Tears to Awaken   

Oorah founder Rabbi Chaim Mintz doesn’t let your soul go to sleep

With insights from his own great rebbeim, Rabbi Chaim Mintz, who would go on to found Oorah, became a beloved mashgiach at the Yeshiva of Staten Island. But that was only the beginning. Reading a line about how Jews have an achrayus to help those distant from Torah, he looked around and said, ‘Nu? What are we doing for all the secular Jews?” The bochurim looked back at their rebbi. “There’s nothing we can do!” To which Rabbi Mintz responded, “You wanna bet?”

Rav Dovid Kronglas ztz”l, seldom cried. As the legendary mashgiach of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel Baltimore, his shmuessen were aflame with fiery passion, and at times, interlaced with humor as well.

But he didn’t cry.

When Elul came, the talmidim knew to expect the sudden transformation that would overcome their mashgiach. Fear would envelop him, he would hardly speak, and he never smiled. He gave more shmuessen than usual, and, with fiery passion and heartfelt emotion, he would speak about eimas hadin — the fear of judgment.

And still, he didn’t cry.

Rosh Hashanah arrived and he rose to stand before the amud. Cloaked in a tallis, his face the picture of fear, he began to recite Kaddish. Yisgadel v’yiskadash Shmei rabbah! May Your Great Name grow exalted and be sanctified. And suddenly, his voice would crack.

And Rav Dovid Kronglas cried.

The talmidim shuddered as they continued to daven, inspired and uplifted by their rebbi’s tefillos.