[Avodah] The Vilna Gaon and Secular Studies

[Marty Bluke]

Lets take a step back for a second. There has been a machlokes for
thousands of years (see the Gemara in Berachos 35) whether the ideal is
torah only or for lack of a better phrase torah im derech eretz.

There is no disputing that in the last 200 years the overwhelming majority
of Gedolim have been in the Torah only camp and in the 20th century the
Torah im derech eretz is pretty much RYBS and the followers of R' Hirsch.

I can provide an almost endless list of Gedolim who had zero secular
education and knew kol hatorah kula while on the other hand the list of
Gedolim who had a secular education is much much much smaller.

Your position regarding secular studies while certainly a valid one is
unquestionably the minority opinion and therefore it is ridiculous for you
to simply dismiss the other opinion.
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