Emes Ve-Emunah: Reaching and Inspiring Our Youth

Monday, March 17, 2008

Reaching and Inspiring Our Youth

Rabbi Heshy Grossman has graciously allowed me to post his article. He describes it as an article addressing the need to reach all of our youth, to insure that our school system can better inspire and motivate our teens. It was written in 2002.

Rabbi Grossman is the former principal of Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School in Chicago, Illinois, is the founder and Menahel of Ohr Yosef Torah High School of Bergen County, a new Mesivta which opened this past September in Tenafly, N.J. He can be reached at Tel:(201) 921-4921; FAX: (973) 473-0251; E-mail: rabbihg@yahoo.com

To read, click here.

My outlook on Judaism is based mostly on the teachings of my primary Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Soloveichik from whom I received my rabbinic ordination. It is also based on a search for spiritual truth. Among the various sources that put me on the right path, two great philosophic works stand out: “Halakhic Man” and “Lonely Man of Faith” authored by the pre-eminent Jewish philosopher and theologian, Rabbi, Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik. Of great significance is Rabbi, Dr. Norman Lamm's conceptualization and models of Torah U’Mada and Dr. Eliezer Berkovits who introduced me to the world of philosophic thought. Among my early influences were two pioneers of American Elementary Torah Chinuch, Rabbis Shmuel Kaufman and Yaakov Levi. The Yeshivos I attended were Yeshivas Telshe for early high school and more significantly, the Hebrew Theological College where for a period of ten years, my Rebbeim included such great Rabbinic figures as Rabbis Mordechai Rogov, Shmaryahu Meltzer, Yaakov Perlow, Herzl Kaplan, and Selig Starr. I also attended Roosevelt University where I received my Bachelor's Degree - majoring in Psychology.