Rabbi Yona Goodman Urges Students to Build Lifelong Torah Study Habits Beyond Yeshiva

Ahead of the new academic year, Rabbi Yona Goodman called on yeshiva and ulpana students and their parents to look beyond grades and academic success. He emphasized that the true goal of Torah study during high school is to develop a lasting habit that will continue for decades after leaving the educational framework. In a video column on Channel 7, Rabbi Goodman explained that while everyone naturally hopes for fewer problems and better grades, these are not the primary objectives. He noted that the yeshiva or ulpana period is limited to four to six years, and the real question is what happens when students leave and begin their real lives.

Rabbi Goodman stressed the challenge of instilling a consistent daily Torah study routine that persists beyond formal schooling. He quoted Rabbi Yehuda Kuperman, founder of a Jerusalem college, who taught that even a short, regular daily study session can shape a lifetime. Rabbi Goodman described yeshivas and ulpanot as "greenhouses", protected environments where students acquire tools and habits, but not the entirety of life. The true test begins after leaving these frameworks, when one must integrate Torah study into everyday life.

He encouraged starting these habits as early as high school with brief, regular study sessions, such as a chapter of Tanakh or other age-appropriate material. The key is to create continuity and recognize that the lifelong challenge is to live with a dedicated place for Torah study every day.