Information on Lamplighters Yeshivah?

amother

Indigo

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 8:46 pm

I am considering placing my child in Lamplighters Yeshivah in Crown Heights, a Montessori school.

I know that the founders are Chabad and the school is a chabad type of school but there is a wide range in chabad too.

I got information from only one person, and she said she would describe it as "Chabad Light".

She said that was her perception but did not have concrete or up to date information.

Does anyone know about the Hashkafa of the administration? Are they mashiachists? or just regular Chabad? We are not Chabad but as long as the Hashkafa is one of Yiraas Shamayim, ahavas Hashem, ahavas Yisroel, DIKDUK b'MITZVOS, and a happy learning environment that works for us very well.

Any information you can supply, would be very helpful to me in deciding if this school might work for us.
thank you.

amother

Ruby

Mon, Mar 14 2016, 11:09 pm

I'm not Chabad but I'm guessing it has to do with the Lubavitch chassidim being lamplighters...

From chabad.org:

In 1907, Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch was staying in Würzburg, Germany, and a group of chassidim came to spend a Shabbat with the rebbe. Among them were Reb Yosef Yuzik Horowitz, his son-in-law Reb Feivel Zalmanov, and Reb Elimelech Stoptzer.

The rebbe prayed for many hours that Shabbat morning, as was his manner. In the meantime, the chassidim recited kiddush and consumed a quantity of l’chaims. Later, when the rebbe had finished and they sat with him to the Shabbat meal, Reb Yosef Yuzik asked:

“Rebbe, what is a chassid?”

Replied the rebbe: “A chassid is a lamplighter. The lamplighter walks the streets carrying a flame at the end of a pole. He knows that the flame is not his. And he goes from lamp to lamp to set them alight.”

Asked Reb Yosef Yuzik: “What if the lamp is in a desert?”

“Then one must go and light it,” said the rebbe. “And when one lights a lamp in a desert, the desolation of the desert becomes visible. The barren wilderness will then be ashamed before the burning lamp.”

Continued the chassid: “What if the lamp is at sea?”

“Then one must undress, dive into the sea, and go light the lamp.”

“And this is a chassid?” Reb Yosef Yuzik asked.

For a long while the rebbe thought. Then he said: “Yes, this is a chassid.”

“But Rebbe, I do not see the lamps!”

Answered the rebbe: “That is because you are not a lamplighter.”

“How does one become a lamplighter?”

“First, you must reject the evil within yourself. Start with yourself: cleanse yourself, refine yourself, and you will see the lamp within your fellow. When a person is himself coarse, G‑d forbid, he sees coarseness; when a person is himself refined, he sees the refinement in others.”

Reb Yosef Yuzik then asked: “Is one to grab the other by the throat?”

Replied the rebbe: “By the throat, no; by the lapels, yes.”

amother

Cerise

Tue, Mar 15 2016, 5:35 am

I don't know too much about it but it has a great reputation. Probably more open minded families, but who are serious about chabad/yiddishkiet and just want more secular studies then the other crown heights schools. Also has a reputation for being expensive . (understandable since it is a small, new school) and hard to get into. People who go there are very positive about it. Not meshichist.

The director is a person called Yocheved Sidof who blogs a lot. Look up her fb page and read some of her articles, you might get a sense of who she is. (assuming she is representative of the parent body)

I can imagine a non chabad person would be very welcome there.