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Why the dichotomy between the Avot as faultless angels or the Avot as so
fallible as to be beyond respect (as in, why would Hashem choose this
bunch?)? When students raise questions regarding the moral imperfections
of the Avot, bring the appropriate m'farshim and midrashim which so often
contend with davka those questions. In other words, "You've asked a very
important question. Rashi/Ibn Ezra/the Midrash, etc. deal with exactly
that question and next class, I'll bring some examples of that and we'll
study it together." Admittedly, a teacher cannot respond to every
question a student raises by devoting a lesson to it but this is a
practical limitation, not a conceptual one.
What about the students who cannot access those texts? This response is
overplayed. I've seen kids as young as 2-3rd graders struggling over
inevitable textual ambiguities, trying to fill in the pervasive "gaps" of
Torah she'bichtav and relishing that experience, i.e., engaged with Talmud
Torah, responding to the inherent/planned "darsheni" of the Talmud Torah
experience. When I have observed unimaginative teaching, it's when
teachers cut off kids' questioning minds by providing simple answers,
either "I'll check with so and so" or they will bring in ONE perush as if
there is only one answer, essentially telling the student that the
question is not serious.
To some extent there is a deeper philosophical question of heteronomy vs.
autonomy. This question does relate to the educational goals of centrist
modern Orthodox education, role of modernity and its competing world view,
etc., and that is a discussion well worth having within educational
circles IMHO. Rabbi Carmy has contributed much recently to this
discussion on a philosophical level. It remains for educators to engage
in this as well. Ranting about the lack of respect "out there" is a
simplistic response to some important sociological and philosophical
issues and closes us off to the unique opportunity for Judaism to compete
in a uniquely and unprecedented open market of ideas.
Rob Toren</HTML>
