Questionable Kiruv Motives

This may come as a surprise to many of you, but it seems simple to me. The idea of setting aside time from your busy schedule to bring another Jew close to Hashem is a novel one, it's not something that comes naturally like other acts of Chesed. It was and always will be a difficult task for most people, since they've always been taught that these people are deliberately defying G-d and should be stoned. For generations we were taught that once a Yid leaves the fold he's to be shunned, and that was the case in Europe for the most part. Generations of Jews were allowed to wander from the path of Torah without much effort being made to persuade them to return. After all, Ossur Lehistakel BeFonov shel Rosho is not to be taken lightly! The idea of losing 2/3 or three quarters or more of Jews to the movements of the time and assimilation didn't seem to bother most people, they just left it up to G-d. The Holocaust, they say, took care of that problem; G-d just wiped out two thirds of the Jewish People and started over again!

That may have been the Chassidic (Lubavitcher) approach at the time, I haven't figured it out yet, but it definitely was quick to rethink its attitude. As soon as it was realized that ignoring the inevitable was counterproductive the Rabbe'im changed their approach from Richuk to Kiruv. They delved into the Chassidishe Seforim and realized that the way to go is with Ahavas Yisroel, loving and cherishing every single Yid, because Klal Yisroel isn't whole without all of its members being whole. We cannot survive just on Talmidei Chachomim alone, we need them all. What his Zeides did, and how his family got to be Mechalilei Shabbos is now unimportant, we need to stop the flood of assimilation. They also realized that condemning the sinners, even the ones that know better, the ones that learned in Chadorim and Yeshivos and left Yiddishkeit, makes you look like an evil zealot and comes to no good. Let G-d deal with them after they pass on.

When it comes to "Kiruv" institutions like Aish and Or Someach there's very little talk about the importance and precious character of a Yiddishe Neshomah, and how each one is part of the whole. Some, like Amnon Yitzchak, will try and frighten you into repenting, not unlike an Evangelical revival, lehavdil, and either frighten you into accepting Torah, or if you're in need of a ישועה, promise to help you if you cover your hair. (with a Tichel, of course, no sheitlech allowed.) Other groups like SEED rely heavily on people that some connection to Yiddishkeit, and especially in places where there already is a Chabad presence. Young girls and/or Bocherim come there for a summer "to make a difference," just like their counterparts go to visit old age homes. They'll learn a little Kuzari before they go so that they have an answer to a question posed by a non-frum Jew that they have no answer to because they (the frummie) never learned about what he needs to believe in to be a Jew. In other words it's another kind of Chesed, but little want to actually produce Yidden.

For the most part you'll see not the full-fledged Yeshivishe types doing this work, but the more modern and educated ones, people who the Yeshivishe community would shun and not count as theirs. They can relate a bit to non-frum people because they actually speak the language, and may have a common interest or two. When it comes to credit then the Yeshivishers will be there, claiming all these projects and outreach as being from "our community," sort of like the Agudah claiming to represent every Orthodox Jew. So now all communities, the Young Israel, the OU, the Agudah can now claim to be doing G-d's work too, by laying claim to the Kiruv revolution. Of course Chabad doesn't do Kiruv, they just make Chabadskers. So back to my opening statement: We really don't do what others do, Chabad works to ignite Jewish souls, not to make careers Kiruv professionals and customers for Artscroll Siddurim. We aim to tip the scales and bring redemption to this world, not to make Aish donors. That's why I see all these Kiruv groups as nothing but opportunists and opportunists with a lot of nerve and audacity to boot. They have the gall to complain about Chabad when their only mission in life is to destroy them. That's why I cringe when I read their stuffy Press releases in the papers.