Q:
Should I discourage my son from going to Yeshiva University?
A:
It depends. It depends where else he wants to go; what other places are under consideration. If he wants to go to a worse place, then don’t discourage him from going to Yeshiva University. But if he wants to go to the Mirrer Yeshiva then by all means you should discourage him from going to Yeshiva University. Actually, if he wants to go to Mirrer Yeshiva then you should sell the roof from over your head in order to help your son go to that yeshiva. Because you’re doing it for yourself. The biggest nachas, the biggest success as a parent is to have a son who is a ben Torah.
So pull your sons out of the colleges; don’t have any false dreams of careers for them. Put them into places of Torah and keep them there as long as you can. And that will be your happiness and your success in life.
(March 1975)
Q:
You mentioned Rabeinu Yonah’s exhortation to praise tzadikim and yeshivos, that it’s a mitzvah gedola ad lashomayim. Now, I want to know if that includes Y.U.?
A:
Rabbi Grozovsky wants to know if the mitzvah of praising yeshivos refers to praising YU. The answer is no.
Q:
I want to know the reason why not?
A:
And he wants to know the reason. So in order to help him out, I’ll give him the information. Because YU has in it people like Rackman. That’s the reason why there’s no mitzvah to praise YU. Rackman is a big reason. And there are more reasons like that.
Q:
But some say that the Rosh Yeshiva there is the greatest Rosh Yeshiva in the world?
A:
Some say that the Rosh Yeshiva is the greatest Rosh Yeshiva in the world. Now even had that been true, there are so many other things to compensate for it, that you don’t have to worry about it. And about him being the greatest man in the world, I’d have to be the greatest man myself in order to judge that question, so, I won’t answer that question.
Q:
But they have talmidim who are good in learning?
A:
They have talmidim who are good in learning. Well so does the Jewish Theological Seminary. The Jewish Theological Seminary has people who are pretty good Talmudists. There are not many, but there are some, however. There are always people looking to sell out for money, yeshivah boys who spoil and go.
Q:
I’m not talking only about boys who are good in learning. They also have good boys in Y.U., not only boys who are talmudists?
A:
That is so. There are some people there, some boys who are pious boys there. But there’s no question they’re in the wrong place. These boys are in the wrong place. You have pious boys also in Brooklyn College too.
Q:
But there are a lot of them?
A:
Well I didn’t count them, but you could be sure that the percentage is much smaller than in any other place.
(April 1974)
