By Bayla Rothschild, Staff Writer
As a senior in high school, I spent many months debating where to attend college. I thought through different options, each one better than the others. In the end, I chose to attend Yeshiva University because having Torah studies as part of my college curriculum is important to me. I love that Torah learning is a huge value in my family, and it made sense that even though I intend to pursue a career in math or physics, I would prioritize developing and nurturing my Torah learning in college as well.
However, when I began my YU career this past August, I found myself continuously disappointed by the lack of opportunities for women to learn Torah at a level that suits each individual.
First and foremost, one of the many issues that needs addressing is scheduling. On the Beren campus, schedules are structured into time slots. Most classes take place twice a week, on either Monday and Wednesdays or Tuesday and Thursdays, and there are eight time slots on each set of days. Somehow, a significant number of the Judaic studies courses end up being offered in the same few slots; however, many students have to take required classes for their majors, minors and general education that are also only offered during those slots. Therefore, the Judaic courses that students end up taking are often limited to the few classes that each individual can actually fit into their schedule rather than the classes that they are actually interested in or believe will help them grow.
The slim Judaic studies courses that actually end up fitting into a student’s schedule can also easily end up being ones that she is not interested in and may not fit her learning level. One simple way to solve such scheduling conflicts would be to set aside numerous time slots throughout the week in which only Judaic studies courses are offered, and to have a wide variety of levels and topics offered specifically in those times to allow students to actually take advantage of the range of levels, teachers and topics that are being taught.
There have been many complaints in regards to the range of levels offered for Judaic studies classes. The undergraduate women at YU come from a wide range of Torah learning backgrounds – from those who went to Jewish schools their entire lives and spent two years in seminary to those who come in barely knowing how to read Hebrew – and the needs of all of these students needs to be met.
One major problem is the gap that exists between the Mechina level classes and the intermediate level classes. The Mechina classes are geared towards students with a very limited background in Judaic studies, while the intermediate courses are geared towards students with a much stronger Judaic studies background. There are many students who may end up in the gap between the Mechina and intermediate levels; very often those who started in Mechina may advance their level of learning over their time in YU, just not necessarily to the level of many of the intermediate classes. Therefore courses need to be offered that bridge this gap.
On the other extreme, the advanced level classes do not always meet the students’ level of ability. Many students who spent time in seminary learned in more chavrutah-based classes as opposed to lecture-based ones. In such classes, students develop the skills to learn Torah independently, which should be one of the overall goals for all of the students walking into YU.
However, there are very few course options that suit this more advanced level of learning, which would require much more class time for students to be able to go through sources on their own before putting it all together with the teacher in the classroom.
Problems like these have led many female students to believe that the current lack of Torah learning opportunities reflects a potential priority issue of the YU administration. This is often fueled by the contrast between the men’s and women’s Torah curriculum. The men have four separate learning programs, which are all on various levels and taught in different styles catered to the needs of the students. Additionally, two of the learning programs that students have the opinion of participating in set aside mornings for beit midrash learning while the other two set aside mornings just for judaic classes.
The different opportunities for Torah learning for the men versus the women of YU can often lead to the belief that the YU administration cares more about men learning Torah than they do about women learning Torah. While I will admit that on a technical halachic level men have an obligation to learn Torah daily while women do not, there are still huge benefits for women to learn Torah. When women are more educated in Torah, this can lead to better Torah observance. Regardless of varying halachic levels of obligation for Torah study, women’s Torah learning is still important and must be a priority, and opportunities that reflect its significance should be nurtured.
Since YU is a Jewish university, students learning Torah should be a priority. The schedule and course offerings should reflect that. I hope that the YU administration will make the necessary changes in the future so that the women of YU have more opportunities to learn Torah in an accessible way, showing that our university sees women’s Torah learning at all levels as a priority.
Photo Caption: Tuesday Night Live on the Beren Campus
Photo Credit: Rabbi Fine