American Yated Publishes Chinuch Roundtable Spoof

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yated-chinuch-roundtableIn the spirit of Purim, the American Yated Ne’eman English-language newspaper this week features a spoof of its regular popular column called “The Yated Chinuch Roundtable,” a forum which each week has a chinuch question addressed by eleven prominent mechanchim from around the United States.

This week, instead of the standard Rountable column, the newspaper features a “Purim Roundtable,” with a fake question and answers from the eleven panelists – not written by the panelists themselves, but by the column’s moderator, Rabbi Yisroel Besser, and editors at the newspaper.

The answers, Rabbi Besser told Matzav.com yesterday, were written based on the style and approach of each individual panelist.

“Those who read the column regularly have come to recognize each panelist’s style and can even often predict what a given panelist’s response will be to the question that week,” said Rabbi Besser.

With that in mind, Rabbi Besser says, he and some editors at the paper set out to fabricate answers to the Purim question.

“The panelists themselves were impressed with how good the ‘impersonations’ are,” said an editor at the Yated. “One of them referred to it as tremendous ‘kishron.'”

Matzav.com asked Rabbi Besser what prompted him to write this Chinuch Roundtable spoof.

“Working with the writing ‘voices’ of these prominent mechanchim week after week,” responded Rabbi Besser, “gives one a sense of each one’s unique strength and clarity, and it was a fun challenge to try to articulate their worldview in this parody. Also,” he added, “[Yated Publisher] Rabbi [Pinchos] Lipschutz has been immersed in the Rubashkin saga for the last few weeks without coming up for air, and the thought of putting a smile on his face added impetus to the project.”

The eleven Chinuch Roundtable panelists are Rabbi Shneur Aisenstark, Dean, Beth Jacob Seminary, Montreal; Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Darchei Torah, Far Rockaway; Rabbi Dovid Engel, Menahel, The Toronto Cheder; Rabbi Aron Fink, Menahel, Ateres Bais Yaakov, Monsey; Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg, Dean, Torah Academy Of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Rabbi Yisroel Hisiger, former principal, Yeshiva & Mesivta Torah Temimah, Brooklyn; Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Toras Chaim at South Shore; Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Klein, Director, Publications and Communications, Torah Umesorah; Rabbi Avraham Neuberger, R”M, Yeshiva Gedola of Bridgeport; Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Editor, Artscroll/Mesorah Publications; and Rabbi Yechiel Spero, Rebbi, Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, Baltimore.

The Purim question is as follows:

My fifth child, an eleven-year-old son, has taken to clipping each Chinuch Roundtable column and following me around the house, even into the kitchen as I work. Whenever he sees me doing something that is not in accordance with the consensus of distinguished educators, he quotes from the Roundtable column. My husband suggested that this might be a breach of derech eretz, but I think that it might be a positive sign of his ability to seek guidance. What is the opinion of the distinguished panelists?

The ‘answers’ can be read in this week’s Yated.

{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter}


14 COMMENTS

  1. I read it and was amazed at how well each of the answers were ‘tapped uhn’ while still maintaining great respect for each mechanech.

    This is the lost art of kosher fun.

  2. I thought it was real.
    I follow rabbi Bender weekly avidly and was stunned to see his response. He is normally a higher class writer than that . It just did not make sense. all the food items, the insensitivity towards Brooklyn etc.
    BH it was just a spoof.

  3. I read Rav Bender each week at the table and was impressed at how they got his stacatto way of speaking, very confident, in a cute way,

  4. If we don’t respect our Mechanchim how can we expect that our children will?! I am hereby registering a Machaa against this terrible Leitzanus.

  5. i am sure they got permission from the mechanchim dont knock this kosher satire- its better then most of the other garbage out there

  6. It is cute. (In some cases I would’ve sought it went and teeney bit too far, But if the mechanchim themselves didn’t object- it is obviously great)

  7. Kish Ka i hope you normal up before your kids grow up. This is a nice example of kosher fun.

    I loved the way they got my child’s Rosh Yeshiva, whom we revere, I felt that his voice was there.

  8. This was hilarious and clean, respectful fun in the spirit of Purim whoever cant appreciate this I feel bad for they take themselves too seriously

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