submitted by Rabbi R.S., Israel
KLAL YISRAEL IS ON FIRE
Don't stand around
"Kiruv rechokim, I believe, is the mission of our generation."-Novominsker Rebbe at the Agudath Israel Convention of America - 2002
"1.4 Million American Jews say they are members of a non-Jewish religion" -article on aish.com
More than 50% of the Jewish People today are intermarrying, in some places it is as high as 90%.
Starting a Zero Budget Outreach Program
Shalom! The following program is being used with great success near where I live, led by a friend of mine. It's been going on now for 6 months and has grown to over 10 pairs of people (chavrusas).
The concept is very simple and can be done by anyone. All it takes is some willpower.
1. The program is a once a week Torah learning program. Get one or more friendly, normal orthodox Jews who would be willing to tutor an hour per week in a neutral place (preferably at the local shul).
2. Advertise for a "One on one learning program, subject of your choice. One hour per week. Call it some professional, non-scary name such as The Jewish Learning Center of yourtown". Advertise at the local JCC or the conservative/reform shul or some other place where Jews are found.
3. If nothing turns up, get a list of Jewish people in the area. (or go through the phone book and call Jewish names.) Call them, and tell them about the program and where it is. Make sure it takes place in a neutral area, such as the local shul. You'll be surprised at how people are interested. Also if possible recruit a woman to make a women's program. Once you get the women involved, the men will follow (Rabbi Zev Leff).
4. Your attitude should be: "I like you and I want to be your friend". NOT "I'm here to mekarev you". Give them space or they'll run. Remember, you don't have to be a flashy salesman. The Torah sells itself!!! You just have to present it authentically (see below). Nothing they've ever seen can compare to a Malbim or a Maharal! With G-d's help you can do alot of good on a near zero budget.
5. As things grow, try to bring in impressive Rabbis to give a class once a month or so.
That's it. May the Ribono Shel Olam help you!
Alternative Program - Teach an unlearned friend by Phone
If this is too complicated, one can, for example, offer an unlearned friend/acquaintance to learn torah by phone once a week. This is something everyone can do. It's important to choose something not too complex and inspirational such as a mussar book. I've recently started teaching "Shaarei Kedusha" by phone to an old friend who was interested in kabala and have had a phenomenal response (especially the 3rd section. I made a translation here).
links:
Rabbi Emanuel Feldman free audio on the situation today
Oorah Kiruv Handbook - good material. what to say, what not to say etc.
Ohr Somayach Outreach Seminar (audio) (informative and very entertaining.)
shemayisrael/seed - Ready made teaching guides. Answers to questions
tz70 intro to gemora - Rabbi Tatz giving an introduction to gemara to an actual beginner's group.
Study Buddy,aish executive - sample material for advertising a learning program
articles:
The Requirements of an Educator by the Chazon Ish zt''l
A new approach to kiruv - Jonathan Rosenblum
The Dead End of Jewish Culture - Aish.com
Worldwide Stats - State of World Jewry - simpletoremember.com
suggestions for teaching:
- Ten Commandments, Love Your Neighbor (vayikra 19:18), Shma Yisrael (Devarim 6:4). Stories from tanach (David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, Samson, Noah's ark etc.). Show them that these things that they thought they "knew" their whole lives has much more beyond the surface (see malbim, or search the torah web sites). This is extremely effective on the older generation.
- Pirkei Avos, Hilchos Talmud Torah in Rambam (Rabbi Yosef Kalatsky has found this very powerful). Sefer Bereishis with malbim.
- Lighter Teaching. 48 ways to wisdom - aish.com (especially #14,15), Gateway to Happiness by Rabbi Pliskin.
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I heard directly from Rabbi Nachman Bulman zt''l that "before you teach someone Torah, you have to say 'I love you.' This is the meaning of 'Vayikra Hashem El Moshe' (Vayikra 1:1, see Rashi there)". Meaning, unlike secular studies, if you don't genuinely feel love for the person you're teaching Torah, he won't learn from you..
- Try to teach something you found interesting, i.e. something you're excited about. Any subject is as exciting or as dead as the person teaching it.
- book of Yonah with commentary of the Vilna Gaon. a taste of the depth hidden in torah
- shaarei kedusha by Rabbi Chaim Vital. This book is absolutely fascinating.
How to answer questions:
Don't give more information than they asked. For example if he asks:"Can you prove that G-d exists?", you answer "Yes." he'll say "oh, ok."
Leave it at that! If he wants more he'll ask. This fits in with rule #4 above: Your attitude should be: "I like you and I want to be your friend". NOT "I'm here to mekarev you". Give them space and let them decide for themselves how to run their lives. (heard from R.Dovid Orlofsky)
Also, be ready to say "I don't know". For the question of G-d's existence, don't argue with them. Try just to learn Torah with them and they'll see for themselves if this is man-made or not. (heard from Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman, shlita)
Teaching Torah to Beginners
by Rabbi Simcha Wasserman zt''l
(all of the following was heard from Rabbi Akiva Tatz)
Rav Wasserman taught, in kiruv (outreach), you don't have to do anything. The Torah has to do it. If you transmit genuine Torah, it will have its effect. If you try to transmit you, it's not guaranteed, very far from guaranteed.
There are some requirements for the Torah to be genuine.
Rav Wasserman said Torah must be 'al menas laasos' (on condition of doing) otherwise it's not Torah.
This affects deeply what you choose to teach. If you choose something that the person won't do, then it's NOT torah and it won't have an effect! (Worse yet, if they learn 'shelo al menas laasos' - on condition of not doing, then it has the opposite effect. It gives a bad feeling. It makes the person feel guilty and turns him away.) Rav Wasserman once came to an area where he knew immediately that these people were so far, that there was nothing they would do. So, in his genius, he asked one of them to make the birkas haTorah to make an impression that this is not just "learning", this is "something special". He then taught them pirkei avos and sefer Bereishis (pirkei avos is things they know already, and sefer Bereishis has no mitzvas to do).
On Teaching Talmud
The Importance of Teaching Talmud
Rabbi Tatz quoted "one of the world's greatest outreach professionals" as saying, that "the kinyan (commitment) on a neshama occurs when he starts learning gemora. He can start learning philosophy, get involved, have a shabbos experience. But the kinyan comes when he's gritting his teeth, bearing the load and exerting himself against the difficulty of learning gemora.
Difficulties in Teaching Talmud
Rabbi Tatz explained that today people want to fly in mystical experiences and kabbalistic secrets. So how do you deal with you giving them difficulty and toil?
The answer is you first instill a sense of awe and kedusha in learning gemora and then address the difficulty and make it exciting. You tell them: What you're here to do is to sweat blood, what you want out of this exercise is the pain and the difficulty. That's what you want. You're going to sweat blood, and you're going to crawl around this room on your hands and knees, you're going to walk out of here in pain. and that's what you want! Why? because gemora is designed to be difficult.You want to learn to think like Hashem. You want the power of the mind that gemora develops. Not the output conclusions.
(see tape tz70 intro to gemora for a live demonstration on an actual beginner's group)
He also recommends having some kind of diagrams to graphically represent the logical structure of the gemora, otherwise beginners tend to be broken and discouraged by the overwhelming difficulty and the language barrier. (I've used this method with remarkable success. You can take someone with no reading skills whatsoever and give him a full gemora experience with rashi, tosfos and even maharsha. DO NOT work out the gemora for him! That would be robbing him of the purpose of gemora study. Rather, write out one step at a time in english, (on paper, in such a way that if he gets lost, he can look at the paper and see all the logical steps.) and then guide him and help him work it out for himself. You'll see their eyes light up!)
Rabbi Tatz said "I don't teach gemora, I read the 1st line and I say, nu what's difficult? I force them to find out what's difficult. I guide them. They get a tremendous pleasure out of that. You want them to thrill from the difficulty instead of being put off by it.
Another important factor is to choose the right sugyas. If you choose one where the person doesn't care about the outcome (for example something about a 'diyuk' on a verse) then the person can think it's all petty. He hasn't bought into the system yet. Rabbi Tatz recommends "shnayim ochazim" (Bava Metzia 2. see http://ravkaplan.dafyomireview.com for in-depth lectures in mp3), for most people.
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