What Is the Chareidi Approach to Kiruv?

Kiruv—bringing fellow Jews back to their Father in Heaven—is not just an inspiring ideal. It is a sacred obligation, rooted in halachah, lit up by mesorah, and embraced across the full spectrum of Chareidi gedolim and roshei yeshivah.

The Chofetz Chaim: “Spend 10% of Your Time”

One of the earliest voices to raise the call for kiruv in modern times was the Chofetz Chaim zt”l. In a private letter, he instructed talmidei chachamim to devote “at least ten percent of their time” to drawing estranged Jews closer to Torah and mitzvos.

He wrote with anguish about the spiritual devastation of the generation and pleaded that even roshei yeshivah and dayanim must not remain cloistered in ivory towers. They must “go out to the fields” and bring lost neshamos home.

This wasn’t activism. It was achdus in action, rooted in the pasuk: “Hocheiach tochiach es amisecha” – “You shall surely rebuke your fellow” (Vayikra 19:17), and in the timeless principle: Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh – All of Israel is responsible for one another.

Yeshivas and Seminars: Torah Built for Return

Throughout Eretz Yisrael and the diaspora, dozens of yeshivos and seminaries have been established specifically for baalei teshuvah. These are not side projects—they are full-fledged institutions backed by the most respected gedolim.

For English speakers, yeshivos like Aish HaTorah, Ohr Somayach, Machon Shlomo, and Shapell’s have helped tens of thousands find their way back to Torah life. Parallel seminaries for women, like Neve Yerushalayim and She’arim, offer an environment rich in both warmth and emes.

In the Hebrew-speaking world, Lev L’Achim, Kesher Yehudi, Shuvu, and Yad L’Achim run vast networks of schools, chavrusa programs, and home visits. Their success is staggering—year after year, hundreds of families return to shemiras Shabbos, taharas hamishpachah, and chinuch al taharas hakodesh.

Many of these organizations are backed by Litvish roshei yeshivah, Chassidishe Rebbes, and Sephardi chachamim—a rare display of unity in purpose, driven by the urgency of the hour.

Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l once remarked, “Kiruv is the hatzalas nefashos of our generation. If we do not do it, the next generation will be raised without any connection to Torah.”

On the Front Lines: American Campuses

In America, too, kiruv has taken hold—especially on college campuses, where young Jews are often exposed to powerful anti-religious influences.

Programs like MEOR, JET, and RAJE (Russian-American Jewish Experience) are staffed by Chareidi rabbanim and rebbetzins who bring Torah learning, Shabbos meals, and authentic Jewish identity to secular or unaffiliated students in universities across the U.S.

The goal is never to guilt or shame.

The goal is to inspire.

As Rav Avrohom Pam zt”l said with tears,

“We must cry for every Jewish child who does not know Shema Yisrael.” His talmidim helped build programs on college campuses based on love and patience.

Across the Sectors: One Heart, One Mission

The Chareidi world is not monolithic in its styles—but when it comes to kiruv rechokim, there is deep and growing unity:

• Litvishe gedolim like Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro zt”l, Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l, and Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l gave public brachos and personal support to kiruv efforts.
  
• Chassidishe Rebbes, including the Bobover Rebbe zt”l and Belzer Rebbe shlita, have opened schools and welcomed families back with unmatched warmth and fire.
  
• Sephardi chachamim like Chacham Reuven Elbaz shlita and Chacham David Yosef shlita have built full yeshiva networks and kiruv systems across Israel, guided by Torah and heart.
  

Even the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah and Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah have issued statements in support of kiruv, calling it one of the great obligations of our time.

Rav Yitzchak Hutner zt”l used to say:

“The difference between a Jew who keeps Torah and one who does not… is not like the difference between a crown and a hat. It’s like the difference between a crown and a crown that’s fallen. But a fallen crown is still a crown.”

Why Kiruv Matters

We live in a generation where millions of Jews have little or no exposure to Torah. Every kiruv initiative is an act of eternal rescue.

Every Shabbos invitation.

Every shared vort.

Every chavrusa.

It’s all part of the geulah process—bringing Hashem’s children back one by one, family by family.

We do it not to “recruit” but to reunite.

Not to conquer, but to connect.

Because the Torah belongs to every Jew.

And no Jew should be left behind.