Rabbi Y.Y.Rubinstein
A few weeks ago someone who had heard that I am involved in Kiruv Rechokim (Jewish Outreach) picked up the phone and gave me a call. He wanted to know if I had heard of Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak Shli"ta. I replied that I had and then he asked if I would be interested in some videotapes with English sub titles that I might be able to show my students. I told him to send whatever he had.
Watching videos presented the inevitable problem; we have nothing to watch them on! I phoned up someone who hires out a machine to Mosdos (Jewish foundations) and went to fetch it. This machine is a combined monitor and VCR and weighs about three hundred tons. I ignored the pain in my back (and the worry that people seeing me schlep it into the house might get the wrong idea) and got it through the door.
Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak appeared on the screen in front of an audience of about five hundred people. When I talk to that sort of audience, I like a Shtender (podium) so that I can move about. Rabbi Yitzchak simply sat behind a table smiling at the secular Israeli faces who had come along to confront him, and come to confront him is exactly what they had come to do!
His dress is the traditional Yemenite, Yerushalmi golden Kapotte (robe), long Payos (sidelocks) and what looks like a cross between a hat and a turban.
His presentations are themselves enhanced by video extracts from scientists or doctors or statistics which support his arguments. These are projected on a large screen and his subjects range from reincarnation, the conflict between the secular and religious in Israel, to abortion and evolution. Each talk session can last for four hours.
I sat watching initially, with a certain professional detachment as I assessed whether this would be suitable for British Students. The shiur (class), because it really was a shiur, pulled no punches, Gehenom (Hell) was explained, Olom Ha-Bo (The Next World) was explained. Schar V’Onesh (Reward and Punishment) was dealt with without apology. I wondered at the simplicity of the style and why it was having such a clear effect on the audience.
Then I remembered a story told to me by my late brother-in-law (may he rest in peace.)
He married a girl from a religious Kibbutz called Kiryat Tzvi. One day his new father-in-law was standing outside the Kibbutz office waiting to discuss something with the Kibbutz manager. He had to wait, as the manager was busy with the manager of a nearby Kibbutz. This other Kibbutz was not religious. It’s manager had brought along his teenage son who also stood waiting outside. The young man turned to the old man and asked him if he did "Tefilah"? My relative looked at him in some bewilderment and noticing this, the young man said "Tefilah?". Again he produced a baffled stare so he tried variations on the theme, "Tefi..LAH" "TEFI…lah" "TEFILAH".
It turned out that his father had told him that the Jews on this Kibbutz did something called Tefilah (prayer) but what Tefilah was, he really didn’t know.
So many Jews in Israel were robbed of their religion and their heritage. Now in a hall facing a smiling Yemeite Rabbi they were getting it back again.
After four hours of often heated debate, many questions had been raised and answered. Rabbi Yitzchak put his hand on a Tupperware box, which had been, sitting unnoticed on the table throughout the lecture.
"They say" he began, "That it is easier to become a Baal Teshuva when you are old, than when you are young. Older people have already done all the things that they shouldn't have. Young people have a bigger fight with a Yetzer HaRa (evil inclination) which is still promising so many Taivas (temptations)."
Then he opened the box, which he had been holding. From this he held up a ponytail, a boy’s ponytail! "Do you know how long it takes to grow one of these?" he asked. "This is what young people are willing to give up to return to Torah. He held the ponytail ('Kuku' in Hebrew) high.
"Ze shel Ashkenazi…Blondie! (This belonged to an blond Ashkenazic boy)" he smiled. His hand went inside the box again. "V’ ze shel Taimoni; krinkie! (and this one belonged to a Yemenite!)" and he held up the frizzy hair of a Yemeni kid. A last time his hand returned to the box and pulled out a very long black pony tail. "V’ze shel Sepharadi! (and this one belonged to a Sefardic boy)" Again he smiled and explained that they would only give this up if they were convinced the Torah was true. He then held up a second box. Through the plastic could be seen hundreds and hundreds of earrings. "When Klal Yisrael came out from Egypt the men gave their ear rings to make an Egel Ha Zahav (golden calf). Today they are giving up their earrings to return to Torah. When we have enough of these (he already had two kilos) we are going to use them to make a Crown for a Sefer Torah!"
Immediately from the audience a young man came forward removing his earring as he walked. He was followed by another and then another. Scores of earrings queued up to build the Sefer Torah’s new crown. Then the "Kukus" came forward and scissors in hand, the Rabbi cut them off and handed Yarmulkes and Tzitizit in return. Ladies stood waiting to be handed beautiful scarves to cover their hair.
I sat watching with a huge lump in my throat and tears coursing down my cheeks. I showed the video to my university students and the magic of Rabbi Yitzchak traversed cultures and language, they sat glued to the screen.
For his brilliant success in re-kindling the spark in Jewish souls (for he has literally brought back thousands and thousands), Rabbi Yitzchak has received death threats! Rachmana L’tzlan.
A friend of mine who is a Baal Teshuva explained to me why. "Secular Jews used to hate Haredim (Orothodox Jews) because they thought they were the past. Now they fear them because they know they are the future."
In Parshas Bahalosecha there are the verses which are framed by upside down letters Nun. Rashi explains that these verses do not really belong there but were placed there to separate two sins of Klal Yisrael (the Nation of Israel). The second sin is spelled out in the verses, what was the first?
After Klal Yisrael heard all of the Torah at Mount Sinai, they were scared lest they be given more Mitzvos and ran away from the Mountain, "Like a child runs away from school"
After his lecture as scores were queuing to hand in their earrings, Rabbi Yitzchak declared "Don't be in any doubt about it…this is the time of Mashiach"
A little light dispels much darkness. Given the opportunity to hear a master teacher and find out what Torah and Judaism really is, Klal Yisrael are running back to Har Sinai for more!
Oh and by the way, I just showed my students another of his videos. The Crown for the Sefer Torah has been made and already adorns a Sefer Torah. The time of the Mashiach indeed!
Copyright Rabbi Y.Y. Rubinstein http://www.rabbiyy.com/
