היו עיניך רואות את מוריך now you know who to ask gedolei ha'internet
Roshei Yeshivos and Rosh mesivtas need not worry any more who to ask shailos to about running their respective yeshivos. They can now turn to the websites and online commentators for daas torah and guidance. A Click bate story was published about a yeshiva that expelled 50 bochurim for going to the Levaya of the Skulener Rebbe Zatzal. The comments were quick to follow some calling for the yeshiva to be closed down.
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Roshei Yeshivos and Rosh mesivtas need not worry any more who to ask shailos to about running their respective yeshivos. They can now turn to the websites and online commentators for daas torah and guidance. A Click bate story was published about a yeshiva that expelled 50 bochurim for going to the Levaya of the Skulener Rebbe Zatzal. The comments were quick to follow some calling for the yeshiva to be closed down.
The underlying story was that its a mesivta in the litvish city of Lakewood, had the levaya been of a Litvish rosh yeshiva the bochurim would have for sure been allowed to go and a bigger chutzpah for the hanhala to expell them after they went without permission. Others made assumptions and and rebuked the hanhala for their actions. First of all no one spoke to the rosh yeshiva before publicizing the story. Secondly, this Rosh yeshiva happened to grow up with the Skulenner rebbe and spend many summers with the previous skulenner rebbe zatzal. The assumption by others to insinuate that this rosh yeshiva was unaware of the esteem of the skulener rebbe zatzal is baseless and factually wrong. More so, the R'Y spoke in his yeshiva to the bochurim and cried before the levaya when news broke that the rebbe was niftar. The decision not to allow the bochurim to go or to expel them for going is no one else's business and its of that yeshiva alone. (and BTW the boys will all be back in yeshiva after shabbos)
In a letter posted on Matzav a Rebbe in the yeshiva said " Finally, the decision of a yeshiva is its alone. It shouldn’t be fodder for every person at a keyboard to chime in on. You don’t like a yeshiva’s rules? Don’t send your kid there. No one forced you. And if a yeshiva feels that it must apply certain rules or penalties, then either deal with it or mind your own business."
Letter from Rebbe in the yeshiva
Dear Editor,
Dear Editor,
As a member of the hanhalah of a yeshiva that penalized bochurim for going to a levayah this week, I wish to share the following. Firstly, don’t believe everything you read. Certain things are misreported and misrepresented. So don’t take things hook, line and sinker. There’s much you don’t know. Don’t believe the so-called investigative reporting.
Secondly, when a bochur is suspended for going to a levayah, he isn’t suspended because he went to a levayah. It’s sounds sensational to say it and it works great for website headlines. But the truth is that he’s suspended because he blatantly violated yeshiva rules. If a bochur is explicitly told not to go somewhere and he still goes, he has ignored his rebbi and his hanhalah. Therefore, even if he went to visit Rav Chaim Kanievsky, for example, he should be penalized because he defied his rabbeim.
So of course, it sounds great to proclaim that bochurim were suspended for going to a levayah, and then all the brilliant pundits can comment about how the bochurim were not treated fairly and the mechanchim don’t know what they are doing. The truth is that the mechanchim do know what they are doing. Yes, a student will be penalized for ignoring the rules of his school or yeshiva, no matter how righteous his excuse is. If a bochur leaves yeshiva grounds without permission to daven or attend a shiur – and we know that Torah supersedes all – should he not be penalized because he was doing a choshuve thing? Of course he’ll have to own up to it. It’s not a free-for-all.
Finally, the decision of a yeshiva is its alone. It shouldn’t be fodder for every person at a keyboard to chime in on. You don’t like a yeshiva’s rules? Don’t send your kid there. No one forced you. And if a yeshiva feels that it must apply certain rules or penalties, then either deal with it or mind your own business.
Sincerely,
A Rebbi
