The Matzav newspaper recently published an interview with Artscroll co-founder Rabbi Nosson Scherman. The whole article was interesting, however the following paragraphs stuck out in my mind. On the one hand humorous, on the other hand a truly sad depiction of the quality of general education in certain sectors of our community.
Y.H.: How did you get such a strong background in English language skills?
N.S.: Yeshivos in general in those days had stronger general-studies departments than they have today. A very important influence was my friendship with Rabbi Nisson Wolpin and Rabbi Mendel Weinbach. They were two of my classmates, and we used to correspond. Rabbi Wolpin was from Seattle and Rabbi Weinbach was from Pittsburgh. During the summers we used to write letters. Does anyone correspond today? We wrote to each other-that helped. We tried to outdo each other; we were big-shot teenagers. The only way to learn how to write is to write. You know that. That is your craft. But it was those correspondences that helped a lot.
Y.H.: I have noticed that the word “ArtScroll” has taken on a new connotation in some circles. It has replaced the expression “highfalutin.” I have heard people say, “I can’t read that! It is written in ArtScroll English”-meaning with too high a vocabulary. Do you have any comment about that?
N.S.: We try as much as possible to avoid complex terminology. Simplify, simplify, simplify. I do try to avoid hefty words. When I edit others, I try to simplify what they are saying. If people feel that our English is not intelligible, it reflects the fact that they just don’t know English. It’s the American educational system.
This coming Thursday (24th Decemeber 2009) I am flying to the holy land for my very first time, Thank G-d. It is a special privilege and honour that I have been given, which I am very grateful for. I will be there until the 22nd of January.