The Unintended Consequences of Competition and How to Avoid Them: Rabbi Menachem Nissel and Rabbi Benzion Sorotzkin '08

In recent years, the level of competitiveness-often promoted by contests and rewards-has signifigantly increased in our schools. This session discusses some of the unintended negative consequences of this trend and educational approaches that can minimize these consequences. The following questions are adressed:

• Is the competition that is prevalent today in mosdos hachinuch reflective of the kinas sofrim approved by chazal?
• Does metoch shelo lishma ba lishma and achrei hepeulos nimshuchim halvavos happen automatically?
• Is the purpose of shelo lishma to be an incentive or perhaps something very different?
• What have the gedolim of past an present generations said about competition and prizes?
• What can we learn from the extensive scientific research on the impact of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation?