Torah U'madda - Does It Work?

We must not hide behind the concept of Torah U'madda. If in the Modern Orthodox summer camps there is less Talmud Torah than in the Yeshivish summer camps it is not because they are reading literature or philosophy .... but because they are playing baseball.

Bi-sheim Rav Aharon Lichtenstein

A question I have asked myself ten million times - Does Torah U'madda work? Meaning, does the Torah work [on the same level as the "Torah only" group] and is the Madda really used as a means for greater closeness to HKB"H and to enhance one's Avodas Hashem [and not just as a means to earning money which everybody agrees is a worthwhile pursuit]?

The answer I give myself is that OF COURSE Torah U'madda works - for singular individuals, such as Rav Solovietchik, Rav Lichtenstein, The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Hutner and other yechedei s'gulah. For most others - either the Torah is not on par or the madda is not on par or more often - both. Therein lies the failure of the day school system in America [it also has mylos but that is not the topic of the post]. After twelve years most kids know next to nothing in Torah [this I say after knowing thousands of kids over the years] and little about other topics either. Not to mention the low level of commitment to halacha and shmiras ha-mesora.  [Not to say that the "Torah only" camp is perfect - the faults are many and that is a good topic for a future post]

So it appears to me and so I try to educate my children and anyone else who will listen.