Adults view the world differently
than young people. I thought it might be interesting to hear about an important
Jewish concept from the perspective of a teenager. Here is a persuasive essay my
eleventh-grade granddaughter wrote for school. Bayla has a TorahMate whom she
learns with and she is trying to persuade her readers to do the same.
TorahMates is a project of Oorah that facilitates weekly
Jewish learning over the phone and video call for more than 11,500
partnerships. The partners range in age from 7 to 97, and Torah is studied in eight
different languages.
Here is Bayla’s essay. Does it
persuade you?
* * *
Do
You Want to Be a TorahMate?
by Bayla Schor
Do you find time to do things that
are meaningful to you? Do you care deeply about all klal Yisrael? If so,
doing kiruv is a worthwhile
investment! The reward? The way Sammy’s face lights up putting on tefilin for the first time, the smile as
Eliana starts her first Shabbat. The refreshing spark in their eyes makes your
heart happy. We are one big family and are responsible for one another. It’s
our obligation to help others find Hashem.
I am lucky I was born into a
religious family, so I can help our sisters and brothers who weren’t born with
that privilege. We need to help them! Most Jews who do not observe mitzvos were never properly
exposed to authentic Torah and Judaism. They are considered like
a kidnapped child who spent his childhood with non-Jews and are not held
responsible for their religious failings. Many of them are confused and don’t
know better. They are excited to learn from you because you are exposing them
to something as precious as gold!
When learning with your TorahMate,
there are some important things to keep in mind: Remember to be yourself, be a
friend, and strive to be considerate and respectful in all your interactions
with your TorahMate. It helps create a bond through which you can teach Torah.
My friend Rivka, also a TorahMate, told me that she is
afraid of getting influenced by her Torah Mate. Rabbi Mintz, the
director of the TorahMates program, says that, when performing Hashem’s mitzvos, we merit special
heavenly blessings and should not be concerned about negative influences. But
he warns that this is only true for people who are strong in their religious
commitment, not for those who themselves are shaky. This goes even further: Not
only will you not be adversely affected, you yourself will grow from this
experience! Many have said that through outreach their Judaism was
strengthened. When you explain a concept in Judaism that you always took for
granted or see your TorahMate take on Shabbos or kosher, watching their
self-sacrifice will make you stop and ask how much you are willing to sacrifice
for Hashem and His Torah. It will
help you grow in your mitzvah observance.
Learning with my TorahMate is a win-win. It
gets me to sit down and learn about bitachon (faith) and other concepts with a Jewish girl who is at
the same age and stage as I am. My TorahMate and I are friends, and I look
forward to learning and shmoozing with her.
Our attitude should not be to
distance ourselves from our non-Torah observing friends. Rather than looking
down at them, we need to do our utmost to teach them about Torah-true Judaism.
It is important to know that if your TorahMate
asks you a question, there’s really nothing wrong with saying that you will
find out and get back to them. Also, you don’t need to be the greatest tzedakes
in order to influence them. Being yourself makes the greatest impression. You
can do this!
Rabbi
Mintz, in a
letter to TorahMates, says that when TorahMates learn together, they are like
the keruvim on the aron facing
each other and communicating the word of God to one another. When Hashem sees
this, His presence descends on this world, and He brings an abundance of
blessing to them and the entire world. Maybe there’s a little boy or girl who
doesn’t know about Hashem because you decided that you were too busy to help
them!
Did you know that being a TorahMate
only requires a half-hour once a week? When you learn, you are giving your
partner life because one who teaches his friend one law, or even one point, it
is as if he infused him with life! Don’t let your yetzer hara put you
down and say “I can’t” or “I’m too busy.” You can change their life forever.
Just start. They are waiting for you!
Where is your ahavas Yisrael? As long as you're friendly and you love Yiddishkeit,
you're qualified to do kiruv. You can
do it! Call 877-TORAH-123 and get yourself a learning partner right now! Hashem
will be proud, and it is the right thing to do.
