By Rabbi Shea Hecht for COLlive.com
“Wow! It’s so amazing,” he said, almost breathlessly. It’s true that the sight of hundreds of shluchim davening outside the Rebbe’s room can be awe-inspiring. This akward man in an ill-fitting yarmulke hung onto his shliach’s coat sleeve in a crush of beards and black hats. “All these rabbis dedicate their lives to educating someone else’s children…”
I overheard this gentleman’s innocent comment, and found something immediately disturbing. For all of the good, and all the kedusha that shlichus brings into the world, are we giving our blood, sweat and tears to reach and educate “someone else’s” child while neglecting the education of our own children?
Certainly, there is an invaluable element of chinuch that our children gain from our “shlichus” outlook. The obligations we have towards our fellow Jew and our special mission to illuminate the darkness of this world is unique to Lubavitch and cannot be handed down to the next generation without an emphasis on the Rebbe’s shlichus.
At the same time, it’s also true that one cannot observe the sheer magnitude of today’s shlichus industry without wondering who’s paying for it all. As more and more of our children wind up being shut out of our own yeshivas, it’s starting to seem that the answer to that question may be “us.”
I am personally aware of too many of our children that are forced into the workplace or–worse–onto the street because their families cannot afford to pay their tuition. And what can we expect from a parent who has three, four, five or more kids who are of beis midrash/sem age? Anyone who picks up the newspaper classifieds will see that even the salary of a “credentialed” professional would be hard pressed to handle a modest tuition load. Honestly, I have always been mystified when a menahel is uncompromising in demanding tuition that he himself would be unable to afford!
By most accounts, shlichus is a billion-dollar industry–perhaps more. We keep purchasing another property, opening another Beis Chabad, another camp, another kindergarten… all in the name of educating “someone else’s” kid. But what would happen if we invested just a fraction of that time, money and gezundt on “outreach” to the children and families from our own community? Those of us who struggle to both raise chassidishe children and maintain a shred of sanity might be singing another tune today.
As for now, we must acknowledge that we have placed our emphasis on educating “someone else’s” children, perhaps at the expense of our own.
Please inform us how you came up with the statistic that we have the highest percentage of kids at risk.To me it seems like a “shanah upeirish’nik wrote this piece.
Whilst the Yeshivas and schools in Crown Heights were/are severely underfunded, and their teachers untrained or undertrained, there was a successful effort to build the JCM – a wonderful concept that benefits other people’s children. For shame. When monies were being collected for this institution we were assured that there would be abundant programming for kids in Crown Heights, and it was on this premise that many donated to the cause. Well, that programming was pitiful from its inception and I believe no longer exists. Charity begins at home. Shame on us for being proud of the JCM. We ought… Read more »
WE HERE IN LUBAVITCH HAVE THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF KIDS AT RISK.
WHILE WE ARE SPENDING COUNTLESS HOURS PROVIDING MITZVAHS SHOFER TO A WOMAN WHO IS NOT EVEN OBLIGATED IN THE MITZVAH OF SHOFAR, OUR OWN CHILDREN ROAMING AND WASTING THEIR ROSH HASHANA.
Having grown up in crown heights, and a product of the school system, I can definitely say that our schools have gotten so much better with dealing with kids who dont exactly “fit the mold”. They have more intervention, extra curricular programs, etc. It is so much better now that the hanholas realize that today’s child needs much more from the school than what used to be.
Go Konikovs from Fort Lee
the cost of tuition is very high, too high for so many people. what happens to these kids. I personally know a child that was not in a yeshiva simply bec. his parents couldt afford it. its a tragedy.
We find a Crown Heightser lecture shluchim what do are suppose to do and not and what is wrong with them or not! What nerve!
I’m not saying that they are shellproof but when would rabbi Hecht know what they are going through or how their children live and learn?
But i have to agree with what i did read so far. I have to agree with some of the responses too the issue here is an old issue that is finally getting some attention after it became more then just a small group Lubavitch for years turned a blined eye to the kids that did not fit the mold of the education system that was built to do one thing and one thing only, to create shluchim and rabonim and educators. anything alse (with the exception of shochtim) was really not an option!! if a kid did not show… Read more »
I find it very interesting that the writer chose to see what was obviously meant as a compliment to lubavitch, in such a negative light. Shluchim take on their roles in lieu of a career, that is what they choose as their focus in life.
What businessman doesnt focus fully and completly on their business? The shluchim are doing what everyone else does, except for the one critical factor: what they are doing revolves around others, teaching, giving, etc., instead of focusing their efforts on what benefits them.
That is what is amazing.
This guy is so right!
with all the negativity.
what else is new.
This is offensive. Shluchim’s kids are better off than most, being that they are growing up with parents who live totally dedicated to the Rebbe. That example is the best thing a parent can give to a child.
This is so true, our own kids are unfortunately in crisis now, with so many going off the derech. We in Lubavitch have to invest much more in our own.
we can put chabad houses in vietnam but we still cant manage to stop the churban taking place in lubavitch