New Trend: Chabad Religious Schools

All kinds of families are turning away from Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist synagogues and turning to Chabad schools:

Often unaffiliated with synagogues themselves, or put off by the institutional environment of other religious schools, they comment on the welcoming approach at Chabad. They say they like the flexibility and individual attention offered.

The Chabad-run schools are responding in kind, experiencing tremendous growth nationally and locally. And they are challenging Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist synagogues on their own suburban turf. While some of their leaders welcome the expansion of Jewish options, others worry that Chabad is instilling a reactionary Judaism under the guise of "openness."

Obviously, these Chabad schools could be seen as a threat to the afternoon Talmud Torah's which are perpetually being revised because of their failure, but are also a key element of what the Conservative and Reform synagogues are expected to provide to their congregation. Thus you get a criticism like this:

Often the Chabad students don't learn what they need to in terms of Hebrew language or synagogue skills to take part in the service at a Conservative synagogue, he said. And they aren't schooled in the philosophy of the Conservative movement.

But the comment that really caught my attention (after Baruch Who? pointed it out to me) was this one:

"There are lots and lots of unaffiliated Jews out there. If their goal is to reach out to them, I wish them luck and kol hakavod...But if they are using the Hebrew school as a tool to reach out to a population otherwise affiliated and siphon funds from Reform and Conservative congregations, that would sadden me and reflect a departure from Jewish thought," he said, referring to the talmudic principle of not establishing conflicting businesses.

The reference is apparently to Hasagas Gvul, but on the contrary, this drawing off of students would not be "a departure from Jewish thought" at all but rather a confirmation of the actual Halacha which explicitly makes a exception for Hasagas Gvul/conflicting businesses when it come to Talmud Torah.

Gemara Bava Basra 21b:

Rav Yosef said: And Rav Huna (who holds someone can prevent a fellow resident of a mavoi from opening up a rival business) concedes that with regard to those who teach Torah to children, the teacher cannont prvent another from teaching in thatmavoi, for the Master said: Jealousy between scholars increases wisdom. [translation based on Artscroll]

[A mavoi is an alley into which one or more courtyards open into]

Shulchan Aruch Yorah Deah 245:22:

If a member of a courtyard or mavoi wants to be a teacher of children--the neighbors cannot prevent him (on account of the noise). Likewise, a school teacher who sees that another school teacher has come and opened a school next to his in order that other children will come to him or in order that the other teacher's students will come to him--cannot be prevented, as the pasuk says (Isaiah 42:21): Hashem desired, for the sake of its [Israel's] righteousness, that the Torah be made great and glorious. [translation from Artscroll Siddur]

The bottom line is that through the increasingly popular Chabad schools Jewish children are going to be drawn to Torah. That is our common goal--isn't it?

Technorati Tag: Jews and Chabad.