nishtdayngesheft, where did you get that idea from? Here are some quotes from various YU and RIETS faculty members, when asked to explain what Torah u’Mada meant to them:
R’ Zevulun Charlop: “Torah U’Madda implies, within the totality of Jewish aspirations, the acceptance – and, indeed, perhaps the indispensability – of both Torah U’Madda, but with the unquestioned allegiance to the primacy of Torah, and that the apprehension of all other intellectual disciplines must be rooted and viewed through the prism of Torah.”
R’ Michael Shmidman: “If you contemplate “Torah Umadda,” one could say they are two separate values, but that one can incorporate the other wisdoms as well within the realm of Torah. I see the world through only one overriding wisdom and ethic: Torah. For me, a bachur [young man] who goes to college – that’s part of his Torah too, if we recognize that he’s going to college to make a living, raise a family, and that his other pursuits, including going to college, are part of a Torah way of life, which includes marriage, job, community, tzedaka [charity], and chesed [acts of goodwill].”
R’ Dr. Lamm: “Torah Umadda does not imply … coequality. Torah remains the unchallenged and preeminent center.”