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For Your InspirationRabbi Paysach Krohn Encourages Everyone to Do Kiruv
Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn, world-famous mohel, Maggid series author, and Torah lecturer, came to Flatbush on Motzoei Shabbos Parashas Tetzaveh, February 16, to conclude a special Project Inspire Shabbaton at Congregation Gvul Yaavetz.
Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn, world-famous mohel, Maggid series author, and Torah lecturer, came to Flatbush on Motzoei Shabbos Parashas Tetzaveh, February 16, to conclude a special Project Inspire Shabbaton at Congregation Gvul Yaavetz. The theme of the Shabbos was that every frum Jew has an obligation to make kiruv a part of his or her daily life. Eighty six percent of the world Jewish population is culturally assimilated and in danger of spiritual annihilation.
Project Inspire's program at Gvul Yaavetz was dedicated to the refuah sheleimah of Aish Hatorah's founder and dean, Rav Noah Weinberg (Rav Yisrael Noach ben Hinda).
Rabbi Krohn told the crowd, "Almost every one of us can say about ourselves, 'For You, Hashem, have delivered our souls from death.' We have all been spared from spiritual death. Every single one of us here tonight had a rebbi, a father, a mother, a zeide or somebody special who made us so frum and so committed to Yiddishkeit. That is why we are all here tonight. 'Our feet did not slip...'" This good mazal in our lives is not only a great privilege but an awesome responsibility.
Rabbi Krohn cited the Yerushalmi that states, in the name of Rav Assi, that if someone observes and teaches the Torah but foregoes the opportunity to give spiritual encouragement to another because he is too busy becoming a tzaddik himself, he becomes cursed. We all have an obligation to give chizuk to all who need it -to our nonreligious brethren who need spiritual enlightenment.
It is not just the job of professional kiruv groups to do this work, Rabbi Krohn stated. "Every one of us has the capacity to be mechazek someone else who is searching for Yiddishkeit. If you have a second cousin or a co-worker or a neighbor down the block who is starving for Yiddishkeit, and you are not trying to help him because you are too busy yourself .... [you are] making yourself an arur, cursed. What a frightening indictment on so many of us."
When the brothers stood before Yosef in Mitzrayim, Yehudah told Yosef that he could not go back home without Binyamin because he had promised Yaakov, his father, that he would return him safely. "How can I go to my father," he said, "if the naar is not with me?"
Rabbi Krohn said that a chassidishe Rebbe had once told him this passuk can be understood in many different ways. After 120 years, one whose children did not follow in his spiritual derech will have to answer for it; he will have to explain why his naar is not with him in frumkeit. Perhaps the father will have a good answer, but he should be prepared for the question. The passuk can also be applied collectively to Klal Yisrael; how can we approach our Father in Heaven if hundreds of thousands of children are not with us in Yiddishkeit? Rabbi Krohn then related the frightening statistics: out of 13.3 million Jews, 86.5 percent - four out of every five - are not frum.
Rabbi Krohn quoted the passuk stating that there will always be poor people among Klal Yisrael. The Ohr Hachaim asks why the passuk has to say that there will be poor among us, rather than saying that one must give the poor money. He answers that we must know why there are poor people -because Hashem is testing us to see what we will do with the money He has given us.
Rabbi Krohn applied this concept to those who are "poor" in frumkeit, stating that they exist because we, the frum, are being tested. We must not be content to sit securely in our heimishe communities; we must reach out to others and bring them in to Yiddishkeit.
Rabbi Krohn cited the Midrash in Yalkut Shimoni stating that when Elkanah was oleh regel with his family each year, he went up to Shilo by a different route, stopping along the way to encourage people to join him for an exceptional spiritual experience. Because Elkanah went out of his way to be mekarev Yidden, who gained great merit because of him, Hashem gave him a child, Shmuel, who brought all of Klal Yisrael to the performance of mitzvos. Rabbi Krohn added that one way to merit good children and grandchildren is to be mekarev others; Hashem will then say to us, "You are helping My children, so I will help yours."
Rabbi Krohn encouraged listeners to learn more about how they can effectively use Kiruv techniques to reach out to nonfrum Jews. He noted that Project Inspire has developed a three-part course called Toras Chaim that offers hashkafah and kiruv training. The course is being offered in Flatbush at Congregation Bais Yitzchak (Rav Dovid Goldwasser's shul) at 2016 Avenue L, on three consecutive Sunday evenings, March 2, 9 and 16.
Other Project Inspire Kiruv Shabbatons are being scheduled in the next few weeks in Queens, Monsey, Far Rockaway and Toronto. For more details, please call Project Inspire at (646)291-6191, or email info@projectinspire.com.
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