On the weekend of October 24, Parshat Lech Lecha, Bergen County will be hosting Rabbi Dov Singer, one of the leaders of Israel’s neo-Chassidic movement. Rabbi Singer is the Rosh Yeshiva of Makor Chaim who so eloquently eulogized his martyred students Naftali Fraenkel and Gilad Shaer by having an entire nation repeat together: “I hereby accept upon myself the mitzvah of loving my neighbor as myself!”
Once again, in recent weeks, a wave of terror has taken some of the finest and holiest souls of the Jewish people. How does one deal with such tragedy? How did a unique educator like Rav Dov, whose motto has always been simcha, steer his 320 students, dozens of staff members and thousands of adult followers in Israel through the stormy winds of tragedy in the summer of 2014? How can the teachings of Rebbe Nachman and other Chassidic masters help modern Jews deal with such pain?
“For just one moment, as if lit up by a flash of lightning, the true nature of the Jewish People was revealed.” This is how Naftali’s mother, Racheli Fraenkel, described the events following the kidnapping and murder of the three boys. So too, the special spirit of Makor Chaim was revealed to all. In talks she has given around the world, Mrs. Fraenkel attributed that summer’s unprecedented wave of Jewish unity in great measure to the unique philosophy and special leaders of Makor Chaim. Minister Naftali Bennet chose to open the school year in Kfar Etzion with Makor Chaim and declared: “Last summer, Yeshivat Makor Chaim became the ‘source of life’ for the Jewish People—every one of you has the responsibility to continue that expression of unity.”
Rabbi Dov Singer has succeeded in focusing on a gaping, aching need for something different in Jewish life felt by young and old alike. In Pirkei Avot we read: The world is contingent upon three things—“Torah” “Avodah” and “Gemilut Chasadim.”
We all know what “Torah” is and today, more than ever, we are blessed with thousands of yeshivot.
We all know what “Gemilut Chasadim” is and we are blessed by so many individuals and organizations who give their time and money to help others.
What is “Avodah”? Our Rabbis tells us this is the devotion of the heart, but do we really know how to love? How can we know what “love” is when we come from a broken home, with no Father living among us? It is the Beit Hamikdash where we can experience a true, intimate connection with the Divine, and this is what is truly missing from our lives.
On a simple level, we tend to relate the recent tragic violence in and around the Temple Mount to political issues, but something much deeper is happening. Our enemies sense, on a subconscious level, that the children are flocking back to their “Father.” The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh (Vayikra 25,25) says that the redemption will come when the common people say to themselves, “How can it be good to be away, exiled from our Father’s table; how can life be sweet without the high company we used to enjoy sitting at our Father’s table?”
The teachings of the Chasidic movement have always been a way to connect to Hashem even in the coldest, most remote exile. This movement has been undergoing an enigmatic revival not only among Modern Orthodox youth but even in some Conservative and Reform communities.
Makor Chaim seeks to restore the tripartite balance of Torah, Avodah and Gemilut Chasadim in students, young and old, with a rare synthesis of a high-level intellectual pursuit inspired by Makor Chaim founder Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, with the warmth and intimate joy of “Chasidut Eretz Yisrael” pioneered by Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Dov Singer and with their joint inclusive approach: Rather than have religiosity isolate us from those different from us it should be the reason we reach out to embrace others!
Rabbi Singer’s leadership has led to the establishment of the “Beit Midrash L’Hitchadshut”—a nation-wide, neo-Chasidic “Personal Spiritual Self-Renewal” study and prayer outreach program for adults, which appeals to Israelis from all levels of personal observance. Other educational programs include “Lifnei V’Lifnim”—a creative, alternate educators’ training program, which emphasizes the development of emotional intelligence as well as refining sensitivity and creativity. The success of this approach has spread beyond Israel, with the addition of unique international student exchange programs with New York’s Yeshiva University High School—MTA, and with South Africa’s Yeshiva College.
The Jewish response to terror has not been about revenge, but rather has always been about rebuilding Jewish life in Eretz Yisrael. In addition to being at the forefront of a spiritual revolution, Makor Chaim is spearheading a new neighborhood in Gush Etzion, adjacent to Neve Daniel, which will eventually double or even triple in size. After more than a year of legal and bureaucratic struggles, Makor Chaim has received all the permits to begin construction of a beautiful new campus to replace the present campus in Kfar Etzion—the very same collection of “temporary” shacks which originally housed Yeshivat Har Etzion over 45 years ago. The new campus is being built in memory of our fallen boys, Naftali, Gilad and Eyal, and is situated right on the ancient Patriarchs’ Way—“Derech Ha’Avot,” where Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov traveled between Hevron and Jerusalem thousands of years ago.
In more ways than one, in the tradition of the Prophet Eliyahu, Makor Chaim is reconnecting the paths of the Fathers and the Sons: “He shall return the hearts of the fathers to the sons and the heart of the sons to their fathers! (Malachi 3:24)
For more details: www.makorchaim.org; Facebook.com/MaKorChaimCampus; 718-734-65245; [email protected].
By Yossi Baumol
