Study grammar

 

A biographer of the Vilna Gaon writes, “For all his vast knowledge of secular wisdom, the Gaon constantly emphasized to his students, that with the exception of Hebrew grammar, they should confine their studies to Torah.”[1]

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[1] Betzalel Landau, The Vilna Gaon (Brooklyn, NY: Artscroll, 1995) pp. 156.7

it impoverishes itself

As long as Orthodoxy maintains stubbornly: “No, we shall concern ourselves only with the study of Talmud and the legal codes, but not with aggadah, not ethics, not Kabbalah, not scientific research, not the knowledge of the world, and not Chassidism,” it impoverishes itself. And against this I shall continue to wage battle.

– Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook

Broader Torah

“One must first fill himself with knowledge of Tanach, Mishna, Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds, Tosefta, Mechilta, Sifre and all other baraisos. Then he should discuss and debate his learning with his colleagues. By studying in this sequence, one attains the splendor of Torah. One who changes this arrangement, however, and studies how to debate before knowing one Mishnah openly, will forfeit even the little Torah he heard in his youth.”  –  Vilna Gaon, Even Shelaimah 8:2

"As long as Orthodoxy maintains stubbornly: 'No, we shall concern ourselves only with the study of Talmud and the legal codes, but not with aggadah, not ethics, not Kabbalah, not scientific research, not the knowledge of the world, and not Chassidism,' it impoverishes itself. And against this I shall continue to wage battle." – Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook 

Rav Avigdor Miller on High School Secular Studies

 Rav Avigdor Miller on High School Secular Studies

Q:

Is it proper for a yeshivah bachur to be studying secular studies in high school?

A:

Now, this is a question that I'm going to leave for you and your father and a talmid chacham who knows you to answer.

If it’s possible for a person to dodge any limudei chol then he should make sure to do it in a way that he won’t lose anything.  You have to have some limudei chol.  You have to know how to calculate.  You have to add and subtract.  You must have some knowledge of certain things. And that's why I don't want to say anything.  It depends on the circumstances.  

And the truth is many times limudei chol, if taught properly, could be a great benefit in avodas Hashem. Many times if the high school boys would be taught by the right rebbis you would be amazed at what could be.  A teacher in algebra can implant yiras Hashem in a boy and girl.  You’d be surprised.  A teacher of history, a teacher of biology, can plant seeds of emunah, no question about it. There were German schools of Orthodox Jews in Germany where they had such a system.  However, here unfortunately we don't have that system, and therefore the subjects are not utilized properly.  

But exactly what to do in a specific situation, we have to leave that to individuals. And you must take counsel of talmidei chachamim; let's say the rav of the shul where you daven – you should ask his advice.

TAPE # 445