Introduction:
As previously mentioned,
most of the Jewish men and
women of our era who are not
committed to the spiritual
path of the Torah are
individuals who did not
receive a Torah education;
moreover, they did not grow
up in a Torah environment.
In the upcoming letters of
this series, we will discuss
various mitzvos of the Torah
which call upon us to reach
out to these brethren and
help them to rediscover
their spiritual heritage.
The theme of spiritual
outreach is very relevant to
our discussion on the “soul”
of Zion – the inner spirit
that gives Zion its purpose
and meaning. As we learned
in previous letters, the
Torah – the Divine Teaching
– is the “soul” of Zion;
thus, when we bring people
closer to the Torah, we are
also helping them to develop
a deeper connection to Zion.
As we shall learn, this
outreach needs to be both
loving and respectful. In
this letter, we will begin
to discuss the importance of
“loving” outreach. As the
Mishnah teaches in the name
of Hillel:
“Love people, and bring them
closer to the Torah” (Pirkei
Avos 1:12).
Dear Friends,
Our discussion on outreach
with love will begin with a
teaching of the Chazon Ish,
a leading sage and halachic
authority of the 20th
century who moved to the
Land of Zion in 1933. He
settled in the
Torah-observant city of Bnei
Brak, and he became a major
guide of the Chareidi
communities in the Land of
Zion. He also gained the
respect of many people in
the Land who were not
committed to the Torah path.
With regard to outreach to
these uncommitted brethren,
he wrote:
“It is incumbent upon us to
bring them back with cords
of love and to show them the
light of the Torah to the
best of our abilities.”
The above quote is from the
halachic work, “Chazon Ish”
– Yorah Deah 2:16. It is
cited in Volume 1 of the
book, “In Their Shadow” by
Rav Shlomo Lorincz, a former
member of Israel’s Knesset.
Volume 1 includes stories
from the lives of the three
leading sages that guided
Rav Lorincz in his community
work: The Chazon Ish, the
Brisker Rav, and Rav Shach.
Rav Lorincz describes how
the Chazon Ish opposed
ideologies that were against
Torah ideals; moreover,
there were occasions when he
needed to take a stand
against the organizations
that were promoting these
anti-Torah ideologies. Rav
Lorincz, however, adds the
following observation
regarding the approach of
the Chazon Ish:
“He was careful to
distinguish between the
ideologies themselves and
the individual Jews who had
fallen prey to them. The
latter he drew close with
cords of love.”
Rav Lorincz then shares with
us the following information
and story:
“When, for instance, dealing
with questions involving
parents whose children had
left the Torah’s path, the
Chazon Ish held that the
parents should do everything
possible to draw their
wayward children back with
love and not push them
further away. A teenager who
publicly desecrated the
Shabbos asked his father for
a car. His father agreed to
buy him a car on condition
that he promise not to drive
on Shabbos, but the son
refused to promise. As a
consequence, the tension
between them grew.
“The Chazon Ish heard about
the situation, and advised
the father to buy his son
the car without any
conditions, for only in this
fashion would he increase
his influence on his son. In
those days, many young
people (from observant
families in the Land) were
floundering in their
religious observance, but in
most cases, if their parents
did not push them away with
both hands, they found their
way back.”
The above story about the
Chazon Ish reminds me of the
following story about the
Baal Shem Tov, the founder
of the Chassidic movement:
A father came to the Baal
Shem Tov for guidance on how
to deal with his son who
became estranged from Hashem.
The Baal Shem Tov replied:
“Love him more!”
Shalom,
Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen –
(See below)
A Related Teaching and
Comments:
1. Hillel taught: “Love
people, and bring them
closer to the Torah” (Pirkei
Avos 1:12). The Chazon Ish
would often share the
following insight on
Hillel’s teaching:
Loving people and bringing
them closer to the Torah are
not two separate virtues,
for each is connected to the
other. Who is capable of
bringing people closer to
the Torah? The one who
loves!
The above insight of the
Chason Ish is cited in the
“Mishel Avos” commentary on
Pirkei Avos 6:6.
2. “In Their Shadow,” by Rav
Shlomo Lorincz, is published
by Feldheim:
www.feldheim.com
. I highly recommend
this fascinating book.