SHINING THE LIGHT OF TORAH ON SHLICHUS

Stories about shluchim who started Torah schools: the difficulties, the successes, and the nachas.

TALMUD TORAH IN THE ATLIT PRISON

R’ Moshe Axelrod, shliach to Atlit, started two Talmud Torahs, one for inmates in the Atlit prison and another, ordinary one, for children. This may sound simple, but these were actually two very difficult projects. It is only thanks to Hashem’s kindness and the ko’ach of the meshaleiach that these “mosdos” continue to thrive.

Sitting in prison is a former hardcore criminal with lots of experience in the field by the name of Bento (short for Ben Tabib). Bento attends R’ Axelrod’s shiurim and partly listens and partly explains to his friends that which they do not understand. When they reached chapter five of Tanya where it explains that the Torah is food and mitzvos are the garments of the soul in Gan Eden, some of the inmates found it puzzling.

Bento banged on the table and said, “Why don’t you understand? When a person does mitzvos and does not learn Torah, it’s like you’re walking on the main street of Ramle with clothing on but you’re hungry, you have nothing to eat. When a person learns Torah and does not do mitzvos, it’s like you are walking down the street satiated, but naked.”

THE MASHPIA OF THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

In Beitar Ilit there is a Chabad school, but that’s nothing new. What’s new is that there is a mashpia for the school. The principal, R’ Yosef Hirsch Sirotzky came up with the idea and asked R’ MM Roth to serve as the mashpia of the school. One usually thinks of a mashpia in a mesivta-high school, but here, there is a mashpia in a Talmud Torah-elementary school too.

The staff, as well as the parents and students, didn’t realize at first how beneficial having a mashpia for 6-12 year olds could be. R’ Roth visits each class once a week and talks to the students about things that pertain to them. One week he chooses to talk about being careful not to remove one’s yarmulke for even a moment, not even when running after a ball. Another week the topic might be about preparing negel vasser near the bed before going to sleep or to use an elastic “bendel” on their tzitzis or Kibud Av V’Eim.

R’ Roth combines his talk with a Chassidishe story, a niggun and mainly, lots of neshama and enthusiasm which makes a deep impact on the children. When he tells a Chassidishe story, he includes all the names and details, which delivers a more powerful message to the children and enters their hearts. Many parents have told about significant changes at home following these talks of R’ Roth. After years of arguing, which did not help, as well as repeated reminders to prepare negel vasser, suddenly the child is asking when he can place it next to his bed already.

Parents tell R’ Roth, “You don’t know what you’ve done for my child. Every Shabbos he keeps the family and guests enthralled with Chassidishe stories and this uplifts the entire Shabbos meal.”

CHILDREN REGISTERING CHILDREN

In addition to weekly visits to all the classes, R’ Roth holds an assembly for all the children on Fridays. At these assemblies, he announces contests in cooperation with the staff. The contests are on various Chassidic themes and the competition keeps the excitement level high.

R’ Roth explained to the children, quoting the Rebbe, that every Jew is a shliach of the Rebbe and needs to spread Judaism and hasten the Geula. When he announced the letter in a Torah scroll contest, he asked the children to register as many children as possible from other social circles. Within two weeks, the children had gotten over 400 children to buy a letter. Each of them received a beautiful certificate that showed they participated in this important campaign of buying a letter in a Torah scroll.

R’ Roth tells about a boy from the school who lives in Yishuv Neve Daniel, who sadly returned an empty registration form to him. “I am too shy to approach other children,” he said. R’ Roth encouraged him and convinced him to keep the form; perhaps the opportunity would come up and he would register a child. Feeling encouraged by this conversation, a week later the boy returned with a list of 40 children from his yishuv who had each purchased a letter.

R’ Roth said that the children have surpassed these already impressive accomplishments. When they heard that there are also Sifrei Torah for adults they asked the mashpia for forms so they could register adults too. In the lobby of the school a giant sign was hung which reported how many points each class earned every week of this project. The competition spurs the children on to do even more.

LITTLE SOLDIERS

In light of the sicha in which the Rebbe says that some persistent people are needed to bring Moshiach, R’ Roth started a “Vaad Misakshim” (Committee of the Persistent) in each class which leads the entire class in adding in learning and good deeds to hasten the Geula. The Vaad constantly initiates Chassidishe activities such as producing a biweekly newsletter with divrei Torah and stories. The newsletter contains a mission that all the students need to do, whether it is increasing in learning or t’filla, hiddur mitzva or going on mivtzaim.

Once a week all the students come half an hour before school begins and have a shiur which is given by the students themselves, members of the Vaad. In each of these shiurim, the children say a sicha, tell a Chassidic story, a halacha, and they recite the 12 P’sukim.

“Some talmidim came over to me,” said R’ Roth, “who live in yishuvim near Beitar. They come every morning with transportation that brings them just as school is about to begin and they cannot attend the earlier shiur. They asked whether they can make another shiur like it during the afternoon recess or after school is over.” Impressive!

The lower classes, which cannot have a Vaad of their own, enjoy activities run by volunteer Misakshim from the upper grades who adopt them and teach their younger friends how to be persistent in bringing the Geula.

MIVTZAIM AND LEARNING GO HAND IN HAND

From Beitar Ilit we move over to the Chabad elementary school in Haifa and Krayot. Here too, the principal, R’ Avrohom Yosef Pizem, tells of young children who go out once a week on mivtzaim. This has a positive impact on their learning.

“Just today, I was in the eighth grade classroom and I said that sometimes, when going to put t’fillin on with someone, the person asks questions about Judaism. If you listen well in the halacha class, you will know what to answer. The children shared their own experiences in which they were asked questions in halacha or other areas of Jewish life. This motivated the entire class to listen carefully to the shiur I gave.

“I also teach the children how to respond to common questions asked about Moshiach and Geula. I taught them a way to get out of uncomfortable debates about inyanei Moshiach. If someone attacks you with questions about inyanei Moshiach, surprise them with a question: Can you tell me where in the Torah there is a mitzva to believe in Moshiach?

“The attacker is usually unprepared for this question and he sees that he still has what to learn on the subject. You opened the possibility to teach him something. (By the way, for those who are curious, the answer is in Rambam’s Hilchos Melachim in the first two halachos of chapter 11…)

“Mivtzaim are part of the curriculum. We guide the children when they go to hospitals, the financial district, and on house calls. Before every Yom Tov we teach a sicha so they will have what to say on mivtzaim. Mivtzaim are so ingrained in them that when anybody comes to the school, whether an electrician, a school psychologist or superintendent, he is immediately offered t’fillin.

“We have learning contests now and then on topics of Halacha and Chassidus in which the children learn hundreds of halachos, customs, and Chassidishe stories. This will definitely remain with them all their lives and affect their efforts in hafatza and mivtzaim. One year, for example, we chose the topic “Toldos HaBaal Shem Tov” (because it was 250 years since his passing). We published a 100 page book and the children pored over it. At the end of the winter we held a public competition with prizes.”

THANKS TO THE CHATTER OF CHILDREN

A number of years ago, there was a gathering in Eretz Yisroel on the topic of Moshiach. One of the speakers, a young, well-known, dynamic fellow began his speech with a personal story.

“Up until a few years ago I was not a Lubavitcher. One day I took the train in the Krayot area and overheard two children talking about events in the Torah and the belief in Moshiach’s coming. I noticed that these children knew things that I did not know even after decades of learning. I asked them where they learned and praised them for their knowledge. They said they attended the Chabad school in Krayot.

“I decided to go into a bookstore and ask for s’farim on the topic of Moshiach. I delved into the subject and discovered a whole world, as the Rambam says that all the books of the prophets are full of this topic. I soon made my way to the nearest Chabad house where I began seriously learning and as a result, I made a major change in my life. It’s all thanks to two young school kids.”

CHILDREN OF SHLUCHIM

R’ Pizem says that among his students are some children of shluchim from the north of the country. He has noticed that coming from a shlichus background, these children are more mature and show a sense of responsibility for what goes on in school.

“One day, a delegation of teachers and rabbis from the Haifa area came to the school in order to see how we teach enthusiastic davening in Chabad. The visit was not planned. I took them up to where the boys daven and heard an argument among the boys about none of them wanting to be the chazan.

“I went over to G, the son of shluchim in Haifa and whispered in his ear that guests had come to watch us daven. I had barely finished explaining when G jumped forward and immediately began serving as chazan with an enthusiastic ‘Ashrei.’

“I saw (not for the first time), how this boy was trained as a shliach and he was ready and willing to do anything when needed.”

KIDDUSH SHEIM LUBAVITCH

Being careful to make a Kiddush Hashem is helpful in other ways. R’ Yaakov Klein, rav in Kiryat Chaim, lectures to young religious teachers at Michlelet Shaanan. R’ Klein is known as an outstanding speaker whose lectures are based on Torah sources.

Occasionally, R’ Klein brings a group of his students to visit our school in Krayot. He thinks that only in Chabad can one see genuine Chassidic education, students with kabbalas ol and derech eretz. When our students hear this feedback, it inspires them to behave even more nicely and Chassidish so as to make a Kiddush Hashem and a Kiddush Sheim Lubavitch.

One year, which was a Shnas Hakhel, the public competition was on the topic of Hakhel. The district supervisor wanted to arrange a Hakhel gathering for all the religious schools. He knew whom to ask and we ended up collaborating with the Education Ministry on this. They took care of all the logistics, renting the hall, inviting the children etc. and we were asked to prepare the program.

We made a beautiful booklet with sources and explanations from the Rebbe about the mitzva of Hakhel and Chabad rabbanim came to grace the event with their presence.