Kiruv Organisation

Kiruv Organisation is an Orthodox Judaism outreach organization founded in 1995 by Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi in New York for the purpose of teaching Torah to both secular and religious Jews.

Yosef Mizrachi founder

Yosef Mizrachi (Hebrew: יוסף מזרחי‎) is a Sefardi Haredi rabbi. He was born in 1968 in Israel. After his mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces he worked in finance in New York City. In 1997, Mizrachi left his professional career and devoted his life to first learning and eventually teaching Torah in a yeshivah in Monsey, New York. Mizrachi taught at Yeshivat Ohr Yisrael in Monsey for a number of years. He is presently devoted to Orthodox Judaism outreach know in Hebrew as kiruv ([bringing Jews] closer [to Torah Judaism]). Mizrachi has lectured worldwide. In 2004 he launched the "DivineInformation.com" website[1] posting many of his many video and audio lectures.[2]

Work of the Kiruv Organisation

The Kiruv Organization provides DVDs, Audio CDs, MP3 CDs at no charge sponsored by dedicated donors, Noahides and non-Jews people. The subjects covered are "Divine Information," "Torah and Science," "Christianity versus Judaism" and "Life after Life" also available on the internet. As of 2013 Kiruv Organisation has handed out thousands of these free audio and video disks.[3][4][5]

All the workers of Kiruv organization are volunteers, there are no mortgages, rent, or money wasted in any way. All funds are used 100% for the very Holy cause of Saving Souls and bring Jewish men and women back to Hashem our God...Please know that according to the Torah the best investment a person can make is helping others learn Torah and know Hashem...[6][3][7]

Ethics

Mizrachi offers an extended ethical audio and video lecture series, called "The Path of the Just",[8] based on the classical musar text Mesillat Yesharim (Hebrew: מסילת ישרים‎) composed by Moshe Chaim Luzzatto.

The Orthodox Jewish community spawned Musar to help people overcome the inner obstacles that hinder them from living up to the laws and commandments —the mitzvot— that form the code of life."[9]

His lecture series on Pirkei Avot (Chapters/Ethics of the Fathers)[10] (engl. Ethics of the Fathers) draws on Musar and practical ethics.

Mizrachi and other rabbinical teachers have also recommended the practice of Musar not only for Jews and Baalei Teshuva (returnees to Orthodox Judaism) but also for Noahides and non-Jews. For non-Jews this means the observance of the Seven Laws of Noah, for Jews and Jewish Baalei Teshuva, this means the acceptance, practice, study and learning of the 613 commandments.

Yeshiva

In 2001 Rabbi Mizrachi opened a Kolel and a Yeshiva in Alfandari Street, Jerusalem.

Divine Information movie

In 2002 a movie called Divine Information was produced by Mizrahi and Yuval Ovadia, a former movie director with HBO.[11]

In 2004 Mizrahi launched a website named DivineInformation.com[12] offering at no cost hundreds of audio and videos lectures in English and Hebrew, some with subtitles in Turkish, Spanish[13] and Russian. Followers of these lectures are from more than 50 countries. As of 2013, Mizrachi’s FaceBook page[14] has over a million visits per month and more than 56,000 followers.

Controversy

In early 2014, prior to a lecture tour in London, concern was expressed about statements by Mizrachi in his previous lectures relating to the behaviour of secular and religious Jews during the Holocaust[15] suggesting that Down's Syndrome and autism are "punishments for sins committed in a previous life" and [16] among others.[17] Mizrachi was criticized for his views while he explicitly maintains are "Torah sourced." His views also include lectures using Bible Codes to "explain" the Holocaust.[18]

Mizrachi was the subject of criticism by a group of Modern Orthodox Jews who pointed out that such views are neither authoritative nor representative of mainstream contemporary Orthodox Jewish thought. Some members of this group sought to stop his lecture tour. As a result, at least one of his planned lectures in London was initially cancelled.[19] Mizrachi replied to members of this group via his Facebook page s[20] that those who dispute [his] views "cannot be Orthodox" and that "such views are universally held as part of Orthodox Judaism."

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.divineinformation.com DivineInformation.com
  2. ↑ http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Radio/Author.aspx/6260
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mizrachi, Yosef. "About". Devine Information. DivineImformation.com 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "About Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi". Radio. Arutz Sheva, IsraelNationalNews.com. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Yosef Mizrachi". zoominfo.com. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  6. ↑ About Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi’s Kiruv Organization & Divine Information
  7. ↑ "Rabbi Yossi Mizrachi". Kol Yakov Organisation. TorahAnyTime.com. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Mizrachi, Rabbi Yosef. "The Path Of The Just Series". Divine Information. Irgun Kiruv - divineinformation.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013. (21 lectures á c. 1h30min each)
  9. ↑ The Mussar Institute, "The Mussar Way"
  10. ↑ (26 lectures á c. 1h30min each)Mizrachi, Rabbi Yosef. "Pirkei Avot Series". Divine Information. Irgun Kiruv - divineinformation.com. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  11. ↑ Mizrahi, Rabbi Yossef. "Rabbi’s Bio". DivineInformation 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  12. ↑ Mizrachi, Yosef. "Divine Information". Kiruv & Musar. Kiruv Organization 2013. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
  13. ↑ Mitzrachi, Rabbi Yossef. "Lectures in Castellano / Español". Divine Information. Divine Information Kiruv Organisation 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  14. ↑ Rabbi Mizrachi’s FaceBook page - DivineInformation.com
  15. ↑ "Manners - The Right Way To Behave (Section on non-religious Jews during the holocaust - at 1 hour 41minutes into talk)".
  16. ↑ the psychology of homosexuality
  17. ↑ Jewish Chronicle article
  18. ↑ "Rabbi Mizrachi - Why Did The Holocaust Happen? Torah Codes, Having Faith in God No Matter What".
  19. ↑ http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/115021/synagogue-cancels-talk-downs-syndrome-a-punishment-rabbi
  20. ↑ Rabbi Mizrachi's Facebook page for 3 February 2014

External links