Issues relating to male-female interactions dramatically affect outreach in so many ways. Among the questions we will explore are: Can a man recite a
Teaching Torah vs. Tochachah Most outreach professionals teach Torah as the central part of their outreach efforts. The source for the mitzvah of teaching Torah to the unaffiliated is not the same as that for other aspects of kiruv, such as inviting them for Shabbos. Determining the original source for these laws has practical ramifications.... Read more »
It is prohibited to derive pleasure from this world without reciting a berachah. Even a Jew who is not observant is required to recite berachos over food. In fact, there are a number of anecdotes about the Vilna Gaon in which he encountered heretics and warned them that they would be held accountable for every... Read more »
Shabbos in general, and Shabbos meals in particular, are probably the most transformational experiences that one could offer to a non-affiliated Jew. While every ba’al teshuvah has a unique story and set of elements which influenced him/her, Shabbos almost always features as
There are several practical applications of the principle of lifnei iver to kiruv situations. May someone be invited for a Shabbos meal when he will inevitably drive there? May one make a shidduch for a couple who will not keep the laws of family purity? May one invite a co-ed group to a sleepaway weekend... Read more »
In the previous chapter, we cited the position of many poskim who stated that under extenuating circumstances, the status of tinokos shenishbu can be applied to contemporary non-observant Jews. The implication is that many of the lenient rulings that affect how we relate to non-observant Jews cannot be applied indiscriminately. Rather, to determine whether a... Read more »
During most of Jewish history, public Shabbos desecration was rare and was usually a one-time occurrence, when a merchant accepted goods that came on Shabbos. The Jewish community dealt with such transgressions severely. In those days, a mumar was usually a Jew who had converted to Christianity. Thus, the Rishonim frequently discuss issues such as... Read more »
The Rambam defines a broad range of different transgressors and/ or nonbelievers, such as minim, apikorsim, kofrim, and apostates. These are not all distinct and separate categories, and it is not always clear which kind of sinner belongs to which category.
OlamiResources.com is honored to present free to the Olami Community and beyond, Rabbi Avraham Edelstein’s new landmark sefer, The Laws of Outreach. We are featuring the sefer to the readership of OlamiResources.com in downloadable installments over the next few months. We are greatly appreciative that Rabbi Edelstein has kindly offered to share this important publication, including extensive... Read more »
There are no special mitzvos of outreach. All of the mitzvos that relate to outreach are simply extensions of the concern that we must have for the spiritual well-being of our fellow Jew in general, whether or not he is observant. There are numerous Torah-based and rabbinically 
