Series on English translations of Rav Yitzchok Hutner's books and thought systems (Part Five):
Part one deals with the contributions of Rabbi Pinchas Stolper (1931–2022) in interpreting and translating the works of Rav Yitzchok Hutner (1906–1980) into English. Part two deals with the contributions of Rabbi Yitzchok Alster (b. 1935) in interpreting and quoting the works of Rav Hutner into English. Part three deals with the translation of some of Rav Hutner's works by Rabbi Eliakim Willner and of his biography into English by Rabbi Shmuel Kirzner. Part four deals with the reasons Rav Hutner's books were not translated into English during his lifetime and following his passing.
The famous Rosh Yeshiva Rav Yitzchok Hutner (1906–1980) did not live to see the translations of his books, that he called Pachad Yitzchok ("fear/awe of Isaac") into English but during his lifetime he did give a couple of notable lectures that were translated into English. He delivered his lectures in Yiddish and he chose disciples who had a good secular education and a strong command of the English language to do these translations that he oversaw closely.
One lecture was about the meaning of Torah and Torah based Jewish Education and the role of Torah observant Jewish Educators today, originally delivered in 1959 to a group of rabbis and Torah Jewish Educators. Another lecture was about the Holocaust and the subject of Holocaust Education also given to Orthodox rabbis and Torah Jewish Educators originally delivered in 1977, three years before he passed away.
The first of these lectures, given in 1959, about Torah Jewish Education and Torah Educators was originally published by the American organization Torah Umesorah – The National Society for Hebrew Day Schools in the United States in one of its magazines and later reprinted in book form in 1970 by Torah Umesorah. The second lecture, given in 1977, about the Holocaust and Holocaust Education was originally published by Agudath Israel of America in one of its magazines and later reprinted in book form by ArtScroll Mesorah Publications in 1986.
Both lectures open a small yet revealing window into Rav Hutner's thinking and thought systems. The lectures reveal his supreme confidence in himself and subject matter at hand, his vast Torah and general knowledge, his piercing logic and brilliant analysis, his ability to take on complex and controversial subjects, his practicality and good common sense, his profound spiritual awareness and Godliness, and his willingness to push the boundaries of ordinary thinking, to think "outside of the box", and enter into the domain of controversy if need be to make his points.
Let's start with the first talk and summarize it:
A Shiur in Hilchos Chinuch: A Discourse in the Laws of Education [by] Rav Yitzchak Hutner — Clarifying Some Basic Torah Concepts in the Rearing of Jewish Children
(From The Jewish Parent magazine, December 1959, re-published in Hebrew Day School Education: An Overview. Edited by Dr. Joseph Kaminetsky. Published by Torah Umesorah – The National Society for Hebrew Day Schools, September 1970.)
The summary and translation below is from the original article in English:
Foreword: This Shiur [lecture] was presented by the Gaon Rav Yitzchak Hutner, Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Rabbi Chaim Berlin [Brooklyn, USA] at a special study session for Jewish Day School teachers, February 1959. This Shiur, given originally in Yiddish, appears here in English translation, which was rendered by Rabbi Chaim Feuerman [a well-known disciple of Rav Hutner, who was a prestigious Jewish Day School Principal in North America and subsequently obtained a doctorate in Education and became a well-known highly respected Professor of Jewish Education at Yeshiva University's Azrieli Graduate School. He passed away in 2017.]
1) Purpose of the Shiur: At a gathering like this we should learn the laws on Melamdim (Torah–teachers of Jewish children). We have selected one general topic in this broad field.
2) The Unique Status of Melamdim in Our Generation: We consider it most important that our current day generation of Melamdim be possessed of a clear and thorough understanding of the Da'as Torah (authoritative Torah view) concerning their own excellence over and above that of the Melamdim of generations gone by.
3) Yehoshua Ben Gamla's Real Contribution: Why is special commendation forthcoming to Yehoshua ben Gamla for his innovation of the system of Melamdim, without which Torah study would have been forgotten from Israel? One must receive Torah from the same source as one receives his very life. Since one derives life from his father, he must receive his Torah from the very same person. There came a time when the spiritual structure of the Beis-Abba (Jewish home) suffered deterioration. The father's house somehow lost its fundamental power of effective vitality in bringing up Jewish children. Then came Yehoshua ben Gamla and instituted the system of child-schooling. That is, he transformed the pattern of Jewish upbringing from Tinokos Shel Beis-Avhan to Tinokos Shel Beis-Rabban — from that of the father's home-school to the Rebbi's school-house.
4) True Torah Transmittal: Yehoshua ben Gamla receives his commendation in the Gemara [Talmud] because he foresaw an impending evil – weakening the power of fathers as "Torah-transmitters" – and forestalled its occurrence by instituting the system of schooling for all children, whether or not their fathers were living. If an enactment (by the Sanhedrin) was issued transplanting Jewish child-rearing from Beis-Avhan to Beis-Rabban — from home to school — this very enactment itself gives to Jews the spiritual wherewithal to attain "fatherly" powers over pupils in teaching Torah to them. And so a true Melamed, deep within his soul he feels that he is no more than a "stand-in" for the child's father: Rabban — the child's Rebbi — in place of Avhan — his "daddy." One cannot be a father by "profession"!
5) "You Will Be as My Very Own Lips": The transmittal of Torah from father to son is but one aspect of Mattan Torah (the Revelation and Giving of the Torah by God on Mount Sinai [over 3,300 years ago]). There is a second form of Mattan Torah, stated in the Chumash [by God in the Torah] as "Not with you alone do I enter this covenant but as well with those who are not with us today" (Deuteronomy 29: 13,14). We are accustomed to calling this latter form of Mattan Torah the "Mattan-Torah of Neshamos" (the Revelation of the Torah to the as-yet-unborn souls of all the Jews of future generations) following the idiom of the Sages that all the Neshamos (souls) of the Jews of all generations were present at Mattan Torah [the giving of the Torah by God to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai]. It follows that even if there should occur some calamity and one generation should somehow drop out and be lost, the following generation would still not remain cut off from its roots. It could once again begin anew.
In the special case of "one who teaches Torah to the son of an Am Ha-aretz (one who is ignorant of Torah)", such a Melamed is considered in the eyes of the codified [Jewish] law "as the lips of Hakadosh Baruch Hu [the Holy One Blessed is He] Himself," as the prophet Jeremiah said: "If you can extract that which is precious from that which is dross you will be as my very own lips." (Jeremiah 15:18)
Herein lies the subtlety of the entire matter. We as human beings, our natural manner of Torah-transmittal is only from father to son. [However] Mattan Torah to Neshamos (directly to the souls of Jews), which is super-natural, can be achieved only through the lips of Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself. Thus, if a Melamed is successful in extracting that which is precious (Torah) from that which is dross (ignorance of Torah) and in bridging the gap of the "missing link" in the chain of generations, it is indicative that he has struck the right chord in Mattan-Torah of Neshamos. That is why the lips of one who teaches Torah to the son of an Am Ha-aretz [ignoramus] are like the lips of Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself!
6) Clarifying the Task of the Teacher: That which was at all other times a special case amongst Melamdim has become today the usual day-to-day occurrence. The Melamdim of today must be prepared to bridge the gaps of many "missing links." Our excellence over and above all prior generations of Melamdim is that our lips must become like the lips of Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself. We must strike the chord of Matan Torah of Neshamos.
Our entire discussion is expressed in the very last prophecy: "Behold, I will send unto you Eliyahu Hanavi [Elijah the Prophet]. And he will turn back the hearts of the fathers upon their children and of children upon their fathers (Malachi 3:24). Rashi explains that the phrase "upon children" means "through children"; that is, the children will turn the hearts of their own fathers back to Torah. Down to the times of Eliyahu Hanavi we always speak of Torah in terms of its transmittal from father to son. Only when we speak of Eliyahu Hanavi's dissemination of Torah do we begin to speak of a reversed transmittal, from children to their fathers, because this a prophecy concerning an age of children whose fathers belong to a "lost generation" which somehow dropped out of the continuum of Torah-transmittal. And specifically for such a generation must we fall back upon the Matan Torah of Neshamos. For only through this aspect of Matan-Torah can a later generation begin anew and re-establish the continuum of transmittal retroactively.
7) A Practical Note: Current day Melamdim must function in extraordinary circumstances, [therefore] there develops for Melamdim the special duty of maintaining uninterrupted contact with contemporary Gedolim (Torah "greats"). Under conditions such as prevail today, there very frequently arise compromising situations in which a decision must be rendered as to which considerations must take precedence over others, and as to how far we may go in taking steps which which we would ordinarily prohibit but which for the sake of higher Torah ideals we may temporarily permit. In such matters we may certainly not take the responsibility of decision upon ourselves alone.
8) "Lest It Be Forgotten": There is a Din (law) that if an entire community has no Esrog [citron fruit] on Sukkos [the festival of Tabernacles] other than one which is Pasul (unfit), nonetheless since there is no proper Esrog available, it is a special enactment of the [Jewish Torah] Sages that one should take [and use and make a blessing on] the unfit Esrog. This Din is entitled "lest it be forgotten" — meaning, "in order that the Torah [observance] concerning the Esrog be NOT forgotten." If the enactment of "lest it be forgotten" applies to individual Mitzvos [commandments] such as Esrog, all the more so does it apply in even greater measure to instances involving the learning or the teaching of Torah.
I would like to select two illustrative instances. All the Poskim (Codifiers [of Jewish Law]) state the Halakha (Jewish Law) that Torah instruction of children must be carried on at night as well as by day. Yet we know too well how seldom it is possible in current-day circumstances to fulfill the requirements of learning [Torah] with children at night. Nonetheless, "lest the Torah of learning at night is forgotten," a wise and sincere Melamed will remain on the lookout for the possibility of interesting a few children at least, from time to time, in coming back to learn [Torah] at night.
Another example, the Halakha that we are not to allow children to be idle from study [of Torah] except on the eves of Shabbos and Yom Tov [Jewish Holy Days]. There are days of the year on which we are forced to release the children from [Jewish Day] school [and Yeshiva] and NOT by/according to the Shulchan Aruch [Code of Jewish Law]. It would be most seeming that especially on those [free] days that a Melamed should try to attract a few children to come and learn [Torah] even if for but a short while, "lest the Torah of 'let the children not be idle' be forgotten." I have advised good friends of mine who are Melamdim in various towns and cities to do so, and they afterwards told me with great happiness of the spiritual benefits which they had reaped from following this practice.
Rabbi Yitschak Rudominwas born to Holocaust survivor parents in Israel, grew up in South Africa, and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He is an alumnus of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and of Teachers College–Columbia University. He heads the Jewish Professionals Institute dedicated to Jewish Adult Education and Outreach – Kiruv Rechokim. He was the Director of the Belzer Chasidim's Sinai Heritage Center of Manhattan 1988–1995, a Trustee of AJOP 1994–1997 and founder of American Friends of South African Jewish Education 1995–2015. He is also a docent and tour guide at The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Downtown Manhattan, New York. He is the author of The Second World War and Jewish Education in America: The Fall and Rise of Orthodoxy. Contact Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin at izakrudomin@gmail.com
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