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Op-Ed: A Teacher Opines on the Yiddish Topic

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A TEACHER RESPONDS: I recently read an op-ed on your website, and I feel compelled to respond. In the article, the author describes what he perceives as a great accomplishment of his and progress in the right direction for his Yeshiva – namely, the removal of Yiddish from the ULY curriculum.

First, I want to preface by saying that I too am a teacher, and I fully understand and relate to the joy and satisfaction a teacher has when his class is enthusiastically participating and comprehending what is being learnt in class.

In my class, I too teach subjects which are very new to the boys, and it takes a good few weeks until they are fluent enough with the basic principles of the subject to fully participate in class and comprehend what we are learning. But struggling for those few weeks is a sacrifice that I am willing to make, because I understand how important the subject we are learning is for the growth and Chinuch of my students. I know that they will benefit more by learning the basic principle slowly, than from fully understanding those first few lessons.

When I was in the fourth grade, I learned in Oholei Torah and was a student in Rabbi Shlomo Futerfas’ class. Rabbi Futerfas was known for only speaking in Yiddish, and my knowledge of Yiddish was very limited at the time. Understandably, I started the year with much trepidation and concern, worrying that I would not be able to follow in class. I struggled in the beginning. I asked a lot of questions. I complained. But by the time Chanuka came around, I spoke Yiddish fluently.

Until this day, I am very grateful and indebted to my fourth grade teacher for teaching me Yiddish. In other schools they try to teach Yiddish as a subject, spending little time on it. But he threw us into the water and we learnt how to swim. Now, as an adult, I am able to learn a Sicha without struggling. I can meet to a Poilisher Chassid and converse with him freely in Yiddish, the way Chassidim have done for decades.

Throughout my years as a Bochur, I have been to many different Yeshivos and have met tens, if not hundreds, of Bochurim who struggle to understand a simple Sicha because of their lack of ability to understand Yiddish. As adults, they wish their school teachers would have forced them to learn Yiddish, since trying to learn it later on in life proves to be much more difficult.

Ideally, most of us would agree that parents should talk to their children in Yiddish. Doing so would not only teach the child to understand Yiddish, but it also fosters a Chassidishe environment in the home. But the reality is that many parents don’t talk to their children in Yiddish. Either because the wife doesn’t speak Yiddish, or for some other reason. It is unfortunate, but that’s the reality. We therefore hope that our child will learn Yiddish in school, thereby filling a very necessary void. Therefore, when I read that a Mechanech in one of our Mosdos suggest that stopping to teach our children Yiddish is an accomplishment, I am terribly bothered and disappointed. I feel he is being foolishly nearsighted. How can a Mechanech prefer a little more participation from his class or a feeling of success and accomplishment, over a tool that would serve the child for a lifetime?

There is a famous saying, “A real education is what you remember when you forget everything that you learned in school”. We don’t teach our kids in Yiddish just because that’s how its always been done, and most definitely not because it is more “Chassidish”. Of course it’s easier for both the teacher and the child to learn in English. But we must not forget that we have a goal, something that we are trying to accomplish. We teach our children in Yiddish so that for the rest of their lives they will have the skills and tools to be able to learn the endless number of Seforim that are printed in Yiddish. More specifically, so that as Bochurim our children will be able to learn the thousands of Sichos of the Rebbe that are printed in Yiddish without constantly needing to look up words in the dictionary.

If you would like your child to be able to learn first hand the Rebbe’s teachings and directions to our generation, please contact your son’s school and make a respectful and heartfelt request that they start, or continue, teaching in Yiddish.

May our children continue to be able to learn the Rebbe’s Torah, and in that Zchus may we merit to see the Geula, Now.

A concerned Yungerman

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59 Comments

  • Facts

    Apparently you didn’t even read the original article. The teacher never said that the was stopping to teach Yiddish. Please go back and read it again.

    If you identify yourself as a teacher it would be mindful of you to get the facts straight before responding.

  • children need another language

    While it is a sign of the times, perhaps that Yiddish has been eradicated it should not be seen as an accomplishment but as an unfortunate necessary step.The children of Crown Heights are not being really taught another language–not Hebrew, nor Yiddish,(and neither are they taught english formally). Its a pity that they are missing out on this enrichment.

  • good article

    He’s right. i say this as a parent of a dyslexic son & even when the specialist told us to put our son in an English-only school to this day were glad we listened to our instincts & refused. It was a struggle, but with lots of encouragement & love + a tutor he did fine. Was he top of his class? No, but he wasn’t at the bottom either and that’s with a DIAGNOSED learning disability.

    he’s not comfortable with yiddish or Hebrew& certainly doesn’t know it to speak but he understands some. He’s not the type to pick up a sicha and learn because reading generally is hard for him, even in English but he’s frum. He didn’t go off the derech because he struggled in school.

    The challenges he went through just made him more determined to succeed and he went through the whole system including Smicha. Yiddish was NOT the problem.

    THIS is the problem. Yeshivas not dealing with kids with learning disabilities. Yeshivas FORCING all kids into the same mold & Rebbis getting upset & nasty when some kids just don’t fit. Yeshivas writing off kids as useless/hopeless/stupid & not meeting their needs.

    As a policy I think Yiddish should be kept up for the reasons the author says but I also think some extra TLC & PATIENCE will help weaker students come up to scratch.

  • very nice!

    very nice….quick question “concerned yungerman”,how is it you have the ability to write english so well, or did your wife edit it for you maybe? did you have a good rebbi who helped you at OT with your writing skills??….i think not, its time we progressed with english, yiddish is all goot un fine (as a yiddish speaker myself) but we need english in the classroom, this has never been more apparent!

  • Author has the facts wrong!

    I believe uly only removed yiddish from Chumash not The CURRICULUM. There are many other opportunities to speak yiddish.

  • nobody special

    The author states: “ but it also fosters a Chassidishe environment in the home.”
    There was a time when that was the case. Since then we have Chassidim in Israel, who speak Hebrew at home. Sephardim who are in Lubavitcher schools. We have the children of Baalei Tshuva.
    So long as there is a Lubavitcher school which teaches in Yiddish, one that doesn’t fulfills a need.
    My nostalgia leans me towards wanting things to stay the same; Yiddish is special.

  • nobody special

    The author states: “ but it also fosters a Chassidishe environment in the home.”
    There was a time when that was the case. Since then we have Chassidim in Israel, who speak Hebrew at home. Sephardim who are in Lubavitcher schools. We have the children of Baalei Tshuva.
    So long as there is a Lubavitcher school which teaches in Yiddish, one that doesn’t fulfills a need.
    My nostalgia leans me towards wanting things to stay the same; Yiddish is special.

  • mg

    your opinion…. from the earlier posts and recording the Rebbe clearly said opposite…

    why is it that some things we take what the rebbe says as torah misinai, and now everyone has an “opinion”

    i wonder what things can we “disagree” on what the rebbe sys and what not

  • Here we go again!

    You write “the removal of Yiddish from the ULY curriculum”

    Nothing could be further from the truth.

    The Yeshiva is BOLSTERING the Yiddish in the way the Rebbe wants. Namely, using it in all areas OTHER than the learning process, and NOT using Chumash as a platform to teach Yiddish.

    AND having a dedicated Yiddish subject where they will learn Yiddish the way a language is supposed to be learned!

    You are welcome to visit and see how the Yeshiva is, on a steady pace, introducing more and more Yiddish in the hallways, lunchroom, playground etc. CONVERSATIONAL YIDDISH.

  • CH Resident

    How true. Though I’m a HUGE anti Mishichist, I’m a fan of Beis Chaya Mushka school. Why? I know a baal teshuva who sends his children there, and at 4 years old they speak yiddish and by 9, they’re speaking fluently in yiddish. That’s such a nachas and something I respect them for. Though I wouldn’t send my own children there because of the meshichism, I certainly hope that they’ll flourish just because of their great accomplishment in chinuch of teaching in yiddish.

  • You must be a phenomenal rebbi!!!!

    you are a very smart man who seems to really get it. thank-you for this beautifully written article. I hope it goes a long way and has a strong impact on others.

  • Teacher

    Did it ever occur to you, that when we teach, the goal is that the child should LEARN and understand WHAT HE IS LEARNING and thereby develop a love for learning?
    We don’t teach them CHUMASH so that they can learn YIDDISH!

  • 1234567890

    So we should teach in Hebrew and Aramaic?, ’cause you know, every Mamar, the entire Torah (+nach), the Rambam, Tanya, every Pirush on Gemara and Chumash every medrash and the shulchan oruchetc etc is in Hebrew. (and Gemara in Aramaic).
    Those endless seforim in Yiddish? Where are they? Likutei Sichos, Likutei Diburim? Tzena Urena? what “endless” seforim?
    If anything, there are thousands more in Hebrew and English.
    Besides, the Rebbe himself said to teach in English, as chinfo reported yesterday, and in February.
    And, no, a language does not raise the chassidishkeit of a home. Its the example you lead.
    In fact, the whole vaudeville and haskala movement is Yiddish, Yiddish theater, literature etc. and no one there claims to be chassidic.
    Basically, stop making up ideals that you got into your head as important, and actually do what is important, especially, because that is what the Rebbe said to do.

  • Naftali Michalowsky

    Total Yiddish immersion isn’t an option for a ULY Rebbi. The question here is not whether or not an all Yiddish learning is better than an all English. It is whether or not it makes sense to teach Chumash and Gemorah with Yiddish translation to English speaking students within an English speaking setting. Your experience doesn’t address that.

    The school assures that it will teach Yiddish, although you ignore that in the conclusion of your first paragraph and dismiss it the beginning of your fifth. It’s true that teaching a second language without total immersion is time consuming and difficult. But it is done all the time, all over the world. You’d be hard pressed to find an educated foreigner who doesn’t read and speak passable English. Moreover, Yiddish is an easy language for English speakers because they pretty much share the same syntax, and, in any case, there’s every reason to believe that using Sichos as text around which to teach Yiddish would be at least as effective as using the Chumash and the Gemorah. The school does need to figure out how to do it, and it wont be easy, but I prefer the teaching of Yiddish being the challenge they’re grappling with to the challenge of having the kids relate to the learning of Torah.

    Opponents to this measure need to come up with solutions to the problem this policy seems to be addressing, which is the fact that the majority of our youth and adults aren’t interested in learning Torah. The Yeshiva’s answer is to enhance learning Torah by doing it in the child’s first language. What’s yours?

  • Bochur

    I have read a he hicks which the rebbe said that it’s ,a shame kids waste, there time learning Yiddish instead of the subject and they have ma hard time learning both

  • Strange!

    Yungerman!

    Listen to the Rebbe!

    How can you think of using even one extra second from chumash of tinokos shel beis rabon to teach a language!

    Do it in another time! LIKE THE REBBE SAID!!!

    Idiot!

  • When?

    In this day and age every child needs an education that will enable them to be productive citizens and be able to support themselves and not be a burden on their family or society.

    The basic elements of a Lubavitch education are so inadequate that adding the challenge of learning Yiddish to many students almost insures their inability to compete in the secular world. It is sad to see how well paying medical and professional employment is being taken by the smart Caribbean immigrants.

    Forceing our children to try to compete in this world with this extra weight is community ignorance and borders on parental neglect.

    Why are we condeming our children to be like third world country citizens? When will the Lubavitch community join the 21st century and prepare our youth for a financially decent life?

  • To the Author

    Again you only care for yourself. You say that because of that year in fourth grade you now speak fluent Yiddish. Very good, you’re a smart fellow. However, there are kids who are not that bright, and struggle – and yes, I have friends who graduated from his class who can’t learn a sicha, and don’t speak Yiddish.

  • Jonathan

    This is typical of the old guard: “because it worked for me, it will work for everyone.” This rebbi demonstrates the essence of the problem with the teachers in our schools. They don’t recognize that each student has different strengths and they are unwilling to accept the demonstrated failure of the current system. While some children may have successfully learned Yiddish, most of my adult friends who went through the Lubavitch education system barely speak the language and can barely learn Chumash and Rashi without an Artscroll. Rather than address the real problem, this rebbi just boasts that he has developed the critical life skill of being able to speak to Poilishe chassidim. It seems he would prefer having a cozy relationship with the Poilishehs but be complete am ha’aratzim. Why aren’t our teachers more dynamic and with their priorities straight?

  • anon

    I find it incredible that all those people that quote ‘the Rebbe said’ all day long can so conveniently ignore the Rebbe’s direct words! This is not about what you feel or think – this is about what is best for the vast majority of students. Yiddish can and should be taught as a language, but NOT be the language of instruction – there is a huge difference. Studies of French immersion programs in Canada have shown that students are actually MORE successful when they have to learn a language for a specified amount each day then when they are ‘immersed’ in the language while trying to learn the curriculum material. I happen to be a huge fan of teaching Yiddish to our kids – but not at the expense of learning!

  • No One

    right on the money! i dont speak Yiddish bcs they didn’t teach me in yeshiva, yes you can learn now , but is very hard once yo r married and have kids to sit down and learn, my kids speak Yiddish because the Melamed spoke to them only Yiddish in cheder, i think they should start on the first class and they will learn very very fast and they will have Yidish fir the rest of their lives. i remember my self struggling to understand the rebbe on shabos in 770, standing and looking at others how the swallow every word the rebbe spoke. i want my kids to be able to learn and understand the rebbes schichos and videos.

  • ......

    Author writes: ‘ I know that they will benefit more by learning the basic principle slowly, than from fully understanding those first few lessons.’

    This seems to be the fundamental difference between the two schools of thought. This teacher raises the level of learning yiddish as a “basic principle” while the other teacher focuses on the content of what is being taught as the basic principle.

    The rest is an individual experiance that the Rabbi is trying to apply to the masses. I am really glad that it worked out for him (it worked out for me as well and I am grateful that ULY, where I was educated, had that policy back then) but there are many amongst us that have struggled through the system and teaching in yiddish only added to many failures.

    Let’s face it: our system is week in gamarah, halachah, and (lahavdil) secular studies. We produce amazing shluchim and others where primary skillsets are dedication, launching an orginazation (chinuch, shlichus or business) and influencing others. On the other hand, our youth cannot compete with their chaseedish, litvish or modern orthodox peers when it comes to learning gemoroh, halachah and – with the exception of some Chaseedish schools – secular studies. Putting the study of Yiddish above these other areas is, IMHO, not seeing the forest for the trees.

    In a recent sicha I learnt (in yiddish!), the Rebbe advocates teaching torah in English and other foreign languages. It’s a Rashi sicha, where the Rebbe explains that we learn from the terminology used in describing the kolos of matan torah that Hashem gave the koach with His words – that did not echo – to permeate and absorb to much deeper and lower levels (and creates a dira Loi yisborech). This gave klal yisroel the koach to teach and learn in Aramaic and produce the gemoroh and Onklos for future generations. I can’t remember what chelek/parsha in likutei sichas it is in, so if s/o can site it… it is in Devorim.

  • Nobody

    Learning and knowing Yiddish is a wonderful thing. I would hope that is an uncontroversial statement, but unfortunately it isn’t.

    However, the evidence doesn’t seem to support the assertion that lack of learning Yiddish causes a weaker connection to the Rebbe. Look at Israeli students – they don’t learn Yiddish at all, at it is far from clear that the current crown heights generation with its Yiddish is any more Chassidish or connected. The Rebbe agreed to that (it is in Igros, don’t remember where).

    Why do you think that they used to teach the kids to teitch chumash in Yiddish? Because it was their native language! Now the teich is Hebrew-Yiddish-English. Which is fine, except that the English words used are not something the kids understand either (the vocabulary is too high and the grammar structure is hard to follow doing word-for-word memorized teitch).

    I would hope that the focus would be on the kids understand and relating to the Chumash, appreciating the meaning and importance of Torah as expressed in the words they are learning, and Yiddish being secondary to that.

    Unfortunately that isn’t happening.

    You didn’t learn Yiddish because you learned Yiddish Teitch when you learned Chumash. You learned Yiddish when you got a teacher who was enthusiastic and a firm believer in the language and was able to impart that love and commitment to you. The first three years didn’t go very far.

  • Late starter

    The “concerned Yungerman” wrote that when he was in the “fourth grade” he started to learn in Yiddish… — Fine, so in kindergarten through third grade, he apparently learned in English. So by his own admission there is no need to start learning Yiddish right from the start.

    One can start much later than that. I started learning Yiddish when I was about 20 years old and was able to become fairly fluent in a relatively short while.

    Clearly though understanding Hebrew, Loshon Hakodesh, is much more important than understanding Yiddish. Priorities come first.

  • personal experience

    By all means, teach the kids yiddish!! But by no means should you be teaching chumash,parsha,hashkofah,halochos etc etc in yiddish or they will be missing the subject matter!!! By all means have the teacher speak in yiddish exclusively during a yiddish language class or even a yiddish sicha class,that is very well proven to be a successful method of teaching kids a new language. By no means should you be speaking in yiddish only when teaching about the yomim toivim, chassidus, yehadus etc etc because they will fall between the cracks and not retain any of it.

  • anonymous

    I don’t think the issue is whether or not Chabad children should learn Yiddish. I think the real issue is as the Rebbe stated, that to learn Torah in a language that is easily understood is the best way for a child. That doesn’t mean that Yiddish should not be a goal.

  • to A concerned Yungerman

    Your poind is great about your 4th grade rebbe that’s what is needed total immersion stories reeces should all be in yidish. Until that happens translate into english

  • A CONCERNED PARENT

    Wow!!!!! What a powerful letter!Whoever wrote this writes beautifully… clear… to the point… well written. Does anyone know who the “Yungerman” who wrote this is? I would like the author of this letter to teach MY children. Hopefully his powerful words will have an effect on our Mosdos.

  • Agree

    I agree wholeheartedly. If as many teachers as possible would speak Yiddish in their classes, it would become a familiar language to their students instead of a foreign one. This goes for girls’ schools as well as boys’. Learning a language as a subject will never make it a comfortable language. True, not every teacher can speak Yiddish but if those who can, would, it would make a world of difference. Let’s not throw away something so valuable.

  • levi rapoport

    the author writes at the end of the first paragraph: “the removal of Yiddish from the ULY curriculum.” Well, he didn’t read the article. Because in the article it says that they are NOT removing Yiddish from the curriculum. In fact they are making a new special Yiddish class. They are merely teaching Chumash in English, so the boys will truly know what they are learning, instead of merely sounding that they know what they are learning.

  • STUPID/wonderful

    Teaching the yiddish language is wonderful. Using chumash as an excuse to teach yiddish is STUPID.

  • Sad parent

    I agree one thousand percent with what you said. In my younger years I had an old Bubby as a teacher. She spoke to us only in Yiddish and with this Yiddish I was able to speak Yiddish to my children. It is very sad that we as parents are afraid to push our children a bit in order to give them a skill that they will will use for the rest of their lives.

  • At the end of the day....

    the main thing should be his knowing the Chumash and internalizing it into his life as a Yid.
    There are children who are so bogged down by the Yiddish that they don’t end up learning the main thing, which is the actual meaning and how it needs to be applied to our lives.
    Yiddish is very important, but there should be options to learn Chumash without it for those children whose learning experience is negatively affected by it.

  • LY the best

    They are teaching iddish. They will learn iddish as language and be able to understand the language and sichos and farbrengens. The teichen is not in iddish.

  • Just do it

    Language acquisition—the learning of a new language—is strongest up to about age 9. That is why it is essential for Yiddish to be taught early on in order for children to be fluent.
    In ofder for this to take place 2 things must occur:
    1. Parents must make an effort. Even parents who are not fluent in Yiddish can use Yiddish in the home. They can learn and teach their children songs in Yiddish, use Yiddish expressions, make a point to say certain things in Yiddish, like “Yetzt iz shlofen tzeit” instead of “It’s bedtime!” and the like. Even some exposure to the language helps a child develop an ear for that language and it’s structure and sounds. Simple things like this make it much, much easier for the child to pick up the language fully in school.
    2. The schools must change policy. Beyond the home, the schools must commit to a Yiddish only policy from nursery on if the students are to master the language enough to use it as their learning language.

  • a mom of little boys.

    I could not have said it better. Thank you to the Yungerman who took his time to pen his thoughts to paper. I want to add, that copping out of hard work, is hardly an ethic I want to teach my children. It is true that the kids may not want to learn in yiddish, the novelty of learning in English will wear off, and then where will these rebbeim be? I am so glad that I have my kids in OT. I only hope I have the siyata dishmaya that I need to continue to raise my kids in a chasidishe environment, and the wisdom to partner with Hashem and the Rebbe, and rise to challenges (ie fostering a love for yiddish in my beautiful neshamalach,) that come our way.

  • Goals

    The goals of education are to instill middos tovos, impart knowledge, and raise children to adulthood. If a school administration believes it more productive to teach in English, let them–it’s their decision. If you feel your children are not receiving a proper education, put you children in another program–it’s your decision.

    I doubt that removing Yiddish from Chummash class will lead to bachurim who cannot learn a sicha in the original Yiddish. And, do we worry that no one will be able to converse with an Israeli because we do not teach in Hebrew?

    Let this work for a few years and see if any changes need to be made.

  • a mother of many

    Kudos to the author for standing up to what he believes is right. All theose comments opposing the authors position are defnding themselfs because deep down they know the author is right. Most people don’t have the guts to stand up and say what needs to be heard

  • Ben Tzvi

    Could you imagine if the Rebbes farbrengens would be in English? First, all the baalei tshuva would come and many that came anyway will not sleep or dream during the farbrengen. Many others will be able to understand better and many people will become chasidim and mekusher to the Rebbe and many more jews will become baalei thsuva.. The same goes for all the siches and maamorim written if they would be in the main speaking lenguage it would had have such influence that we can’t even think about. But for some reason it wasn’t meant to be and the seder since the Baal Shemtov was that the nesiyim spoke in yidish expecting people should learn it like they have to learn the maamar or siche or gemoro itself.I remember the Rebbe complaining in one of the siches about studying chasides not in yidish. A little effort and it’s viable. The problem is to find teachers that speak yidish starting from kindergarden. Maybe yidish class should be a choice like in BR.

  • Yossi Marozov - Ulyanovsk Russia

    so sad to read these negative comments against a well meaning teacher.
    although I do not agree with the author I believe that there may exist different opinions on this topic.
    after so many years learning Gemorah, cant we realize that there may be 2 or 3 opinions and they are all correct?
    Itruly value this person as a teacher, and would love my son to learn in his class (would that be possible), even though I wish he would teach chumash in English, I think the main thing is a dedicated teacher who truly believes in his cause, and in this case I am sure this person will and does success-ed in getting his students to learn Chumash, Yes Chumash better then many other teachers

    and for those funny comments about lubavitchers being behind in learning Torah… I really cannot fathoum where you are coming from, I learned by heart 10 meseches gemora before I turned 20 in chabad yeshiva, and I was not from the better students, almost every friend I have has done similar, besides semicha, the whole alter rebbe’s shulchan oruch, the whole rambam and hunderds of other sforim not to mention chasidus, hashkofo, tanach, and midrash.

    and the smart guys are doing ten times more.

    (this does not excuse the yeshivahs from ignoring the weaker boys, or the boys who need different and better methods, you should update your methods for all)

  • Yiddish for Chassidim

    Gut voch! Two comments:At the Yud Tes Kislev, Tismach farbrengen the Rebbe said that how can it be that two Chassidim meet and the language of their converdsation is not Yiddish. If everyone would speak Yiddish at home, the cheder problem wouldn’t exist. And every moisad could offer some courses for parents who aren’t fluent. It’s that easy.
    Secondly: #13 who is a HUGE “anti-Mishichist”: what do you mean to say- that you don’t believe in Moshiach? That you are against publicing it? (It sure wasn’t our own idea…)And now that the “secret” is out, what next?
    A Gut Yohr, and Moshiach NOW!!

  • Henya - Chicken

    We are BTs, who moved to Israel 7 months ago. I do not speak Yiddish (it was not in my Russian school curriculum),but I understand some. On the other hand my husband is a Yiddish Speaker from birth. We knew that it was important that our kids should be fluent in Yiddish. They went to the schools that made Yiddish important and they are very fluent. When we moved to Israel this was a bonus, because they were able to talk to other Yiddish speaking kids here until they picked up Hebrew. My kids write the letters home to friends – pages and pager in… Yiddish. So it can be done. And it is not BTs, who are to blame for the Crown Heights loosing Yiddish. The BTs are the ones who actually try!

  • Fan of ULY

    Almost every country around the world teitch the chumosh into the language of the country. Enabling the children to understand the chumosh and learn. By translating the Hebrew into Yiddish, it is forcing the children to memorize, not learn! As ULY is trying to teach the children the chumosh, and have them understand what they are learning. Is by far, going to leave the children with a skill. To open a Sefer in Hebrew and understand it. Yiddish is a wonderful language and should be taught as one.

  • Skeptical

    I am amazed at the narrow sightedness of this op-ed. Do you think the writer of these words could express them so fluently and eloquently in Yiddish. I highly doubt it, if so how can he explain the concepts and lesson to be learned in Chumash or Gemorah. Students who are taught only in Yiddish do not know how to articulate any deep thoughts or feelings, unless they are a product of Yiddish speaking parents from the old country.

  • Student of linguistics

    This is derech agav but I got a lot of success in learning. Why? Because I learned enough to THINK in Yiddish. (That’s when you really know a language.) And it lifts my mind out of the newspapers and the blogs and the street and all the “great literature”. I am in the same room with all the Chasidin Lamdanim and Yirei Shomayim from before . I loved the language because my Zaide thought and felt in Yiddish. Thinking Chasidus and Nigleh too in Yiddish is a big favor to your brain. All the concepts are much clearer because of the Yiddishe Taam. Look how much terrible English Artscroll has to throw in your face where a few words in Mama Loshon would reach right inside.

  • ss

    Thank you Rabbis Katz and Zwiebel. My boys can read the pesukim and translate them fluently in English. They are also
    picking up Yiddish from other subjects taught the rest of the day!

  • ......

    To #50: Yossi Marozov – You wrote tzom zach and I think you are correct in the first part of your comment. The second part is dellusional. You seem to be a big talmid chochom with the amount of limud hatorah you have. Thinking that this is the average (10 miseches baal peh?! the entire alter rebbes shulchan aruch baal peh?!) is pretty out there. I don’t know of any lubavitcher yeshivah where the average bochur has learned 10 complete misechtes b’iyoun, never mind baal peh?!!! Please tell me which lubavitcher yeshivah this is, I would like to send my children there.

  • Wondarin

    I have a question. In the Lamed’s, the 70’s, what language would you guys speak in yeshiva? in conversation? with melamdim?

    Yiddish? English? Both?

    Just wondarin.

    Also the kvutza bochrim back then spoke in yiddish or in hebrew? just curious. If anybody from back then could post…

  • back then we DID learn, FYI

    The reason he covered some serious learning is because that’s just how it was back then. I know since I was from the shvacher bochrim but almost everybody could qote a ktzos or a r akiva igar as if it were a peice of cake. That’s just the way it was. we learnt back then.

    Then came gimmel tamuz and with it the end of an era. Those who came after will never really know how it was back then. Since then, the schools are growing exponentially but the academics are helplessly not keeping up. The yeshiva system has deteriorated into babysitting institutions whose teachers are rotting mold. The kids don’t know why they’re there, the parents are loaning from wherever they can to keep up with tuition bills. They see no growth in their children, not academicly not emotionally and not religously either. Today the ysehivas are a waste of childhood.

    But back then we DID learn, FYI