Thursday, January 31, 2008
ZULA
Hearing this young man’s remark I couldn’t help but marvel at the many valuable lessons of Torah, mitzvot, and middot that someone failed to teach him, while someone had managed to ingrain in him an unfortunate sense of sinat chinam (baseless hatred) against someone who is Mizrachi and that this prejudice was presently preventing him from getting the assistance he so desperately needed.
Read the whole storyThursday, January 24, 2008
Setting Your Own Course
Kiruv professionals are not there to impose a Jewish lifestyle rather we are there to introduce individuals to the beauty and vitality of Jewish life. I believe this vigilant focus on personal choice and responsibility is one of the outstanding hallmarks of NCSY.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Anything Worth Attaining Can Only Be Had Through Striving
After my talk ended, one of the counselors came storming over, quite upset that I has ruined all the counselors’ hard work throughout the summer. She explained, “All summer we have been trying to convince these kids to be more religious by telling them that being observant isn’t difficult and you just told them that it is!” I responded that if the counselors have been telling their campers being observant is easy, they are performing a major disservice because becoming more observant and taking on more mitzvoth requires a great deal of hard work and sacrifice and it is vital to explain that to our teens.
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