The History and Centrality of Kiruv
Bein Adam Le-chavero: Ethics of Interpersonal Conduct
By Rav Binyamin Zimmerman
Shiur #26: The History and Centrality of
Kiruv
In last week's lesson, we
saw various sources indicating that reaching out to others spiritually (kiruv)
is a fulfillment of the commandments to love loving God, to love one's fellow
man and to sanctify the name of God.
Indeed, the Rambam takes
special note of Avraham's commitment to this ideal. If we go back in time, we
find that spiritually uplifting others has been a basic tenet of Jewish
tradition from the moment of its inception and for good reason, as it is a
very fundamental religious obligation. Even before the Torah is given, Avraham
is driven by a love of God to embrace his obligation to all mankind.
In fact, the Torah
repeatedly mentions that Avraham called out in the name of God (Bereishit
12:8, 13:4, 21:33; continued by Yitzchak, 26:25).
The Talmud (Sota
10a) explains this call:
Do not read And he
called; read And he had others call this means that Avraham motivated
others to become aware of God and call out to Him.
Indeed, the Rambam views this as so essential
that he opens Hilkhot Avodat Kokhavim in Mishneh Torah not with
halakhic material, but with history, his understanding of Avraham's path to God
and his commitment to impart it to others. He describes the slippery slope
towards idolatry that mankind slowly fell into, and Avraham's awakening (1:2-3):
The wise men among them
would think that there is no God other than the stars and spheres for whose
sake, and in resemblance of which, they had made these images. The Eternal Rock
was not recognized or known by anyone in the world, save some individuals:
Chanokh and Metushelach, Noach, Shem and Ever. The world continued in this
fashion until the pillar of the world - the Patriarch Avraham - was born.
After this mighty man was
weaned, he began to explore and think. Though he was a child, he began to think
throughout the day and night, wondering: How is it possible for the sphere to
continue to revolve without having anyone controlling it? Who is causing it to
revolve? Surely, it does not cause itself to revolve. He had no teacher, nor was
there anyone to inform him. Rather, he was mired in Ur Kasdim among the foolish
idolaters. His father, mother and all the people [around him] were idol
worshipers, and he would worship with them. [However,] his heart was exploring
and [gaining] understanding. Ultimately, he appreciated the way of truth and
understood the path of righteousness through his accurate comprehension. He
realized that there was one God who controlled the sphere, that He created
everything, and that there is no other God among all the other entities. He knew
that the entire world was making a mistake. What caused them to err was their
service of the stars and images which made them lose awareness of the truth.
Avraham was forty years old when he became aware of his Creator. When he
recognized and knew Him, he began to formulate replies to the inhabitants of Ur
Kasdim and debate with them, telling them that they were not following a proper
path.
This describes Avrahams personal evolution,
coming to recognize God in a world that had almost entirely forgotten Him.
However, the Rambam does not stop there. Working off the abovementioned verses
as well as complementary Midrashic sources, the Rambam details Avraham's travels
and his attempts to influence the world through kiruv, sharing with them
the eternal truths he had come to know. Avraham does this even under the threat
of death.
He broke their idols and
began to teach the people that it is fitting to serve only the God of the world,
to Him [alone] is it fitting to bow down, sacrifice and offer libations, so that
the people of future generations would recognize Him. Thus, it is fitting to
destroy and break all the images, lest all the people err through them, like
those people who thought that there are no other gods besides these. When he
overcame them through the strength of his arguments, the king desired to kill
him. A miracle was performed for him, and he left for Charan, where he began to
call in a loud voice to all people and inform them that there is one God in the
entire world and it is proper to serve Him. He would go out and call to the
people, gathering them in city after city and country after country, until he
came to the land of Canaan and called out, as the verse (Bereishit 21:33)
states: "And He called there in the name of Lord, the eternal God." When the
people would gather around him and ask him about his statements, he would
explain to each one of them according to their understanding, until they turned
to the path of truth. Ultimately, thousands and tens of thousands gathered
around him. These were the men of the house of Avraham. He planted in their
hearts this great fundamental principle, composed texts about it, and taught it
to Yitzchak, his son. Yitzchak also taught and advised others. He also taught
Yaakov and appointed him as a teacher
One of the Midrashic sources for this approach
relates to the verse (Bereishit 12:5) which states: He took his wife
Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the souls (nefesh)
they had made in Charan, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they
arrived there. How does one make souls? The Midrash (Bereishit Rabba
39:21) comments:
These are the converts
they made. Avraham would convert the men and Sara would convert the women.
Based on this famous interpretation, it is
complimentary in the circles of those involved in kiruv to describe one
as boreh nefashot rabbot, creator of many souls, a term applied in
our liturgy to God Himself!
The Raavad (Hilkhot
Avodat Kokhavim 1:3) is puzzled by Avrahams lonely position. Why does only
Avraham confront the idol worshippers? After all, as the Rambam himself
mentioned, there were other great men, such as Shem and Ever, who knew the truth
as well. Why did they not protest?
Rav Yosef Karo, in his
Kesef Mishneh (ad loc.), explains that indeed this is the
defining characteristic of Avraham:
Avraham called out and
publicly proclaimed belief in one God. Shem and Ever, on the other hand, only
taught the ways of God to their students, but they did not push themselves to go
out and proclaim it publicly. It is for this reason that Avraham is greater than
they.
Many Midrashic sources and many classical
commentators note a similar distinction between Avraham and Noach. The Zohar
(Vayera 106a), for example, notes that Noach remains silent, saying
nothing and seeking no mercy when God informs him of impending destruction,
unlike Avraham, who argues with God immediately. Though each is righteous,
Avraham merits special attention because Avraham attempts to influence the
entire world and save everyone, while Noach focuses on himself and his family.
We may explain this by way of a parable. Surviving in a cold environment may be
accomplished in one of two ways, either by putting on a coat or by lighting a
fire. One who is focused on personal needs will put on a coat, but one who wants
to provide heat and warmth for others as well will light a fire.
It is understandable that
Avraham is driven by the desire to share his understanding of God with others,
as Avraham is described by the prophet Yeshayahu (41:8) as the quintessential
lover of God.
The Rambam elsewhere (Hilkhot
Teshuva 10:2) describes true love of God by citing Avraham's example.
One who serves Him out of
love occupies himself in the Torah and the mitzvot and walks in the paths
of wisdom for no ulterior motive, not because of fear that evil will occur, nor
in order to acquire benefit. Rather, he does what is true because it is true,
and ultimately, good will come because of it. This is a very high level which is
not merited by every wise man. It is the level of our Patriarch Avraham, whom
God describes (Yeshayahu 41:8) as
"Avraham, who loved Me," for his
service was only motivated by love. God commands us to do so, as Moshe states (Devarim
6:5): "You shall love Lord, your God.'' When a man will love God in the proper
manner, he will immediately perform all of the mitzvot motivated by love.
Avraham's dedication to this principle is even
more remarkable in light of what he gives up in order to do so. While he
certainly has more to learn in Charan, he dedicates his life to influencing
others. The Chatam Sofer notes this and comments on its implications.
The Chatam Sofer's son
and student, Rav Shimon Sofer (in Pittuchei Chotam, Introduction to
Responsa Chatam Sofer, YD), expresses the greatness of Avraham Avinu in this
fashion, elaborating on Rav Yosef Karos abovementioned comment.
In truth, even before him
there were unique individuals who knew God and desired knowledge of His ways.
Who was greater than Chanokh? He
was lifted up to become like one of the
heavenly host who stand before the King to minister to him. We do not find that
the earthly elements of Avraham Avinu, may he rest in peace, became that
purified.
However, it was not on
account of any deficiency or lacking of his soul that Avraham did not reach this
level
For he understood in his wisdom that God does not desire that man only
perfect his soul, leaving the people of his generation behind, a brood of sinful
men who provoke God to anger, as happened to the generation of Chanokh and the
Generation of the Flood. This experience taught him that it is better for a
person to give up a little of the perfection of his soul in order to increase
the glory of God, reducing the number of those who rebel against Him and
increasing the number of those who serve and know Him.
Rav Shimon Sofer goes on to describe how God
seeks out those who influence others, even if by doing so they fail to reach the
greatest of heights. (A complete translation of the introduction, which is
recommended reading, can be found at
http://www.kiruv.com/articles/74/chasam-sofer-on-responsibility; see Year 1,
Lesson 29 for the halakhic discussion regarding these ideas.)
Were the great of every generation to
concentrate on perfecting themselves to the exclusion of others, only one in a
million would achieve perfection. The bulk of society would remain in a state of
corruption. The world would be destroyed by the wickedness of its inhabitants
and Gods purpose in creation would not be fulfilled.
In truth, the path followed by Avraham
should be seen to be the obvious one. To realize this, one has only to consider
the soul. The soul is the Godly dimension within us and prior to joining the
body, it is conversant with the deep secrets of Heaven. Once in this world,
however, it is trapped in a body which blinds it to the truth. Why did God do
this? Why did He deprive it of its high level? What benefit does the soul have
from finding itself trapped in the lowly body?
The
answer is that only in this trapped condition, where its light is dimmed, can it
develop closeness and similarity to its Creator. This is done by giving, by
influencing others, starting, obviously, with its own body. The soul can raise
the body to a level which would be utterly impossible for a body without a soul.
In its original state the soul was incapable of giving, only of receiving. Now,
it may be trapped in the body, but the soul has someone to influence: its own
body. This will be the greatness of the soul and its achievement, for only by
giving will it develop.
In the same way as the soul is only
fulfilled by influencing the body, so is the human being only fulfilled by
influencing others. That is why the Torah commands us to teach our children, to
teach our students, to guide the misguided. These commandments tell us that a
person will not fulfill the purpose of creation if he only perfects himself but
ignores others.
In truth, Rav Sofer's call to follow in the footsteps of
Avraham's love-driven campaign is understandable, as the verse in Yeshayahu
refers to the Jewish people as "The seed of Avraham who loved me." As his
children, we are bidden to walk in this same path of love.
Bringing Others Close to
the Torah
Kiruv is rooted in love of God and one's fellow Jew; it
requires walking in the path of Avraham, calling out to all of mankind, teaching
the world about God. Avraham sets the stage of Jewish history, as God declares:
For I
have known him
to the end that he may command his children and his household after
him to keep the way of God, to do righteousness and
justice, to the end that God may bring upon Avraham that which He has spoken
to him. (Bereishit 18:19)
Avraham's greatness lies in his commitment to
educating his progeny, who will maintain the chain of tradition, to follow the
way of God. We are bidden to continue on his path, as expressed in this verse.
Avrahams initiative was
calling out in the name of God, but this was not a static endeavor; it evolved
through the generations, bringing us to another paradigm, that of Aharon. The
Mishna tells us to continue in Aharons path, by bringing others close to the
Torah. The basic directive of kiruv seems to emerge from this source,
Avot 1:12, which advises us:
Hillel says: Be like the
students of Aharon, love peace and pursue peace, love people and bring them
close to the Torah.
The Mishna clearly connects the ideal of
"loving people" with kiruv, as we discussed in the previous lesson. The
commentators discuss the exact relationship between the two. As they note, the
ability to influence others positively is rooted in a sincere feeling of love
for others; Aharon's example of kindness is the model to follow.
Rav Tzvi Yehuda Ha-Kohen
Kook (Torat Eretz Yisrael, p. 89) stresses the need to be driven by love:
Is this speaking about
people who are close to the Torah or those who are far away? There isn't a need
to bring a close person near. Rather, Hillel's intention is to refer to those
far away. He instructs us to love people who are distant from Torah. However,
the Mishna doesn't tells us to love people in order to bring them close to the
Torah, but rather to love them and afterwards bring them close to the Torah. The
main point is to love, and due to this, they will naturally come close to the
Torah.
Other Mishnaic commentators go further. Rav
Chayim of Volozhin (Ruach Chayim) argues that because kiruv itself
is an act of love, it should be pursued even when in the short term it may lead
to some conflict:
One must love mankind and
bring them closer to the Torah. This is true even though it sometimes happens
that attempting to bring another close to the Torah has detrimental
consequences, such as leading to quarrels
for fear of lost income or the like
Nevertheless, love mankind and bring them closer to the Torah, for this is the
ultimate act of love one may show for another. Afterwards, when God is happy
with man's actions, He will ensure that even his enemies will make peace with
him
According to the Meiri, Aharon's success in
kiruv was made possible by the high esteem which the people held him in.
Rabbeinu Yona comments that Aharon's love for others caused him to try to solve
others quarrels, something that people who lack true love for others may not be
willing to get involved in. Furthermore, when he approached individuals who had
sinned, he did so with such love that they were taken aback: how, they felt,
could they continue to sin if someone as great as Aharon held them in such high
regard? Aharon's loving personality and exemplary character allowed him to
influence others positively.
The Vilna Gaon (in his
commentary to Mishlei 10:20) points out that in order to influence
others, one must follow Aharon's example, choosing kind words rather than
insults.
The righteous person
comes with pleasant, gentle words and draws a person to the Torah. Everybody
then wants to follow this righteous person.
The idea of bringing others closer to the
Torah is usually focused on those who seem to be distant from it, those who are
defined as rechokim. However, in truth, while kiruv is most
noticeable when applied to rechokim, the same holds true for just about
everyone. Anyone can benefit from getting a little closer to God and His Torah.
The Shela (Shaar Ha-otiyot, Kedusha) indicates this, defining the idea of
kiruv as helping individuals, including ourselves, to come closer to the
Torah by raising the level of sincerity in observance of the mitzvot. We
might say that this is a solid source for the term known as kiruv kerovim,
bringing those who are already close even closer to sincerity in their
observance.
How can kiruv be done in a
personally uplifting manner? What are its explicit obligations? These questions
will have to wait until next week.
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