Yeshivas

 HH

It is told, that when Rabbi Chaim of Volozin first approached the Vilna Gaon with his idea of starting a yeshiva system, the GRA didn't even acknowledge him, and he dejectedly walked away. Two years later he tried again, and this time the GRA received the idea extremely positively and encouraged him to do it. Rabbi Chaim asked the GRA why the change of heart? The GRA said when he saw how R. Chaim was so on fire with the idea, he knew it was from the evil inclination, but now that two years had transpired and R. Chaim was still committed, was evidence that it was in fact a holy idea.
Who really knows if it was the correct decision, the yeshiva world thinks so, obviously, but who really knows. The yeshiva system was the way to resist the true way of Rabbainu. The Yeshivos of Europe were notorious hot beds of apikorsus, many of the students diligently studied forbidden heretical literature - as especially came to light in the famous fight between in the Yeshiva of Volozin between the Netziv who felt that it should be overlooked so as long as they could keep running and helping those studying Torah, and the Bais Halaivey who couldn't tolerate it.
Thank God for Na NaCh NaChMa NaChMaN MAyUMaN