In response to Norman Meskin's piece on students' hashkafa questions:
The obstacle that you raise is a very difficult one that bothers me greatly as a high school teacher.
Yes, many of today’s high school students have absorbed the messages of the liberal culture in which they have grown up and are skeptical of absolute Truth and of someone or something having authority over their autonomy and decision making, especially if it impinges on their comfort and happiness.
Torah as Divine Law and its inherent wisdom and perfection are concepts being taught in our high schools, but teaching and learning do not always occur concurrently. Some students absorb the message early on and adopt the reverent approach of their teachers which you describe, while others remain conflicted between what they hear from their teachers and what the surrounding culture tells them is just and right. This conflict is nothing new, as the seminal works of Jewish philosophy will attest. Still, the Moreh Nevukhim was not written for high school students. While these questions are undoubtedly raised in our high schools and answers are given both inside and outside of the classroom, not every high school student is sophisticated and nuanced enough in his/her thinking to accept the answers being given. Noting the Divinity of a source or the brilliance of a Rabbi is a non-answer to many students who are overcome by the dissonance they feel between 'their' values and Torah values. It is possible that the year in Israel is more informal and students are more comfortable to open up. But perhaps the real difference is that at 18 and in a different milieu our students are finally ready to hear what their teachers back in Chutz la’Aretz were saying all along.
Best wishes for continued success,
Chaya Sima Koenigsberg
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/30/2017 05:33PM by mlb.
