[Avodah] Closing of the Volozhin Yeshiva

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 07:39:27AM -0400, Prof. Levine wrote:
: Rabbi Dr. J. J. Schacter discuses this in his Haskalah,Secular 
: Studies and the Close of the Yeshiva in Volozhin in 1892 which can be 
: downloaded at http://www.yutorah.org/_shiurim/TU2_Schachter.pdf

More points about the history.

It's clear from Makor Barukh (My Uncle the Netziv pp 206-207) that the
Netziv would have had to fight the 1982 decree. It closed the yeshiva
after dark, made limudei chol from 9 to 3 -- which isn't that much before
a winter sunset in Volozhin (or in NY, for that matter -- what, 1:30 of
learning), and the rabbanim all had to have degrees in education. Neither
he nor the R's Chaim would bother.

This is unlike the decree 5 years earlier, to introduce Russian language
and math, to which Volozhin COMPLIED. There were limudei chol in Volozhin
for its last 5 years. Also from the banned book (slightly before the
last reference, pg 204):
    Anyone with eyes in his head could see that the students of Volozhin
    were quite knowledgeable in secular studies: they took an interest
    in science, history and geography and knew many languages. In fact,
    those students who desired to pursue these disciplines succeeded in
    learning twice as much as any student at a state institution. In
    Volohzin, Torah and derech eretz walked hand in hand, neither one
    held captive by the other. It was the special achievement of the
    Volozhin student that when he left the yeshiva, he was able to
    converse with any man in any social setting on the highest
    intellectual plane. The Volohzin student was able to conquer both
    worlds -- the world of Torah and the world at large. A well-known
    adage among parents who were trying to best educate their children
    was, "Do you want your child to develop into a complete Jew,
    dedicated to Torah and derech eretz? Do you want him to be able to
    mingle with people and get along in the world? Send him to Volozhin!

RSRH wrote a fundraising letter to his kehillah for the Volozhiner yeshiva
and called them fellow travelers of something much like the TiDE path.

In 1982, the Czar's gov't didn't just add chol, it threatened the
viability of teaching Torah.

I'm arguing contributing causes. The Netziv could have fought the
charges of anarchy or the hours of secular education, but not both.
I'm also arguing that the current yeshiva movement is founded on myth
about its anticedant. Not claiming Volozhin was YU, but it wasn't R'
Shach's Ponovizh either. Unfortunately, our splitting into two camps
pushed each camp from the original middle. Volozhin was also more
heterogeneous than either; the insistence on a yeshiva having a "party
line" is newer than that.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 41st day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        5 weeks and 6 days in/toward the omer.
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