In a speech given Wednesday night, mayor Eric Adams suggested that yeshiva students are better off than public school students, and that religion should be in schools “anywhere possible.”
The speech was given at an event for Teach NYS, which is part of the Orthodox Union, which represents Modern Orthodox Jews. In it, Adams condemned yeshiva critics, but made no distinction between Hasidic and Modern Orthodox schools. A September report from the New York Times found that many Hasidic yeshivas fail to provide an adequate secular education, to the point where some boys graduate high school without speaking fluent English.
In 2015, New York City’s education department announced it would investigate complaints about the quality of secular education in Hasidic schools. (The complaint did not include Modern Orthodox schools, which generally provide a thorough secular education - although their Torah education falls far short of that of the "Hasidic" schools.) In January, the state education department ordered that the city complete its investigation no later than June 30, including specific reviews of individual schools.
The mayor began his speech by painting a grim picture of the secular world. He described problems that children across the city and country face, such as cannabis and fentanyl use, harmful use of social media, and mental illness, suggesting that yeshiva students don’t have these problems.
“The children are in a state of despair at an epic proportion, but instead of us focusing on how do we duplicate the success of improving our children, we attack the yeshivas that are providing a quality education that is embracing our children,” he said.
“I saw numbers just the other day, asking questions about what is happening at our yeshivas across the city and state. At the same time, 65% of Black and brown children never reach proficiency in the public school system,” Adams said, citing a statistic that he uses often in speeches. “We’re asking what are you doing in your schools. We need to ask, what are we doing wrong in our schools, and learn what you are doing in yeshivas to improve education.”
“We need to be duplicating what you are achieving,” he said.
Then Adams proceeded to SHOCK the crowd by delivering an impromptu shiur from the sefer Nefesh HaChaim extolling the virtues of Talmud Torah:
לזאת האמת שזו היא הדרך האמתי אשר בזה בחר הוא ית''ש. שבכל עת שיכון האדם עצמו ללמוד. ראוי לו להתיישב קודם שיתחיל. עכ''פ זמן מועט ביראת ה' טהורה בטהרת הלב. להתודות על חטאתו מעוקמא דלבא. כדי שתהא תורתו קדושה וטהורה. ויכוין להתדבק בלימודו בו בתורה בו בהקב''ה. היינו להתדבק בכל כחותיו לדבר ה' זו הלכה. ובזה הוא דבוק בו ית' ממש כביכול. כי הוא ית' ורצונו חד כמ''ש בזוהר. וכל דין והלכה מתורה הקדושה. הוא רצונו ית' שכן גזרה רצונו שיהא כך הדין כשר או פסול טמא וטהור אסור ומותר חייב וזכאי.
Because of this truth that is the correct way, that was chosen by Him (blessed be He), whenever a person prepares himself to learn, it’s worthwhile for him to settle himself down before he begins, at least for a small amount of time, in pure awe of God with a pure heart, to cause himself to confess his sins from the depths of his heart, so that his Torah should be holy and pure. And he should intend to attach himself to the Holy One (blessed be He) via his learning the Torah, specifically to cause himself to attach with all of his powers to the word of God (this being the halacha), and in this way actually be attached to Him (blessed be He) so to speak, for He and His will are one, as is written in the Zohar. And every judgment and halakha from the holy Torah is His (blessed be He) Will, for that is what His will decreed, that such is the judgment, kosher or disqualified, impure and pure, forbidden and unrestricted, guilty and innocent.
וגם אם הוא עסוק בדברי אגדה שאין בהם נפקותא לשום דין ג''כ הוא דבוק בדבורו של הקב''ה. כי התורה כולה בכלליה ופרטיה ודקדוקיה. ואפי' מה שהתלמיד קטן שואל מרבו הכל יצא מפיו ית' למשה בסיני. כמ''ש רז''ל סוף פ''ב דמגילה. ובפ''ק דברכות ה' א' ובקהל' רבה ס''א פי''א ושם בסי' ה' פ''ו ובירושלמי פ''ב דפאה ובויקרא רבה פכ''ב ע''ש. ובשמות רבה פמ''ג כתב לך את הדברים האלה בשעה שנגלה הקב''ה בסיני ליתן תורה לישראל אמר למשה על הסדר. מקרא ומשנה הלכות ואגדות שנא' וידבר אלהים את כל הדברים האלה. אפילו מה שהתלמיד שואל לרב ע''כ.
And furthermore, if he is occupied with aggada that have no bearing on any judgment, he is also attached to the speech of the Holy One (blessed be He). For the entire Torah, in her generalities, specifics and details, and even what a young student asks of his teacher, all of it was emitted from His (blessed be He) mouth to Moshe at Sinai, as the rabbis (OBM) stated at the end of chapter two of Megilla; and in the first chapter of Berachos 5a; and in Koheles Rabba 61, chapter 11 and there in Siman 5, chapter 6; and in the Yerushalmi in chapter two of Pe-ah; and in Va-yikra Rabba chapter 22, refer there [for more details]. And in Sh’mos Rabba chapter 43: “‘Write for yourself these words’ (Sh’mos 34:27)—When the revelation of the Holy One (blessed be He) occurred at Sinai to give the Torah to Israel, He told Moshe regarding the order of the mikra, mishna, laws and stories, for it stated (Shemot 20:1): ‘And Hashem-Elohi”m spoke all of these words’, even what a student asks his teacher.” This completes [their words].
ולא עוד אלא כי גם באותו העת שהאדם עוסק בתורה למטה. כל תיבה שמוציא מפיו הן הן הדברים יוצאים כביכול גם מפיו ית' באותו העת ממש. כדאשכחן בפ''ק דגיטין גבי פלגש בגבע' ותזנה עליו פלגשו ר' אביתר אמר זבוב מצא לה רי''א נימא כו'. ואשכחי' ר''א לאלי' א''ל מאי קעביד קב''ה א''ל עסיק בפלגש בגבעה ומאי קאמר אביתר בני כך הוא אומר יונתן בני כך הוא אומר. והיינו מפני שר''א ור''י עסקו ביניהם בענין פלגש בגבע' אז באותו עת. גם הוא ית' שנה דבריהם ממש.
And not only that, but even when a person is involved with Torah [here] below, each word that he utters from his mouth, they [emphatic] are the words that are being emitted (so to speak) also from His (blessed be He) mouth at the same actual moment, as is found in the first chapter of Gittin, regarding the story of the concubine in Giv’ah: “‘And his concubine strayed from him’—R' Evyatar stated: ‘He found a fly from her’, R' Yonatan stated: ‘He found a hair from her’. And R' Evyatar encountered Eliyahu and he said to him: ‘What is the Holy One (blessed be He) doing?’ He responded: ‘He is involved with the “concubine in Giv’ah”.’ ‘And what is He saying?’ He responded: ‘Evyatar my child says such and such. Yonatan my child says such and such.’” And specifically, because R' Evyatar and R' Yonatan were involved together in the matter of the concubine in Giv’ah, then at the same moment He (blessed be He) too was learning their actual words.
והוא ית''ש ודבורו חד. וכמפורש בתוה''ק במשנה תורה לאהבה את ה' אלהיך כו' ופירשוהו רז''ל בנדרים (ס''ב א) דקאי על עסק התורה ע''ש וסיפי' דקרא ולדבקה בו.
And He (blessed be His name) and His words are identical, as is explained in the holy Torah in the Mishneh Torah (D’varim 30:6): “to love Hashem your God”. And our rabbis (OBM) explained it in N’darim, in the b’raisa (62a) that deals with involvement with Torah, refer there [for more details], and the end of the verse “and to attach to Him”.
ולכן אמר דוד המע''ה טוב לי תורת פיך כו'. אמר כי לבי שמח בעמלי בתורה הקדושה ברוב עוז בהעלותי על לבי שהיא תורת פיך שכל תיבה ממש מהתורה שאני עוסק בה כעת הכל יצא וגם עתה היא יוצאת מפיך יתב'. ולכן כל התורה קדושתה שוה בלי שום חילוק ושינוי כלל ח''ו. כי הכל דבר פיו ית''ש ממש. ואם חסר בס''ת אות א' מפסוק אלוף תמנע היא נפסלת. כמו אם היה נחסר אות א' מעשרת הדברות. או מפסוק שמע ישראל. וכמ''ש גם הרמב''ם ז''ל והוא מתד''א סא''ז (פ''ג)[פ"ב]:
For that reason King Dovid (OBM) stated (Tehillim 119:72): “The Torah of Your mouth is better to me than…”— He said that my heart/mind rejoices in my labors in the holy Torah with great courage when I realize that she is the Torah from Your mouth, that each actual word from the Torah that I am currently involved with, all of it was emitted, and even now it is being emitted from Your (blessed be He) mouth. And for that reason, the entire Torah, her holiness is uniform without any variation or division whatsoever (heaven forefend), for it’s all the actual speech of His (blessed be He) mouth. And if a single letter from the verse “the Timna clan” was left out of a Torah scroll, it is considered as disqualified for use as if it were missing one letter from the ten commandments, or the verse “sh’ma yisrael”, and as the RaMBa”M (OBM) wrote, and that’s sourced from Tana D’vei Eliyahu, Sefer Eliyahu Zuta, perek 3.
He concluded by quoting from a talk given by RYB"S on the greatness of the Brisker Method in a groundbreaking eulogy he gave for his uncle R' Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik in 1959 in the Lamport Auditorium [where this writer actually davened Shachris and Mussaf on Roshei Chodoshim '85-'86 before MTA decided that he was "too good for them" and that he should find somewhere else to display his considerable talent!!! Dose was dem days....]. Adam's remarked that those faithful to the Brisker Methodology are studying on a much higher level than anybody else. Here is what he said:
"THE COMMADMENT OF THE LORD IS LUCID,
ENLIGHTENING THE EYES" (Ps. 19:9)
This is the innovation of Reb Chayim in the world of the halacha and
Torah study (lamdonus). The results of this new method are many, and
impossible to (fully) enumerate. (Nevertheless,) we shall attempt to
enumerate only a few here:
1. The Halachic Man of R. Chayim's school casts a bright light on
each and every subject that he deals with. The truth revealed to him radiates splendor. There is a truth that is reticent, and there is a truth which
reveals her face unto man. Before the shiurim of R. Chayim, R. Moshe
and R. Yitzhak Ze'ev, the students were perplexed on the pathways of the
halacha, not knowing where to turn or what to seek. They could not see
the paved path nor the prepared road, but were trapped in a vicious cycle,
unable to free themselves from it. When R. Chayim or his sons would
conclude their shiurim, the situation had entirely changed. Suddenly,
great light shone forth. The perplexity disappeared, the (crooked) roads
lay straight before them, and the (vicious) cycle was broken. The students
were liberated. Everything became so simple, so clear, so elementary, so
much so that they wondered why they themselves hadn't explained the
(heretofore unclear) position of the Rambam or statement of Tosfos as
had their rabbeim. Why, they would ask, hadn't they themselves grasped
the central point of the matter?!
But their teachers had not innovated
anything at all, they merely removed the veil from the pretty face of the
halacha, and all became enchanted by her beauty. To what can this be
compared? To someone suddenly awoken in the middle of the night,
unable to grasp his surroundings. For a brief moment he has lost his
bearings. It seems as if the bed is askew, and he is spread across its width,
grasping hither and non in the dark as if the door, which has always been
just on the other side of the bed, is now right on top of him. All of the
furnishings in the room have become distorted and unreal! Suddenly he
finds the light switch, flicks it, and bright light floods the room. All
becomes normal as he regains his bearings. He wonders why he had been
unable to picture the room and its furnishings (in the dark)? Why had the
picture become distorted when now all is so clear and simple?!
2. The Torah study (lamdonus) of this school must be authentic,
original, bearing the impression of the noetic [!!!] creation of the thinker.
The purpose of study is the conquest of content and new ideas. He
must cast his novellae in his own (original) forms, impressing his own
thought upon them. The introduction of borrowed logical considerations, the use of coins minted by other chachmei Yisrael, the repetition
of ideas and Torah novellae which float in the air and are known by
every yeshiva student-wrapping himself in a tallit which is not his
own, which he neither wove nor embroidered, gathering scattered
opinions from the world of learning like fallen leaves on an autumn day
in a thick forest, with no effort to find a manner of frank and individual
self-expression-all these are foreign to the creative and true methodology of R. Chayim.
3. This method of creating pure constructs does not differentiate
between primary and secondary, between general and specific, everything-from beginning to end-is crucial. Even if the learner is sure of
the genuineness of his thought process, in its image and form, even if
he senses that he is on the straight path, eyeing lights in the distance he dare not rest if even the most minuscule detail cannot fit within his
general conceptual framework. Like a mathematician, who will neither
be calm nor at rest until each intellectual jot and tittle finds its proper
place in the formula, nor will he pacify himself with vain consolations,
as if to say: The principles of the mathematical formula J are ordered
and true, who cares about the details?! The same restlessness plagues
the Torah scholar when a matter is murky or questionable, he is disturbed if even the smallest detail is still unclear. Even the smallest iota
will stymie and invalidate the whole (Talmudic equation). There is one
and the same law for a physical Torah scroll and conceptual Torah
thoughts alike.
4. The Halachic Man's conscience is highly vigilant. He is self-critical, neither deceiving himself nor blinding (honest) insight. If he is
at all uncertain of the veracity of his reasoning, even though others may
appreciate (his logic), he will blot it from his writing and speak not of it
to another. Truth is his guiding light. He fools no man, he loves his
teachers, honors his colleagues, and adores his students-but he loves
truth above all. A sharp sense of responsibility (to truth) accompanies
the scholar in every place and at all times. Oftentimes R. Chayim would
amend his novellae. How strict he was with the smallest detail, and
how he trembled lest he said something imprecise.
5. Absolute devotion to Torah, and the ability to utterly focus on
it by day and night, are the dual conditions to actualize this method.
Halachic Man is committed with his entire heart and soul to Torah and
halachic reasoning, and is not distracted from them even while occupied with other matters. The (Torah) inquiries tug at him, the questions trouble him, the subject enchants and entices him. His entire spirit and soul are immersed in halakhic reasoning, and he does not become distracted for even one moment. The comment of Rambam (Mishne
Torah Teshuva 10:3) regarding the love of God applies equally to Torah
study:
What is the love of God that is befitting? It is to love the Eternal with a
great and exceeding love, so strong that one's soul shall be knit up with
the love of God, and one should be continually enraptured by it, like a
love-sick individual, whose mind is at no time free from his passion for
a particular woman, the thought of her filling his heart at all times,
when sitting down or rising up, when he is eating or drinking. (Ever intense should be the love of God in the hearts of those who love
Him. And this love should continually possess them, even as He commanded us in the phrase, "with all your heart and with all your soul."
(Deuteronomy 6:5)) . . .
R. Chayim of Brisk and his great sons, my father and master and my
uncle, of blessed memories, fulfilled this command in their unbounded
love for Torah. Many times, while they would be walking on their way,
speaking with acquaintances, resting on the couch or eating-they
would suddenly cry out in excitement: "Our master's words are resolved!" The light had flashed, and they grasped the truth in all her
glory. Such revelation is the result of incredible concentration on a subject and all-embracing dedication to the discipline of halakha.
6. This method does not need verbosity, prefaces or multiple examples, with no need to dally about the subject at hand. It strikes right to
the root of the matter, using (only) two or thee words. By emphasizing
just one word in the language of the sugya, all questions evaporate, difficulties are solved and doubts resolved. My uncle, R. Yitzhak Ze'ev, said
of his father, our great teacher, while eulogizing him, that with the wave
of a hand, R. Chayim illuminated the students' eyes in the manner of (R.
Yohanan, who miraculously) "exposed his arm and light shone forth." The language is precise, hypotheses are crisp and clean, the phraseology
is artistic. The study is pure and pristine, deficiencies invalid, excess
removed. There is no need for a library, on the bookshelf are the basics
and no more. (Only) the betrothed sends gift-bearing messengers to his
in-laws' home in honor of his bride. (In marriage, however,) man and
wife need no messengers, intermediaries, interpreters or outsiders. Their contact and dealings occur with no side-stepping. There is no need
for elongated shiurim. We learn the page of Talmud, explaining the
explicit, and explicating the esoteric hidden between the lines.
7. The Halachic Man does not attempt to resolve all questions. He neither rejoices in answers, nor is he pained by the queries. Man's
role is to understand. When he understands the difficulty and the inexplicable complexities-that is enough! Halachic Man does not waste his
spiritual energies for naught, (attempting to) answer unanswerable
questions or unsolvable riddles. Wherever there is the faintest halachic presence, (his) finger is there on the pulse of the halacha, diagnosing
that which can (legitimately) be said, and that which must remain enigmatic and unutterable.
8. Halachic Man will never utter a convoluted or fabricated idea.
R. Chayim said of his son R. Yitzhak Ze'ev that he never even conceived
an unclear thought. The simple understanding (peshat) is his guiding
light.
9. He extends his control over language and form. The most fundamental and central idea is the act of simplification. (Halakhic Man)
enslaves the word to its true meaning, the form to the content, the terminology to the method. He becomes possessor of the Torah, doing
with it as he will. R. Yehoshua declared this when he stood on his feet
(and exclaimed to God regarding the Torah that) "it is not in heaven!"
(Deuteronomy 30:12). Halachic Man rules and reigns in the kingdom
of the halaka.
10. Halachic Man is an outstanding pedagogue, with fantastic
ability to make (Torah) understood. Both young and old depend on
him. He is capable of teaching Nega'im and Ohalos to the most advanced sages, while being able to teach a section of Chumash to young
school-children-all with the same charming modesty. His students
admire him, for they have only one, irreplaceable teacher, and he is
entirely dedicated to them with all his heart and soul. So too, my uncle and my father and master, of blessed memories,
who received the method of my grandfather, R. Chayim, in all its
breadth and depth, its glory and splendor, became one with Torah. The
Torah was wed to and bound intimately with them-through this was
their uniqueness expressed. My father died in the month of Shevat 5701
(3 Shevat/January 31, 1941), my uncle, of blessed memory, remained
the singular, unparalleled figure of Torah-royalty in his generation. The
Torah was his child bride, he was madly in love with her. A silent dialogue, like husband and wife, existed between them. He (intuitively)
sensed her very being, and perceived the very depths of her heart.
There were many gedolim in this generation, but none like R. Yitzhak Ze'ev-utterly unique in his time! [Translated in Tradition Journal]
