Dear Matzav Inbox,
It is no secret that כלל ישראל is going through very challenging times—spiritually, emotionally, and financially. We all feel the pressure, and we all know how much רחמי שמים we need.
There is one issue, however, that weighs particularly heavily on my heart, because it relates directly to the future of Torah: שלא תשתכח תורה מישראל.
The Gemara in Bava Metzia 85a tells the famous story of רבי חייא, who went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that Torah would never be forgotten. He planted flax, made nets, trapped deer, prepared parchment, wrote seforim, and then taught children—step by step, until Torah was firmly rooted.
One thing is clear: רבי חייא did not begin by investigating “who” the parents were, whether they were from “elite” backgrounds, or whether they fit a certain profile. If there was a Jewish child, there was a נשמה. A child of בני אברהם יצחק ויעקב. And that meant a responsibility to give that child access to תורה ומצוות.
Today, unfortunately, we are hearing more and more stories of Yiddishe kinderlach who are not accepted into mosdos, or whose parents are put through an emotionally draining and humiliating process just to receive a “yes.” Even when a child is eventually taken, the pain and stress leading up to that point can be enormous.
Many of us remember a different reality. When we were children, there were all kinds of families in every class. There were stronger homes and weaker homes, wealthier and simpler, more “yeshivish” and less. And yet, many children from the most “simple” homes grew into beautiful בני תורה and בעלי מידות. At the same time, not every child from the most respected families remained on the straightest path. Why? Because every person has כח הבחירה and unique nisyonos. We simply cannot judge a child’s future by the external package of the home.
Meanwhile, the tuition burden has reached staggering levels. Families are paying $10,000, $15,000, sometimes far more per child. Parents are sacrificing half—or even more—of their income for chinuch, because Torah is precious to them. And yet, instead of always feeling appreciation for that sacrifice, many parents feel examined and scrutinized, as if going through an X-ray or MRI.
This is not to ignore the complexity on the side of the mosdos. Running a school is extremely difficult. There are finances, staff, standards, legal issues, social dynamics, and real concerns about hashpa’ah. The menahalim and hanhalah are shouldering a heavy load for Klal Yisroel, and their avodah should be respected and appreciated.
At the same time, we cannot ignore the painful stories of parents crying at night because they don’t know where their child will be on the first day of school.
So what can we do?
A Humble Proposal
Without pretending to have all the answers, I would like to suggest a communal framework, and ask our גדולי ישראל and askanim to consider something along these lines:
- Every town or city with a frum community should have a clear, communal responsibility that every Jewish child who wants a Torah education has a place.
- Whether through one designated mosad, or through a coordinated system among all mosdos, there should be a no-child-left-out policy for families who are truly seeking a Yiddishe chinuch.
- Alongside this, there should be a communal, dignified system to help families who cannot pay full tuition—similar to how communities arrange funds for תומכי שבת and other basic needs.
This is not about forcing any specific school to change its entire system. It is about saying, as a community: “If there is a Jewish child who wants to learn Torah, we will find a place for that child. Period.”
Imagine the קידוש השם if parents knew: No matter what, if I am trying to do the right thing, my child will not be left without a school. Imagine the nachas ruach this would bring to Hashem.
I am not writing to criticize, חס ושלום, any particular mosad, nor to point fingers at specific individuals. I am writing as a fellow Yid, as a parent, and as someone who fears for the long-term impact if children feel rejected by the very system that is meant to embrace them.
Our grandparents and great-grandparents who survived the war would likely be shocked to hear that a frum family who wants to send their child to a frum school might face closed doors. After everything they went through to keep Yiddishkeit alive, can we allow this to be the experience of their descendants?
We have the ability—if we choose—to change this dynamic. With leadership from our גדולים, guidance from experienced mechanchim, and the heart of Klal Yisroel, we can create a structure in which every child who wants Torah has a makom in Torah.
May we be zocheh that through strengthening the dignity and inclusion of every Jewish child, we bring more rachamei shamayim and more siyata dishmaya upon our entire community.
A Concerned Community Member
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