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.
