I have read a few posts from folks here, talking about how they or their families fell away from Judaism, but that now they're interested in taking a second look at their Jewish heritage. I still wonder what, in practical terms, caused both -- the falling away, and the returning -- but I think this essay I just found at
http://beyondbt.com (Beyond Ba'al T'shuvah, that is, Beyond Returning) does an admirable job of explaining one of the emotional/spiritual forces behind this desire.
The Teshuva Journey: Planting A Seed
July 11th, 2007 1:00 am - Michael GrosFor many Jews, the teshuva journey is a return to something buried deep within themselves, a seed planted many years earlier.
Georgia is home to the Atlanta Scholar’s Kollel, a tremendous outreach organization which has brought scores of Jews back to their heritage. Rabbi David Silverman, one of the Kollel’s founders, has collected many inspiring stories during his twenty years there.
A few years ago Rabbi Silverman met Marc Schwartz*, a tenth grader in a non-Jewish private school in Atlanta, and began studying with him on a weekly basis. The learning left a lasting imprint on Marc and after graduating high school he decided to learn in yeshiva and eventually kollel, where he has remained ever since.
Over time Marc’s parents began to spend many Shabbas meals at the Silverman home and grew in their observance of Judaism. The change was drastic for Marc’s father, who had been a Cantor at a local Reform synagogue.
However Marc’s older sister Debra did not share in her family’s growing interest in Judaism and had no desire to become observant. Despite her lack of enthusiasm, her parents brought her along to the Silverman home several times for Shabbas meals. They wanted her to experience their newfound observance.
One week she was at their table during the Shabbas of the readings of the Torah portions of Tazria and Metzora, which discuss the physical and spiritual punishments for someone who speaks loshon hora (gossip). Over lunch Rabbi Silverman described some of the laws of proper speech as explained by the Chofetz Chayim, who passed away in 1933. Rabbi Silverman then went on to discuss the Jewish ideals of morality, ethics and proper behavior.
Debra was amazed.
“I was always so interested in proper speech, ethics and how to be a good person,” Debra said. She knew there had to be a religion that included these principles, but couldn’t find it, and never expected it to be Judaism.
Debra became interested in exploring more, and began learning with a Rabbi and began taking a deep interest in what her brother was learning in yeshiva. Sometime later she began going to classes with Rabbi Silverman at the Kollel and attending services at Beth Jacob.
In time she also became observant. The more Debra learned, she became even more impressed by the teachings of proper speech and self-improvement, as well as the strong values she was finding in Judaism.
“I began learning to be a good person through Judaism,” Debra said.
Since then Debra and her parents have spent many more meals at the Silverman home. After one meal a few years later, Mrs. Silverman asked Debra’s mother where her family was from originally.
“My grandfather was from a small town in Europe, but I’m sure you’ve never heard of it,” she replied. “He was Orthodox, but his daughter, my mother, gave it all up. When I grew up I didn’t even know about Shabbas candles.”
“What was the town called?” Mrs. Silverman asked.
“Radin.”
A light bulb went off in Mrs. Silverman’s head.
“Radin? That explains everything!” Mrs. Silverman replied. “That’s why your daughter was so interested in the rules of Loshon Hora. The Chofetz Chayim, who wrote down the laws of Loshon Hora, lived in Radin at the same time as your grandfather!”
Debra’s great-grandfather undoubtedly heard the rules of proper speech directly from the Chofetz Chayim. That planted a seed deep within his family, so even though his daughter didn’t remain observant, the seed was there in his descendents, silently germinating. That seedling burst forth three generations later to help bring his great-granddaughter back to Judaism.
Every Jew today needs only go back a few generations to find a grandparent who was observant. Along the line someone turned away from Orthodoxy, but those grandparents wept over the direction their family was taking.
How many tears have been shed over the last 200 years as Jews watched their children turn away from Judaism? Those tears were not for naught. Hashem gathered them up, and it was these tears that later brought their descendents back to Judaism.
This phenomenon was predicted in 1908 by Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook, the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine. A rabbi from Europe wrote to him to lament that his children were turning away from Orthodoxy, and to inquire how he should respond. Rav Kook answered that if we cry out and pray to Hashem for help and if we try to influence these Jews to return, they or their descendents will come back.
“[There] is hope for all of them. The inner essence of Jewish holiness remains hidden in their hearts,” Kook wrote. “Future generations will be influenced to rise to a very high level, holding firmly to the glory of Israel and to the light of G-d that shines in them so brightly.”
That is the time period we’re living in now, when thousands of Jews each year return to Torah-true Judaism. They’re hearing a call from deep within their souls, a call placed there by the tears of their grandparents.
The Teshuva Journey is a monthly column by Michael Gros chronicling amazing teshuva journeys and inspiring kiruv tales. To share a story or send other comments, email michaelgros@gmail.com To receive the column via email or see back issues, visit
http://www.michaelgros.com(published in The Jewish Press June 1, 2007) 
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