I like to try
to find solutions for issues that don’t seem to be addressed by anyone,
particularly for us Lubavitchers. In the following paragraphs I’d like to
discuss one which I feel is so fundamental yet simple. I think once this will
be implemented, all other issues will fall away or can be easily corrected.
On my way
coming back from the Rebbe’s Ohel, I was listening to a fascinating Sicha [13
Tamuz 5743] where the Rebbe explains the necessity of A Moment of Silence. In
short, it is a campaign to implement a moment where everyone is quiet for a
full minute and may reflect on what their parents told them to think about, in
all public schools [in this Sicha the Rebbe included any school (including
frum) that doesn’t have davening as part of their curriculum]. Basically, its
purpose, [for believers at least], is to instill in all children [including
gentiles!] the firm fundamental belief that there is a real “Superpower” - G-d
who is actually watching us, and we must feel accountable to Him, in short
basic יראת שמים, so fundamental and so necessary to be at the core of every
person’s life, particularly, a Jew’s.
A while back
I became aware that there is an individual [Avraham Frank] who is implementing
it and finding success, to the extent the children themselves feel the
tremendous positive effect, and the principals suggest it to their colleagues.
This just proves to me that this technique really works in עולם
הזה הגשמי in a concrete way, it’s not just in the
sichos, it’s ‘scientifically proven’.
Now, let’s
look at our system, can we really say that the boys going through our system
gain that יראת שמים as a result of their education? True the Rebbe mentioned that
this should be implemented in schools where official prayer is not part of the curriculum
but isn’t that because we are talking of real prayer where the students sense
the earnestness and seriousness of actually talking to G-d and recognizing His
Greatness and His involvement in our lives?! Can we say that this is what our
kids feel when they daven in school or do they even know that that’s what they
are supposed to feel, not just rattling off the Hebrew words on the selected
amount of pages of the siddur -?-
Let’s
imagine what would be the result of instituting A Moment of Silence in our
schools, or perhaps let’s call it a moment of התבוננות. Imagine our kinderlach
growing up with the feeling that there really is an Aibershter to Whom we are
accountable, and cares that we do the right thing. I think we'd make the Rebbe proud!
Obviously,
it won’t eliminate the Yetzer Hara, that we’ll still have but at least it will
instill limits, some parameter of where to draw the line. To me it seems that what lies at the core of almost all the issues in anash is the lack of Yiras Shomayim. I think the above said can contribute to correcting that!
PS After writing the above, I found that in the pamphlet
called A SUGGESTED STRUCTURE FOR TEFILLA
IN ELEMENTARY YESHIVAS AND DAY SCHOOLS
Based upon הוראות from
Rabbi C M I Hodokov, written by Rabbi Nochum Kaplan [Available online from chinuchoffice.org,
a very worthwhile read for anyone involved in Chinuch] he writes among other
things “All תפלהrequires כוונה so
children need to be primed at the outset (it is suggested that a moment of
silence be instituted so that a teacher can quietly remind children that they
are about to start davening) to think about the fact that they are addressing מלך מלכי המלכים הקב"ה” when I read that, I was gratified, this is not just a nice
made up idea but there is a source from a real legendary Mechanech, I just
wonder why I haven’t heard that it was implemented ...
but perhaps it’s time…
but perhaps it’s time…