[By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times]
He went into overtime, but no one cared. Indeed, everyone welcomed it.
His eloquence was Churchillian.
Rabbi David Ozeri, of Congregation Yad Yosef clearly captured the evening on Motzaei Shabbos of the 93rd Annual Agudah convention with his powerful and passionate plea to treat and pay mechanchim and Rebbeim properly.
He recalled how, in his youth as an 11 year old or 12 year student of the Kamenetz Yeshiva, in his job as the youth in charge of the mimeograph machine, he had overheard a conversation that he was not meant to hear. Young Rabbi Ozeri had heard the Rebbe say as follows:
“I understand that I will not be able to get my paycheck for the upcoming Sukkos Yom Tov. But could I at least have $5 of my salary so that he can buy an esrog?”
The conversation left an indelible impression upon him – then and for the rest of his life.
It could very well be that the conversation Rabbi Ozery had heard in his youth inspired him to bring up the issue in front of thousands at the Agudah convention.
Rabbi Ozery described the field of Chinuch as the greatest and loftiest of professions. And now, more than ever before with the influences of the outside world a mere finger-swipe away, it is more important now than in any previous generation to make sure that the people entrusted with the chinuch of our children are of the highest character and quality.
“Rabotai, let us learn a pasuk in Chumash,” Rabbi Ozery said as he opened the Chumash he was holding. “De machsero asher yechsar lo. – You should provide for whatever he is lacking. Look at this room. Any broken Jew comes to us with any problem.. and we are there for them.”
“However, there is one area where we, as a klal, are lacking in our obligation of De Machsero asher yechsar lo..”
“What is it?” he asked.
Rabbi Ozery rattled through a list of Chasadim and tezedakos. Is it Bikkur Cholim? No. Is it Kiruv? No. Is it this? Is it that? No. No.
“What is it?”
“Our melamdim.”
The pregnant pause of silence could be heard throughout the room. All knew the sheer truth of Rabbi Ozeri’s words. His was a simple eloquence that cut to the heart of it all.
“Your child’s rebbe is a gifted tsaddik. A brilliant mind sacrificing to live on a minimal salary.”
Rabbi Ozeri quoted from the Pele Yoetz: “Don’t worry about this great expense, because it is a greater Mitzvah than the building of the Beit HaMikdash. This Mitzvah is capable of saving you from every tzara utzukah and it shall give you beracha.”
Is there anyone here that does not want beracha?
Rabbi Ozeri then went into detail, detail of starting salaries.
“The average starting entry salary for a person entering chinuch is thirty to forty thousand a year. After twenty years, it is fifty to sixty thousand. After twenty-five years, ‘You are burned out – please go home..’ ” is what the Rebbe hears.
Rabbi Ozeri continued, “I know a Rebbe – a Tzaddik, He comes to Yeshiva every day by bicycle and parks it with the children.”
He described the embarrassing ordeal of a Rebbe having to make a Chasuna.
Rabbi Ozeri begged everyone listening to join a committee to figure out how to pay the Rebbeim better and on time.
He said that the solution is not to place it upon the Yeshivos. They are overburdened. It is not to place it upon the parents – they are overtaxed. It is the Gvirim that must be tapped. For the first time, we have not only millionaires, but billionaires.
“When it comes to our children’s life blood, are our priorities correct?: Rabbi ozeri asked.
He recalled how once Rav Shmuel MiSalant instructed a community to sell a sefer Torah in order to provide for the chinuch of an orphaned child. “Reading the Toraah is derabanawn – teaching this boy Toraah is deoraitaah!” he cried.
Rabbi Ozeri had overheard a conversation between two baal habatim. One said to the other, “You know I just finished redoing my two bathrooms..”
“$90,000.”
“Cheap. How did you do it so cheap?”
He explained how he knows two melamdim that left the field. They were both excellent mechanchim at the very top of their field, but they just could not manage any longer. Their students loved them, and Klal Yisroel is now at a loss without them educating our children. One will become a social worker. The other a CPA. And our children, Klal Yisroel, have lost two mechanchim who would love nothing better than to continue teaching.
“Take care of your melamdim or the next generation is in big trouble.” He explained.
The audience was electrified.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
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23 Responses
The problem is there are more rebbes than positions available so the salaries are pushed down, and frankly most positions are obtained via nepotism and not merit so unqualified rebbes are given positions they should not be in.
And frankly after people give their tzekdah and even more, they can spend their hard earned money as they wish and if they work 100 hour weeks and want a $50,000 bathroom that is their choice, they earned the money and have the right to spend as they wish
Well put but maybe the real problem there are to many yeshivas with few students sucking up resources
As per how is spend my earnings that’s my business not his
If you paid rabbanim well, tuition would rise and an increasingly number of children would end up in the public schools (presumably with late afternoon and Sunday supplemental schooling – which never worked in the past).
One should note that working for the frum community has tremendous non-economic advantages, including the infamous tuition discounts, but more importantly, not having to deal with “reasonable accomodation” (or lack thereof). Avoiding the hassles of being frum in a goyish world is a major attraction of working within frum communal organizations and schools, and the salaries are lower to reflect that.
Yes, they can spend as they wish. And the Rabbonim have the right to tell them that they traded unimaginable Beracha and the eternal merit of Talmud Torah for a nice bathroom.
The Melamed should get a house from the community.
#1- firstly the bathrooms were not $50,000 as you mention but rather $45,000. He said it was $90,000 for two,so do the math. Kidding aside but more importantly you totally were not listening or chose not to listen to Rabbi Ozeri’s speech because otherwise you wouldn’t be spewing your hateful comments about today’s melamdim.
What a contrast between you and the hundreds in attendance and the thousands who were watching/listening that were in total agreement with what Rabbi Ozeri said.
Zahavasdad-
You are an imbecile. Who is going to teach YOUR children if the rebbeim aren’t paid appropriately? Or would you prefer they receive their Torah education in a marble bathroom?
I dont have $45,000 to spend on a bathroom, nor do I have the money to go to Hotels on Pesach, but its not my business or anyone elses how someone spends their money.
And then again , go check into most yeshivas, All the Rebbes are somehow related to the Rosh Yeshiva, there are very few positions opened up based on Merit. If you want to be a Rebbe and you dont have an immediate relative as a Rosh yeshiva, you are likley out of luck.
#8 – You are so dead wrong it’s laughable. 99% of Rebbeyim in Yeshivos have no relation to the Roshei Yeshiva. Start with the Brooklyn Yeshivos and get back to us. Until then you are making royal fool out of yourself. Like huge.
Mirrer Yeshiva has 20 Rebbeyim in the elementary school – not ONE is related. The high school has 15 Rebbeyim. ONE is related.
The Cheder in Flatbush also has 30 Rebbeyim. Not ONE is related.
Torah Temimia – ZERO.
Wow, are you a jerk on a massive scale.
Should I continue with the Yeshivas? Or will you just take your hateful drivel and run into your cave already?
Sheesh.
This Rabbi David Ozeri speech really shows the real problem why the average working parent doesn’t care anymore about melamdim’s pay. This guy is so clueless what’s bothering today’s younger generation’s parents. People are hurt about the selection process when accepting kids in the yeshiva. The lack of basic secular studies like English and Math.
Most teachers who earn $40,000 – $60,000. Get free tuition for their 10 kids, get free camp for all of their kids and a free summer bungalow for themselves, discounts at the butcher and clothing stores etc… While at the same time tuition keeps rising every year above inflation.
Start listing to the parents request that every single kid should be able to pass the state’s Regents exam and receive a real high school diploma. Stop throwing out below average kids from the yeshiva system. Maybe then will the middle class hard working parents start caring about their kids melamdim pay.
This is a very important topic. I feel that just as important are the mechanchos and teacher’s who are doing this work for our daughters(and sons), as well. Many of them are the sole supporters of their families, just as the rebeeim are. Their husbands are learning or even their husbands are “out of work.” They may even just be bringing in the needed additional income that is necessary for today’s families. Why aren’t they spoken about and treated to the same understanding of need equal to the pay the rebeeim are receiving even today. Many get paid maybe as much, but at the expense of working additional hours more than the men. There are boys yeshivos that hire women to work in the lower grades or preschools who are paid much less then their male counterparts and treated as minor players in the lives of these impressionable children. This however, is for another discussion. With these points noted, I hope it wont be lost.
WOW! What a powerful speech! Halevai it should work. My son is a very well known, very successful mechanech, who struggles mightily to make ends meet. I hope the people in his community listened and HEARD what Rabbi Ozeri had to say.
Zahavasdad
You wrote 3 points. 1) There are to many rabbiam they are flooding the market so let’s treat them like cleaning lady’s with the concept of Supply and demand.
2) FRANKLY MOST rabbim are unqualified they got their position thru pull. That’s Motzai Shem Ra on MOST rabbiam. It’s not Loshon Hora because it’s simple not true. I have many good friends who are rabbeim .Most rabbiam take an Aish Dos course which prepares them unbelievable. After that they pick the best of the best. 2-3 % get a job based on pull. And even then many of that small % are qualified.
3) Here you go again with your FRANKLY. After giving Tzedoka and even more. Well the Vilna Goan writes that if all of Klall Yisroel would give Masser of their income Klall Yisroel would not have any paupers. Unfortunately not everyone is giving Tzedoka. WAKE UP!
Torah is not a book of laws it’s a book to teach us how to live with Rotzan Hashem. The famous Ramba”n in the beginning of Parshas Kedoshim teaches us not to be a Menuval Bershius Hatorah. I think spending 90,000 of your hard earned money on a bathroom may fall into that category. It’s the job of our Gedolim to give us mussar and to explain to us what Rotzon Hashem is and that’s what Rabbi Ozeri did Motza Shabbos.
It’s unfortunate that Letzonim like you have to make fun and poke at Das Torah. That’s why it’s hard for the Gedolim to get things done for Klall Yisroel.
If I were you I would do a lot of Teshuva for what you wrote.
As for KOLLEL FAKER in #2 Ask your Rov (if you have one) if you fall into the Klall of the Gemora Sanhedrin 99B of an Apikoros who mocks Lomdai Torah.
I agree 100% ,ALL Rebbeyim should get paid well.Since the Rebbeyim are NOT getting paid well ,and the tuition aer very high ,we need to find out where is the money going .I think ALL yeshivas that DO NOT pay their Rebbeyims well ,should open their books for out side accounting auidet
1. The theme was leadership. He ignored that and pushed his own agenda.
2. He said todays salary was 50-60k but that wasn’t enough. Huh? You get to do what you love best, you work 6 hours a day including shachris and mincha and chazurah where you do nothing, you get summers off, free tuition for your kids, and discounts all over for being a rebbe , probably the equal of 100-120k a year and that’s not enough??
3. Some rebbes are in their 60’s and 70’s burned out and totally useless on todays kids yet their din torah allows to continue teaching for life if not bought out for 3-500k.
4. There is an ENDLESS supply of 25-35 year olds coming from Kollel at $100/week that would love these starting jobs at 30k a year.
5. The only thing I agreed with him is that there are Billionaires who should fund ALL yeshivas and subsidize them so that anyone who wanted to could get a near free education. Instead they pish away money on Kevarim, extravagant Batei Midrashim in Israel , every Tom Dick and Harry Mossad that will give them Kovud, and Nedavos to Rebbes whose wives shop in Lord and Taylor by taxi every day. They earn 100 mill plus a year. Let them give Maaser to a central organization that will fund scholarships to Yeshivos. That alone would add to hundreds of millions per year.
Clymer [#10] – listen again. He said clearly he doesn’t expect the extra to come from parents.
In general, before shooting take a good look…
To all those saying Rebbes get free tuition, free camp, bungalows and discounts all over, you are absolutely wrong. We have to pay for tuition and camp like everybody else. We don’t receive any discounts in clothing, food or any other type of store. We don’t get a bungalow for free, nor do we go away for the summer- who can afford that?! I’m not sure where everyone is basing that information from. Oh yes, and we are not related to anybody in the Hanhala at all.
-the wife of a Rebbe
And another point- to those who say that it’s a plus that Rebbes are off in the summer- that means no paycheck in the summer either. Can you afford to go 2 months without a paycheck?
Wow there are a lot of bitter commenters!!!!!! Our Rebbeim and teachers are the key to our kids future!!! I would hope the fact that only like 10 depressed jealous people posted negative comments about our heroes that the rest of Kllal Yisroel appreciates there service and sacrifice !!!
I don’t know why some of you think that Rabbium get free tuition and free camp and bungalows. Coming from a family that is in chinuch we pay like everyone else. If a Rebbi works in a camp up state yes he gets a free bungalow put he doesn’t get paid from camp only gets tips. If he works in a day camp he gets one child free the rest he pays. We pay tuition like a regular middle class working guy. NOTHING IS FREE IN THIS WORLD EVEN FOR RABBIUM!!! We work hard there are times we go hungry i lost weight because i let my kids eat first. This is not my computer if your thinking how i have one. A friend showed me this and i had to respond to these fools and wicked blinded people who ignore the words of our gedolim and then make fun of them. SHAME ON YOU!!!! To those who stood and fought for kovod hatorah hashem should bless you and your family.
I agree rabeim are severely underpaid. I’m not sure what to do about it aside from some serious arm twisting of some filthy rich people who like spending 90k on bathrooms. That being said I think it’s מן השמים that it works out this way so it weeds out the bad rebbes. Otherwise it’ll become a situation where people are doing it for the money. A מלמד was always the poorest in town. & he was a tzadik.
There are so many talented young men, that could be Wonderful Rebbeim, but wouldn’t consider it because of its meager salary. Very Sad!!!
1) I am a rabbi 12 yrs.
2) I got a raise this yr getting $36,000!!! The previous rabbi who had my class before me (he was a great rabbi and left to the business world for the same reason I am about to) got his last raise in 1995 guess what he got $36,000!!!!!!!
3) I pay tuition for all my kids like all.
4) I get a box grape juice and 10 lbs matzos for Pesach (by the way I give it away the matzos because we found use the hechsher).
5) I do go to the mountains I pay for my bungalow and day camp myself. All rabbis who get it free get no sallary besides tips.
6) I live in a 900 square feet home. 2 bedroom s 1 bathroom no dining room. We eat in the kitchen Shabbes and Yom tov including the Pesach seider.
7) it rains in my bedroom I have no funding to fix the roof. This is true. Not from the story’s.
8) what will we answer at the big Yom hadin hagodol vhanora