Fanning the Flames

The Torah community in Eretz Yisrael has had little to do with the hisorerus thus far. Nor, interestingly, have the expressions of anger expressed toward the Torah community over the issue of army service prevented a desire for a greater connection to Hashem, His mitzvos, and religious identity from blossoming.

Each one of these sparks of yearning is precious and must be nurtured. But they signal the beginning of a journey, not the end. Many of those who have taken on particular aspects of mitzvah observance, even central ones such as Shabbos, have not yet integrated their commitments into a framework of full mitzvah observance.

Even those who have made a commitment to full observance lack in most cases any detailed knowledge of what is entailed, or supportive communities in which they can continue to grow. As a consequence, their long-range commitments are necessarily tenuous to one degree or another. (That statement should not be taken to indicate that I think their becoming chareidi or moving to Bnei Brak is the goal.)

The question that must be asked, however, is what role can the Torah community play in fanning the flames of those on a journey of searching for connection. And even before that question, there is another more fundamental one: What is incumbent upon us to make sure we don’t cause those flames to be extinguished. As Rav Moshe Shapira said many times, “Our task is not to bring Mashiach; it is to make sure that we don’t prevent his arrival.”