Welcoming October 8th Jews Home: A Symposium, Part 2

Although it may be too optimistic to believe that a significant percentage of these newly interested Jews will start keeping Shabbat, perhaps we need to rethink our definition of success with regard to outreach. If a Jew, formerly uncomfortable with being Jewish, develops a strong sense of Jewish identity and pride, can that be considered a success?

Meira Spivak, as told to Steve Lipman

Ultimately, the goal is for as many Jews as possible to lead committed Jewish lives. But although that is the ultimate goal, it is not realistic for every person.

Let’s take a look at ourselves, for example, and think about how we make changes in our lives. It’s not easy. Change takes time. It’s a process. We need to afford unaffiliated Jews the same grace we afford ourselves. Everyone is on a journey; every person taking a step that brings him or her closer to Torah should be applauded. It might not be the success with a capital S that we ultimately hope for, but anyone who grows in his Judaism is a success and we need to recognize it. Yes, they may have driven to shul, but they could have gone to the mall or somewhere else. Instead, they made a choice to spend their time in shul.

Since October 7, I’ve gotten an increasing number of calls from parents asking for advice on how to get their kids more connected to and engaged with Judaism. More and more Jewish teens attending public high schools are requesting that we start JSU clubs in their schools. All of these are indications that Jews are more interested now in connecting.

For those of us in a position to help others connect, it’s important to meet people where they are. If they want to come to a Shabbos meal, invite them. We do invite people to stay for the full Shabbos and sleep over. Many of them come but prefer not to stay overnight. A lot of families we have over for Shabbos meals end up sending their children to our NCSY overnight camp. It’s a journey.

Children—second grade and up—hands down, are easier to influence. Until twelfth grade, kids are easier to work with. Once they are in college, it’s hard to get them to come for a Shabbos meal or programs. But success is when a teen starts to attend year-round NCSY programs in her city and has a positive outlook about being Jewish.

Meira Spivak is the director of Oregon NCSY.

Steve Lipman is a frequent contributor to Jewish Action.

Rabbi Efraim Mintz

The question seems to imply that the ultimate measure of success in Jewish outreach has always been making Jews frum or shomer Shabbos. The concern, then, is whether that expectation is too high for many people (a point I’m not entirely convinced of). Should we, therefore, “downgrade” our definition of success and consider fostering Jewish identity and pride in a Jew who may be distant from Yiddishkeit as sufficient?

I cannot agree that fostering Jewish pride and identity constitutes success on its own. These are abstract concepts, and neither is counted among the 613 mitzvos d’Oraisa or the seven mitzvos d’Rabbanan. They are certainly valuable, but in isolation, they don’t fulfill the ultimate objective.

However, I also disagree with the notion that success in outreach is solely defined by making someone frum.

Allow me to clarify.

What gives a mitzvah its value? There is a common misconception that mitzvos are valuable because, when performed regularly and in great number, they constitute a lifestyle—what we call “being frum.” In this view, mitzvos matter because they collectively form a holy lifestyle, and so it seems logical that success would be measured by leading someone into that lifestyle.

But that’s not what a mitzvah is about. Hashem doesn’t want you to daven, study Torah, put on tefillin, light Shabbos candles or give tzedakah simply because these actions build a religious identity. Rather, He quite literally and quite simply wants you to put on tefillin, study Torah, light Shabbos candles or give tzedakah. Every mitzvah, in and of itself, gives Hashem immense pleasure. When a Jew fulfills His will, Hashem says, “What nachas I have! For I have commanded, and My will was done” (see Rashi, Shemos 29:18).

The Shelah HaKadosh writes that the word mitzvah is related to the Aramaic word tzavsa, which means connection or bond. Chassidus explains (Tanya, Likutei Amarim, chap. 25) that every time a Jew performs a mitzvah, he creates an eternal connection with Hashem. Aveiros can be rectified, but a mitzvah is eternal. It forges a bond that lasts forever.

Moreover, Rambam famously writes (Hilchos Teshuvah 3:4) that each person should view himself and the world as being evenly balanced between merit and sin. One mitzvah can tip the scales, bringing deliverance and salvation not only to the person performing it but to the entire world.

So what is the unchanging definition of success in Jewish outreach? Success is getting another Jew to do a single mitzvah. That mitzvah gives Hashem tremendous nachas, connects that Jew to Him in an eternal bond, and has the potential to tip the scales and bring Mashiach. Every mitzvah matters—each one is a success.

As for making someone frum, don’t worry. Chazal teach us that one mitzvah leads to another, and that second mitzvah leads to a third, and so on. The frumkeit will come in time. But our focus should remain on the immediate opportunity: to inspire another Jew to do a mitzvah, right here and now. That is our true success.

Rabbi Efraim Mintz is executive director of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, the educational arm of Chabad.