Stories of Inspiration!
As you can imagine, since we at Project Lahav are teaching hundreds of secular couples a month, there are going to be a lot of pretty amazing stories of success and inspiration. These young couples, for the most part, are for the first time in their lives having personal meetings with religious Jews. Throughout the deep conversations, there’s laughter too :), with our amazing and talented teachers, ranging from discussions about marriage, life in general and of course religion,
VERY strong connections are formed, which continue for life.
They can relate to the meaningfulness and “message” of the mitzvos and see what it can add to their lives.
THIS CREATES A STRONG CATALYST FOR CHANGE! (Hence some wonderful stories to share with you!)
In truth, this should be set up as a blog, being updated every month or so and we will try to do that. In the meantime, you can sign up for updates via the “Get Updates” button at the top of the page.
Lastly, these beautiful stories are just a "drop in the bucket", but we hope you enjoy reading them and getting INSPIRED!
One of our own!
A Project Lahav (secular) Kallah becomes a Kallah teacher herself!
View the fax she sent us after she became frum, and started teaching!
Dear Lahav,
My name is Sarah and I would like to share with you my personal story.
I married at the age of 21 after 3 years of being together with my now husband. When we arrived at the Rabbanut (to get a marriage license) I was told I would need to take “Kallah (bride) classes” as part of the wedding preparation. I had no idea what this was all about, I had never even heard of this “position” before, a “Kallah (bride) teacher”. They asked me whether I would like to take a group class or one on one, and I told them that I would much prefer a personal class where I could actually learn something and find out what this was all about.
So I arrived for my first class with my teacher Carmit, an amazing woman to whom it did not make a difference whether someone’s background was religious or secular, something that I appreciated very much. She treated me with respect and explained these new ideas fully to their depth and I found myself interested and wanting to learn more. Already then, I had (what I understand now) my first stirrings of “teshuva”. When I returned to my fiancé after these classes, I shared what I learnt and told him that I very much wanted to keep this mitzva. Of course we didn’t start keeping the mitzva in the most stringent manner, but we nonetheless started. Thankfully, my husband was supportive and also happy with the decision.
Over time I kept up the relationship with my kallah teacher (Carmit) and received a lot of help from her. I was able to ask her questions that I was too embarrassed to ask a Rabbi myself. She was a true help to me with all of these matters and even met me at the mikvah.
Fast forward to today, I am married now for four and a half years. I have two daughters and another daughter on the way. My husband and I are “Ba’alei T’shuva”, Baruch Hashem. After I finished my degree I decided that I also wanted the merit to teach other brides, especially secular brides who did not have any background, just like I had been. I wanted to give them a non-judgmental experience, with a “hug” and lots of love. This is so important, as any one of these brides might feel a spark of “teshuva” that would give happiness to Hashem and possibly start them on the path of keeping the mitzvah of Tahara. It was then that I enrolled in a program to become a Kallah (bride) teacher at Bar Ilan University. I have now completed the course and I myself am about to teach two brides. I am so overjoyed and moved from that which I have been given (my lot).
I would just like to conclude by saying that your program of teaching secular brides is a blessing and gives an opportunity to women, which wouldn’t exist without your classes, to “meet” , learn and understand about the mitzvah of Tahara which is so important and strengthens and safeguards the Jewish home.
With many deep thanks,
Sarah Swiesa
PR Machine!
View email below from a Kallah teacher describing how her recent (totally secular!) Kallah was already open
to learning about Taharas Mishpacha. Why? Because her friend in University (who learned at LAHAV) has been keeping
the halachos since her wedding 18 months ago and strongly recommended it to her!
On Friday, the 8th of October, an amazing Kallah, whose name is Revital came to learn with me. She's a University Student learning to be a CPA. Not religious.
She told me that she has a good friend at university named Rotam who learned at Lahav in our Modiin Branch (located on Emek Dotan Street) about 18 months ago. Her friend Rotam is also secular.
Nonetheless, Rotam shared with Revital that due to the amazing experience she had at Lahav, and the new ideas she learned and connections made, FROM HER WEDDING DAY SHE HAS BEEN KEEPING TAHARAS MISHPACHA AND GOING MONTHLY TO THE MIKVA, and she doesn't cease to enjoy the renewal and rejuvenation it brings...and she HIGHLY recommended to Revial that she keep it too!
Due to this friends enthusiasm, half of the work has already been done!
THE FBI COMES KNOCKING!
The back story of the whatsapp text message you see here is as follows......
The text comes from a woman who learned at Lahav close to 2 years earlier. Her chatan (now her husband actually joined for one of the meetings too).
Interesting thing about this couple, is that they are both Israeli FBI agents, (incidentally called Lahav 443, not sure why). True to form of being an agent, (I guess...) they were both VERY “TOUGH” and difficult during the class. They weren’t really interacting all that much with the teacher and were VERY straight faced, serious and a bit gruff.
This left the teacher wondering at the end of the meetings - what would be the outcome of all her hard work? Of her trying to “crack these tough agents” and get through to them with the material and to make a connection. Unfortunately, they were not really in touch after the meetings, even though the teacher invited the Kallah to join her “weekly inspiration” whatsapp group (as can be seen from the teachers message to her in January 2020)…which the Kallah did NOT respond to.....
I guess I should say, they were not in touch.....until now!
Fast forward, August 2021…..the couple, Baruch Hashem, who were blessed with a child (now about a year and a half old) and lo and behold, this Kallah reached out to her teacher with a Shaiyla!! Regarding making a hefsek and when to start counting the sheva nekiim! Amazing!!
The teacher's mesiras nefesh and hard work was not for naught (well it never really is, no matter what the outcome) and it turns out this couple are/were keeping Taharas Mishpacha!
The teachers miseras nefesh and caring along with some intense prayers hit the mark!!
Baruch Hashem!!!
OY!!! This story has such a tough beginning....but don't worry, although it gets rough...all's well that ends well! The back story of this whatsapp text message with the beautiful pic of an HOUR OLD baby, is as follows......
A young couple, newly married and excited about the bright future before them. Everything so wonderful...until a few months after the wedding when the husband started acting extremely erratic, to say the least! The situation was even becoming violent, Hashem Yerachem.
Although the husband and wife were not religious, it was her Kallah teacher to whom she reached out to for help. She was the one she felt she could trust and who could help her.
Immediately, her Kallah teacher got her out of the dangerous situation and let her sleep at her home for as long as she needed. At the same time, the teacher's husband reached out to this Chatan, to speak to him and get a feeling for what was going on. It turned out that due to pressures at work, this Chatan started abusing substances which were causing him to go through horrible and dangerous episodes (for himself and others).
They immediately worked to get him help, entering him into a program so he could begin rehab and hopefully get a new start on life.
Meanwhile, his wife, still under terrible duress, found out that she was pregnant! Fearing for her future and adamant not to bring any life into the world under such circumstances, (thoughts of "would her husband always be a threat to her?" "would the marriage even survived?") she decided to 'end' her pregnancy, Hashem Yerachem.
Well...of course, the Kallah teacher and her husband would hear nothing of this, and told her that - ONE, they would always be there to help her and, TWO, if she was so concerned about her baby, THEY would happily take the baby and raise it. But Heaven forbid to 'end' anything!
Long story short, she kept the baby, her husband made it through rehab and they got back together, better than ever!
When it came time to give birth...who was the person this Kallah wanted in the room with her for support and help? HER KALLAH TEACHER OF COURSE! She was there when she gave birth and took this picture of the beautiful baby. It was then, that the new mother turned to her teacher and said with tears running down her face, "this child is alive in your merit".
Baruch Hashem, that our Lahav teachers and staff have such special opportunities to make amazing connections and literally change the lives of the couples AND their children!
The Checkout Lane Suprise!
It was a busy day of shopping and errands at the shopping center in Kiryat Sefer.
One of the Lahav teachers was waiting in the check out line and happens to notice a lady next to her who is staring at her. This lady looked totally frum from birth and the Kallah teacher begins to look back, thinking “where do I know this person from? Was she in one of my younger sisters classes in Bais Yaakov? Was it from my hometown in Bnai Brak?”
This 'stranger' suddenly asks her “aren’t you so-and-so, the kallah teacher, isn’t that you”? When the Lahav teacher responded in the affirmative, this lady told her, “I thought so! I doubt you can remember me, but over 4 years ago you were my kallah teacher in Modiin! Yes! I was a secular kallah back then, but look at me now, and here I am living in Kiryat Sefer. Guess where it all started! With your kallah classes, this is all in your merit"!!!
The Unexpected Phone Call
One day the telephone rang in the house of a Lahav Kallah teacher. On the line was a Kallah who she had taught over half a year past. (Note: every Lahav teacher gives her personal phone number to each Kallah she teaches so that if the Kallah wishes, she can contact her if she needs any assistance or advice, etc.)
The Kallah asked the teacher for her home address and told her that she wants to come by and visit. The teacher is a little confused, especially so as the Kallah dodges her questions as to why she wants to come by, simply telling the teacher she has something she wants to show her. In any event, they make a time to meet a few hours later.
The time of the meeting arrives and right on schedule there is a knock on the door. As the Kallah teacher goes to open the door, she again is trying to think of what the Kallah could possibly want, that she specifically wanted to meet personally and not tell her over the phone. Maybe personal trouble, a need to discuss a tough situation, who knows?
As she opens the door, an image is revealed that she can not initially believe! Standing before her is this once totally secular Kallah with her hair covered! When they sit down to talk and catch up, the Kallah emotionally tells her “I came here to give you a present”. “Can you believe what you are seeing? This is my how I look now and this is your reward for all you invested in me during our meetings”! Neither the teacher nor the Kallah had a dry eye!
Connection through Tragedy...
Once, a teacher was running very late for a first meeting with a Kallah. She called the branch to let them know she was running late, but it didn't help to brighten the mood of the Kallah or assuage her feelings, as she was stuck waiting! As it was, this Kallah was very anti-religious and was furious that she had to come to these classes in the first place and now the teacher was late!
When the teacher finally arrived at the center, she explained to the Kallah, who had daggers in her eyes, that she had just now come from a funeral. She told the Kallah it was the young granddaughter of a close friend, who had been hospitalized for over a year. While the child fought valiantly and always had a shining smile on her face, even trying to bring good cheer to other children in the ward, she was not able to win the fight against the machala and tragically, she passed away.
The Kallah listened in silence and her look softened as she asked for the name of the little girl. Puzzled at the request of the Kallah, the teacher nonetheless told her the name. Tears started forming at the eyes of the Kallah, and she asked, “You were just now at her funeral”? The teacher replied, “yes”, but didn’t understand the sudden change in emotion of the Kallah and asked her “did you somehow know or have a connection with the family”? The Kallah replied softly, “I am a nurse in the very hospital and on the very same floor that this young angel was hospitalized for the past year. I took care of her many times and became very connected with her”. With tears in both their eyes, the Kallah and her teacher reflected on the loss but also on the connection that had now formed between them.
Fast forward to the last meeting between the teacher and this Kallah, the Kallah told her she has something to say. She tells her “as you know, I am not a religious person, and to be really honest I border on being anti-religious. When I first started these classes, I came here to make trouble, not to listen to a word anyone said to me and my temper was really pushed to the limit when you were very late to our first meeting! But when I heard why you were late, and with this new connection between us, and in the merit of the little girl who passed away, I decided that I would listen with an open mind and fully participate in these classes. I want to let you know, I have learned so much and feel a door has been opened revealing a world I never knew. I am now planning on keeping Taharas Mishpacha”! And so it was!
"Just"a Test Run....
One of our teachers received a phone call before Pesach. It was from Donna, a totally secular social worker from Modiin whom the teacher had learned with over six months prior, who now had a halachic Mikva question!! The teacher was absolutely floored!! You see, during their meetings this Kallah had made it quite clear that she was only there to get her teachers signature on the form needed in order to get married.
Originally from Italy before moving to Israel, Donna’s connection to Judaism started and ended with the faint memory as a child of her grandfather going to synagogue on Shabbos in Italy. She wasn’t interested in anything more.
Sensing her teachers shock over the phone line, Donna explained – “It’s true, I came to the meetings quite ‘put off’ that I had to be there in the first place and was quite sure I wanted nothing to do with anything you might tell me. I’m an academic person not a religious fanatic. But over the course of the meetings with how nice and pleasant you were to me plus the ‘food for thought’ you shared with me from one Jewish woman to another, about the meaning and beauty of this treasure that helps keep the connection between spouses fresh and in harmony……gave me pause”.
Donna recounted that when she returned home to her fiancé after the final meeting they discussed together what she had learned and decided, “We are both rational intelligent people, lets run a trial and see for ourselves. No harm in that. We don’t have to blindly believe. If we see no value we’ll drop this religious silliness. That was six months ago and we are still going strong!”
The teacher recounts how this couple became such believers in the power of Taharas Mishpacha that they wanted to make sure they were keeping it fully, hence the phone call with the halachic question. More so, it gave them an appreciation for religion and mitzvah observance they never had before and a will to continue learning more. AMAZING!! BARUCH HASHEM!!
