Learning in Yiddish

Question

The problem, it seems to me, is not the instruction in Yiddish per se. R’Moshe ZTL often opined that all Ashkenazic Jews should learn Yiddish as a matter of Minhag Kadosh. (Guess that lets you off the hook). You have often stated that individuals should learn (Tanach, Gemora, etc.) without printed translation. Unless one is a native Aramaic speaker (there still are such people), or a native classical Hebrew speaker (not modern Hebrew), translation is obviously required. The accuracy of the translation relies on the Torah scholarship of the rebbi or melamedes and his (or her) facility with the language into which he/she is translating the original. I am willing to concede that the level of Torah scholarship among rebbeim in major yeshivas is high. Unfortunately, the other requirement, facility in the second language is often weak, especially in Yiddish. The vast majority of American rebbis, even the chasidic ones, do not speak (or write) Yiddish well. After hearing an American born magid shiur in a major American yeshiva attempt to explain the nuances of a difficult Tosefos with his 850-word Yiddish vocabulary, one can begin to understand the futility, not to mention the danger of teaching incorrect pshat, in persisting in this travesty. I believe that English should be that regular language of Torah translation and explanation in America, replacing Yiddish and even Ivrit B’Ivrit. English has, by far, the largest and most nuanced vocabulary of any language, enabling the precise translation of the most difficult concepts and arguments. This presupposes, of course, that the Magid Shiur is reasonably literate in English. Sadly, many melamdim are only semi-literate in both Yiddish and English. For example, the Soncino English translation of Sha’as is precise and accurate. It does, however, require a command of the English language beyond that usually found in yeshiva high schools. It therefore behooves anyone who teaches Limudei Kadosh to possess a superior facility in English. If it is absolutely necessary to teach in Yiddish, a similarly extensive command of that language is required. Alas, the source materials for developing scholarly literacy in Yiddish are mostly found in the militantly anti-religious secular Yiddish literature. In short (Hah!), the key to proper Torah education is to have rebbies and melamdim who are not only yirei shamayim and talmidei chachamim, but who also possess the cultural and language skills to accurately convey the beauty and meaning of our Holy Torah. P.S. Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's ZTL translation of Chumash is also excellent. P.P.S. This is the sort of essay that really shouldn’t be posted on a sheilos v’tshuvos board, but what the hey.