BS”D
I have no strong bias for or against YU so let me try:
Torah uMada refers to Yeshiva University’s motto. Mada in Ivrit translates to science or scientific knowledge.
And I am just pre-empting anyone who wants to post out of line stuff maliciously by posting it in good fun: every Purim presentation at or regarding YU used to refer to Torah Doesn’t Madda. One of the machers on their board of trustees thought he would change the motto to Torah uMadoff but that one cost them $115 million or so.
Honestly, I see YU moving ‘rightward’ where secular knowledge is not studied for anything but parnosso, and the Litvish yeshiva world (and less isolationist Chassidim, if not a particular Chassidus then a growing number of individuals across the Chassidishe velt) realizing that professional training is a must for parnosso in the modern world.
Therefore, the two supposed opposites will converge at some point if they have not already.
AS for increased materialism in Lakewood (or Bnei Brak or Chabad or Satmar or YU or Chaim Berlin etc etc) what happened is very simple. The first generation expected little gashmius. Many were survivors who were happy and thankful just to be alive. Others were survivors of the ‘no work Saturday, you’re fired Monday’ days and always lived with real mesirus nefesh.
Most importantly, the US economy was just not as developed and there were fewer wealthy people in general.
Now, it is possible to succeed far more easily than it was then, and people’s expectations are higher. So, people see their wealthy neighbors in business and think of ways to have their cake and eat it too by finding the means to live well while learning full time.
For some, that means the rich father in law or parents. Sadly for others, it can mean deep debt or falling victim to the yetzer and getting involved in that which is not permissible by halacha or civil law.
Bekitzur, at one time the yetzer challenged us with poverty and persecution. Now, even with the bad economy, the challenge is staying who we are amidst the potential for great wealth.
The kollel system will probably have to be revamped; universal kollel does not work and neither does kollel only because of peer pressure. Still, I think we will rise to the challenge over the next 10-15 years and we will see more kosher ways of obtaining professional training and more opportunities to learn and earn.
And of course Moshiach is more than welcome long before 10-15 years from now!