Dear Friends:
“I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” (Bereishis 45:3)
This, to me, is the most emotional moment in Chumash.
Mouths drop open!
The brothers are in shock!
Suddenly, everything is clear!
Joseph’s dreams were from Hashem!
Redemption has come!
This moment paves the way for the reunion of the family of our Father Jacob. Even though it takes place in Egypt, the family is nevertheless reunited, and that in turn paves the way for Redemption and the path to Har Sinai.
This is a preview of Moshiach’s arrival!
Mouths will drop open!
Everything will become clear!
We will marvel at the ways of G-d!
“Yeshuas Hashem k’heref ayin! …. G-d’s Redemption comes in the twinkling of an eye.”
Deep in the American Exile live millions of Jews. Perhaps no setting is more dangerous than the college campus, where young people, often totally without background, are exposed to weird ideas and endless temptation, and there is no control on their behavior. The situation is further muddied by intermarriage, which leads to incredible complications. A kiruv worker once told us that if you meet a girl on campus named “Rachel Goldberg,” she could be a non-Jew, whereas “Brian McGillicuddy” could be Jewish!
In the midst of this dismal and dangerous swamp, you find the most incredible thing: diamonds in the darkness! Where you expect only impurity and chaos, you find pure Jewish souls searching desperately for a way back to G-d. And on many college campuses there are brilliant professionals who somehow are able to identify these Jewish children, interest them in learning and bring them into their amazing kiruv (outreach) programs.
The Maimonides Program was the brainchild of the legendary Rabbi Avrohom Jacobovitz, who introduced it at the University of Michigan, from where it has spread to dozens of other campuses. The unique idea of the Maimonides Programs was that Rabbi Jacobovitz raised money to provide a generous stipend to students to attend Torah classes during a ten-week period. That locks them in and gets their attention; they have reports to write and tests to pass. The curriculum includes Shabbatons and usually culminates in a trip to Israel. This brilliant idea has brought thousands of Jewish children back to Torah!
Rabbi Jacobovitz, who is now based in Israel and doing follow-up programs, has been succeeded in Ann Arbor by someone so talented that I am frankly amazed at his abilities. His name is Rabbi “Fully” (Rafael) Eisenberger. My wife and I have had the privilege to speak in Ann Arbor twice a year for evening programs since the days of Rabbi Jacobovitz, but several weeks ago we were privileged be part of a new experience, a Maimonides Shabbaton, which was followed on Saturday night by the First Annual Dinner of Rabbi Fully’s organization, the
Jewish Resource Center (JRC). The dinner included the graduation ceremony for this fall’s group of students.
The Jewish People are blessed with incredible talent. After two thousand years of Exile, you might have thought we would have “run out of steam,” but obviously the engine is running at full blast! We have participated in campus kiruv programs throughout the country and are amazed at the talent and self-sacrifice of these young rabbis. They earn the trust of students whom they perhaps meet by stationing themselves in the middle of campus and asking, “Are you Jewish?” In many cases, a few months later these young people are on their way to a high level of Jewish observance and a life of simcha.
Rabbi Fully is one of the best! His ready smile and exuberant friendship are only the beginning. What we didn’t realize was that Hashem has given him a voice that could earn him a place on the concert circuit. His mother told him she didn’t want him in such a career, so he uses his beautiful voice totally “for the sake of Heaven”! A Shabbos meal at his table is an experience no one forgets! You are enveloped in a world of zmiros (Shabbos songs) and Jewish music which transports you toward Heaven!
Rabbi Fully has basically taken upon himself the entire burden of the kiruv effort at the University of Michigan. I don’t know where he gets the strength. He raises the money; he finds the kids, he conducts the classes …. how does he do it all?
“Hanosain l’yauaif koach … Hashem gives strength to the weary!” (Shacharis). Maybe he’s not weary, but I get tired thinking about all he does!
Yes, his hard-working wife, who smilingly feeds countless guests every Shabbos, is beside him. Yes, he has able rabbonim who learn one-on-one with second-year students. We were impressed with an eloquent observant pediatrician who takes time from her busy schedule to speak regularly on campus. But the weight of this prodigious program is on Rabbi Fully’s shoulders, and it is amazing to see what he accomplishes!
My wife and I saw with our own eyes the love and admiration the Detroit Jewish community has for him. They see him taking care of our children, and they turned out by the hundreds at his Dinner. I hope they support his work, because he deserves it. He is a true son of Joseph, going into deepest Exile and devoting all his strength to reuniting our Jewish family.
Joseph went out to seek his brothers…. ”Es achai aunochi m’vakaish….” (Genesis 37:16).
Rabbi Fully and others like him across America are going out to seek their brothers and sisters, our children. This is the path to Redemption, may we see it soon in our days!
© Copyright 2011 by Roy S. Neuberger
