Keeping out secular studies was the major factor in most yeshivas and it still is in the ultra religious world. To some degree this is very justified because of social studies and the humanities which are mainly garbage. Especially that mentally sick demon, Psychology.
But the result of "Torah alone" studies is usually just as bad,- or worse. It tends to creates sanctimonious, jerk offs. [That is "holier than thou" people. You know the type.] For this reason, I just have not been able to recommend "Torah alone" as a legitimate program.
My ideas is to have balanced program Math, Physics, Music, Gemara, Musar, Survival skills.
Though I realize the great importance of learning Torah, I just can not recommend it by itself, but only in balance.
[I had seen the Torah alone approach in Israel among the ultra religious. This did exist in NY also to some degree in the Mir. But I rarely saw any good in this approach and it certainly was not what the books of Musar from the middle ages were saying. Later Musar itself become anti secular studies but that were definitely against the original set of Musar books like the חובות לבבות and the מעלות המידות.]
I fail to see in "holier than thou" people anything worthy of admiration.
[I suspect part of the motivation to be so much against learning things like Math and Physics stems from the fact that they tend to show that many of those that may know some aspects of Torah are not smart. Knowing some aspects of Torah is relatively easy, while Math and Physics are basically hard. If the natural sciences were part of Torah education then many people could not pull off the scam they they do by seeming to be smart and spreading the word around that- if you know Torah well somehow that makes you the top of the pack and from the top shelf..]
But the result of "Torah alone" studies is usually just as bad,- or worse. It tends to creates sanctimonious, jerk offs. [That is "holier than thou" people. You know the type.] For this reason, I just have not been able to recommend "Torah alone" as a legitimate program.
My ideas is to have balanced program Math, Physics, Music, Gemara, Musar, Survival skills.
Though I realize the great importance of learning Torah, I just can not recommend it by itself, but only in balance.
[I had seen the Torah alone approach in Israel among the ultra religious. This did exist in NY also to some degree in the Mir. But I rarely saw any good in this approach and it certainly was not what the books of Musar from the middle ages were saying. Later Musar itself become anti secular studies but that were definitely against the original set of Musar books like the חובות לבבות and the מעלות המידות.]
I fail to see in "holier than thou" people anything worthy of admiration.
[I suspect part of the motivation to be so much against learning things like Math and Physics stems from the fact that they tend to show that many of those that may know some aspects of Torah are not smart. Knowing some aspects of Torah is relatively easy, while Math and Physics are basically hard. If the natural sciences were part of Torah education then many people could not pull off the scam they they do by seeming to be smart and spreading the word around that- if you know Torah well somehow that makes you the top of the pack and from the top shelf..]
