Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Leave to go to college to become doctors

Igros Moshe (YD IV #36.1) Question There are students who want to leave yeshiva to learn in college to prepare to become doctors. Should they be encouraged to remain in yeshiva? Answer |It is definitely good  to encourage them to stay in yeshiva especially since they are mostly only 17 years old. They want to leave the yeshiva because of the seduction of the yetzer that they need to be concerned with parnossa and they are not interested or satisfied with a Torah profession such as being a teacher or rabbi or computers or other profession which takes relative little time to prepare. They only want medicine or similar professions which require great amounts of time (ten years or more) as well as going to college. This is advice of the wicked. No one gets corrupted immediately. First you listen to the advice of the wicked that you need to be concerned with parnossa.even before the appropriate age since they have all their needs met by their parents but they still worry because of the advice of the wicked and this is reinforced by the principle not to rely on miracles for which they become very conscientious  Consequently they don’t worry about parnossa  at the normal time which is appropriate after marriage. That is because G-d can provide parnossa in many ways even without miracles but in a natural fashion aqs is obvious and it doesn’t require any preparation. That is stated clearly in Kiddushin (82a) I ignore all professions and only teach my son Torah. Even those who disagree and say that it is teaching him to be a thief  do not require that their children be taught a profession that will make them wealthy. They only require a minimal easy job and give instruction in addition to pray for adequate parnossa. That is because wealth and poverty are from G-d not from a profession.  Thus these youth are acting on a false idea that wealth is determined by profession. Even the need to study an easy and clean profession  has not been required in America for a long time because of G-d’s kindness This is true not only for America but for the whole world. It is a fact that almost all the wealthy became wealthy not because of a specific course of study whether medicine or engineering or even accounting. Even those who received specialized training, this did not cause their wealth or made them more wealthy than other rich people. Thus we see that wealth is a entirely a present from G-d according to his merit and mazal. As long as they stay in yeshiva, most will want to be a talmid chachom. Thank G-d  we have many students who do not want to leave yeshiva for any reason even against the pressure from parents.In fact there is no obligation to listen to parents in this matter .As regards satisfaction. What relevance does that have for parnossa and material things. It only is relevant for spiritual matters. It obviously is an issue only because they lack an inherent love and desire for Torah study. Consequently if it is possible, they should be influenced to stay in yeshiva and not worry at all about parnossa. However if they can’t be influenced to stay or at least to delay leaving for a number of years  and to trust that G-d will provide them with parnossa.  Try to delay them at least a year or two because they don’t lose by this short delay. But this requres care since by remaining a short time it might be a bad influence on others. If that is not a concern thaen by remaining another year or two they might change their mind and stay permananetly. This that you are sure that if they go to college they won’t study prohibited subjects. That is definitely not something that can be relied upon.  Once they leave yeshiva it is likely that they will be influenced to the bad by their fellow students . Therefore you need to try hard to keep them in yeshiva. And if you can’t to at least find someone who can influence them in college to remain religious and continue Torah study. 

3 comments :

  1. Garnel IronheartMay 6, 2025 at 3:29 PM

    It's bothersome that the idea that medicine is this fascinating, complex field and learning it brings you to greater appreciation of how amazing God's creation is doesn't appear in this teshuvah. It's a bit too simplistic to say "Oh, they just want to be doctors to make money."

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    Replies
    1. Like I said, when it comes to frum and hareidi shadchanim, they don't ask about yiras shamayim. They don't ask what sacrifices you have made to observe the shulchan aruch.
      They ask about parnassah, otherwise go f-- yourself, bum.

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    2. That's smearing with a broad brush.But typical of you

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