- Torah and Jewish Thought
- General Questions
Torah vs. Secular Knowledge
Question
What are the issues pertinent to the decision parents and children have to make in regard to the choice between what is known in the vernacular as "staying in Torah" and acquiring trade skills and secular knowledge at the following three stages of life:-
1) Entry into grammer school/Yeshivah Ktanah.
2) Entry into Yeshivah/Sem. or college/apprenticeship.
3) Entry into Kollel/marrying a Kollel student or taking up a career/earning a living.
Answer
All Jews are obligated to study Torah. At a minimum, Jewish men are commanded to study at least something morning and evening and Jewish women are required to know the halachot that bind them. How much more than the minimum an individual should aim for depends on his/her abilities and spiritual needs. A parent should ensure that his child is taught as much Torah as he can absorb happily, making sure that his love of Torah grows as he studies. The parent is required as well to give his children the necessary training to earn a living. A talmid- chacham should have, even beyond this, a basic knowlege of the various fields of thought and of science of his day.

Vilna gaon
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Tevet 10, 5782

Who is the prince of the kingdom of persia in Daniel 10?
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Elul 16, 5782
Learning Gemara
Rabbi Moshe Leib Halberstadt | Elul 24, 5769
1st century Jewish Education
Rabbi Moshe Leib Halberstadt | Tevet 28, 5770

Rabbi Jonathan Blass
Rabbi of Neve Tzuf and Rosh Kollel "Ratzon Yehuda".

Kosher Rice
5 Cheshvan 5763

Mikvah in Shidduchim
28 Tishrei 5763

Havdalah in shul
23 Tishrei 5763

Organ donation
23 Tishrei 5763

Mezzuzah for Non Jew
Rabbi David Sperling | Iyyar 18, 5773

Mezzuzah for Non Jew
Rabbi David Sperling | Iyyar 18, 5773

Carrying House Keys
Rabbi David Sperling | Sivan 14, 5774

Bracha on water
Rabbi Elchanan Lewis | Cheshvan 16, 5769
rafael or refael
Rabbi Daniel Kirsch | Iyyar 27, 5783
Sifrei kodesh in a married couples room
Rabbi Daniel Kirsch | Sivan 15, 5783

Rabbanut of Copenhagen
Rabbi Ari Shvat | Sivan 5, 5783
