I Was Broke and in Debt Until I Started To…

By: Anonymous

I started off this past year as a new Rebbi in an out of town Cheder.

We were excited to embark on our new Shlichus in Chinuch and fill the need of dedicated Mechanchim.

I consulted with my Mashpia took a Teachers training course and we packed all our belongings and moved to the unknown.

The cost of moving… we hadn’t expected that.

Estimating our future earnings as a teacher we used our credit card to fund our move and all that comes along with it.

The year began…

Throwing myself into the teaching and learning, preparation, principals, parents, paras, therapists, it was all new to me.

But there was something else that was new to me…

The school was in financial distress.

Our salary was delayed and paid in parts and we watched as our credit card debt grew… and so did the interest.

I finally understood the words of Rashi of why it is called נשך.

Months later we maxed two credit cards and one Thursday evening had no money to buy food for Shabbos.

My father is far from wealthy and so is my Shver.

I had never had to ask for money before in my life and it’s totally not my nature.

But the main point of my writing this is not to unload the Agmas Nefesh etc.

Unfortunately a young shliach passed away just after the siyum Horambam and I heard that his father was asking for people to take on three Prakim of Rambam in the merit of his neshama.

I had been learning פרק אחד and was struggling to keep it up daily, as school and my family responsibilities take alot of time, learning three Perokim was not on my radar.

That Shabbos, I turned to a friend (also in Chinuch) next to me by the farbrengen and told him I would take on 3 Prakim Rambam L’ilui Nishmoso and Hashem should take away all my debts
עשה למען תינוקות של בית רבן.

I started learning it daily, it was hard.

A week and a half later in a totally unexpected way half of our debt was covered.

Now a few months later I keep up with the daily Rambam and the school Still owes over 10 thousand but our credit card debt which we thought would take years to go has been fully paid off. Gone in a most unexpected turn of events

I’m so thankful to Hashem for his Nissim and I’m sharing this with the public perhaps someone will be inspired to increase in learning and receive a ישועה which everyone can in some way.

And I’m not the only Melamed who has experienced the agmas nefesh of not having food and basics for his family and having to rely on loans and credit cards.

It’s really the precious children in Cheder that lose out, as the financial stress takes its toll on the teacher.

Now I’m fully aware that tuition is a struggle for parents and I don’t claim to have the solution to the problem, but perhaps Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch can set up some kind of loan system where teachers that are behind in pay can borrow from directly (not everyone has a wealthy family member that can lend them money).

It is so important now more then ever that a melamed should be able to give his best into raising the next generation of the Rebbes soldiers with a Chayus and passion in Yiddishkeit.

May this issue – along with all other issues which we have in Golus- disappear with coming of משיח צדקינו ממש נאו.