Klal Yisroel’s Yingele

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Besiyata Dishmaya

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 6:04 am

Emotional Upsheren/Chalakah of OUR Moishele Holtzberg yesterday (Wednesday) evening in Kfar Chabad

For more photos: http://www.kikar.net/article.php?id=20016

May he grow up to be a great talmid chochom and a spiritual leader for yidden.

ChossidMom

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 6:20 am

Omein!

Isramom8

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 6:44 am

May Moishele be a functioning little boy. The expectation that he will become "our spiritual leader" bothers me. I hope all those involved with him and all Chabadniks will look at what they can do for him, and not at some fantasy a 3 year old might provide for "all Yidden". The kid doesn't have to be Moshiach just because his parents were shluchim and murdered, Hy"d.

amother

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 6:51 am

Isramom8 wrote:

you need to get inside the head of a Lubavitcher for a moment and our mentality to understand what you aren't understanding here. Wink

a spiritual leader : (she didn't write "our") can be anyone from a classmate, teacher, mashpia to a gadol Hador
He would have been brought up in this derech even were his parent's lives to have been spared, but yes I do have some concerns of the pressure that he may end up growing up with.

Besiyata Dishmaya

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 6:55 am

Isramom8 wrote:

Moishele has big zchusim. He and his parents united klal Yisroel that week - a very rare occasion in recent Jewish history that every Jew can never forget. Many people got hisoirerus that week and hirhurei tshuva. His miraculous rescue brought to the world a gevaldige kiddush Hashem and proved that there is an inyan of Hashgocheh Protis.

He doesn't necessarily have to be Moshiach or a leader for "all" of klal Yisroel but because of his merit, he may yet grow up to be someone that klal Yisroel will benefit from in some way, be'ezras Hashem.

Isramom8

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 7:00 am

"he may yet grow up to be someone that klal Yisroel will benefit from in some way, be'ezras Hashem"

Yes, he MAY TURN OUT to be. But it's exploitative to quietly demand it of nebach, a yasom, who desrves the chance to just grow up as normally as possible.

Besiyata Dishmaya

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 7:03 am

Isramom8 wrote:

The Avi Yesomim will take care of him and compensate him for all that he suffered.

shalhevet

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 7:14 am

Isramom8 wrote:

I really wasn't going to bring this up, but since you already wrote this, I want to say that I read in this week's Marveh Letzame (a Hebrew magazine for children published by someone from Sanz) an interview with Moshe's grandfather. I have to say that I was really disturbed by some of it. He stressed a lot how Moshe has an important future (I can't remember the exact words, but it was on the lines of how great he is going to be), and how he is putting more efforts into him than he did with his own children. He tells how he teaches him aleph bais every day (when he was 2!) and tells him sippurei chassidus every day (okay, didn't see anything much wrong in that if they're on his level). I just came away feeling so sorry for Moshe. I was sure his grandparents mean very well, but I just felt there was far, far, far too much pressure on a little boy who has gone through so much trauma. Just let him be a little boy and teach him like everyone else, and help him fulfill his own potential, without mapping out his life for him before he's three years old.

Raisin

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 7:21 am

to put things into perspective, almost all lubavitch boys are bought up with the expectation that they will go into some sort of rabbinical/leadership position.

But I agree with you about not bringing up a kid with unreasonable expectations. (that applies to all kids, your own included) whether you are expecting them to be a Rabbi, dr, Rosh yeshiva or musician.

Isramom8

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 8:02 am

I also taught my 2 year old alef-bais, because he liked it! But having teenagers, I see that with all our great efforts, if a child just functions as a mentch, that's already something to be grateful for. We can daven for the best, but would avoid disappointment to ourselves and pressure on kids if we would provide the derech that each turns out to need, rather than predetermining a specific role.

Moishele is not Prince William - he doesn't have to become a king.

shalhevet

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 8:12 am

We also bring up our sons (as you mentioned) encouraging/ expecting them to be talmidei chachamim. But this is something else. This would be like (for us) grooming our son to be the next gadol hador and telling him how he is going to be the greatest talmid chacham.

I want to add that I certainly also got the impression that he is being raised with a lot of love and attention - but it isn't simple even without the pressure, being a yasom with such trauma, and being raised by grandparents in their sixties.

Raisin

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 8:17 am

I agree with you a lot of attention is being paid to Moshele. but thats because the attack was so recent. I doubt in 5 or 6 years Moshele will be getting so much attention. At this age it probably hardly affects him. He was no doubt used to lots of people around in a Chabad House.

lili

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 9:29 am

he's gorgeous!

gryp

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 9:41 am

I don't agree with over-expecting things from a 3 year old either and I agree that the attention will die down.

I don't see what's wrong with teaching a 2 yr old Alef-Beis. My oldest son knew it well before 2.5 yrs old, my second by age 2, and my third by 18 months- that's being able to recognize each letter in any page of the Siddur.
Chassidishe stories? If you have time, why not tell one every day, at the level they can understand.
I think a grandfather probably has more time of day to spend with one little grandson than he did when his own children were small, and if he's interested in teaching him, why not.

I do feel uneasy about what kind of "great future" other people are planning for him though. Personally, that would send me running in the opposite direction.

Besiyata Dishmaya

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 10:54 am

Photos in Meron
http://www.kikar.net/article.php?id=20078

Atali

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 11:18 am

GR wrote:

I agree with everything here.

I see nothing wrong with teaching him alef bais and telling him chassidic stories. I also think that the publicity will quiet down after this (at least until he is bar mitzvah).

But I do worry about the pressure.

Tova

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 3:35 pm

What struck ME about the photos - he looks so happy and normal.

He is very very zeese.

debs123

Thu, Nov 19 2009, 4:18 pm

Look at the simcha that they have one day after Gabi and Rivky's first Yortzeit. They rise over their pain in the greatest way! What an inspiration!!

shalhevet

Sun, Nov 22 2009, 3:46 am

Here is some of the interview with his grandfather (my translation):

"This is Moishe who remained, it is our shlichus and his. The shlichus which continues from one generation to the next until the moshiach arrives. Moishe will keep Torah and mitzvos, BH, he will merit making more and more people do teshuva, he has an incredible zechus. When he was 2 he merited showing so many people that there is a Leader for the city (that Hashem runs the world). He merited lighting lights in many extinguished hearts. This just shows that it is really his tafkid...

He is my grandson, Moishe. Children of children are like children. I feel such great responsibility regarding his chinuch. Far more than my own children. First of all, if he is a neshama gevoha with a special shlichus I have to look after him, and teach him to merit carrying out his shlichus, and secondly his parents will come after the resurrection and claim "we left you a shoot (descendant), so why didn't you look after him?"

How do you carry out the special education you give to Moishe?

"I try and give him very special attention. The obligation is very strong. Much love and devotion. I don't let myself miss even one day and say, 'fine, tomorrow I'll be more careful.' I bother that not even one day should pass without him learning Torah. He is almost 3. I teach him and review the aleph-bais with him. Tell him a chassidish story every day, so that it will enter and penetrate his soul. Sometimes it's in the evening before he goes to sleep. I sit next to his bed and tell him a chassidish story at a level that is appropriate. Sometimes it's in the morning when he gets up and we meet...

mimivan

Sun, Nov 22 2009, 4:14 am

shalhevet wrote:

Isramom8 wrote:

we do this with our kids too..(aleph beis..chassidic stories) and I don't think my kids I "better" than anyone elses.
I don't see what is so disturbing about the interview you posted.
Yes, he is special.. in the sense that things happen for a reason...in the sense that out of 3 children and his parents (actually almost 4 since his mother was pregnant), his life, which was so nearly snatched away, was saved and it is the job of the grandparents to preserve and nurture him.

For the life of me, I don't see what is so disturbing about all of this. Except maybe the media attention...and I DO believe (I think this is about the 5th time I"ve said this) it WILL die down because the third birthday is a milestone in the life of a chassidishe boy and the fact that it coincides with his parent's first yarzheit is not stam...

why is Moshe so special...there is so much hasgocha protis in his life, in all of our lives. I was uneasy when the saba said, days after the attack that Moshe will go back there some day, but I haven't heard more talk like that. I think they were speaking out of pain. I do not believe that they will put undue pressure on him. Teaching aleph beis early and sippurie Tzaddikim is not a problem IMHO...and where did he say he didn't do this with his other kids??

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