It's come to my attention that the annual Lost Seforim Firesale was not held this year, and that the seforim were collected on a table with a request to current students to help reunite sefer with owner. (My last article had nothing to do with this development, so I can claim no credit.) It is certainly a step in the right direction, and I hope whoever is responsible for this will continue in these efforts. Let the firesale remain a thing of the past.

On a less cheery note, I would like to address the topics of "mesora" and cheating. I mention the two together not because I consider them to be synonymous, but because they do share certain dubious aspects.

To those recent arrivals to planet Earth, cheating is very much a part of the Yeshiva reality, despite the harsh penalties for being caught and the many collective hours wasted by certain professors formulating an official code against such behavior. (Do these people have nothing better to do with their little spare time?) Short of implementing a testing system that would be intolerable for students and/or professors, cheating will remain widespread. I only wish I were wrong. .

If all cheating accomplished were the improvement of one's own lot, I wouldn't worry much about those who engage in it; I don't envy them one bit. But since curves in one form or another are an inextricable part of the system, cheaters not only help themselves but hurt everyone else. .

For those who are not yet rendered incapable of shock, some of the things that go on are pretty shocking. A computer science teacher I had once gave a take-home midterm, expressing the naive hope that everyone would work on it separately. Uh huh. This is one of the best teachers I have ever had, but boy was that stupid. Fellow students unabashedly commiserated in the classroom the day the test was due while waiting for this teacher to arrive. I can only imagine what methods they privately employed. Needless to say, the two or three people who didn't cheat (and that's a pretty good approximation) were badly hurt gradewise. I've already written about how the grading system rewards exploitation rather than learning. Exploitation is, essentially, what "mesora" is all about. Grades don't reflect one's educational success, but one's ability to beat the system. Your Jewish History grade does not reflect your knowledge of Jewish history, but your ability to "get the grade." Your biology grade reflects the same thing. And every other mark on your sacred transcript. One might argue that achieving the bottom line is what counts (especially to companies), but if that is what college has come to we should all just forget the whole thing. .

The acquisition of a couple of essay questions (with prototypical answers included) makes an entire course superfluous. Those who take a course seriously are the ones most likely to get B's and C's, since those with the "mesora" will get the A's. Should students be penalized for not acquainting themselves with the "mesora" pushers, or for choosing not to avail themselves of it? Are they fools who deserve what they get for not playing the game? .

I'll say what can and should be done. Every teacher who is not aware of the existence of "mesora" should be roused from the doldrums and given a large cup of coffee. Second, every teacher should provide all students with sample questions and an old test or two. This would make "mesora" obsolete without affecting the credibility of the course. If he has more to teach than what's on the "mesora," the studious people will benefit, and if not the honest ones won't be hurt by others' questionable tactics. As for cheating, making life harder for everyone will not accomplish much. Perhaps grades can be determined by more than two tests and token credit for attendance and "participation" (credit should not be given for that; I may be cynical, but most comments are invariably dull and time-consuming). A series of short quizzes would be more effective, without increasing the overall workload. Alternatively, midterms and finals can be more creatively constructed. Either cheating and "mesora" should be neutralized or grades should be publicly recognized as irrelevant.