Seems that the traditional western system of education has all but failed me.
I’m looking for something ‘different’ and wondering if the jewish way of learning might be right for me.
whats the word?
Yeshivas are pretty western. You’d get virtually the same education with the addition of classes in Hebrew, Jewish history and law, etc.
thanks for your post.
thats a really scary idea.
For future posters (or you cainxinth): I would greatly appreciate mentioning your post-secondary educational experience.
Since you seem to be looking for anecdotal replies more than hard facts, I’ll move this thread to IMHO.
I don’t know how old you are, so I’m not sure what level of education you’re at, nor do I know if you’re Jewish. More information would be helpful.
But this I can assure you: if you’re not Jewish, and not a practicing Jew, going to yeshiva would be a big waste of time for everyone involved. If you don’t care about the Talmud, there’s no point. If you want to go to high school, cainxinth has it right: you’ll get a regular high school education, plus Hebrew, Aramaic, Talmud and Halacha.
If you are out of school and just want to learn some new things, you’d just be learning Torah and Talmud all day. Again, if you don’t actually care that much about learning Torah and Talmud, don’t bother. A yeshiva is not a learning method, it’s a religious school.
If you are into New Agey things and have this idea that the Kabalah is really cool, PLEASE do not bother. The Kabalah is an important part of mystical Judaism, and any yeshiva that focuses on mysticism will fully expect you to be an observant Jew.
I attended public high schools and universities, but I had a roommate who went to a yeshiva high school in New Jersey, and one of my best friends is currently at a yeshiva in Jerusalem (she’s at her second yeshiva, actually, she’s previously done a year at another one, also in Jerusalem). I’ve met a lot of yeshiva students.
what is mysticism?
I had my 18th b-day in june. I’ve tried one year at the university of toronto and found myself frustrated with the principles of western academia.
I am a relitively secular jew and would be going to yeshiva to gain perspective, nothing more, nothing less.
seems to me I’ve just about run out of options for a cool post-secondary education, so I’m turning to what seems to be the closest thing to my ‘roots’.
other option I might consider would be studying in a buddist monastery but I figure I should give my ppl a chance first.
This link might be helpful:
If you don’t mind answering a few more questions – what were you hoping to get from university in the first place, and what did you find frustrating about the experience? What would your ideal post-secondary education look like?
It might not be time to give up on traditional colleges yet, because they’re not all alike; maybe a small liberal arts school is what you’re looking for. Then again, maybe you’re just not a classroom person at all (nothing wrong with that) and you’d be better off taking some time to travel or work at a job you like.
I’m not too sure what I was looking for, I just know that it wasn’t to be found in books or lectures.
thanks for the link curwin.
If you’re pretty secular, and want to learn more about Judaism, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Aish HaTorah. I’ve met students at the Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem, and they are very observant. It would be kind of throwing you into the deep end. However, there are Conservative and Reform, as well as Modern Orthodox yeshivot, and I’m sure there are some in Toronto. Ask your rabbi for advice. S/he might be able to recommend a good starting place - maybe just a class on Halacha at your shul once a week to see if you’re interested in learning more. To go from secular to learning Torah ALL DAY might drive you insane. And trust me, you won’t rid yourself of books and lectures in yeshiva.
It doesn’t sound like you are really getting anything out of a formal education at this point. I’m sure Canada has something similar to AmeriCorps - a service organization for young people Some travelling and real world learning might be the best thing for you right now. Later, if you feel the need, you can try college again.
College is a learning experience only if you want to be there. If you feel that you are wasting your time, don’t feel pressured to go. Work for a while, save some money, and go travelling. See the world.
My little sister is about the same age as you, and got stellar grades through most of high school. But she became totally unmotivated her senior year, and although she was accepted to colleges, my parents basically said “We’re not paying, because you obviously don’t care.” They’re disappointed, of course, but they’ve decided that working is probably the best thing for her right now - it’s certainly better than wasting time and money on an education she’s not interested in. Anyway, the point is…aaaah, you see the point.
Kyla:
Kyla, you’ve apparently met the “after” product. The "before"s who are just starting out at Aish HaTorah are not quite as well-acquainted with Orthodoxy. Aish HaTorah is well-known as an Outreach institution, and I second curwin’s recommendation of them for any Jew who’s just beginning to explore his or her religious heritage.
I’ll bow to your superior knowledge, cm.
I would like to add that although this might seem confusing, while I recommended the link to Aish HaTorah, I don’t actually identify with their overall ideology. However, in Toronto I’m not familiar with any other outreach program. Chabad is also likely there, but their emphasis is not particularly in the yeshiva direction.
To really find a yeshiva that suits you, there is nothing better than to come here to Jerusalem. There are dozens of yeshivot for beginners of every type of flavor and background. Aish HaTorah, Or Sameach, Machon Meir, just to name a few.
Totally off-topic here…curwin, how are you doing in Efrat? Seems like a pretty bad place to be right now. I visited it once, when a friend of mine stayed with his aunt and uncle there. (I know it’s a small town, and you might know them, but I can’t remember their names. They’re from Nashville, though, there can’t be THAT many people in Efrat from Nashville.)