How Do We Keep Teenagers and Children from Falling Away?

The daily chizuk (strengthening) from our teacher, the holy Rav Eliezer Berland shlit"a, speaking on the way to protect our youth and children from falling and leaving the path of holiness.

There is so much youth dropping out today, and why is the youth dropping out?

Because they do not know how to speak to their hearts!

Our teacher Rav Berland is asked by the crowd: How does one speak to them?

The Rav shlit"a answers: You must understand that this was the mistake of Noah, just as they say in Sanhedrin that Noah would sell things as hard as sinews. In the Midrash, it is written that he did not rebuke them at all, but he did indeed rebuke them.

Noah rebuked his generation that they needed to hold Melaveh Malkah, that in every synagogue they should hold Melaveh Malkah, then all the boys from that neighborhood and street would come.

One must hold many Melaveh Malkahs; a lot of prayer with melodies is what attracts the youth, only prayer with melodies.

The whole point is to empower the Jews, to illuminate for them, to give them vitality, vitality, so that everyone will have vitality.

If you give a child vitality, he will not become secular; the child needs vitality, the child needs for you to sing songs with him, to tell him stories.