Yankys Speech At the Wilkes-Barre Dinner

בס"ד

Wilkes-Barre Alumni Dinner

Good evening, my name is Yanky Jacobs. I am an alumni and returnee of the Bais Menachem family. Every person has their own journey in life – and it may take many travels. Mine, from my home town Cleveland Ohio to my current shlichus in Lakewood New Jersey – happened to take an interesting, and most deciding twist, when the journey went through Wilkes-Barre. There, I saw and learned a newer and fresher approach to life.

In the world out there, the image of G-d and Judaism that is being taught is not one that appeals to all children. At best, it is misunderstood many times. There is a story about a very religious elementary school, where the children were lined up for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The rabbi made a note, and posted on the apple tray, "Take only one. God is watching." Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. One child whispered to another, "Take all you want. God is busy watching the apples." Many teenagers feel that the whole G-d thing is oppressive, something to hide from, or easier, to deny.

But it is also in the teenage years, that we all come to look at ourselves in a real, true way. As teenagers, many see a definite hypocrisy – they do wrong things and they are not able to control themselves; so how could they view themselves as observant, committed people?

The answer is in a view that Bais Menachem has taught me, and shows the correct approach to dealing with our own issues, and influencing those around us. And that is, that in fact, we are not influenced by only one way of thinking. As the Alter Rebbe teaches in Tanya, that every Jew has two neshamos – two souls: the nefesh Elokis, the soul purely dedicated to serving Hashem, and another, the nefesh habahamis, which has only instinctive, selfish desires. The earthly desires of the nefesh habahamis, thought they come from us, do not limit or define us. Even if one has machshavos zaros, this in no way means that he is a done deal, that the good side of him does not exist, and will never be able to conquer. In fact, the harder a struggle one has, the more opportunity for growth. And these boys – the ones with the powerful struggle and the unlimited potential – are exactly the ones that come to Wilkes Barre to discover it.

Boys with such struggles have existed in every generation. R Mendel Futerfas, who taught in the dark times of the Russian oppression, loved these boys very much. He relates that in Lubavitch there were these 3 boys who were called the “corridor boys”- as that’s where these boys were mostly found. Instead of memorizing what they were learning, they were busy memorizing the ins and outs of all the hallways in their school. Once, a big fire broke out and was spreading quickly across the school. The situation was dangerous and everyone needed to be evacuated immediately. Everyone broke out into a panic as no one knew where to run. Quickly the 3 “corridor boys” piped up and showed everyone to a back exit of the building. It led to a courtyard that was surrounded by big walls. Then 2 of them proceeded to throw their third friend over the wall and started passing the rest of the school over the wall to him. As it came down to the last few students, the burning flames neared closer and closer. Finally it was down to just the 2 of them and one quickly grabbed his friend and threw him over the wall, but there was no one left to throw the last one over the wall. He perished in the fire. These were the corridor boys.

Recently I was speaking with my mother and she reminded me – it must have been the first time I came back from Wilkes (around the age of 15) –that I had told her that if I ever opened a school in life, it would be like Bais Menachem. Why? Because there they show great love for each student as an individual, and give respect to each of them, realizing that the students have as much a holy mission as the staff themselves.

When I came to Wilkes Barre at fifteen, I saw a staff dedicated to showing their students the beauty and power of Judaism and the beauty and power of their own souls. Through seeing the selfless devotion that Uri, Mendy, Dovid, Pinyeh, all the shluchim and the entire Bais Menachem family have, I developed within myself a love and a feeling for something which I felt none or minimal connection to beforehand.

I like many other boys that came, took this empowerment and used it practically in my own life. Not only did this have such a deep impact that I decided to come back as an older bachur and a Shliach, but it gave me the motivation and the strength continue on to run a yeshiva in Lakewood, with the help and the guidance of the Bais Menachem staff, for the 14 and 15 year old “corridor boys” who find themselves walking the same path as I once found myself and was guided through so loving and caringly.

Somewhere within each and every one of us there lies a corridor boy, who is our driving force to fight and overcome our everyday battles. With Bais Menachem, and the lessons we can take in our own lives of focusing and empowering the good inside ourselves, and recognizing the beauty of our Yiddishkeit, we can truly have the power to fulfill the mission of our Rebbe to bring Moshiach Tzidkeinu immediately, and then we will merit to see with our physical eyes, the Rebbe lead us once again

ונזכה זעען זיך מיטן רבי'ן דא למטה...והוא יגלנו.......לחיים