Do they teach girls how to cook in Seminary?

Maybe in Satmar. I would make the question much broader. Do Seminaries teach anything practical, or are they trying to compete with the Yeshivas.

I dont think that they do, but they should!

Many seminaries require the girls to make at least 1 meal for themselves.

Most kids learn from their mother growing up (at least my sisters, wife and cousins did)

Do they teach how to do hairdressing in medical schools? I don’t think so. Do bakers teach their apprentices how to polish shoes? Why not, the shoes get so dirty. Teachers’ Seminaries are meant to educate future teachers. That’s what they are, teachers’ Seminaries, not a place for future Jewish mothers to hang out for a year. Satmar teaches home economics because their tenets do not allow girls to learn Torah. That’s a Sara Shenirer holy concept not accepted by Satmar. You can’t compare what they do to what Bais Yakov style seminaries do.

the prof- actually seminaries prepare you for marriage and motherhood (in addition to teaching)

I know of a few seminaries that have a challah making course to teach about the special mitzvah that a woman has. It includes learning about it, and learning how to make and braid challah.

There is also a seminary Bnos Chana that is half a day learning and half a day of parnassah courses which does include a culinary program. It seems very nice and teaches girls how to make healthy and delicious food!

I heard that there is a story of the Shach where 2 girls came to him with a “shaila” in torah, maybe Ramban or Rambam. I don’t know what they were asking, but he listened patiently and then asked his Rebbetzin to bring in a heimishe cake platter. Then he turned to the girls and said “when you are able to bake this..come back”.

The point was they were focusing on something that was unnecessary.

There is nothing wrong with learning, and there are lots of ladies all through the generations who were VERY learned and could even paskin, if needed, but the point is that ladies’ tikkun and duty is to first and foremost run the home, and know how to clean, bake, cook and teach /raise children properly. This totally does not mean it was any less of a “job”. Just as the kohanim were the ones cleaning the garbage of the bais hamikdash.

(By the way who decided this was a demeaning or denegrating job?)

All these ladies who could paskin, for example Rashi’s daughters had well run homes. (I assume)…I mean they were intelligent and we can expect they conducted themselves in the “middle of the road”, in all spheres. Ruchnius and Gashmius.

Look at the Aishes Chayil from Mishlei. Most of it is talking about the running of the home, but the Aishes Chayil type lady will take the mundane running of the home and take it to serve Hashem properly.

I know a Satmar Seminary girl who came home from school yesterday afternoon and she had spent the last period of the day together with her whole class in the teacher’s kitchen preparing and learning how to do a fancy cheesecake. They were focusing on how to do that zebra effect across the top. Apparently this class has already learnt how to do kreplach, shlishkes. They have a home budgeting class, using a pretend family set up for the year. They learn how to budget the family’s finances. Which is more important because not everyone is going to become teachers, and even if they do, teachers are still be responsible for budgeting their pay check.

One class they have in this Satmar Seminary is Shalom Bayis or Toras Habayis, as the teacher also calls it. Another class they take is how to handle shmiras haloshen when giving information for shiddichum. Again, I must reiterate this is not to say they are not learning everything else such as Teaching Children Literature, Special Ed., Parsha, Yehadas, Hilchos shaboos, teaching methods, computers, accounting.

In my opinion all of these courses are far more practical and realisitic for the future than Calculus, biology, high maths, and learning goyisher literature. I understand they teach these in some of the Bais Yakkov schools. My question is what these girls need that for.

Even if girls could learn how to do cooking with their mother in the kitchen, its a chore and usually under tension and pressure out of sheer need erev shabbos or otherwise. There is no comparing it to the new and fresh perspective a girl feels when learning it in a educative-style-environment, knowing she is going to be practicing these new skills in the home she will build, after marriage. They take pride in the lessons and skills they learn.

Most high schools have some sort of home economics in 12th grade. I never heard of a seminary teaching it but don’t girls learn from their parents? I am definitely learning from my mother. I play around and figure out some recipes and hopefully by the time I’m ready to get married I’ll be able to do that stuff. I don’t see it as necessary to teach in seminary if high schools give it.

I would rather my daughters have a strong foundation of Torah knowledge than know how to bake a cheesecake.

Cooking is not rocket science – open a recipe book and follow.

Nowadays, we are really sending girls a mixed message. On the one hand, she is supposed to take care of the home, the children etc. On the other, she is supposed to be the breadwinner and support her husband in Kollel.

Torah knowledge is needed to combat women’s exposure. I would rather my daughter know how to read a Rambam than bake a fancy cheesecake.

Because I personally don’t want to pay $20,000 for my child to learn to make cheesecake. For that, I can keep her home and teach her myself.

I think what is more practical is to give the girls apartments and have them be responsible for their meals. Give them a weekly apartment budget at the grocery store (so they learn to compromise on what they can afford) and have each girl responsible for a dinner. Then mentor the girl on simple, good food.

It would take a lot less time and give them real understanding of cooking for a family. No formal lesson really needed on how to roast a chicken.

Because I personally don’t want to pay $20,000 for my child to learn to make cheesecake. For that, I can keep her home and teach her myself.

So why are you spending the 20K?

I think what is more practical is to give the girls apartments and have them be responsible for their meals. Give them a weekly apartment budget at the grocery store (so they learn to compromise on what they can afford) and have each girl responsible for a dinner. Then mentor the girl on simple, good food.

Sounds a lot (from what I understand) like the Mir Dirahs, or Michlalla for girls. That may be your best option, even though it is not a “Bais Yaakov Seminary” per say (which may be a plus for you).

Sacrilege, there is no need to teach how to make a fancy cheesecake. If you want to make one, try it out at home. Jewish women don’t need to be gourmet cooks.

Jewish women really do need a strong foundation in halacha, Jewish philosophy etc and also need the ability to learn on their own. If you don’t understand that this is important in today’s day and age, I think you don’t understand the draw of society.

The R’ Shach story isn’t documented so people that dont see the story as positive shouldn’t beleive it.

“I am all for girls learning, but the need PRACTICAL hashkafic and mussar lessons”

I agree with this. Hilchos kashrus and shabbos are extremely important for women to learn.

as is strong haskafa, that’s the bottom line reason people spend more than they can afford on seminary(even if they themselves dont know it is). give your daughter a strong hashkafic foundation so the Toras Imecha is true and right.

Mesorah, yeah I agree with the importance of that and B”H have a long and respected yichus that makes more of a believer in mesorah. that said, don’t compare to the “heim” because we arent in Europe and boys today are taught very different than in Europe.

you brought up Europe. If the way it was, is the only way it should be, then that should apply to boys as well.

I guess i should thank G-d that i dont live in the US. In Mexico its a very big maala when a girl knows how to cook. Thats usually why ashkenaz guys look for sephardic girls they are usually better in the kitchen. (Im not saying that many ashkenaz girls arent wonderful wives or mothers, but they are usually not raised to be in the kitchen, they have a different mentality)

I can tell you the food that comes out of my kitchen is both interesting and delicious.

I never went to seminary.

I didn’t even cook while I was living at home.

true

but it was truly delicious on its own right

Is it some kind of sin against a marriage to rave to your spouse about another families cooking?

Is that a widespread view, or a personal one?

i would imagine if you tell your wife it was delicious thats fine. But if your going to rant and rave about it all the way home than yeah it might make her feel a little bad.

i think thats a good distinction you drew blinquie

a credit to your aristocratic heritage.

are you from mexico?