"Not-able-to-sleep" update!
That's right. I was just lying down in bed for about a half hour... It turned out to be a seemingly* useless half hour of doing nothing.
(*I say seemingly, because I obviously don't want to contradict the Heiligeh lesson that the Besh"t taught us about the concept of Hashgocho Protis... So, though there is definitely a secret, heavenly reason for my lying in bed and looking at emptiness, I can't comprehend the reason and thus, I say seemingly useless!)
Anyways, based on this sleepless while, I decided to finally upload all the kak that was on my mind lately.
But first of all, the concept that has been bugging me. Beis Rivkah and Bnos Menachem show their real colors on the outside.
Saying this, I refer to the recent incident of Purim Koton, where both schools' eighth grade classes (I think) switched places and attended different schools in very jolly Purim Koton humor.
Very fun and clean humor on the surface, you would think. This happens all over the place apparently. Many Seminaries practice this custom. Yet, the reaction this time was very interesting.
Bnos Menachem staff laughed at the humor, turned it into a nice little strengthening of Judaism and brought out the positive from it... The school got up and said that because of the 'new' students in School, learning should be extra strong and invigorated. It was indeed. The girls were all very excited and lots of Davvening and learning happened.
Beis Rivkah met the girls of Bnos Menachem at the front door, and very strictly 'suggested' that any girl who does not regularly attend Beis Rivkah should turn around and go home. They were very upset at the whole joke.
At first, I reacted the way most other people reacted. I was under the impression that Beis Rivkah is giving the totally wrong lesson to their school. They probably had one of those uptight Shpitz women standing at the front door, very rudely telling the Bnos Menachem girls that they weren't wanted. A very 'old school' style, where learning is not a positive activity. This school teaches their pupils that they can't take nice jokes and be easygoing. Judaism has got to be boring, consistent and limited by tight guidelines!
Bnos Menachem on the other hand was cool about the joke. They reacted so superbly at the little joke that the students pulled. They showed that jokes are fine every once in a while... At the right times. Not only did they play along with the joke, but they even used the joke as a springboard to increase in their learning and praying. It's incredible how easygoing and positive an atmosphere Bnos Menachem showed.
"I'm sure next year, many angry parents are going to switch their daughters from Beis Rivkah to Bnos Menachem" is what I thought.
This is all my initial opinion. That's all before the wonderful wife showed me the entire picture.
Beis Rivkah: This school has gone through alot. They've had girls going off the way before. They've been there done that over their many years of service to the community. According to the wife, there have been times before that girls were found in boys apartments, hanging out with the wrong people and all the other stuph associated with "Not such Hassidic" behaviour. Hardened and embarrassed by ages of this bad reputation, Beis Rivkah is in desperate need to shape up and prove to the community that they can educate and develop Chassidishe Maidelach who are true and devoted to Yiddishkeit and Chassidishkeit. Therefore, Beis Rivkah is an aged educator, who knows what's best for the student. They know, that if such a joke goes by easily... then next time, who's to say that some girls won't take off and head over to see a movie (GASP!) Ch'v or other Klipah's Hashem Yishmereini!!
Bnos Menachem: This school has not seen any downhill activity yet. They are still a young, growing school that has lots to learn about education (... This is all just a theory!). It's a great thing, not to have to deal with basic Judaism issues in the school. It's great to not have a Frumkeit issue on your record like Bnos Menachem so proudly boasts... But! Who's to say that that time won't come for this school as well.
In other words, the lack of girls from Bnos Menachem Frai'ing out... Is it because Bnos Menachem has such an incredibly gifted, talented faculty, that cares about the students and has it all screwed on right... Or, are we to say that "their time will also come!" (Chas Veshalom!!)
Hmmmm...
I leave it at that.
I am getting tired, so though I have more to write. I.e. Steven the snowman and other pictures, I will have to leave it for another sleepless moment.
Good night fellow readers.
(*I say seemingly, because I obviously don't want to contradict the Heiligeh lesson that the Besh"t taught us about the concept of Hashgocho Protis... So, though there is definitely a secret, heavenly reason for my lying in bed and looking at emptiness, I can't comprehend the reason and thus, I say seemingly useless!)
Anyways, based on this sleepless while, I decided to finally upload all the kak that was on my mind lately.
But first of all, the concept that has been bugging me. Beis Rivkah and Bnos Menachem show their real colors on the outside.
Saying this, I refer to the recent incident of Purim Koton, where both schools' eighth grade classes (I think) switched places and attended different schools in very jolly Purim Koton humor.
Very fun and clean humor on the surface, you would think. This happens all over the place apparently. Many Seminaries practice this custom. Yet, the reaction this time was very interesting.
Bnos Menachem staff laughed at the humor, turned it into a nice little strengthening of Judaism and brought out the positive from it... The school got up and said that because of the 'new' students in School, learning should be extra strong and invigorated. It was indeed. The girls were all very excited and lots of Davvening and learning happened.
Beis Rivkah met the girls of Bnos Menachem at the front door, and very strictly 'suggested' that any girl who does not regularly attend Beis Rivkah should turn around and go home. They were very upset at the whole joke.
At first, I reacted the way most other people reacted. I was under the impression that Beis Rivkah is giving the totally wrong lesson to their school. They probably had one of those uptight Shpitz women standing at the front door, very rudely telling the Bnos Menachem girls that they weren't wanted. A very 'old school' style, where learning is not a positive activity. This school teaches their pupils that they can't take nice jokes and be easygoing. Judaism has got to be boring, consistent and limited by tight guidelines!
Bnos Menachem on the other hand was cool about the joke. They reacted so superbly at the little joke that the students pulled. They showed that jokes are fine every once in a while... At the right times. Not only did they play along with the joke, but they even used the joke as a springboard to increase in their learning and praying. It's incredible how easygoing and positive an atmosphere Bnos Menachem showed.
"I'm sure next year, many angry parents are going to switch their daughters from Beis Rivkah to Bnos Menachem" is what I thought.
This is all my initial opinion. That's all before the wonderful wife showed me the entire picture.
Beis Rivkah: This school has gone through alot. They've had girls going off the way before. They've been there done that over their many years of service to the community. According to the wife, there have been times before that girls were found in boys apartments, hanging out with the wrong people and all the other stuph associated with "Not such Hassidic" behaviour. Hardened and embarrassed by ages of this bad reputation, Beis Rivkah is in desperate need to shape up and prove to the community that they can educate and develop Chassidishe Maidelach who are true and devoted to Yiddishkeit and Chassidishkeit. Therefore, Beis Rivkah is an aged educator, who knows what's best for the student. They know, that if such a joke goes by easily... then next time, who's to say that some girls won't take off and head over to see a movie (GASP!) Ch'v or other Klipah's Hashem Yishmereini!!
Bnos Menachem: This school has not seen any downhill activity yet. They are still a young, growing school that has lots to learn about education (... This is all just a theory!). It's a great thing, not to have to deal with basic Judaism issues in the school. It's great to not have a Frumkeit issue on your record like Bnos Menachem so proudly boasts... But! Who's to say that that time won't come for this school as well.
In other words, the lack of girls from Bnos Menachem Frai'ing out... Is it because Bnos Menachem has such an incredibly gifted, talented faculty, that cares about the students and has it all screwed on right... Or, are we to say that "their time will also come!" (Chas Veshalom!!)
Hmmmm...
I leave it at that.
I am getting tired, so though I have more to write. I.e. Steven the snowman and other pictures, I will have to leave it for another sleepless moment.
Good night fellow readers.
posted by the Mitzvah man! at Tuesday, February 26, 2008
8 Comments:
I think both of you are thinking very sensibly... you can look at it either way, but definitly at first glance I would put down Beis Rivka too... I think they just have too many girls... to big of a school that they just couldn't handle the sitch (and most sitches in that case), so when you think of where to send your daughters (IY"H), what school comes to mind? That's the real question!
The point I was making was, that possibly Beis Rivkah is the better school. Simply because they have much more experience in dealing with important problematic issues like girls 'frai'ing out'... While Bnos Menachem, being a new, young and undeveloped school may panic in a possibly threatening scenario.
So perhaps then, girls should be encouraged to go the Beis Rivkah.
Here it is from another angle... Imagine some girls would have been busted at the movies on Purim Koton, while this whole ordeal was going on. In such a case, we would all be praising Beis Rivkah for their professional response to the "joke" and we would also be admonishing Bnos Menachem for being so lenient on the girls.
We're just lucky that no girls used this joke for their own benefit. That's all. We had a lucky break this time!
I don't know if movies need even come into play . . . The bottom line is that school caries an achrios, and if people can play such games, they prevent the school from properly performing its function -This isn't some shtick done by, say, bochurim in a zal (17 -18 whatever) -though that would also be problematic . . . we're speaking about 8th graders, little kids!
bm has plenty of it's own issues... and br has failed more than enough of it's own students.
it's amazing that everyone has s/t to say abt things they know nothing about.
Mottel - Two things.
1) I only mentioned the movies, because that's what Beis Rivkah had to say in defense of itself apparently. That is according to what Crownheights.info reported. But you are right.
2) It's one thing to be upset about a joke made on any random day... But on Purim Koton, you would expect a little bit of understanding from the school. It's what you might call "the right thing at the right time!"... But 'KeNireh', Beis Rivkah didn't think so.
Puleeeeeez - When did I ever say that BM doesn't have issues?? If anything, I said that one of their issues would be their lack of experience (possibly among other issues!)... When did I ever imply that BR didn't fail students?? If anything I said clearly that BR has failed miserably time and time again in the past... I was just bringing up a random theory to be developed.
But not bad on your rude skills... Unless you're someone cool that I know. Then that was a great comment and I really thought it was some swell input from you.
... Puleeez!!
its the concept of vnehapech hu (it being adar)
something that a lot of girls schools do in one form or another
i noticed that you were focusing on what beis rivka did to the bnos menachem girls not to the B"R girls
(while im not saying whether what they did to the b"r kids is right or not)
they definitely could have acted in a better manner to the b"m kids and utilized the oppertunity to leave a positive taste in their mouths
(stam was it 8th graders or 10th 11th graders??)
W - Absolutely correct. Ans yes! It was 10th and 11th grade. I had it corrected by the wife... Which brings me back to Mottel, who previously commented about their young age... They are apparently not SO young. (I'm not saying that they're older girls, equivalent to Yeshivah Gedola Bochurim. All I say is that they're not as young as I initially figured)
Go figure!
I read about the movie comment as well, and find it somewhat strained (ala the rosh -"your shirt's untucked, you might as well shmad!")
The bottom line is the school is legally responsible, that and the obvious existence of ngative feelings towards Be"M (Right or wrong -I'm not going there), make their actions understandable in my eyes . . . Not that I would necessarily do what they did . . .
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