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The Merits of Kiruv

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The Merits of Kiruv TABLE OF CONTENTS Kiruv Rechokim in the Words of Our Gedolim . IX Foreword . XLIII Preface . XLVII Acknowledgments . L Introduction . 1 The Merits of Kiruv . 3 Arvus — Guarantors of the Jewish People . .14 Achrayus — Taking Responsibility . .21 Leadership for the Layperson . .32 Lifesaving . .58 Demonstrating Love for Others . .63 Demonstrating Love for Hashem . .67 The Mitzvah of Tochachah . .72 Kiddush Hashem . .88 Self- Sacrifice for Others: Setting Priorities . .97 Ashreinu . .105 Effective Kiruv . .115 The Power of Torah . .123 In the Footsteps of Avraham . .133 The Call for Kiruv throughout the Ages . .159 Appendix A: Selected Source Material Relating to Outreach . .194 Appendix B: Essays on Kiruv by Rav Noach Weinberg . .272 Epilogue: A Call To Action . .320 Sources . .329 Biographies of Gedolei Torah . .341 VII KIRUV RECHOKIM IN THE WORDS OF OUR GEDOLIM I THANK THE MANY Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva who have written letters of approbation for this sefer. I am humbled by their generous words of praise and support for me personally, but that was never my intent. Rather, the purpose for collecting so many letters was to demonstrate the widespread chizuk of our Gedolei Yisrael for the subject of kiruv. These letters do not merely serve as approbations but are a substantial element of the mission of this book and express their sup- port, encouragement, and hashkafah for the holy and urgent work of kiruv rechokim. GEDOLEI YISRAEL Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, and Rav Moshe Sternbuch Rav Yitzchak Berkovits Rav Elya Brudny Rav Dovid Cohen Rav Yehoshua Eichenstein Rav Nachum Eisenstein Rav Aharon Feldman Rav Yerachmiel Fried Rav Pinchas Friedman Rav Shmuel Fuerst Rav Menachem Greenblatt IX X Rebuilding the Jewish World Rav Dovid Harris Rav Baruch Hirshfeld Rav Naftali Jaeger Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky / Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi Rav Nissan Kaplan Rav Malkiel Kotler Rav Dovid Lau Rav Zev Leff Rav Shmuel Levin Rav Ahron Lopiansky Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl Rav Yeruchem Olshin Rav Noach Orlowek Rav Yaakov Perlow Rav Hershel Schachter Rav Yitzchak Scheiner Rav Chaim Yisrael Shapira Rav Baruch Meir Yaakov Shochet Rav Berel Wein Rav Asher Weiss Kiruv Rechokim in the Words of Our Gedolim XI XII Rebuilding the Jewish World THE MERITS OF KIRUV (TOSEFTA (Horayos 2:7 תוספתא )מסכת הוריות, פרק ב’, ז’( Bringing a person under the wings of the Shechinah is tantamount to כל המכניס בריה אחת forming him, nurturing him, and תחת כנפי השכינה מעלין .bringing him to the world עליו כאילו יצרו ורקמו והביאו לעולם. INSIGHT: Bringing Jews closer to experiencing and under- standing Torah and mitzvos is the entry to the spiritual lifestyle of Torah Judaism. Living a life of Torah Judaism is considered as living “under the wings of the Shechinah,” which is a level of spiritual closeness and connection. This is what every Jew should aspire to achieve. When one Jew helps another reach this level, the Torah accredits him as if he brought him into life. What a merit! (ZOHAR (Parashas Terumah זוהר )פרשת תרומה( — תרגום בעברית If people would only know how much benefit and merit is earned אילו היו יודעים בני אדם, by promoting spiritual merit to the כמה תועלת וזכות יש masses [by motivating them to do בזיכוי הרבים, היו רודפים mitzvos], they would run after this אחרי מצווה זו, כמי שרודף !mitzvah like one who is pursuing life אחר החיים! 3 4 Rebuilding the Jewish World INSIGHT: A Jew who strives to grow spiritually will nat- urally look to go “above the letter of the law” in his per- formance of halachah and mitzvos, and will take pleasure in performing a hiddur mitzvah. Our inclination is to think along these lines with certain mitzvos. The Zohar is raising our sphere of thinking by letting us know the power and benefit of motivating others to do mitzvos. Perhaps this is no less worthy of hiddur mitzvah. — RAV LEVI YITZCHAK OF BERDITCHEV קדושת לוי )פרשת שמיני( (KEDUSHAS LEVI (Parashas Shemini והנה עיקר השראת השכינה The Divine Presence primarily comes על האדם הוא כשמנהיג to a person when he leads people and את העולם ועוסק עם כל engages each individual by bringing him אחד ואחד לקרב אותו closer to serving the Creator on his own לעבודת הבורא ברוך הוא level. In the merit of the masses whom כל אחד ואחד לפי מדריגתו he is engaging to possibly bring them אז בזכותא דרבים שעוסק to teshuvah, Hashem will bring upon עמם שמא יחזרו בתשובה him the Divine Presence. However, the והשם יתברך משרה שכינתו righteous person who does not reach עמנו. והנה זה הצדיק שאינו out to each individual to bring him מקרב כל כך לעסוק עם closer to the Creator, but rather merely כל אחד לקרב אל הבורא strengthens himself, does not really רק מחזיק לעצמו אזי אין attain the Divine Presence since he השכינה שורה עליו כל כך, .lacks the merit of the community כי ליכא זכותא דציבורא. (TALMUD (Bava Metzia 85a גמרא )ב”מ פה.( Whoever teaches Torah to someone כל המלמד את בן חבירו else’s child will be privileged to sit in תורה זוכה ויושב בישיבה :the Heavenly Academy, for it is written של מעלה שנאמר ואם ,If you will cause [Israel] to repent“ תשוב ואשיבך לפני תעמוד then I will bring you again and you will stand before me.” continued on next page The Merits of Kiruv 5 continued from previous page And whoever teaches Torah to the וכל המלמד את בן עם child of an unlearned person, even if הארץ אפילו הקדוש ברוך the Holy One, blessed be He, makes a הוא גוזר גזירה מבטלו decree, He annuls it for his sake, as it בשבילו שנאמר ואם תוציא is written: “And if you shall take the יקר מזולל כפי תהיה. proper person from the lowly, you shall be as My mouth.” RAV TZADOK OF LUBLIN — TZIDKAS צדקת הצדיק )סימן קיא( (HATZADDIK (Siman 111 בעקבתא דמשיחא העיקר ,In the era of the footsteps of Mashiach הוא רק להוציא יקר מזולל. the primary [mission] is to extract that which is precious from those who are lowly. (CHOVOS HALEVAVOS (Gate of Trust — Chapter 4 חובות הלבבות )שער הבטחון, פרק ד( A person’s good deeds alone do not make him suitable for the reward of גמול העולם הבא אין אדם the World to Come. Hashem considers ראוי לו במעשהו הטוב him suitable only because of two other בלבד אך יהיה ראוי מן .factors in addition to his good deeds האלוהים בשני דברים אחר The first is that he teaches others the המעשה הטוב. האחד service of Hashem and guides them שיורה בני האדם עבודת in doing good … and the second is הבורא יתעלה וינהיגם .Hashem’s kindness and beneficence לעשות הטוב … והשני חסד מאלוהים ונדבה וטובה. INSIGHT: Who is not looking for extra berachah and merit for themselves and for their families? Many Jews make great effort to receive blessings from tzaddikim. Hashem generously rewards those who extend themselves for others, particularly for those who are spiritually underprivileged in Torah learning and not living in the ways of Hashem. 6 Rebuilding the Jewish World CHOVOS HALEVAVOS חובות הלבבות (Gate of Loving Hashem — Chapter 6) )שער אהבת ה’, פ”ו( ,It is proper for you to know, my brother וראוי לך, אחי, לדעת, כי regarding the merit of the believer, that זכיות המאמין, אפילו אם even if he reaches the furthest extreme יהיה מגיע אל התכלית in the rectification of his soul in its הרחוקה בתיקון נפשו devotion to Hashem and came close לאלהים, יתברך, ואילו ,to the Prophets, in their good traits היה קרוב למלאכים praiseworthy conduct, zeal in the service )לנביאים( במידותם הטובות of Hashem, and pure love of Him, it ומנהגיהם המשובחים is not like the merit of one who leads והשתדלותם בעבודת people to the good path, and straightens הבורא ואהבתם הזכה בו, ,the wicked to the service of Hashem אינם כזכיות מי שמורה because his merits multiply according to בני אדם אל הדרך הטובה .their merits, every day and at all times ומיישר הרשעים אל עבודת The analogy of this is to two merchants הבורא, שזכיותיו נכפלות who came to a country. One of them בעבור זכיותם בכל הימים profited from the merchandise in his ובכל הזמנים. והמשל בזה hand ten times the original value (of משני סוחרים הגיעו אל ten gold coins), bringing it to a total המדינה, הרויח אחד מהם of one hundred gold coins. The second בסחורה אחת שהיתה בידו merchant profited only two times his עשרת כפלי הקרן, והיה original value, but he brought many הכל מאה זוז, והרויח שני types of merchandise (worth five כפל אחד בלבד, והיו לו thousand gold coins), bringing a total סחורות רבות והגיעו לידו ,of ten thousand gold coins. Therefore עשרת אלפי זוזים, והיה the profit of the first merchant, even ריוח הסוחר הראשון עם with his profiting tenfold, amounted רוב כפלי הריוח תשעים זוז only to ninety gold coins, while ועשרה חלקים מאחד עשר the second merchant profited five חלק בזוז, והיה ריוח הסוחר thousand gold coins, even though he השני חמשת אלפים זוזים .profited only twofold עם מעט כפל הריוח. continued on next page The Merits of Kiruv 7 continued from previous page Likewise, my brother, if one rectifies וכן, אחי, מי שאין מתקן only himself, he will have a small אלא נפשו בלבד, תהיה merit. But if one rectifies himself זכותו מעטה, ומי שמתקן and many other people, he will have נפשו ונפשות רבות, his merit multiplied according to the תכפל זכותו כפי זכיות כל merits of all the people whom he מי שיתקן לאלהים, כמו ,rectified to Hashem, as Chazal said שאמרו רבותינו, זכרונם Whoever motivates the masses to“ לברכה )אבות ה, יח(: ”be virtuous will not come to any sin כל המזכה את הרבים Avos 5:18), and they said, “Moshe was) אין חטא בא על ידו, righteous and caused the multitude ואמרו: משה זכה וזיכה to become righteous, the merit of את הרבים, זכות הרבים ,the multitudes is attributed to him תלוי בו, שנאמר )דברים as it is written: ‘He performed the לג, כא(: צדקת ה’ עשה righteousness of Hashem and His ומשפטיו עם ישראל, ואמר judgments with Israel,’ ” and the wise )משלי כד כה(: ולמוכיחים man said, “But to them that reprove ינעם ועליהם תבוא ברכת shall be delight, and a good blessing טוב וגו’.
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