Excellent lesson from Rabbi David Wolpe in his “Musings” column (Oct. 30). Here on the East Coast, as I am sure Rabbi Wolpe is experiencing on the West Coast, this terrible economy is making parents who are generally on the fence with respect to Jewish education, pull their children from yeshivas or day schools and enroll them in public schools.
When I meet and speak with fellow parents, I often tell them exactly the lesson Rabbi Wolpe is mentioning today; while in a yeshiva or day school (and I have personally attended both), it’s not so much what they learn (although that is very important), it’s the ‘Torah’ environment that’s priceless. The teachers, the fellow students and hopefully the menschlikeit and Yiddishkeit that permeates
the hallways will determine what kind of adult (and Jewish adult) this child will become.
Let’s take Rabbi Wolpe’s message to heart during these tough economic times. Give up the granite kitchen, the Pesach vacation, the extra car or even the extension on the house and keep your child in a Jewish school. It’s more than just the books.
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