Letter & Spirit: Secular Studies does not Bring ‘Perfection’

In this week’s edition of Letter & Spirit, we present two letters of the Rebbe which discuss the differences between Jewish and secular studies, including the disparity between salaries of teachers, along with suggesting some remedies. The Rebbe also highlights the importance of Jewish studies, dispelling the notion that secular studies is necessary to succeed in life. The letters were written through the Rebbe’s trusted secretary Rabbi Nissan Mindel, and was made available by his son-in-law Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro.

In his clear and concise response, the Rebbe mentions some of these faults which need to be remedied – such as the incongruity between the religious and secular subjects – as to the importance that is shown one over the other in many ways, including recognition of high achievers, salaries of teachers.

This new weekly feature is made possible by a collaboration between CrownHeights.info and Nissan Mindel Publications. Once a week we will be publishing unique letters of the Rebbe that were written originally in the English language, as dictated by the Rebbe to Rabbi Mindel.

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By the Grace of G-d
11th of Nissan, 5735
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mr.
New York, N.Y. 10002

Greeting and Blessing

Your letter reached me with some delay and pressure of duties further delayed my acknowledgement.

I trust it is unnecessary to point out to you at length that in regard to any and every good thing, it is not easy, often even impossible, to achieve one hundred percent. Very often, while aiming for the utmost, one must be satisfied with less than that and sometimes be satisfied with whatever percentage can be accomplished, as a beginning.

It should be self evident that by encouraging Jews to give tzedoko to a worthy cause, it does not mean that all the methods used by that organization are necessarily approved of, or that the fund raising dinners arranged by the organization will from now on be all glatt kosher.

I purposely did not mention any particular organization by name, nor the organization which you write about, since the situation applies to most charitable organizations engaged in fund raising, inasmuch as it is very rare to find perfection in human activities in every detail.

By way of illustration, although in a different area, yet it is very important factor in Jewish life which should be remedied, but despite all efforts and protestations, it has not been rectified. I refer to the attitude to Hebrew teachers, especially to Roshei Yeshivos, in the matter of remuneration and salary, as compared to equivalent teaching positions in secular schools and secular subjects. It is most lamentable that the scale of remuneration is so inequitable. Aside from the fact that we are losing vital teaching talent, the said attitude itself denigrates the value of the Torah and the prestige of a Yeshivah, and the students themselves cannot fail to see it and be influenced by it. Further, there is often also a conspicuous distinction between the Hebrew and secular departments of a Yeshivah Day School itself, where so much more emphasis is placed on the secular subjects and on scholastic achievement  in the secular department, with prizes and scholarships, etc., which are not given in the sacred subjects. To be sure the Torah and mitzvos have to be studied and observed not for the sake of reward, but for its own sake. However, when we are concerned with students and children who have not yet reached this high level, this is the time when the principle “One should study the Torah even not for its own sake,” should be applied, “because one will eventually appreciate it and study it is for its own sake.” Sad to say that a similar situation may exist also in a Lubavitcher Yeshivah Day School, despite all efforts to correct it. There may be extenuating circumstances, but it does not alter the fact of the existence of an undesirable situation.

Of course, the above illustration is not intended to suggest that a charitable organization, even the one that you mention in your letter, is on par with a Yeshivah where the Torah is studied with Yiras Hashem and Ahavas Hashem. The illustration was brought only to illustrate that a letter of encouragement to any organization does not mean a hechsher on all its activities. I will go further and admit that even if there was not in the statement you mention the condition which emphasizes that the tzedoko contributed to the organization should provide for the religious needs of Jews, each according to his requirements, I would still consider it worthwhile to encourage support of an organization even if its philanthropic work was limited to material and social aspects only – and this could in no way be construed as a hechsher on the fundraising dinners that they are glatt kosher, as mentioned above.

I will have no objections if you wish to show this letter to anyone whom you think advisable to do so. However, I would appreciate, in such a case, that no specific philanthropic organization be singled out specifically, in order to avoid any possible misunderstanding, in accordance with the teachings of out Torah.

As this is the time before Pesach, the “Season of Our Liberation,” may the inspiration of this festival bring each and all of us a greater measure of true freedom from all distractions that hinder a Jew from serving G-d wholeheartedly and with joy, as this topic is discussed at greater length in the enclosed Pesach message, which I trust you will find interesting.

Wishing you a and yours a Kosher and inspiring Pesach,

                                                                                               With blessing,

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By the Grace of G-d
16^th of Teves, 5727
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Mr.
New York, N.Y. 10017

Greeting and Blessing:

Thank you for your thoughtfulness in sending me a copy of …………. in which your letter was published, and which contained also some of my views on the question of college attendance.

May I suggest that while your letter is good as far as it goes, it does not emphasize sufficiently the role of Jewish parents in this program, which is mentioned only in passing. Since you have to do with Jewish youth, including of course your own children, surely you know that it is usually the parents who are pushing their children towards secular college education. Ostensibly the idea is to give the impression that the main reason for it is an economic one, that is in order to provide a source of livelihood for them, and perhaps some parents actually delude themselves in believing that their children could not get on in the world without a college degree. However, the fact that a substantial percentage of parents press their children towards college education not for economic reasons, but in the mistaken belief that it is essential to human perfection, as if one could not be a perfectly good man, or a good Jew, without a college education. Indeed there are parents (and I am talking about orthodox parents) who admit this openly, saying that the study of the Torah is only one of the 613 mitzvos, and there are mitzvos which some Jews observe with hiddur, and the learning of Torah is one of them. But when it comes to their son or daughter, they wish to see their children attain the highest spiritual advancement which, they think, is conditioned upon higher secular education. This unfortunate tendency has become almost a “normal” attitude even in Yeshivos and Day Schools, where the main emphasis is often placed on the secular department, and it is expressed in many ways, such as special recognition of achievement in secular studies, etc., whereas achievement in Gemoro and other Hebrew subjects merely merit a pat on the back, and sometimes not even that. It is therefore not surprising that when a Jewish boy graduates from high school, he receives gifts and acclaim, whereas his mastering of several Mesichtos goes by unnoticed by his parents, unless there is a Zeida in the family who could take pride in such achievement.

Needless to say, this tendency is reflected also in the comparative salaries of Hebrew and secular teachers, their general standing in the community, etc., as I pointed out elsewhere.

This is one of the basic ills of our Jewish community which has to be recognized and treated until cured.

                                                                                                    With blessing,

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The above letter is from the archives of Rabbi Dr. Nissan Mindel, a personal secretary to the Previous Rebbe and The Rebbe, whose responsibilities included the Rebbe’s correspondence in English.

Many of the letters are now being published in The Letter and the Sprit, a series of volumes by Nissan Mindel Publications.

We thank Rabbi Sholom Ber Shapiro, director of Nissan Mindel Publications and the one entrusted by Rabbi Mindel, his father-in-law, with his archives, for making these letters available to the wider public. May the merit of the many stand him in good stead.