What does it mean to be yeshivish?

white shirts vs. colored shirts

certain changes in language (shprach)

walks around with a hat and jaccket

to be masbir a machlokes btwn the ketzos & r’ shimon

The first rule of being yeshivish is you don’t talk about being yeshivish.

issal relative

If you drive the kinda car that satisfies the requirements on Oorah’s list of when you know it’s time to donate it.

What it should mean is where ones learning impacts on every facet of their life. That is to say, not just the the way you speak and the way you interact, but the way you think.

Unfortunately, what yeshivish is often taken to mean is the way you dress and the like.

To be part of a community under that title.

I do have a question on it though. Chassidish people also incorporate Torah into every aspect of their lives. Why aren’t they referred to as “yeshivish chassidish people”?

Sorry, but that’s not a question, that’s exactly the point. That is what should be the case, but unfortunately isn’t.

Ok.

So let’s define that you might be asking any of three questions:

1. How can you recognize someone who is yeshivish? This spawned answers such as white shirts.

2. What ideas must you believe in to be considered yeshivish? This spawned answers such as “no college.”

3. What are the central tenets of yeshivishism? This didn’t spawn any answers, although it is probably the one you were asking.

But you see, the question makes no sense because there is no such thing as yeshivishism. The term was invented to describe a communal group–namely the right wing of litvish, and associated with the leadership of the large litvish yeshivos other than YU. But it doesn’t have rules, and it doesn’t have rites of entry. It isn’t a movement, it is (or at least purports to be) the establishment.

While you might have articles and books defining “Modern Orthodoxy” (See. e.g. Rabbis Lichtenstein and Lamm) you will never find a book or article defining yeshivishism.

popa: Your point is equally applicable regarding “Chareidim” and even “Orthodox”.

“Yeshivish” would define the sociological situation of Yeshiva students in Yeshiva environments. This, obviously, has many different aspects, which changes as often as the students do.

It describes the mode of speech, the mode of dress, the way of thinking, and the things yeshivish people do and have.

I like popa’s answer the best, but I don’t know about purporting to be the establishment.

I think there are a lot of parts and perspectives to the definition of yeshivish. I don’t think one can easily define it objectively. When asking the question “is he yeshivish?” or “how yeshivish is he”, you have to know who you are asking, and to answer in any meaningful way, you have to know who’s asking.

Baruch1,

Based on my own (admittedly somewhat limited) observations, it looks like men are starting to wear their black hats with narrower brims.

So I’m confused.

Does this mean people are becoming less yeshivish?

Or are the narrower brims indicating that those specifically wearing the narrower brims are now less yeshivish?

Or are they cool yeshivish?

Or what?

And of course we’re not even getting close to figuring out-

How can you tell if a woman is yeshivish?

Can a woman even be considered yeshivish?

Or do you determine her level of yeshivishness based on the black hatter(s) accompanying her?

What if she’s not attached to a man wearing a hat?

And, most important of all- is “yeshivish” a pejorative? A compliment?

I always find myself stuttering and clearing my throat uncomfortably when people call me for shidduch information about friends /neighbors/ acquaintances and start with the questions:

Are they Yeshivish? Heimish? Balabatish?

(Nobody seems interested in hearing me tell them about the time I was under the weather and the person helped me out, without me even asking, etc etc.)

Maybe I can get a little help here…

Showjoe, sorry. I’ll amend my earlier comment to read: I like showjoe’s answer the best, and popa’s second best.

DY:i wasnt trying to belittle your point, i was just pointing out that im not a dass yochid 😉

ok srry if i though there was sarcasm in there, hope all is forgiven

Most things boil down to extent of facial hair or lack of.

In other news, here are some wicked terms to continue polluting the air by painting with wide brushes and stereotyping yada yada yada

Kollelish. Rebbish. Greasy. Chinyuked. Veppish. Boroparkish. Flatbushish. Lakewoodish. Five townsish. Toradik. Tomadik. Out of townish. In town ish. Yekkish. Oiberlandish. Hungarish. Americanish. snottish. weirdish. yupish. Pretty much anything you can think of then add an Ish.