Monday, April 23, 2012

Been There, Done That: Why Being Frum Is So Boring

A MUST READ FOR EVERY BAIS YAAKOV EDUCATOR AND GIRL
It's not like he needs my haskama or anything, but like I thought he hit the nail on the head. whatever...


The article below is from the publication The Klal Perspectives Journal
A Forum for Discussion of Challenges Facing the Torah Community

Been There, Done That:
Why Being Frum Is So Boring

Rabbi Yitzchok Feigenbaum,

Principal of Tiferes Bais Yaakov High School in Toronto


SO YOUR PARENTS PUSH YOU INTO THE RIGHT BAIS YAAKOV, you go to the right camp and seminary and build your resume. Then your father buys you some cliché to marry, you have a daughter that you push into the right school, camp and seminary and you build her resume so she can marry a cliché. Then we all die.” This overview of Yiddishkeit did not come from visibly “at risk” teens. The above summation of life’s goals comes from your establishment, “good family, good girl” Bais Yaakov girl. And there are hundreds like her. It is the girl’s equivalent of “Rebbe – another day, another daf – till I snag a good shidduch, live off my shverand then get out.”

9 comments:

  1. "A MUST READ FOR EVERY BAIS YAAKOV GIRL"

    Huh? Why for the Bais Yaakov girl?

    Shouldn't of that been A MUST READ FOR EVERY BAIS YAAKOV EDUCATOR?

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  2. Great point! I wanted the Bais Yaakov girls to know there are many Bais Yaakov principals that get it!

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  3. excellent article. But he's just talking about the general situation & not dealing with any particulars. Curious to know what he would say on this hot topic of internet and if the other so called Gedolim would attack him for his opinion

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  4. From the dealings that we at CAMP HASC have had with Rabbi Feigenbaum - without elaborating - we would all be in a better place with more like him.

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  5. Great column by an old friend who, perhaps not surprisingly, grew up in a religious-Zionist home.

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  6. Rabbi, I am writing a thesis fro school and would like to quote some of the things you wrote here. is there any way you could tell me your sources?

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  7. If you are referring to this article you need to contact  
    Rabbi Yitzchok Feigenbaum,

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  8. While the article is nice, and very true (all my sisters went to BY schools), the fact is that building the Nation in the Land si the new frontier. Being honest, tax-pauyign citiznes, involved in the renewal of Jewish sovereingty, IS the Torah vision. Toraha is not just a religion of rituals for individuals or even for communities. Torah tells us to build a nation, be involved in police, politics, sidewalks, parks, social services, security, defense, accessibility for handicapped persons, prisons, absorbing immigration, and of course -decidign how much of tax money should be allocated to each need.
    When we see that we have to reach beyond ourselves in order to build Am Yisrael as a whole, we have a vision, we have what to work towards.




    The sad truth is that Hareidi leaders have taken that vision away. But you, Rav Feigenbaum, have the ability to turn that around, to teach your students that they are NOT risking their frumkeit by making aliya and becoming involved citizens.
    A good start would be teaching more history - from the time of the shoftim through now, including comparing the return to Zion in order to build the second Beit Hamikdash to the return to Zion now.

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