My Strong Soul ◇ The Foundation Event of the Mentoring Organization for Saving At-Risk Youth in the Shuvu Banim Community
On Thursday night, the eve of the 8th of Kislev, Parshat Vayetzei, a mentors' conference was held in our Beit Midrash with the participation of our teacher, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a.
As is known, in recent years the ship of Torah is being tossed amidst the turbulent sea. The challenges of the time and era threaten to sink the ship along with the Torah learners, especially the young men who have just stepped onto the deck and are exposed to the vast world outside.
For this purpose, it was decided by the holy community through the sacred work of the activists to establish the 'My Strong Soul' organization. To this end, the members of our community were gathered to explain the importance and necessity of establishing this organization.
The members who understood the importance of strengthening the yeshiva students and connecting them to the study of the holy Torah in order to save them from the alluring challenges of the street, as well as bringing them closer and saving the souls of the at-risk youth who are going through difficult times.
These important members took upon themselves to be mentors at the founding event of the 'My Strong Soul' organization, as mentioned, with the participation of our teacher, the Rav shlit"a.
During the conference, the Rav shlit"a encouraged the members to take upon themselves this merit to save today's youth and connect them to the study of the Gemara with love and pleasant ways:
"Now we have made a decree that everyone learns with a young man, each member should take a young man. Buy him ice cream, buy him a popsicle, buy him a candy, a treat. We can save all the at-risk youth. There are youth here that we didn't pay attention to. The Rav was in prison for two years, so many fell away. But now we can save everyone. These young men are the most brilliant, they are the most, most intelligent. Because they are so intelligent, it is difficult for them to sit and learn. But we need to explain to them that the Gemara is just stories."
Also, our teacher, the Rav shlit"a, as is his holy custom, delivered his holy message for nearly forty minutes. Here is a summary of the topics the Rav shlit"a mentioned during his holy words:
1. The rule of Greece for one hundred and eighty years and their decrees until the statue was placed in the sanctuary, from which the rebellion began.
2. The outbreak of the rebellion following the decree that could not be borne, and three years of war until Judah the Maccabee entered Jerusalem.
3. The order of battles with Polonius, Saron, and Lysias, and Judah's stand against thousands of elephants and Greek armies.
4. Daniel's vision of the goat and the ram and the horn broken into four, as a hint to the division of the Greek kingdom after Alexander.
5. When there is no tzaddik, then the "Tzion" becomes just "Yon", and there lies the root of the impurity of Greece.
6. The Ramban's question on the extinction of the Hasmonean house, due to taking kingship not from the house of David, according to the Gemara in Avodah Zarah.
7. The story of Alexander the Great and Shimon the Tzaddik: Shimon the Tzaddik's exit in priestly garments, recognition of "his likeness" that went before him in all wars.
8. The plot of the Samaritans who incited Alexander against Israel, and the reversal of the judgment against them after the truth was revealed.
9. Hannah's prayer as the root of the light of Chanukah, as brought in the words of the Ari – drawing the infinite light through her prayer.
10. "Hannah on the Name of Hashem" – that the prayer rises to a level where Hashem, as it were, prays within her mouth, meaning she prayed above the Name of Hashem, blessed be He. This is the root of the tzaddik's prayer.
11. The tzaddik who no longer has a body, and to pray he needs a body (a mouth). So he takes our body on loan and prays through us.
12. Every member needs to learn with a young man, we can still save the at-risk youth. Explain to them that the Gemara is just stories: about Choma, the wife of Abaye, Asher, the daughter of Rav Chisda – the net of Rava, who hit her with a box lock (Ketubot 65). And about Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi who stole the sword from the Angel of Death and jumped into the Garden of Eden (ibid. page 17).
13. Discussion about a sword taken on loan when the borrower thought it was a cardboard sword and it was actually a gold sword.
14. Laws of deposits in money, gold, and diamonds – the responsibility of the guardian versus the claims of the depositor and the practical implications.
