Who inspires you?

[COMMUNICATED] Jason is a twenty year old college student at Rutgers who grew up with almost no significant Jewish education.

But after meeting with some Meor RJX (Rutgers Jewish Xperience) campus Rabbis, he starts attending shiurim, chavrusas and shabbatons. After experiencing a powerful 16 day Israel trip full of learning and touring, he is ready to take on more. While we might think that Jason has nothing to teach us and must learn from us, quite the opposite is true. We have much to learn from a student like Jason. After making the commitment to live a life of Torah and mitzvos, Jason’s campus Rabbi at Rutgers, Rabbi Shlomo Cohen, sees Jason at the 10:10 PM Maariv minyan at Ohr Torah – the latest Maariv minyan in town. R’ Shlomo realizes that Jason has no car, so he asks him how he got to Maariv. Jason, not someone with extra cash sitting around, replies that he took an Uber and will take one back.

Jason has much to teach us. How many of us would take an Uber to and from the latest minyan in town? Wouldn’t many of us just daven “by the Kosel.”

Aaron is another student who signs up for college without having to pay tuition, because he joins the Army ROTC, officer training program. Upon graduation, he plans on joining the army and attending officer school. But Aaron’s idealism is sparked in a new direction after joining the Meor RJX Israel trip. He continues to learn and grow in his yiddishkeit on and off campus and decides that he should attend Yeshiva in Israel. But what to do about Army ROTC? He discusses his plans with his recruiting officer and is informed that he is not allowed to defer officer training during the time he is going to go to Yeshiva. So he leaves Army ROTC and assumes thousands of dollars of tuition costs that he originally was excused from and attends two years at Yeshiva Machon Yaakov in Har Nof, Yerushalayim.

We can learn a lot about mesiras nefesh from Aaron and many of his chaveirim, among the nearly 100 RJX alumni who are now shomrei Torah umitzvos and living in communities such as Edison, Passaic, Monsey and Eretz Yisroel.

When we involve ourselves in Kiruv Rechokim, we not only fulfill the mitzvos of Ahavas Hashem, Ahavas Reyim, Hochacha, Lo Saamod Al Dam Reyecha and more, we help ourselves. We are not only more inspired to invigorate and energize our own yiddishkeit, but the quality of our own Mitzvos are deepened. As Rav Aharon Kotler ZT’L points out in Mishnas Rav Aharon, since there was a commitment of Arvus, responsibility, from each Jew to the other, each mitzvah that a Jew does, affects every other Jew. So if I make Kiddush Friday night, but many other Jews don’t, my Kiddush is not as effective because of my arvus with the other members of Klal Yisroel who didn’t make Kiddush.

Please come out and enjoy the RJX Lakewood BBQ fundraiser, with music by Simple Man, the night after Tisha B’Av, Monday night July 23, at the home of Yaakov Schreiber, 258 Martin Luther King Dr, rain or shine. Parking on John St.

 

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