Yeshivish, as used colloquially, generally means:
- A belief in Daas Torah – that the Gedolim’s words and actions are inspired by ruach hakodesh, and that one must obey their words.
- A preference to stay as separate from the rest of the world as possible: this means no TVs, no movies, little internet, sometimes no secular literature, and generally no knowledge of popular culture.
- A belief that men should spend as much of their lives learning Torah as possible, even at the expense of things such as money, education, and time.
- A very strong sense and appreciation of Jewish tradition, though some argue that many of “yeshivish” traditions are really the Jews’ host countries’ traditions.
- Yeshivish communities are often close-knit, with large families and much gemilas chasadim.
I tried to be impartial. Feel free to dispute these points, or call me an apikores, or never look at my posts again. 🙂