One of the giants of kiruv in our time, and beyond it as well, has passed away. Although he didn't go around erecting giant menorahs in malls, driving a truck blaring Jewish music around a city, dancing in the streets, giving out candles or hand made matzah, preaching Chassidus, leading Farbrengens, or handing out dollar bills to the masses, he had (and continues to have) a colossal impact on the Jewish world, as well as the world at large, bringing giant numbers of people closer to their Father in heaven.
Rav Yosef Jacobson zt"l, modeled a different type of kiruv, as propounded by classic Litvishe Rosh Yeshivas like Rav Kotler, Rav Schach, and Rav Gifter zt"l. And he showed how powerful it could be. That just learning and fulfilling Torah, באמת, in one's regular place, can generate immensely powerful waves of impact and influence. His recent passing garnered enormous media coverage, and was news round the world.
The Torah world, as well as the kiruv world, deeply mourns the passing of Rav Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim ben Rav Jacob Israel, Rav Yosef Jacobson, aka Rav Chaim ben Rav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky zt"l, זי"ע. May we find consolation in the powerful and holy pathways he modeled so well being continued and spread by myriads of disciples and admirers.
ת נ צ ב ה
Sorry Mr. L but I think that your attempt at satire missed the mark. You can't use Reb Chaim's passing as an opportunity to snipe at Chabad. I am curious. A few years ago Yair Hoffman used a similar approach in the FTJT. He expressed his disdain for the Aronsons, two brothers who thought they were too good for any girl, and so they remained single. Hoffman then revealed that he was referring to Nadav and Avihu, I.e. Aaron's sons and then this so called Rabbi decided that this caused their deaths. What you wrote isn't nearly as offensive, bit I expect you to show more class.
ReplyDeleteThe point of the post was to show that "kiruv" does not necessarily mean what people think it is. That there is a different Litvishe way and philosophy of kiruv (the classic moshol [from the GR"A?] used in Litvishe Yeshivishe circles for it is of a cup overflowing - that first a person must fill himself up with Torah, etc., and then his bounty is shared with others when his cup runneth over with such spiritual treasures). Rav Chaim zt"l exemplified that derech in a giant way and showed how successful and impactful it could be.
ReplyDeleteRe the article re Nadav and Avihu, there is an opinion in Chazal along those lines, though one should of course exercise caution when relating it to particular situations.
The Chazon Ish used to say, "the greatest CHessed is to become a Gadol Batorah"
ReplyDeleteSadly, some people see the world throught 'megushamdige' lenses, and they do not have the patience to appreciate the subtleties of life. A person can stand in the street and place tefillin on passers by, thinking that he has overturned the world with his actions. Another person will sit in his seat in the Beis Hamedrash and learn with his Chavrusa. The person sitting next to him is inspired by his Hasmada and adds five minutes to that day's Seder Limmud. Somehow the first person will not see the chashivus of the second, he won't understand that the extra five minutes of learning is more important than the tefillin laid by the non-religious person in the first scenario.
This is besides your point that Reb Chaim actually turned people's lives around. If he just wrote a Derech Emuna, helping people understand Hilchos Shevi'is, is that not at least equal, in terms of public service, to placing Tefillin on all of the people who learned his Sefer?
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DeleteAnonymous, your points are well taken and I'd like to add to them. The Baal Shem gave a voice to the voiceless in Yiddishkeit and his contribution can't be overstated. The Rebbe, however, took his concept to a ridiculous extreme turning the Mechallel Yid into the centerpiece of the religion. Several years ago a Chabad Rabbi related the following from the Rebbe,"If Sukkot comes out on Shabbos we don't take the Arba Minim, but Chazal didn't allow Hoshana Rabbah to come out on Shabbos because it celebrates the Jew who has no Mitzvos". Lichtenstein had a variation on this. He explained that Chabad is the correct approach because it's produced 300,000 Baalei Tshuvos (that's not the only lie he's told) while the Yeshiva world hopes it can produce 5 Rosh Yeshivos. The fact is that we're now living in a time where basically everyone can become conversant, at least, in Gemara so obviously it's ridiculous for thousands of boys to chase after hopeless cases and then rejoice if one out of a hundred does him a favor and puts on those black boxes. I take the train to work each day and I learn. Over the years dozens of people Jews gentiles frum and otherwise have come over to tell me how impressed they are. I'm not doing it for that reason but I call it collateral benefit.
"those black boxes"
DeleteHey, don't knock "black boxes", your flight ain't soaring in the sky without "black boxes"... :)
My intent is not to denigrate those involved in Kiruv. By all means we should do all we can to encourage even the most unaffiliated Jew,but Rav Moshe had the correct approach, I.e. one should give 10% of his time to Kiruv. That's a lesson which is lost on Lubavichers.
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