[Reader submitted] The problem is an old one: Purim night, an enormously Mesugaldige time, finds most bachurim out until the wee hours of the morning, collecting for their yeshivos or other mosdos…while their Gemaras lay abandoned in half-empty Batei Medrashim. A night on which so much can be Chapped Arein, so much learning done, so many zechusim accrued…but as it flies by, so often these potential Zechusim just slip through our fingers…
Yet what can be done about it? The yeshivos and Mosdos are relying on the money the bachurim collect; how can they be let down?
Enter the new Purim Night Learning Seder program in Lakewood, where you can have the best of all worlds. In this unique program, bachurim (mesivta-age and up) get rewarded to sit and learn on Purim night, while still bringing in money for the tzedakah of their choice. The way it works is simple: All a bachur needs to do is call some relatives/family friends before Purim and ask them to sponsor his learning on Purim night, until he puts together a minimum of $100 for tzedakah. Alternatively, he can collect this money on Purim day, or even after Purim. Then, on Purim night, any time between 10:00 and 12:00, he joins any beis medrash of his choice for one solid hour of learning. The result? Well, in addition, of course, to the unimaginably enormous s’char he will receive in Shamayim for doing this, he also earns a free gift card to Judaica Plaza worth $25 or more! ($25 for each $100 raised for tzedakah. So, if a bachur raises $200, he’ll receive a $50 gift card, and so on, until $500, for which he will receive a $125 gift card. $125 is the limit per bachur for the gift cards.)
The program creates a win-win situation. The yeshivos get their much-needed tzedakah money—perhaps even more than they would have received from their regular carloads of bachurim going around collecting the whole night. Because, if you think about it, the average carload of 6-7 bachurim generally brings in at most $1,000—and that’s before paying for the costs of the car/driver, costumes, etc. Once all that is deducted, the net sum of money is usually closer to the $600-$700 mark. With this program, however, those same 6-7 bachurim can easily bring in a minimum of $100 each, and possibly much more, plus they are holding up the world with their learning on Purim night!
Imagine the tremendous merit of having the kol haTorah going strong even—especially—on Purim night itself. And everyone—the bachurim, the yeshivos, Klal Yisrael—gains from it!
You can join this incredible program, too! For more information, please call 908-783-8006. (If there is no answer, please leave a message.)
Wishing all a freilichen, safe, and an uplifting Purim!
This is obviously a very nice idea but it contains a number of pitfalls. First of all, not all bochurim will be able to easily collect money. Purim is the day when people are obligated to give tzedakah, not the week before. Not every bochur has rich relatives who are just looking to give up some extra cash. And many bochurim will feel uncomfortable asking relatives or friends to sponsor them. Also, bochurim look forward to this night the whole year. There will be few who are willing to forgo the fun and adventure or collecting on Purim – and why should they? This is their out – their time to let loose a little for a good cause. Kudos to whoever is sponsoring this program and I wish you much luck. But don’t expect too many eager participants….
When i was a bochur we raise 2-3k a year, so Yeshivos would be losing out. Now that was before the recession.
$7K raised last year my freind. Bochurim have soo few kosher outlets. As long as they stay out of trouble let them enjoy themselves. Yes they do need outlets like it or not. Not everyone is the velt’s masmid. If you offered $250 gift certificates then it might work better, but $25 or $50 how naive can you be? This is chump change! This is a nice idea but I don’t think it will work.
come on everyone, don’t be so negative. You’re all right. Boys needs outlets, could be yehsivahs are losing out. The idea is that instead of running around drunk and doing dangerous things (which the majority of boys do) you give an incentive for them to do otherwise. The boys that still want to party will, but it gives a way out to boys you really know its wrong. Even if just 5 boys do it, that’s 5 less boys in sakanah and 5 more hours of torah learning.
i would like to know which Roshei Yeshiva are behind/supporting this. Something tells me not too many. they aslo understand what the above commenters said. I doubt you would catch any of them saying bochurim shouldn’t learn, but sometimes bitulah zehu kiyumah.
I must have missed that page last Rosh HaShanna. As far as I knew, the budget for all poeple, projects, shuls, yeshivas and businesses are decided on Rosh haShanna. One could, conceivably, mess it up by wasting their income, but the income itself is THERE.
If one wants to get it in a more or less proper way, the result of their collection method is up to them, but the amount collected is pre-determined.
I have NOT let my son ‘out’ at night and he has NEVER collected less than a few hundred and usually over one thousand dollars just from two to three hours of mikva, davening and learning THEN going into the ‘wild’ realizing that haShem has already provided!!
And to collect for a ‘gift certifcate’? Is this similar to the reason one does mitzvos is to ‘earn a good place in the next world’??
I do NOT do mitzvos to get a heated swimming pool or fenced in tennis court in the mansion yacht in Eretz haKodesh.
I do mitzvos, very simply, becausde haShem said “DO THEM”. The reward of a mitzva is the mitzva’s that follow in it’s wake. Do you give your children a prize every time they take out the garbage, clean off the table or go to school.
Please let me know their names: wouldn’t want my children to be caught MARRIED to someone who is still doing what RAMBAM says is one should do for very young children.
GROW UP!!
where does the money raised by the bochurim go to? To this orginization or to any mosad he wants it to. If it only goes to one org than this org will be gaining at the expense of all the local mosdos. Please clarify
It’s a yom tov. I hate it when balei batim decide to tell the yeshiva lite what to do, what to learn, how to learn, when to learn etc. The roshei yeshiva are the ones entrusted to worry about the Bochurim. Balei batik who care for Torah should open their wallets
No yeshivos ever had Seder on Purim or peach or chol hamoed. What’s the issue? They Learn enough
Confused says:
March 10, 2011 at 1:08 pm
And to collect for a ‘gift certifcate’? Is this similar to the reason one does mitzvos is to ‘earn a good place in the next world’??
I do NOT do mitzvos to get a heated swimming pool or fenced in tennis court in the mansion yacht in Eretz haKodesh.
I do mitzvos, very simply, becausde haShem said “DO THEM”. The reward of a mitzva is the mitzva’s that follow in it’s wake. Do you give your children a prize every time they take out the garbage, clean off the table or go to school.
Please let me know their names: wouldn’t want my children to be caught MARRIED to someone who is still doing what RAMBAM says is one should do for very young children.
GROW UP!!
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did hashem also tell you to come blogging here . did hashem also tell you to scream here like a lunatic about who to marry or not?
I will be going around coLecting like My Roshei Yeshiva guided me and continue to guide.no one is saying not to learn on Purim. This is feom the only time when a bochur gives up from his time to do for others.let the Balei batim learn at home while they give out Tzedaka.
i think it’s a great idea. For each bachur who sits and learns you have enormous zechus. The more people fight it, the more obvious that it’s the yetzer Harah and there is a lot of kedusha at stake here. Listen to yourselves getting heated up, no one is telling you what to do and it’s not your business to worry about everyone else and what they are doing. This is phenomenal. If you want to do mitzvos lishmah, that’s great, you don’t have to scream about it. And I’m sure there will be plenty to go around for every mosad. It’s amazing how defensive everyone is getting over a good idea.
Last year edison yeshiva had a 2 hour seder purim night and they are doing it again