[This is the third
part of a three-part series on the movie “Unorthodox”.
In this post, I address ways for Modern Orthodox high schools to replicate some
of what makes studying in Israel so powerful. To read part I, where I addressed
how Israel schools have changed, please click here. To read part II, where I addressed how communities
can work to better serve high school students, please click here].
“My So-Called Life” and “Freaks
and Geeks” are probably the two best TV shows I’ve ever watched about life as a
high school student, and its challenges, and I’m not alone in my praise. Both
were critically acclaimed, and developed cult-like followings after they went
off the air. Each, however, was off the air after only one season. There was
something that made people uncomfortable about the realistic portrayal of the
struggles of high school students. Viewers were hesitant to revisit their own
high school years, even through the lens of a TV show.
If you know a teenager who
attends a Modern Orthodox high school, ask them how often they learn something
in their Judaic studies classes which seems relevant to their lives right now. Although
it has been a number of years since I taught high school, my guess is that most
students will struggle to come up with instances when Torah seemed relevant or
meaningful to them. While schools have done a good, or even great job of
improving their guidance departments to help those like Tzipi and Chaim, who
struggle with complicated issues in high school, on the Torah side of things,
the Judaic studies curriculum still often seems out of touch. Students continue
to spend the majority of their time studying and analyzing a small number of
texts.
There are many aspects of the
year in Israel which cannot be replicated by high schools. Among them is the
time away from home, the older age of the students (at a time when they are
more reflective about life), very high-level rabbeim and morot, as well as the
atmosphere which exists in many Israeli religious communities. Still, there is
what to be learned and copied.
Many students encounter Jewish
thought for the first time during their year in Israel. One rebbe told me that
his students come back from Israel wondering why they never learned Rav Kook’s
Torah before. I do not blame him for not having taught it, but I do wonder why
it is that our students are not being exposed to his thought by someone.
Of course, it’s not just about Rav Kook. Many students discover that they are
inspired by chassidus, or love the Ramchal during their year in Israel. How is
it possible that high students are not learning that many of their biggest
questions on faith have been addressed by many great thinkers? How is it, that
many students leave high school, and too often, observance, thinking that Tanach
and gemara (but only the halachic parts) are the only thing that Judaism has to
offer?
Additionally, many yeshivot
and seminaries offer classes, chaburot, or speakers on issues dealing with real
life challenges, both as currently faced, or ones which are on the horizon. Students
discover that Torah speaks to real life as lived, and not just to hypothetical
situations as discussed in the gemara or Shulchan Aruch. In short, Torah goes
from a book of laws, history, and stories, to a Torat Chaim.
Learning these lessons are
important for a number of reasons. Why should only the students who go to
Israel get the benefit of Torah being exciting meaningful and real? In fact, I
suspect that were they given such exposure, more students would want to
continue their Jewish education. Even for those who would go straight to college,
I believe that fewer would be so quick to throw off the shackles of their
Modern orthodox upbringing, if Jewish life was made more meaningful in high
school.
If I am correct that high
schools are not for the most part learning these important lessons, why is this
the case? In too many schools, the teachers are too monolithic. If every rebbe
attended one of several yeshivot in Israel or America, they are less likely to
be capable of delivering classes which move beyond the standard texts taught in
yeshiva. If every morah has a similar outlook on what a frum woman needs to be
like, they are unlikely to be able to reach the student who needs something
else.
“Unorthodox” did a really good
job of showing the value of the year in Israel, and how it can meaningfully
change lives. Rather than simply viewing it as a couple of hours of thoughtful
entertainment, let’s think about what practical ideas can be learned to help
all of our students think meaningfully about what it means to be a Jew, even
before they figure out what to do after high school.
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