Shas’s Top-Ten on the Ashkenazi Yeshiva
If you were wondering how Shasniks make fun of the Ashkenazi yeshiva world, see here for a “top-ten” list of requirements for acceptance into an Ashkenazi yeshiva. Here is one example from the list:
תחילה יקבל הבחור על עצמו כי ראש הישיבה יהיה מעתה אביו הרוחני, מחשבתו תהיה כמחשבתו, ופיו כפיו. והריהו מקבל על עצמו מעתה ועד עולם כל מנהג, השקפה ודעה שיחליט עבורו ראש הישיבה. וכל מנהג, השקפה ודעה שידע ושמע וראה בבית הוריו ורבותיו עד עתה, הרי הם בטלים ומבוטלים כחרס הנשבר וכדבר שאין בו ממש.
First, the young man must accept upon himself that from now on the rosh yeshiva will be his spiritual father. His thoughts will be like his thoughts, his speech like his. He must now accept upon himself every custom, worldview, and opinion, that the rosh yeshiva decides is for him. Every custom, worldview, and opinion, that until now he heard about and saw in his parent’s and teacher’s homes, they are null and void like broken ceramic and like something that has no signficance.
April 7th, 2011 at 11:27 am
Another proof that language cannot really be translated.
Kacheres HaNishbor in this context is not the literal “like broken ceramic”. It is a talmudical reference, based on the concept “kli cheres shviroson teharoson” =earthen ware that are ‘tamei’,only braking them makes them ‘tahor’. So there is even a stronger connotation, to the requirments of a Sefardi Bachur. [My hebrew on the this computer is out of wack-sorry]
April 7th, 2011 at 11:29 am
Thanks for the reference.