The thing to keep in mind about the furor over the attack the Times is preparing against Orthodox yeshivas in New York is that it is part of a larger struggle — one destined for litigation and even the United States Supreme Court. At issue is New York’s requirement that private schools provide an education substantially equivalent to public schools. And the danger that this is interfering with the religious free exercise right vouchsafed in the federal Constitution.

In this fight, the Sun is on the side of the yeshivas, including the most fundamentalist ones. We see this as among the most important religious freedom disputes. Not because it directly affects huge numbers of New Yorkers. On the contrary, the number of Yeshivas at issue is a fraction of the 440 yeshivas in the state. The larger issue, though, could affect many more religious families, and not just Jews, in New York and beyond.