B”H
Needed: Some Torah Entrepreneurial Spirit
Yonoson Rosenblum | Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Success breeds its own challenges. And the phenomenal growth of Torah learning in our times is
no exception. The Torah community has produced, and continues to produce, thousands of fine
talmidei chachamim. Only a limited number of these scholars will find ready opportunities to
give over their Torah knowledge to others, especially if they insist on living in the major centers
of Torah learning — Jerusalem and Bnei Brak in Eretz Yisrael and Lakewood in America.
Some bochurim, even very fine ones, are affected at the beis medrash level, when they look
around and see that there are many others as good or better in learning, and calculate that their
chances of ever finding a shtelle are very slight. For others the problem only starts after years in
kollel, when they begin to dry up inside from lack of opportunity to share their Torah learning
with others and enter the category of those who learn in order to teach.
Many of the latter have the capabilities to make major contributions, and there are communities
that would be eager for what they have to offer. But they lack the initiative to leave the comfort of
one of the great learning centers.
I’ve noticed over the years that one of the most prominent mashpiim in Jerusalem almost always
advises those who consult with him about whether to take a position abroad to do so, unless the
odds are stacked overwhelmingly against success. I’m convinced that he does so not only because
he believes it is every Jew’s responsibility to spread Torah, but also because he thinks his
talmidim will grow from having to take responsibility for the level of Torah in a particular place
and not just being another face in the crowd of lomdei Torah.
On a recent trip abroad, I ran into the son of a well-known Jerusalem rosh yeshivah. Far from
being depressed about living far away from his family, he told me that he was trying to convince
one of his brothers to join him. The reason: “There’s so much to do here.” In Jerusalem he would
have been one of thousands of budding Torah scholars, but in chutz l’Aretz, even in a large Torah
community, he was already, at a relatively young age, a maggid shiur for older teenagers and a
rosh kollel.
…
There are legitimate reasons for hesitation before venturing out of the major Torah centers —
e.g., concerns about the quality of the children’s education, the lack of a large circle of like-
minded families, and the lifestyle amenities of large Torah communities. But many of these
concerns have countervailing advantages. If the schools are weaker, fathers may spend much
more time learning individually with their sons. Children in out-of-town communities are more
likely to look at other Jews, regardless of their current level of observance, as fellow members of
Klal Yisrael, and to learn how to interact with different types of Jews.
Where there are no schools comprised exclusively of children of kollel couples, parents will make
a much greater effort to instill their children with a positive identity as Torah Jews, as opposed to
just relying on them to pick up that identity by osmosis from the school or the neighborhood. One
of my mentors once told me: “I raised half my children in Tel Aviv and half in Bnei Brak. Those
raised in Tel Aviv came out much stronger.” The former were forced to develop a positive
identification, whereas the latter just learned to imitate what they saw around them.
Against the risks entailed in leaving the comfortable environment of a large Torah center must be
weighed the risk of going through life without opportunities to give over Torah, without a feeling
of accomplishment or of being in any way distinguished from thousands of other lomdei Torah.
…
http://www.mishpacha.com/Browse/Article/1698/Needed-Some-Torah-Entrepeneurial-Spirit
My response
I read with great interest Yonoson Rosenblum's piece titled "Some Torah Entrepreneurial Spirit". Among his many fine points, were a few incentives encouraging talented Bnei Torah, to move out to remote communities outside of Lakewood, Yerushalaim and Bnei Brak.
One reason he mentions, is the benefit of being able to fully blossom when one is in a community where you're really needed and appreciated. A second important point that's made, is regarding the family. When they move to an 'out-of-town community' they spend more time with their children, in order to protect them from some of the outside influences. In addition, "children in out-of-town communities are more likely to look at other Jews, regardless of their current level of observance, as fellow members of Klal Yisrael, and to learn how to interact with different types of Jews".
I am a Lubavitcher Chossid, and I thought I might add some 'tips' based on the philosophy of Chassidus Chabad. (To date, there a well over 4500 Shluchim around the world).
The Rebbe ztz"l, has tought us, (there is a collection of his talks on the subject, "Sefer Hashlichus", with close to 700 pages on this topic), that going on Shlichus is clearly not easy. The main reason we are going, is to save klal Yisroel. The Jewish Federation estimates that 87% of American Jews are not Orthodox! In the Rebbe's words, "There is a fire burning, it's an emergency"!
Another fundamental in the Chabad outreach philosophy is a deep love for every Jew. "We are all part of one spiritual body", (Tanya ch. 32). Every Jew is a 'only' child of Hashem. We go out because of the love the Rebbe has shown us to give to every single Jew - no matter what.
Yes, doing Kiruv and Shlichus has many benefits to ourselves and our families, however, I believe the above ideas will add to the equation.
