Reply To: What is a Yeshiva Education Worth to You?

Mod39 you are right, sorry for veering.

JayMatt, there is a big difference between a chiyuv (in this case, keeping Shabbos) vs something that is not 100% a requirement.

My grandparents could only afford to send one kid to yeshiva – so they sent my uncle. My mother went to Talmud Torah. They are both Torah observant (shomer Torah u’Mitzvot). So a yeshiva education is not a REQUIREMENT for being Torah observant, but does pave a much easier path (as a general rule).

Kiruvwife – I am assuming most of the people you meet are either not observant and becoming or at the very cusp. And for them, I would say Yeshiva is even more important. But if you grow up in a Torah observant homes, are involved in a Torah observant community, I think there is more leeway. Granted, I am not suggesting people don’t send their kids to Yeshiva, just making the distinction. Please correct me if I am wrong in my assumption.

aaaa – I’m not looking to IMPROVE my financial situation, I’m looking to be able to pay my bills. While I understand that Hashem can take away all my money in a heartbeat, I trust that Hashem has given me a profession that is generally stable (even in these bad times) and that I can rely on my salary. But, I cannot rely on money that will not be coming in. I cannot make the money appear out of thin air, and I don’t think Hashem will lean down from shamayim and hand me a pot of gold. I have to do my hishtadlut, and part of that is making sure that I can provide food and shelter for my family.

There are plenty of reasons why I don’t want to have ten kids, but tuition is the driving factor to me limiting the number to a much smaller number.