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11 Nissan 5761 - April 4, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Yeshivas Lev Yisroel
by Rabbi Nachum Chaimowitz

Recently, Rabbi Nachum Chaimowitz, author of sefer Malbushei Kovod VeTiferes and a former student of Rabbi Wolbe at Yeshivas Be'er Yaakov, has opened a yeshiva for English speaking baalei teshuva called Lev Yisrael. HaRav Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg blessed this initiative, writing, "Yehi rotzon that he merit the blessings of Hashem in all his toil."

The following is the hashkofoh of Lev Yisrael, based on Rabbi Chaimowitz's findings and experience of over ten years in the teshuva movement.

Just as a country has to constantly review its strategies, and just as a successful businessman needs to constantly adjust his marketing approach, so too the teshuva movement must adjust its strategies in order for it to be maximally effective. The rabbis of the Talmud in their subtle way have hinted to us that we must develop strategies of spreading Torah in the same way as we would build a business. Therefore, if we are serious about making the teshuvah movement as successful as a business, it is imperative that we reevaluate the present day reality of Jewish youth who are not yet religiously affiliated.

It is clear that there has been a drastic change of mindset among the youth over the last twenty years. Back in the 60s and 70s, a young thinker would pride himself on his intellectual assessment of a situation. On occasion, he would grasp an all-encompassing theory that seemed momentarily as if he had just solved all the major world problems. He would argue it with friends, and he would heatedly advance claims to prove that his assessment of the world was the right one. One day, he would discover that his dream of a Utopia had fallen short in some area. He would then go around searching for another sociological hypothesis that once again held the promise of solving all the world's problems.

During that time, it was very fitting that the teshuvah movement should base its foremost strategy upon advancing intellectual proofs about the truth of Torah Judaism. If at any point in his journey, the young Jewish thinker were to stumble upon someone who could answer all of his queries, he would immediately be open to forsaking his secular past and to adopting religious Judaism.

Today, however, the overwhelming majority of youth are caught up in a whirlpool of emotion. To put it in the words of an internationally acclaimed outreach professional, Rabbi Motti Berger, "No one is interested in Aristotle anymore."

The youth of today relate to emotions. They relate to experiences much more than to intellectual descriptions of how the world should be. They are looking for a rope to grab on to, a heart to care, and if they don't find it, then the pulls of the world lead them to drugs, promiscuity and cults. Amidst the continuously building confusion that surrounds them, Jewish teenagers nowadays become everlastingly grateful to someone who is willing to step into their inner world of confusion, and help make sense out of it.

And so, in order to be optimally effective in our task of being responsible adults, and if we wish to rise to the unique challenge of imparting Torah to the next generation, we must shift our focus in outreach in order that it meet the real needs of youth today. We must show them how Torah offers clarity in a world of confusion; both clarity in understanding oneself and clarity in the understanding of others. We must share with them the tools and insights into human nature that already exist within the deepest confines of Torah in a way that will not be misunderstood, so that they can properly and realistically channel their emotions toward a life of kiyum hamitzvos. We must use all of our know-how and resources to create environments that we will be conducive to having enthusiastic and emotional experiences within a frum context, in order to counterbalance the experiences and exposure that is so generously spewn upon them from the outside. It is only in this way that we can be maximally effective.

This is the teshuvah movement of the future. It is the goal that the people at Lev Yisrael live within and are working constantly toward achieving. Only once we can offer the youth clarity, confidence and emotional outlets that breed enthusiasm will we see greater results. More Jewish neshomos will be attracted and those who stop in Israel "just for a taste," will be more prone to staying for the long-term. Our ability at kiruv worldwide will also increase exponentially, as we develop more strongly committed individuals. Lev Yisrael seeks to be a pulsating force that not only will develop itself but will also help to increase the proficiency of other existing institutions and programs. May Hashem help us to be successful in our unified efforts to merit that unique quality that might soon characterize our generation: teshuvah.

 

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