In a recent vaad, Rav Gershon Ribner said that if someone is not competitive in his learning, it’s not a positive quality, but rather it’s because he does not care enough.
The Rosh Yeshiva shlit”a gave a litmus test to determine whether a bochur or yungerman is “inspired and dedicated” or if he is second-tier. (He also referred to it as the “A train” and “B train”.)
He said, “Are you competitive about your learning?” He added that it’s not a higher quality in ruchniyus to not be competitive in learning, because Kinas Sofrim tarbeh chochma.
“Its not an aidelkeit…if you’re not competitive. Rather it’s because you don’t care enough.”
Even though Chazal criticize the attribute of kinah, he explained that’s only the negative type, but not the positive desire to succeed in learning. The implication seemed to be that being relaxed and laid back about one’s learning may in some cases be a negative attribute.
The Rav listed other questions as well:
- If you go home to Brooklyn for Shabbos and have a date Sunday night, also in Brooklyn, would you return to Lakewood Sunday morning to learn in person with your chavrusa?
- If you bump into a Gadol at a wedding, will you speak to him in learning or just ask for a beracha? Do you have something to discuss, or would that require too much effort?
- Are you writing your learning down after you complete a sugya?
- Do you get tired of a sugya and wish you can move on?
The Rosh Yeshiva emphasized that while even second-tier Bnei Torah are certainly good to have in yeshiva, they are in a different classification than those on the “A Train.”
Some answers to this article:
I’m female and don’t learn gemara but just from learning Torah in Bais Yaakov, I would think HKBH has a different cheshbon for what makes a strong learner. Would a competitive A Train bochur leave his learning to help an old lady or his parents? According to this article, no. We learned that those talmidim of Rabbi Akiva were killed so I think I’ll take a B Train bochur who practices what he learns and doesn’t “compete”. Yuck. I don’t think that’s what HKBH has in mind. As far as I know, Moshe Rabbeinu loved teaching EVERYONE Torah.
I’ll answer the questions.
- No. Instead of traveling for four hours for my Sunday night date, I find a bes medrash in Brooklyn and learn there for the day. Common sense.
- I ask for a bracha and don’t waste the Gadol’s time on my gaivah-motivated-chiddush If my chiddush is that good, I write it up and send it to the godol by mail. If I’m lucky, it’s his daughter that I dated Sunday night.
- Why would I write it down? That’s obsessive behavior. A real lamdan has to remember what he learned.
- Of course I move on to the next sugya. Staying on one sugya for too long is obsessive behavior (see question 3) and is the leading cause of am-ha’aratzus in yeshiva boys.
I don’t know Rabbi Ribner, but it sounds to me that he has obsessive tendencies and can benefit from professional help.
There’s this thing in yiddishkeit called ‘Lishma’. sounds familiar?
Is this Rabbi a “A” Rabbi or “B” Rabbi? I have never even heard about him before.
“If he is not competitive enough” as a Rabbi it shows he doesnt care.
And yet, his Yeshiva and also all the others don’t bother with tests or any other way of documenting whether anybody is learning anything. Is this guy advocating that the B and C learners go do something productive, like join the Israeli army or learn how to support their own families? Of course not.
Getting tired of a sugya and wish to move on is not a crime. One can enjoy one sugya over another or have a better understanding or interest of another topic. Everybody is that way – everybody.
6 comments:
he's a B' train or "second tier" Rosh Yeshiva
Rabbi Ribner lately comes across a bit too controversial.
Mid-life crisis or B-rosh yeshiva syndrome?
He is for sure ribbed the wring way.
I think that Rav Ribner may have been quoted out of context.
"Competitive" may be a poor choice of wordage. Perhaps aggressive or even obsessive might be more apt in describing the qualities more commonly found among great Torah scholars. Rav Chaim Kanievsky was not competitive. Even if for argument's sake it could be suggested that there existed another great scholar comparable to Rav Kanievsky, Rav Chaim Zt"l absolutely did not contend with him, for he was far too consumed with his passion for Torah learning to be concerned with his personal ranking.
There does exist a concept of "ayn HaTorah miskayenmes ella be'me she'maymis atzmoh oleaho". The Torah will flourish among those who are consumed with its study even unto death. In the Warsaw ghetto there was a group of Talmiday Chachomim known as "Matisiovtsos", named after their leader, a Rav Matisyohu. This group, upon realizing their ultimate unfortunate fate, decided to devote their remaining time on Earth with the study of Torah in an underground cellar. They did not report to the Judenrat for work detail, eschewing thereby any food or benefit they might have received from them.
There is the famous picture of the evil General Stroop during the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto that depicts his seizure of a number of "Matisovtzos". Their leader, identified as a Rav Gottesman, is shown bareheaded but standing erect and fearless glaring unflinchingly at Stroop moments before he was shot and killed.
This is the level of dedication that define the "A" level Torah scholar. POerhaps this is thye message that bRav Ribner wished to convey.
Bottom line- Reb Noson Zvi Finkel. the Mir EY Rosh Yeshiva had it down pat. He made all of those "B" Talmidim to be the Roshei Yeshivas or heads of Chaburas and kolelim.
Perhaps we should be more competitive about our honesty, manners and general decency?
cost to travel from Lakewood to Bklyn is EXPENSIVE. 3 trips in one day is very expensive.
To travel back to Lakewood with intention to return to Bklyn and then return to Lakewood again on the same day-- spending close to 6 hours en route, is a waste of money and time. Way to go, spend without a care, great prep for being a kollel yungerman.
But everyone needs to have something to say... he don't mind the B and C bochurim no doubt as long as they pay tuition and he gets their Tap ans PELL funding. That's their role... provide the funding. I that's the way he labels people, my advice is stay far away.
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