W as Rav Moshe the most important figure of the kiruv movement in recent years? At his passing many said so. He certainly had many talmidim (and talmidim of talmidim) in the field. With his unique brand of both fire and love he encouraged and guided them empowering them to be as effective as possible.
I’d like to share seven principles of kiruv that I either heard personally from Rav Moshe or that were shared with me by colleagues based on the advice Rav Moshe gave them. They’re based on my shallow understanding. Consistent with Rav Moshe’s sophisticated and nuanced pedagogy we can assume that he may have said things differently to other talmidim or that he could have changed the message for different scenarios.
I would like to thank the family of Rav Moshe Shapira for letting me disseminate his Torah in this format.
1. Slabodka Roots
The Alter of Slabodka’s encounter with Rav Yisrael Salanter was brief. Reb Yisrael father of the mussar movement had the ability to size up a person on the deepest level in just a few minutes. When the Alter asked what his avodah was in this world Reb Yisrael answered with the pasuk: “L’hachayos ruach shefalim u’lhachayos lev nidkaim — to revive the spirit of the meek and revive the hearts of the depressed” (Yeshayahu 57:15).
