In today's generation we can no longer expect students to accept things on blind faith, without comprehension or understanding. At best, such an education results in frustration and gnawing doubts, and at worst, can lead to ideas and behavior contrary to the tenets of Judaism. Especially acute is this problem for girls, who, until now, have been receiving an education bereft of depth of understanding and analysis of thought.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe on the 4th of Adar Sheni 5741 (March 10, 1981), urged educators to give their students an education that will provide them with a thorough understanding of the Jewish view of life, and the fundamental conceptions of their mission in this world. Such an education will ensure that Jewish girls are properly equipped with the necessary knowledge to be staunch and proud adherents of their faith.
Only a few generations ago, a Jewish girl received all her education from the home, from her mother and Grandmother She was kept insulated, protected from all outside contact. And there was good reason for this: The highest term of approbation that can be bestowed upon a Jewish woman is modesty and it was feared that Jewish girls, venturing outside the home, would be exposed to undesirable influences. But times changed. The Jew was thrust into the outside secular society, and a Jewish girl was nonetheless exposed to all those things from which her parents so vainly tried to protect her. Whether through friends or working outside the home, the secular environment exerted its subtle -- and not so subtle -- effect upon her. Unarmed as she was, the average Jewish girl was easy prey to this strange new world. The situation became desperate, and a radical new approach was called for. And thus the Jewish girls school was founded. Jewish girls began to receive the education so necessary to remaining steadfast in their beliefs and faithful followers of their tradition. Despite fierce initial opposition, the Jewish girls school movement blossomed and grew, and today is a common institution in many Jewish communities. All opposition has been stilled; experience has proven decisive, and success too evident for any credible protests.
But vestiges of antiquated thinking still remain. While recognizing the necessity of schools for girls, a line is drawn at "too much" education. While it is proper, such proponents maintain, to teach the practical elements of Judaism, the bare dos and don'ts, any further instruction is improper. Any deeper involvement, a search for understanding and comprehension, a grasping for an overall philosophy of life, can at best only confuse, and at worst, lead to doubts and weakening of faith.
Today, however, is not a generation ago. No longer will it suffice to instruct without explaining. Any arguments about the advisability of teaching such things to girls because it may lend to confusion and weakness, are academic, if not absurd. The present generation has already been exposed, whether through friends, the media, or school, to all those questions which their educators are so eager to spare them. They already have the questions; the doubts have already been planted. Now it is our duty to give them the proper education to dispel those doubts, resolve those questions, and strengthen their faith. Mourn for the lost innocence of youth if you wish; but do not let this prevent you from striving to repair the damage and do the utmost to impart the knowledge so necessary for the making of a strong Jewess. How or why our daughters have become exposed to ideas alien to Judaism is an academic matter; now it is our duty to ensure that such exposure has no harmful effects And these ideas can only be combated through proper education; an education not composed of the dry recital of bare facts, but alive with the meaning and understanding of our beautiful heritage.
We must squarely face the realization that these times dictate a different approach. In the secular studies taught at most Jewish schools, students learn to probe, to question, to seek the reasons behind the facts. Nothing is left to blind faith. And today, in their Jewish studies, comprehension and understanding of what they are being taught assumes at least as much importance as the actual knowledge. Children demand to know the reasons for what they are being told, and we must supply them. It is impossible to stifle a naturally curious mind with the curt rejoinder that such knowledge is unnecessary or even harmful. Their minds have been conditioned by their secular studies to demand reasons and understanding -- and if that is not forthcoming, no prevarications will substitute. Hashkafah, the Jewish view of life, the fundamental conceptions of a Jew s mission on this earth, his relationship to G-d and his dealings with the world, are basic necessities for each child.
So often contradictions arise between a child's secular studies or what she sees and hears around her, and that which is taught in the Torah. Refusal to teach girls the reasons why Torah explains something differently can only lead to confusions and doubts about the truth of Torah. Faced on the one hand with the "certainties" presented by science, buttressed by facts and explanations, and the evasions of her religious teachers on the other, there is little doubt which side will be victorious in capturing the mind of the student. He or she may still remain faithful Jews -- but their Judaism will have suffered.
And it is all so unnecessary, and easily avoided. If there were no viable alternative explanations to the popular viewpoint, scientific or otherwise, one could posit the need for reliance on blind faith. But such is not the case. The explanations are there, the reasons are there, the logic is there. All that is needed is the understanding and acceptance that it must be given to the student. For blind faith, no matter how admirable it may be, will not suffice in this age. The present generation of girls are not confined to their home, under the guidance and direction of their parents. Parental authority and discipline are no more; peer approval and pressure are vastly more important. An inquisitive mind will inevitably cause the modern Jewish girl to seek the Torah knowledge she desires. And if it is not taught in school, who can guarantee the reliability of the sources of information she will be forced to turn to?
A true story: A religious girl, upon remarking that the world was several million years old, was questioned as to its compatibility with the Torah viewpoint. She answered simply that so she had been taught as a fact in her science class, accompanied by explanations and proofs. When she questioned her religious instructors about it, she was brusquely told that such matters were not suitable topics for discussion! Presented on the one hand with proofs, and on the other with a blanket refusal to even discuss the matter, it was a foregone conclusion which side would win. This was a religious girl: But faced with the sanctimonious refusal of her religious mentors to help her out of her quandary, it was no wonder she believed the world was millions of years old. And we can imagine the kind of education this girl will in turn pass on to her children.
Certainly it would be a fine thing, and the best solution, if all secular subjects in religious schools were taught in accordance with the Torah view. But as things stand, the law of the land in many countries is that the secular text books used must be approved by the education authorities. And the only texts they approve contain such theories contrary to Torah.
Various remedies have been tried. The offending pages removed from the books, special photostatted copies used, etc. But these are all piece-meal solutions, stop-gap measures; and the more lasting measures will in the time it takes to implement them, leave an entire generation susceptible to the dangers of the present educational system. Meanwhile, first and foremost, students must be told clearly and unequivocally that any theory which contradicts Torah is false. No evasion of responsibility through refusal to discuss such conflicts can be tolerated. It will just not work. Clear, logical, informed answers are required, and only then will a child's thirst for knowledge be sated.
The urgency of educating children fully and comprehensively applies equally to boys and girls. But girls should receive a special emphasis, for as future mothers they will be chiefly responsible for the rearing of their children, especially in the earlier formative years. It is to them that a young child runs with questions from school, and it is they who must be intellectually equipped to guide their children in the right path. Hence, as students, they must receive the necessary knowledge to answer the questions of their youngsters.
Indeed, there is one area of learning in which females have an even greater obligation than males. Two of the cardinal commandments in the Torah are love of G-d and fear of G-d. True fulfillment of these commandments is only possible through learning the esoteric part of the Torah -- Chassidus -- which emphasizes understanding and comprehension of the G-dly. Men and women are equally obligated in this. But while men have the additional duty of learning the esoteric portion of Torah, women do not to the same extent, and hence can and must devote their full energies to learning Chassidus This knowledge will provide the true and firm foundation necessary to cope with the foreign attitudes encountered in society.
The willful indifference to, or at best sheer ignorance of the conditions in contemporary society that necessitate an indepth quality education for girls, has far-reaching effects. Not just in matters of general outlook and attitudes, but in concrete Halachah. To doubt the Torah view of creation in six days leads to uncertainty of the validity of Shabbos, it being so intimately connected with the concept of a seventh day of rest after creation. Even worse, this indifference, so dangerous in its practical application, is carried into other fields. None need be told of the dismal state of the observance of Family Purity. Yet Rabbis consistently refuse to address their congregants on this most vital of subjects. Why? Because of a misplaced sense of modesty, that to talk of such things publicly is somehow not fitting.
Yet, what has been accomplished by being so modestly reticent in talking about family purity? Their piety and distorted sense of propriety has resulted in young Jews who are fully informed about the non-Jewish attitudes on this matter yet remain ignorant of these most basic of Jewish laws. And if an unmarried girl should wish to learn something of the Torah view on this subject, howls of protest arise -- since when do unmarried girls learn such things? The fact that she has already received "health education" courses in school is, it seems, irrelevant. At least teach her the Torah view to offset that which she already knows!
And do not sit back smugly, and think complacently that with "our" children such things do not happen. For all Jewish children are our children, and we must worry about them as much as our own -- for they are our own. These things are relevant to your children in your schools! And let us be completely honest. Today, even in the most religious of circles, girls acquire knowledge of such things long before marriage. Make sure they have the requisite Torah knowledge to accompany it.
A final word to those who insist on stubbornly adhering to their previous ways, citing the ancient traditions of their forebears. The traditions of our fathers are indeed holy, but new problems demand fresh approaches, and we cannot be content to calmly rely on what was done before. Indeed, there are many things universally accepted today which were unheard of in previous generations. Religious newspapers were instituted to combat the ravages inflicted by ideas publicized by non-religious circles. As long as Jews did not read other newspapers, it was not necessary to publish a religious one. The same applies to our situation. As long as girls did not know of and were not affected by secular influences, no doubts regarding Torah and Judaism were entertained. But once they have learned of such things -- whether from newspapers, friends, school or whatever, the means are immaterial -- it has become imperative that they be fully taught the true Torah view concerning those subjects. The Jewish woman is the foundation of the home, upon whom is dependent the spiritual welfare of the rest of her family. Let us make sure that she will be fully equipped to carry out this awesome responsibility and privilege, the preparation to the coming of our righteous Redeemer, speedily in our time.
