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In the last three years, Project Inspire, an outgrowth of Aish Hatorah International, has promoted special Kiruv Seminars in frum communities across America. The purpose of the seminars is to awake the frum community to the numerous Kiruv opportunities around them. The most recent series was orchestrated with baalei batim at Agudath Israel of Madison, a shul in Flatbush that is guided by Rav Yisroel Reisman, a rosh yeshiva in Mesivta Torah Vodaath and world renown for his popular Motzoi Shabbos Navi shiurim that are broadcast simultaneously in scores of communities throughout North America.

Thousands of ordinary frum Yidden have attended these Project Inspire Kiruv seminars and have been taught tools and techniques to more effectively reach out to the overwhelming majority of Jews in the United States, Canada and the rest of the world. Most non-religious and assimilated Jews today are tinokos shenishbu, not at fault for their lack of observance, and are not antagonistic to learning more.

At the first of the Project Inspire Kiruv sessions at the Agudath Israel of Madison, held on May 19th, Rabbi Eliyahu Bergstein, a popular senior lecturer for Aish Hatorah's Discovery Seminars, addressed some of the misconceptions that assimilated Jews have when approached by a frum Jew to become more involved in a Torah way-of-life.

One of the common misconceptions that threaten to turn non-religious away from even considering a stronger involvement in Yiddishkeit is the belief that "I can't become frum, it is too much; Judaism is so big, so gigantic, so detailed, I can't handle it." They think Judaism is either all or nothing.

Rabbi Bergstein told the seminar audience at the Agudath Israel of Madison that "Everybody has heard about that big bad number 613! How can anyone possibly observe 613 different commandments?" He recalled once taking part in an Aish Hatorah program in Yerushalayim. Some Israeli government ministry officials who were not religious had come to visit the yeshiva. One, sadly observed aloud, just how impossible it was to be religious, saying "If there were only maybe 100 or 105 mitzvos, O.K! But 613?" So one of the Aish program participants replied, "O.K. - Just do 105."

But that is really the answer, Rabbi Bergstein explained. As frum Jews, we have to first of all know for ourselves, and then be able to tell the non-religious Yidden that we meet, that in Yiddishkeit the mitzvos are "not all or nothing." Rather, every mitzvah is a mitzvah by itself and is a stand alone.

There is NOBODY who can do all 613 mitzvos. It is impossible. You would have to be a man, a woman, married, single, widowed, divorced, a farmer in Israel and out of Israel, a Cohen, a Levi, a Yisroel and then some simultaneously. And there are so many mitzvos which are unfortunately not relevant bizeman hazeh because we lack the Beis Hamikdash.

We have to explain to non-frum Jews that every mitzvah that comes your way is yours and is an opportunity to attain spiritual greatness. A moshal that Aish Hatorah's Discovery Seminar uses is to imagine that somebody has three or four gold mines in Africa, and yet he or she is depressed. You ask the person why isn't he happy and the individual replies that "there are hundreds of gold mines in Africa and I only own three of them." You ask how much are they worth and he says about $10 million each, but because there are hundreds of other gold mines in Africa that he doesn't own, he feels worthless.

You would think that he was a crazy man. You would try telling him that maybe he will buy a fourth or a fifth gold mine, but he shouldn't allow himself to get depressed because what he already possesses has incredible value. When you meet a non-frum Jew, you have to make clear that every mitzvah is a gold mine. Every time a Yid says "Shema Yisroel," or has a thought of ahavas Hashem or does a toiva to another Jew or gives a quarter to tzedaka, it is a priceless stand-alone spiritual achievement. The same is true for every piece of Torah that you learn, whether it is just one pasuk from the Chumash, or one Mishna, or even one halacha in Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.

Rabbi Bergstein noted that this is not only an important concept to communicate to the assimilated Jews we are trying to mekarev, but also when talking to our own children or when running our own homes. Not everybody is or can be the groisse gaon or the big illuy or the great baal tzedaka who is going to give $10 million.

So on the level that you are talking to non-frum Jews, it is important to make clear that Judaism and Hakodesh Baruch Hu don't demand "all or nothing." Hopefully, once a Jew is encouraged to begin doing a few "easy" or pleasurable mitzvos, they will develop an appetite to increase their religious activities; some may never develop beyond a few mitzvos from which they will gain significant satisfaction. Therefore, when first approaching any non-religious Jew, know that they need not immediately sign a commitment to a spiritual undertaking that they might find at that moment impossible to envision. Instead assure them that every mitzvah they do is infinitely valuable and makes a tremendous Kiddush Hashem.

For more information on organizing or joining a Project Inspire Kiruv Seminar program in your community, please call (646) 291-6191, extension 201 or click www.kiruv.com.

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Project Inspire Kiruv Seminar Stresses: Goal is Not "All or Nothing"

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