In a seminal article published in 1966, Rabbi Shimon Schwab, the former Rav of Khal Adath Jeshurun in Washington Heights, succinctly framed the option facing every family desiring to send their son to a traditional yeshiva today. “Young students attend either a high school which stresses excellence in secular studies as much as in limudei kodesh (Judaic Studies) or ... an institution where the secular program, reduced to the absolute minimum, is grudgingly taken in stride and absolved without enthusiasm and without fanfare.”
The perspective of many yeshivas today is that in order to produce high caliber talmidei chachomim (learned scholars), the full focus of the day needs to be on Judaic Studies. As such, General Studies fall to a secondary status resulting in students losing respect for the little time that has been allocated for Language Arts, History, Science, and Math. The typical yeshiva high school schedule offers rigorous Jewish academics infused with opportunities for spiritual growth until the early afternoon. Following that, for approximately three hours, students are exposed to a typical secular curriculum when their energies are low and their attention depleted. The material often contradicts Torah philosophies, and the students’ growth energy has already been devoted to Talmudic studies. Following dinner, students return to their Judaic curriculum until they end their day, around 9 pm, with Maariv (evening prayer service).
In light of this reality, Machon Menoras Hachochmah: The Institute for Torah-Based Curricula, was born. While maintaining the perspective that Torah study has primacy, students must see the value in General Studies. The goal of the Machon is to change the landscape of yeshiva high school General Studies on a national scale. Yeshiva students must learn the skills necessary to develop into articulate and computer-literate individuals with a respectable command of the English language. When yeshiva high school students graduate, they must do so with a toolbelt that allows them to successfully enter either the professional workforce or life in Jewish communal service.
The Machon’s inaugural curriculum, Literature and Composition: Utilizing the Thirteen Principles of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, is currently being taught to over 160 students in four yeshivas around the country. The course uses the middos (positive character traits) of Rabbi Yisrael Salanter as the unifying theme behind secular literary selections in the course reader. This allows students to improve their language arts skills while connecting to growth in Torah. These assignments, all designed and explained in a language that is culturally appropriate and relatable for the yeshiva student, challenges young men to improve their vocabulary, reading comprehension, grammar, and writing skills.
“Yeshiva students must learn the skills necessary to develop into articulate and computer-literate individuals with a respectable command of the English language. When yeshiva high school students graduate, they must do so with a toolbelt that allows them to successfully enter either the professional workforce or life in Jewish communal service.”
The Machon provides its partner schools with professional development, educational technology consulting, writing contests, and a General Studies Administrators forum (which currently has over 60 members) for collaboration and troubleshooting through common issues. Additionally, numerous courses are currently in development in every academic discipline. Educational experts, professionals in multiple fields, and the Machon’s Rabbinic Advisory Board work together to ensure that future courses are both aligned with Torah values and contain the most cutting-edge educational methodologies.
The work of the Machon has been welcomed by many in the yeshiva community; they see this work as integral in ensuring that articulate and well-educated talmidei chachomim graduate from yeshivas.
At the same time, we have learned that we need to take baby steps and a grassroots approach to transform an entire mindset. An inherent challenge to this approach is finding the individuals prepared to teach the secular courses. Due to both financial and scheduling realities, career educators are not always hired to teach. In addition, the teacher needs to be able to address philosophical issues in a manner aligned with the school’s values.
Teacher guides being produced for each course allow novice teachers, and perhaps even kollel (graduate Torah institute) men looking to supplement their income, to develop the capacity and facility needed to teach each course. The options and varied differentiated methods for each course, in addition to the integration of project-based learning, educational technology, and task-oriented education, allow a teacher to lead and direct the culture of his classroom. The material is just a starting point for preparation that will be needed to tailor content that is specific to both student and teacher needs and is not intended to replace individualized teaching and learning. It is the true hope that the graduates of Machon schools will be the most appropriate choices for future teachers of these courses.
As with all innovative endeavors, research, development, testing, and pilot programs are required, and we expect to hit bumps along the way. But what truly propels this organization is the end goal of a student’s avodas Hashem (service of God) becoming more integrated with his daily life, both during high school and after graduation.
Rabbi Mordechai Weissmann, a musmach (Rabbinical Graduate) of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, has a BA from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature, an MA from Yeshiva University in Jewish Philosophy, and an MLIS in Library and Information Science from The University of Maryland. He is the Founding Director of Machon Menoras Hachochmah and the Curriculum Coordinator at Mesivta Kesser Torah of Baltimore.
Rabbi Weissmann welcomes feedback and questions. Please reach out to him at MWeissmann@themachon.org.