Woodcliff Lake, NJ – In a fiery speech delivered on Sunday at the 91st Agudah convention at the Hilton in Woodcliffe Lake, NJ, Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein took today’s education system to task for not meeting the many challenges facing today’s generation and for their failure to imbue children with a love of Torah and yiddishkeit.
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Pointing the finger of blame squarely at our current leadership, Askumim, and community leaders, Rabbi Wallerstein spoke candidly, passionately and at times forcefully on difficult issues that most have been afraid to vocalize publicly.
Describing how the yetzer hora has elected to fight today’s unprecedented level of Torah study by dimming the beauty and allure of yiddishkeit, Rabbi Wallerstein told of his own interactions with teens.
“I’m not talking about kids at risk,” exhorted Rabbi Wallerstein.
“I deal with regular kids and I ask them. ‘So, translate, tell me, what is yiddishkeit?’
I have never, in thousands of kids, been answered ‘yiddishkeit is beautiful,’ not once. It’s rules, it’s a way to connect to Hashem a lot of different answers. Not one kid has ever answered me ‘yiddishkeit is beautiful.'”
Listen below to the full speech of Rabbi Wallerstein.
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Recounting a medrash of how Hakadosh Baruch Hu took Yirmiyahu Hanuvi, to task for the churban, Rabbi Wallerstein told over in the name of R’ Shimshon Pincus how the navi was held accountable because the destruction took place under his leadership and drew a parallel to the challenges facing today’s generation.
” Askonim, gedolim, rabbonim, klal yisroel, it is happening on our watch,” thundered Rabbi Wallerstein. “And at the end of the day we are going to have to answer for all the children that are suffering and the shalom bayis that is suffering and the girls that aren’t getting shidduchim. Yes we have a lot of good things that we are doing. But it is on our watch and Hakadosh Baruch Hu says that if it happens on your watch, you’re not doing enough.”
Rabbi Wallerstein spoke about the war between Yaakov and the malach of Eisav, noting that instead of saying that the two battled, the Torah uses the word “vayeavek”, and quoted Rashi who notes that the word’s root also means “dust”, alluding to an especially insidious tactic employed by the malach of Eisav.
“He knew he couldn’t destroy Torah,” explained Rabbi Wallerstein. “His objective is to do what dust does. All the women here know if you have nice furniture you have to dust it because dust makes it very dull. If you have mirrors they become very dull. If you have silver it becomes very dull. The koach of dust is to take beautiful shiny things and make them boring and dull. The Satan said I cannot destroy Torah but I will take the beauty, the excitement, the newness, the freshness, I will take that away from the Torah.”
That battle continues today, according to Rabbi Wallerstein, who warned that despite the diligent learning that takes place today, the Satan continues to chip away at the foundations of Torah by diminishing its appeal.
“Where is the beauty of a yom tov? We are all flying all over the place, every hotel is full. Where is the beauty of a Shabbos? I can’t beat you, I can’t stop you, but I can take away the beauty.”
Rabbi Wallerstein further criticized today’s educational system with its emphasis on competition and testing, saying that by turning Torah, Chumash and Halacha into subjects, they are diminished in the eyes of students.
“Torah is life; life is beautiful!” exclaimed Rabbi Wallerstein. “A subject is ugly; it’s competition. What are we doing? This is yavan!”
Rabbi Wallerstein emphasized the importance of connecting positively with students and children and stressed the importance of repeatedly telling children how much they are loved.
Telling over the words of the Chida, Rabbi Wallerstein spoke of how when Hashem appeared to Yaakov in a dream, revealing himself as the G-d of Avraham, his father, and the G-d of Yitzchak, puzzling words as Yitzchak is not also identified as Yaakov’s father.
“If you look in the parsha before you will see that never does Yitzchak call Yaakov ‘b’ni’ but he calls Eisav many times ‘b’ni,'” observed Rabbi Wallerstein. “Says the Chida: just because you have a child doesn’t make him your son and that doesn’t make you his father. You have to call him ‘b’ni’. You have to call her ‘biti’. You have to tell them how much you love them.”
Quoting the mishna in Avos, Rabbi Wallerstein explained while Hakadosh Baruch Hu demonstrates his love for us by reminding us that we are his children, we must rise to the occasion by instilling in our own children a genuine love of Torah and yiddishkeit, something that can be difficult in today’s fast paced world of technology.
“Apple comes out with a new iPhone every single six months: fresh, new, shiny, exciting. They are throwing at our children fresh, new, shiny, exciting. The yetzer hara doesn’t put avak on that, so our kids are getting hit with all this new stuff, new technology. We have to fight it with a Torah that is shining…a Torah that is exciting, not something that is just a subject.”
Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein is the founder of Ateres Naava Seminary for Girls, and Ohr Naava Women’s Institute in Brooklyn, NY.
He is indeed a noble man, and his vision is real and pure for the sake of God. And yes, yidishkeit is beautiful!
I like Rabbi Wallerstein very much, but I’m not sure that 90% of those attending the convention heard a word that he said. I don’t mean “heard” physically – I mean are willing to take his words to heart. All you have to do is stand in the back of shul on a typical Shabbos and you’ll be shocked to hear what “typical yeshiva boys” are talking about to realize this is very true. We live in a generation of status- who’s the best, who’s the smartest, who’s going to which high school/seminary. It’s ridiculous- and it’s what really causes the shidduch crisis. When two kids seem the same but are on very different yidishkit pages- it’s a problem. Yasher Koach Zecharia for making us all aware and accountable.
What was the point of yitzchok not calling yaakov “b’ni?” How does that teach us that we have to? Did yitzchok do something wrong?
Amazing. Very well done!
I see the problem as youth are more interested in status and form rather than substance. You gotta be in the “in Yeshiva,” “in neighborhood,” “in summer development,” “in fashion.” The good old fashion values of being a baal middos,refined, humble, hard working and learned – are meaningless.
I’ve spoken in dozens of yeshivas over the last few years. I’ve also never heard one student talk about how great Yiddishkeit is. Because Yiddishkeit is so strong handed, demanding, grim and serious, many kids suffer it silently. We don’t teach students how to have a relationship with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. We teach them religious facts but not relationship skills. Nebach.
Let’s all remember that Rabbi Wallerstein has more kovod hatorah in one minute of his speeches and mussar shmuezin than 99% of the self centered, self hating, bash tamiday chachomim at the drop of a hat commenters we have here on VINnews!!!
I agree that there are many serious challenges today and our system can always be improved, but I take strong issue with a lot of R’ Wallerstein said, with all due respect to him.
For all the negative sentiments he may hear from youth, a solid majority of boys and girls in our yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs are doing very well overall in the context of the massive nisayonos they face – learning and doing mitzvos with some degree of passion.
That, of course, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t constantly try to improve. But it does mean that we shouldn’t assume that simply doing things different will make things better.
For all the talk about the rigidness of rules, tests, competition, etc., any objective person in charedi world knows that the rigidity has been DRASTICALLY reduced over the past decade or two.
Stuff like corporal punishment, or even the word “punishment” altogether have been virtually obliterated, weaker students (both scholastically and frumkeit wise) now have MANY more resources and accommodating mosdos/organizations/families than there were previously. Rabbeim and teachers are far more tolerant of misbehavior than they were, and have a MUCH more “pedagogic”
(continued) attitude overall, with a much greater emphasis on being friendly with students, delivering intriguing lessons, offering rewards, etc. Inflated test grades, or no conventional test grades, etc., are now prevalent where it was previously almost unimaginable. There is a much greater emphasis on the part of mechanchim(os) about the beauty and geshmak of Torah and yiddishkeit than there ever was. Etc., etc.
Yet, after all that, we keep on hearing the same things: Too rigid, too intense, too dry, etc.
Really?
There are schools who do all types of things that are mentioned, with virtually no competition, very lax rules, etc. Are their students immune from all this apathy? Not by a long shot.
Every joy and talent on planet earth comes with competition, scores, subjects, etc. Sports, art, acting, music, beauty pageants, business school, etc. We cannot properly motivate and educate our youth in Torah and Yiddishkeit, or anything else, especially anything academic, without these basic ingredients.
As long as the yetzer hora exists, it will always be tougher for the average Yid to learn Torah and keep mitzvos than it will be for a child to use an I-pod. (cont.
(cont.) That’s been the struggle of man since Creation. Of course, we should try infusing passion, excitement and a sense of mission as much as we can, but we cannot declare our system a failure based on unrealistic expectations and unpoven promises that we’ll do better if we do A, B ,C differently.
Successfully fighting the yetzer hora includes many ingredients. Making parents and mechanchim afraid of confidently transmitting the Torah’s commandments, and inculcating self control, is not one of them. During the major nisayon of Reform, chassidim were most successful in combating the challenge.
They did it with infusing joy, but also with going “lifnim meshuras hadin” in many areas, such as levush, tzniyus, kashrus, avoda, etc. These extra “rigid” demands did not turn off the youth. On the contrary, they were more eager to do all this than their peers in more lax communities were, because they felt accomplished to do the maximum on behalf of Hashem, as opposed to trying to take things as “easily” as possible.
Always blown away by how great of a speaker and yid Rabbi Wallerstein is. I listen to all his weekly shiurim, and highly recommend it to everyone.
R’ Wallerstein is to liberal for me. But I do think what he saying is true but I feel it’s in the more modern yeshivas. I have a relative who goes to a more modern mesivta and they only have three hours of shiur a day. I think they need to increas that a little
wow very powerful, I hope that Aguda themselves will take lessons from this in their dealings, Rabbi Wallerstein should be on the speaking tour for all Yeshiva Mechanchim and most of all for the Torah Umesorah, dinners, getaways, etc. Take this to heart, Thank you for this.
finally–someone tells it like it is–Kol Hakavod, Rabbi Wallerstein–Hashem should give you an immense amount of Chizk
If not rabbi jungreis love I would never be wear I am now a normal tora working Jew.
theres alot of faking going on and everyone knows it. the generation is lacking in real leaders and people feel it. actually saw reb zecharia last night speaking at a seudas hoda
Intelectually I cannot agree with his assesment for one reason. He is asking “What is Yiddishkeit?” he’s asking for a factual answer. If he would have asked a more emotional question, IE “how do you feel about yiddishkeit?” he might have a better chance of getting the right response.
Thank you editor for posting this.
This is how today’s children are brought up:
Age 5 – 17 Yeshiva Ketana, High School
Age 17-20 Israel and yeshiva learning
Age 20 anr up – SHidduch, marriage work and children for girls – learnign for boys
Appreciation of the life around them – ZERO
Dealing with the real world ZERO
Rabbi Wallerstein left out one very important thing How can these “children” appreciate those around them, and their yiddishkeit.
Today the children all take it for granted – never realizing the Sacrifices their parents and grand parents did.
Also the take these test, but where do they go – how many are not frowned upon for enetering the real world.
Kudos to Rabbi Wallerstein – but I belive that his words are going on Deaf ears.
These things are happening in one yeshiva
Shaarei Arazim in Monsey
Like my Rebbe says – the Olam Hazeh in this generation is “shiny”, “sparkling” & looks geshmak! We need to make sure that we show our talmidim & kids that our Yiddishkeit is just as geshmak & that we are at least just as enthusiastic about shabbos & learning torah as we are about getting the latest cellphone, or app. We need to keep looking for areas in our yiddishkiet to improve & infuse a new inspiration.
This is a pervasive problem which stems from our gaavah to show our neighbors and not Hashem how “top” we are (OUR, meaning schools and parents collectively)
Why is it the when seeking a shidduch we identify them as “long term learners..etc. instead of a person who has good middos, ehrlichkeit etc and internalizes the message of Torah?
Why is it schools/yeshivas think that a child of 13 is a finished product and feel that they have no obligation to lead them to the path of Torah and Yiras Shamaim.
Why is it yeshivas look for “top” students instead of seeking out students who have good middos and internalize the message of Torah? Bullying is a problem which is not being addressed. (No, making plays about being nice to others doesn’t cut it)
Why is we look for “top” schools/yeshivas instead of looking for schools that teach middos and treat our children with respect and humility?
Children learn by waching and what their watching ain’t too pretty.
I could go on and on but until we demand our principals/rosh yeshivas/deans stop running after money like lap dogs at a steak dinner and THEY internalize the message of Torah then there is unfortunatley room for little change.
I’m much older than today’s dor, but allow me to come down to this generation’s longo for a moment: R’ Zecharia, YOU ROCKED THE HOUSE!!!!!
Kol Hakovod to you for standing up and saying it like it is.
May you be gebenched with the oh-so-necessary koach to ALWAYS help the disenfranchised in Klal Yisroel, Amein!
Solutions?
Doesn’t Rabbi wallerstein partake in the Hotel programs every Yom Tov How can he bash them ?
Mit-Seichel tried hard to point out that the shortcomings of the “system” are either not true, or that so many seem to do well in yeshivos despite them. That is extremely flawed logic.
1. The Chazon Ish ZT”L stated that the transplanting of Torah after the Holocaust mandated attention to the masses at the expense of the individual. However, he noted that this mission had already succeeded, and that the focus now needed to be on the individual, to insure that everyone is given their opportunity to reach their potential.
2. Rabbi Wallerstein addressed the comments and reactions of bochurim in the mainstream yeshiva system as being unable to describe Yiddishkeit as beautiful. Where is this passion as described in Mit-Seichel’s comments?
3. Our communities have become obsessed with image. A yeshiva is horrified if the parent of their talmid does not follow the standards set by the yeshiva. How many boys have been expelled because they wore the wrong color shirts, or girls the wrong color stockings – not during school time?
4. The extras were tolerated in history because of Ahavas Hashem. That is nearly extinct in today’s yeshivos.
Rabbi W. is 100% correct.
As a mechanach for 20+ years, I’ve asked my students what they remember from 1st or 2nd grade…most of all their answers are, “not much…but you cared and loved us very much.” THIS IS WHAT IS MISSING! Yiddishkeit becomes beautiful by experiencing those role models who are our teachers and community leaders. Most of our leaders don’t care.
Your last line is totally out of line !
Rabbi Wallerstein is a genius and deserves every ounce of respect ans attention. He sees what’s going on day to day. Our children are suffering due to all the discontent and competition. It’s not a race so why do we treat it as such. Its a life, a journey.. if we come down to hard on children, their innate curiosity and natural accepting nature gets squashed.
Yasher koach Rabbi Wallerstein!
amazing ! Rabbi Wallerstein is a real tzadik… He really helps people! he truly cares for people is doesn’t even know! I’m a real proof
Continued…
There are thousands of Baalei Teshuvah who have found their way back to Yiddishkeit in recent years primarily through the beauty of Yiddishkeit. Perhaps we FFB’s have a thing or two to learn. Food for thought.
PS – There a many many pasukem and maamar chazel to support my position that Yiddishket is first and foremost a RELATIONSHIP and not a religion in the classic sense of the word. If this fact was given more attention, learned and appreciated, we would have far less children (and adults) on the fringe, walking the walk and talking the talk, while feeling empty, unfulfilled and unhappy on the inside.
I listened to the whole speech and i really learned alot from Rabbi Wallerstein…
I had my son come home one day and had 3 test which he had a 30 on one a 40 on the other and the last one a 30…i hugged him and told him Yoni i am so proud of you that you scored a 100 on your tests..he thought i went meshugah and i told him Yoni…Loook good you have a 30+40+30= 100 and i couldnt be more proud of you..it says no where you have to score a 100 …your effort my dear Yoni to score a 30 means to me more then any child who scored a 100…Guess what…next test he had a 74 and by end of the year he got 93 and 96……
It hasn’t been covered but the problem of off the derech isn’t a problem and never was a problem. Getting on the derech, these days, is the problem. Can’t reject what you’ve never been given the opportunity to accept. Looking at the dispassionate faces during the speech and you’ve got an large than life insight into why a Wallerstein or a Horowitz is tolerated but marginalized. Too bad Wolmark or Epstein couldn’t speak. Maybe Bernie Madoff, a live hookup from his cell and then we’d see some life.
Rabbi Wallerstein makes great points. But, could someone please tell him to stop yelling. Oy vey my head. At some point I wanted to stop the lecture because his yelling was making me angry already. Passion for Torah and Yiddishkeit is a great thing. But yelling about it? It makes it hard to hear or makes you not want to hear.
Please tell Rabbi Wallerstein, bubbe, don’t yell at people, they’ll listen to you better.
Was waiting to hear from Rabbi Wallerstein HOW one is supposed to make yiddishkeit beautiful and not just monotonous. HOW one is supposed to help themselves and their children form a real relationship with Hashem.. Help us find solutions, don’t just yell!
it’s because of Rabbi Wallerstein, today i fully observe shabbat. he is a brilliant man that can relate to every young individuals and shares actually facts and life experiences
I agree that learning should be enjoyable. If they don’t feel the beauty and joy, then it’s easy to just walk away. Torah and mitzvos need to to internalized into our heart. There are plenty of temptations out there. We need to help them be strong and feel that it’s better to go with Torah. Help them understand it’s value and the beauty and importance of our mission
I have not heard such piercing words of truth from a Rav since the petira of Rav Shimshon Dovid Pinkus.
My 16 year old son is in a top tier yeshiva. He hates the morning seder and was spending the bulk shmoozing a corner with friends. When he told me, I hate Gemara” I wanted to change yeshivos. Because of the status of this yeshiva he didn’t want to mess himself up to move to a different place. If he moves, it will affect which Bais Medrash will accept him- according to him. My solution was to band together with other parents and hire a private dynamic morning seder rebbe, and BH now he is learning very well. Tuition and this private tutor expense is financially a huge hit-I took on two extra jobs to afford it. (we are paying several expensive tuitions). But really is there any other choice? How can a parent not take action if a child feels this way. The problem is that now there is no time to learn with him at night, because I have to work the extra jobs. Now I want to hire a night rebbe for him during night seder. I have no more time or energy left to work more. I wish I could say I am the only one like this, but there are so many parents in my place. I will do anything I can to encourage his love of Torah to the point of exhausting myself….
The obvious solution was to address the rebbe of the morning seder but he yeshiva would not think of hiring anyone else to give over the morning shiur as this rebbe is one of their best-just not appealing in personality to my son and his friends. The point of this is that many parents do not understand how hard it is to fit the right mechanech to a child, and that different children need different approaches, and most stable yeshivos do not cater to an individual. It is akin to a factory churning out a product-this is our standard, meet it or leave. It is not the internet, the ipod or whatever that ruins the child-it is the boredom within the school that the has the child looking elsewhere. I think the solution is to invest more time and effort into mechanchim and give them the best tools to become interesting enough so that our kids want to be in class.
Not increasing shiur time-substituting the rebbe who is not reaching them, for one that is -during the same time the students have to be learning in the Beis Medrash. If my son will connect with this rebbe, and so far he has, then maybe I will be zoche to have a child who will love Torah and learning. And see the beauty in following the Torah. Exactly what the Rav is speaking about. But if there is no connection whatsoever, and I decided to ignore the issue, it would not be long before real problems would start to develop. Look, I’m not saying what I did is for everyone, nor is it a viable solution for everyone. All I’m saying is that we need to speak to our children and ask about their teachers and find out if they are feeling like they have or would like to have a relationship with their mechanech. If the answer is a resounding NO, then that is when the issues will begin. The mechanech of your child spends more waking hours with your child than you do per week. The influence is not to be underestimated!
Why blame the yeshivot? The responsibility of raising children with a love for “yahadut” lies with the family. Not in lessons, but in living. Children will learn if they grow up in an environment that exemplifies the very positive aspects of yahadut. The purpose of the yeshivot is to teach the coursework that yahadut requires. As for shiduchim, we live in a society that judges people based on whether they use plastic tablecloths on Shabbat, or whether they espouse higher, professional education, or not. Who’s to blame here? Parents that have allowed the yeshivot to be responsible for teaching values. I want my grandchildren to learn how to interpret chumash and Rashi, how to learn Gemorrah, and so on. As for values? They’ll learn that in their homes. If the yeshivot attempt to teach anything contrary to the values of the home, it’s time to change yeshivot.
The worst part what we say is that
“our kids are doing just fine in yeshiva”
Wake up smell the cholent!!!
What about those not doing fine??? Don’t justify your facts over some percentage over another!! Every jewish boy is a whole WORLD!!!
Obviously Reb W. HAS to go the Hotels that he’s crying out against, so that he can set everyone straight!
He cant JUST make a big drosho about these issues, like he does on this issue.
He also likes to tell audiences not to have internet, look, HE doesn’t have internet, he leaves THAT stuff to his 3 (yes, three) secretaries. Shouldn’t we all do that?
Hmmm, just thinking!!
I would not allow you to say a bad word on that guy. He’s special. gives away of his time and koach to help people in deed. gives shuirm for free 3 times a week. today just now he spoke to over 120 women to help them grow. he does so much… i guess your negativity really shows your missing the true love of yiddeshkite! ck out ohr navah
I love this comment! Its by #12 named Yipyap:
R’ Wallerstein is to liberal for me. But I do think what he saying is true but I feel it’s in the more modern yeshivas. I have a relative who goes to a more modern mesivta and they only have three hours of shiur a day. I think they need to increas that a little
What is so cool about this is that it shows how strong the concept of “stereotype” is
Ok…he says R’ Wallerstein is to (sic) liberal for me.
Now, if you listen to what R’ Wallerstein says, IT IS VERY RIGHT WING. (I know, I live in a right wing place). He mentions (in passing) how psychologists are really not saying anything new or what its hyped up to be, its all in the Torah.VERY frum.
He asks, where is the fire in Torah? Why is Daf Yomi not more animated? PRETTY frum. Totally right wing.
All his sources are based on medrash. Yeshivish. (I could bring more proofs but I dont have many characters remaining)
So why does Yipyap say he is too liberal? Is yipyap taliban? No, 1.he sees a clean shaven man 2.speaking decent english and thinks he must be left wing. Amazing. Even after hearing him! (no space left to show how dumb rest of yipyap coment is)
zal d I think that the key problem is as follows: Many are not taught the following as a critical foundational principle to Torah: What is G-d’s tachlis (purpose) in giving us commandments? To make us “feel good?” To make us “feel happy?” To “be nice?” To “get a reward or avoid a punishment?” How does not turning on a light on shabbos “feel good or happy?” Some say “to be connected to G-d.” And how does one define such a thing?
No, the answer is this: G-d’s purpose in giving us commands is for our sake in that our egotism becomes harnessed-sanctified in all different aspects of life, which in turn ipso factso seperates us from the ways of the animal kingdom and the nations by making us spiritually stronger human beings because a more self-controlled person is a spiritually stronger and better person. The laws of shabbos for example when observed throughout one’s life harness our egotism is the area of creativity as chazal define. Eating only kosher food harnesses-sanctifies our desire to eat whatever we feel like. Putting up a mezuzah harnesses one’s intellectual desire to think that all of one’s possessions in one’s home are the work of one’s own machinations
To continue along this theme, through studying the mitzvot, one continually learns more insights into how the mechanics of each mitzvah makes us special, spiritually stronger, and spiritually better human beings via the harnessing-sanctifying of our egotism in all different aspects of life, one then grows to appreciate the eternal greatness that G-d has given us via the mitzvot. In turn, this automatically causes one to love G-d; one can only love G-d when one appreciates the eternal greatness of strength of character-control that He has given to us. If one is not taught this foundational principle clearly, then one cannot really appreciate what these ritual-commandments do for the Jew as a human being. Instead one is performing mere rituals for who knows what reason; then he can come to the false conclusion that the purpose for G-d telling us to do these commands is to make Himself feel that He is in charge (as if He didn’t already know that). Or perhaps it is to make us “feel good” as if waving a lulav or not turning a light on on Shabbos “feels good.” Or to “feel smarter than someone who knows less Torah” i.e. another form of egotism.
Rabbi W Thanks for your great words each time I listen to your Droshos. I cry I know I do so many averos I know A hot burning Gehenom is waiting for me. Please help me Please help all of Klal yisroel do a real Tshuva With love and joy Please daven for us Please continue reminding all of us men ladies Boys and Girls its time to make a cheshbon hanefesh ist time to start a new life its time to teach our children the real meaning of life the real meaning of torah the real meaning of love and chesed and not the bad way that the nochrim use toda rabba moshe shmuel