Reply To: Physical Discipline in Yeshivos

Mayan Dvash: I apologize; I did not in fact finish your post, since the vast majority of it read exactly like the sort of nonsense I’ve been hearing for many years about how any and all abuse should be allowed because the Torah says so, and that anyone who doesn’t think so is “modern.” (How I despise that term!) There is a very large body of contemporary halachic work (including the Steipler) that decries the use of aggressive force against a child in today’s day and age. This has zero to do with modern society and everything to do with common sense. You simply cannot smack a kid smart, but you CAN ruin his sense of stability and self-esteem.

Now that I have read the last line of your post, I’m curious: exactly what sort and degree of physical force do you advocate, and how is it not abuse?