exactly as they were given, nam…

This new group which we convene and found this day, has three elements or foci which constitute its raison d'etre. These three are: Torah, specifically the study of Torah; the openness to worldly wisdom, often termed secular culture, and which we designate as Madda, and the importance of the State of Israel, or Medinah. These will form the basis of our discussion.Torah is not just one of three items that concern us; it is the foundation of all else. Torah which is an add-on is not Torah; for it is the framework, the context, the validation of all else that we do and to which we aspire. We must never take its primacy for granted.As educators, we must set before ourselves the goal of developing in our charges the desire for life-long learning. By word and by example, we must inspire them to appreciate that the study of Torah is a desideratum for all ages, and not simply a pediatric exercise, a school-related "subject." In certain areas and environments, such direction is more difficult to convey than in others. Nevertheless, this is a worthy and necessary goal.In teaching Torah, תורה שבעל פה must be given priority-priority but not exclusivity. I refer not only to the obvious need to teach Tanakh and related subjects, but to accommodate instructional material and emphases to the individual student. Those who are intellectually capable of mastering Gemara should certainly be encouraged to do so. But not everyone has the talents peculiar to this difficult discipline, namely, Talmud. Other students, whose general intellectual capacities may be no less than those who opt for Gemara but do not share the same bent, should not be allowed to think less of themselves as students of Torah. תורה שבכתב is also Torah... and suchפרשנות, מדרש, מחשבה young people should be helped along the road to excellence inetc.One more point: there is a growing tendency for girls to show vivid interest in learning Gemara. They should be encouraged, not discouraged. The rationale that the Chafetz …

When I pulpit Rabbi, many years ago, I addressed BM boy, told him: צלם אלקים acc Saadia = Builder. So you too builder. Thn addd: Isaiah – אל תקרי בניך אלא :חז״ל & ,וכל בניו לימודי ה׳, ורב שלום בניך בוניך, my interp: greatst בנץ is לימודי ה׳... That was way back 1972. The kid was – your father, Shalom – and he did both – builder and לימודי ה Use Isaiah f you too: your הפטרה... Our socy – singl-minddnss, narrownss... Specialists/genralists; sciencs/humanties; למרדי קודש/חול; TuM... In leaning: עיון/בקיאות; as if must choose one way, ignore others So: Isaiah says NO! האריכי מיתריך ויתדותיך וחקי. What mean?? – Both yr Dad & Unc Josh like t upstage their fathr – h sedntry, stick-in-mud, Iks creatur comfrts, so thy=cawp'g... TENT: f breadth, stretch ropes; f seerty, strong stakes – both!! Really – your הדרן – going all directions, yet leadg t same goal Also – your names: אריה = א׳ שאג מי לא יירא = powcr; צבי – ארץ צבי = grace, elegance... You have it inhertd – Dad = Power, Mom = Elegance/beauty Terrific combination So, Ari Zvi – y can hv it all....!!

Education is the lifeblood of Judaism. "The study of Torah outweighs them all.[1] There are several mitzvot which the Sages said "outweigh them all," but clearly Torah study has the greatest place of eminence in the hierarchy of Jewish values. R. Hayyim Volozhiner taught in his Nefesh HaHayyim that it is not that Torah study is on one side, while all the other mitzvot are on the other side, and Torah study is heavier than the others. Rather, Torah study is the entity from which all others radiate.[2] They are the part, of which Torah study is the whole.[3] This gives Torah study a completely different slant. It is not something apart from mitzvot. It is the origin of all mitzvot. Torah study (limmud) is exceedingly important, and so is Torah knowledge (yediah). The Sages asked, "Which is greater, talmud (study) or ma'aseh (action)?" They concluded, "Study is greater, since it leads to action.[4] One who does not know Torah cannot practice any of the mitzvot. That is why it says, "An ignoramus cannot be pious."5 An ignoramus cannot know that which he needs to practice as a Jew. Torah knowledge has a clear place in the general structure of the values of Torah.The question is: which is more important, Torah study or Torah knowledge? Is there more importance to learning as a process, or knowing as a passive achievement?If Torah knowledge is the totality and ultimate aim of Torah, then it might be possible sometime in the future to fulfill one's obligation of Torah study by purchasing a microchip that contains all 400 books of responsa from the Bar Ilan CD-ROM and implanting it in one's brain. One would have Torah knowledge. What more would one need? There are other shortcuts which technology might invent, by which one could achieve a great deal of knowledge without spending terribly much energy in acquiring that knowledge. So the question is: which will it be?II. Judaism vs. The GreeksThis question has certain clear philosophic underpinnings. It goes back to the days w…

The fact that American Jews must dedicate a month to the Jewish book ought to be a source of profound embarrassment to them. A man is not conscious of his heart until he suffers a coronary. He is not aware of the functioning of his lungs until he has pneumonia. The Jew does not need a Jewish Book Month to remind him of his duty to read until he has experienced a sickening lack of books in his life, a lack which is a symptom of a diseased soul.