The Ongoing Conundrum of Yeshiva College

The college years are a time of personal growth and development, introspection and self-definition. The college student is, in the course of his studies, exposed to a wide variety of world views and, at this crucial stage in personal development, expected to find his own seat among the many tables. For an Orthodox Jew, committed to Torah and tradition, what setting offers more intellectual options within the framework of Orthodox Judaism than Yeshiva College? It can, indeed, be plausibly suggested that the Orthodox student's ideal college experience is only at Yeshiva. Yet, it remains quite ironic - and this is only the first of many ironies we will encounter in this short essay - that Yeshiva College itself has, from its inception until today, engaged in its own struggle with self-definition. What is Yeshiva College? Is it a college for yeshiva students? A yeshiva for college students? A yeshiva-college hybrid and, if so, which of a variety of types? This is no small matter and the resolution of this issue would dramatically impact the direction of the school.

During the building stages of Yeshiva College, the illustrious rosh yeshiva of the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), Dr. Bernard Revel, gathered his dedicated board of directors, whose familiar names grace various buildings and institutions within Yeshiva, for a new mission: To rally American Jewry in favor of a Jewish college and raise the necessary funds for such a bold initiative. At that time, the precise goal of Yeshiva became a matter of dispute. What is Yeshiva College supposed to be? The talented chief fundraiser, Mr. Harry Selig, whose accomplishments for Yeshiva far surpassed all expectations, publicly stated that Yeshiva College was intended to be a first tier educational institution, on par with Ivy League schools, where Jews of all levels of observance can feel comfortable. In other words, a college for Jews. Certainly, this appealed to a good number of donors to the school. However, Dr. Revel objected to this vision and presented his own expectations for Yeshiva College. The college is to be a place where yeshiva students, dedicated to the precious study of Torah, can gain a college education.

As Dr. Revel wrote at that time: "The chief purpose of the college department of the Yeshiva is, and should always be, to afford those students of the Torah who are continuing their studies in an atmosphere of love and loyalty to the Torah and Jewish ideals, an opportunity to acquire the learning and culture of the modern world, in addition to the learning of the culture of Israel."

Over fifty years later, in the winter of 1993-4, another debate ensued over the definition of Yeshiva College. Following the confiscation by college administrators (with the approval of the student council president) of a student publication deemed obscene, Dr. Will Lee, one of the journal's academic advisors, penned a lengthy essay on the subject that was published in the December 8, 1993 issue of The Commentator. In this essay, titled "Yeshiva, Yes, University, Yes," Dr. Lee eloquently argued that Yeshiva College must embrace both the traditions of a yeshiva and the traditions of a university. When these traditions come into conflict, as they inevitably will, we must struggle to resolve the clash in the fairest and most sensitive way possible. "Is there any such thing as Yeshiva University? Yes, but not without controversy and contradiction... At its best, YU aspires to be both infinitely yeshivish and 100% a university... Torah and Madda, yeshiva and university, inevitably clash at times..."

In response to this articulate argument for Torah u-Madda by this highly respected, but non-Jewish faculty member, Rabbi Aharon Kahn, rosh yeshiva and at the time also rosh kollel, wrote a highly sophisticated, multi-lingual (English, Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin and French) rebuttal. Rabbi Kahn, in a writing style worthy of his two masters degrees, argued that Torah u-Madda is ultimately untenable and must be rejected by the halakhic Jew. The traditions of the university cannot be upheld by a traditional Jew. A true college education, Rabbi Kahn concluded, is not for a Jew dedicated to Torah. "We Jews were never given the charge of keeping the torch of the university ideal. We were charged with the keeping of the Torah... YU was a yeshiva first and, after the advent of the college, continues to be a yeshiva foremost. Rav Dr. [Norman] Lamm insists that the yeshiva is the heart of YU. Then he is the keeper of the heartbeat. YU is a yeshiva at which there is a college."

The irony of the non-Jewish professor with no advanced Torah education arguing passionately and effectively for Torah u-Madda against the equally convincing rosh yeshiva who exemplified these values was lost on no one, certainly not the astute Dr. Lee. In the final missive on this topic, Dr. Lee noted this oddity and concluded that Torah u-Madda is, indeed, possible and readily achievable if one is only ready to struggle with conflict. "[Rabbi Kahn's vision] may be the best choice for him and for some talmidim, particularly in RIETS, but it is by no means the only valid choice within the boundaries of Torah Judaism for each and every one of our undergraduates, who must make their own decisions... While keeping the Torah at the forefront of students' hearts and minds, YU reaches out unafraid to knowledge in general, to a broad range of kinds of knowledge, and to a vast multitude of choices in life. Hence the tensions; hence the messiness; hence the room for disagreement and individualism; hence the creativity."

As a Yeshiva College student at that time, I did not notice much undo concern over this public debate. It did not trigger any new introspection on the part of students or administrators. This was not, however, due to apathy but, quite the opposite, due to a strong interest. We students were constantly thinking about and debating these issues. The public back-and-forth by the respected faculty members was only symbolic of our entire Yeshiva College experience: self-awareness and the struggle for self-definition. In this respect, Yeshiva College provided the ideal college experience.

Gil Student, YC '94, is the founder of Yashar Books, a new publisher of Orthodox books.