The Rebbe said in a Farbrengen during Sefira that he the reason he can make a joyous gathering is because it is his Parnasa.

The discussion here isn’t about if Mashpi’im should demand payment, it’s about the responsibility of the one arranging the Farbrengen to provide food and space (rented if needed) and someone to Farbreng who has prepared properly. It’s possible to get away with asking for stores to donate leftovers etc. for food, and to use space given as a favor, and to ask the Mashpia to donate his time Farbrenging, cover his own travel expenses and use his own time (= lose income during that time) to prepare. But then you haven’t set it ip to succeed. You might get lucky, but can’t count on it.
If you invest in making it a well planned, properly organized event, and raise the funds to cover paying for the above, you have set it ip for success.
Our children’s inspiration needs to be invested in as much as every Shliach invests in inspiring his community.

If theyre giving so much, and we expect mesirus nefesh from them etc., shouldnt WE have a little “mesirus nefesh” also, and pay for something we value so much?
Ok, dont call it pay, but showing appreciation and that we value it.

if you value something, you pay for it.

I dont know if mashpiim should ask for money, but, I think the audience, i.e. the ones asking him to speak, should have the decency to pay him for his time and service, which often is some of the most valuable things you can get. Life advice.
Our soul.

If we really value that, and expect him to be “alltruistic”, we should also be, and show that we value that.

I dont think it should be the bochurims responsibility though.
either the mosad/yeshiva.

Understand that a Mashpia has a family, and needs parnoso.
He doesnt have a super paying job as it is.

תשאל כהנ״ל ל׳בן חמש למקרא׳
ולכאורה התירוץ הוא, א״כ ׳התוועדות חסידית׳ נהפך ח״ו לניאום וכו׳, שהרי -לפי שיטה זו – זמן התוועדות מוגבל לפי כמה משלמים וכו׳.
וגם, לפי שיטה זו יש לשלם עבור כל שיחה עם המשפיע, שהרי הוא טורח כו׳, ומה יהי׳ אם הוא במצב דחוף וצריך לדבר עם המפשיע ואין לו כסף? (אפשר לעשות אינטשורנ׳סעבור משפיעים…)
ועיקר: משפיע מהותו וענינו הוא להתוועד, וכיון שכן, מהי הטירחה כו, הרי אם אחד שהוא אוהב לאכול יש לו טירחה? ועד כדי כך שצריכים לשלם לו?

Just to put into perspective that not everything in life & especially in Chabad community needs to be surrounded by money money money YES Mashpiyim SHOULD & NEED to be appreciated for their time & devotion that they have for the Bochurim, but to stretch it so far to start requesting money as payment? do we criticize Mashpiyim by farbrengen? to we actually care if they come a bit late Most Bochurim understand & are thankful for what Mashpiyim do, not always is it verbalized or in this situation paid for, cuz if you’re doing it for business then they’ll never be an end to this. Lipoyes yes Mashpiyim are doing an amazing job Give a tip but Kol Chayim Shelanu should NOT be after how much we get paid…..
P.S. just remember that article how we said that our children shouldn’t be brought up on how much well get from this…

Why can’t payment for a speaking engagement – which in the case of a farbrengen, is quite a long one! – be expected?

Everything else mashpiim do in giving of their time to speak to individuals is volunteer, and must be that way. Mentchlichkeit would dictate that when feasible, one should compensate their / their children’s Mashpia for his/her time, but it must be optional so that everyone can receive the guidance they need.

But why should an experienced, qualified speaker have to farbreng / speak for free, for any mosad that wants? That should be the one opportunity they have to expect respectable compensation for their time.

cause next you know there will be a entrance fee…

it will also stop many young Talmetai Hashluchim etc from organizing and running Tishrei programs/Farbrengins

it seems more like the problem is that there is no payment/reward system for mashpiem, the Tishrei Farbrengins should be their chance for free exposure “ad”

just like there are expo’s for all other industries Tishrie can be sort of a “Mashpiem expo”

Payment can and should be made by parents or Yeshivas….

And here- one farbregen is between 2- 5 hours!

If they are totally devoted ‘within their time frame’- there will be no farbrengens for guests during tishrei. Period.

That’s the whole point

Take a moment and imagine yourself / husband / father going out night after night for a month straight! – during the most hectic month of the year – including Friday night, Yom tov night from 10/ 11 pm till wee hours of the morning. And still keeping up with work schedule.
Would you agree?!?!

I don’t think that paying mashpiim would make their work any less selfless!!!

By a wife of one mashpia who values his incredible shlichus, and wishes he’d be shown a little appreciation. Yes my husband gets sick every year after simchas Torah. It just catches up… Hurts to see ppl think that some appreciation would make such mesirus nefesh – pay for play! Were only a few days into tishrei – hes already fabrenged 8 times in last 2 weeks plus several shiurim and talks…

Wishing everyone much hatzlacha in their shlichus, finding where they give selflessly without limits and having lots of strength to keep going!

My reaction is one that I pay for services I choose to employ. I do it all the time. I chose to pay $4.95 for a Latte the other day.
Don’t forget the point of this OpEd – not at all to charge every individual Bochur coming to the Farbrengen, rather to raise awareness by the organizers that they should offer pay for their services. If the Mashpia chooses to volunteer as a Shlichus, good for him, but we can’t enforce a Shlicus unto him. What’s so argumentative about that?
Regarding my mother – what???

As many are forgetting, and as some have pointed out, the point of this article was NOT to set up an entrance fee for each participant joining the Farbrengen (although that concept does indeed exist). This is about the Yeshiva/Shul/Neighborhood Committee etc. as a Mosad paying their speaker. Is calling him/her a “Farbrenger” instead of “speaker” a reason not to pay them?!

Why is it “100% wrong” to charge for a Farbrengen?

I think what a lot of commenters are trying to say is that the farbrenger shouldn’t be expecting payment but people should be menchen and give something. If not at the farbrengen, then maybe before Yom tov or a simcha etc., especially for someone who does this full time.

I 100% agree with Rabbi Avtzon’s point that farbrengens do not need to last until 3 am, even during Tishrei. If it’s a good, toichendik farbrengen, there is a value to it. Otherwise, I don’t think most bachurim (and older people!) don’t have the stamina for such long and late farbrengens, not to mention having a productive day the next day.

I was hoping someone would bring this up.

We cannot expect our mashpiim to have the level of mesiras nefesh that the rebbe had and give of so many hours. And certainly we cannot expect it of their families (regardless of compensation).

That being said,

1. The Rebbe was paid a salary just like the staff of mazkirus was
2. Maamad has been traditional among chassidim for generations

bh
there is a letter in igros kodesh to the chassidim in Montreal, that since the Chassidim in Montreal need a mashpia.
And Reb Peretz Mochkin is a chossid that needs parnossa. And so the Rebbe, made the shidduch that he should be the mashpia and that way both problems get solved.

Indeed, finances are a challenge for most people these days. There are many important expenses people can not afford and this is where tzedaka comes in – whoever is in a position to sponsor and support should do whatever they can do help their community, whether by subsidizing tuitions, sponsoring food for Yom Tov, or myriad other causes.

But the need for help does not become the responsibility of the one providing a service. Do we expect the grocer to provide free food for all those who struggle to pay the hefty bill? Do we expect the clothing store owner to give out free clothing because the expenses are too great for the average family?

No, they need to make a living. They deserve to be paid properly for their goods or services. And those in a position to help others afford these expenses – or sponsor them on their behalf – should do so.

The point here is not that the bochurim (or any participants) should have to pay to join a farbrengen

It’s that if a farbrengen is organized for a group, whoever is organizing it should take responsibility to pay the most important expense – compensating the Mashpia for the many precious hours he is giving – just as they pay for food or mashke.

Especially when it is organized on behalf of a Yeshivah, it is the responsibility of the Hanhallah to pay their “guest speaker”.

one hundred percent!

you are allowed to charge

but you are also allowed to not charge….!

It’s all about the mindset. Wait till it touches your money and then we’ll see your reaction. BTW you owe your mother lots of money from being born till today. Did you even start to pay her or it was your mindset of “her body her choice?!” It only goes down from there.

Again Why are people mixing up everything into one big Cholent?

It’s 100% right for parents to give money for their son’s mashpiem

Its 100% wrong to charge for a Tishrei Farbreng…

%100 it might be a good thing to institute that parents should give money to kids mashpiem, but to officially charge? that’s not the way to go

kudus to our mashpiem who give away the full day to our bochrim

every parent please send along a check when your son goes back to Yeshiva

You are right, but to charge for a Farbrengen?

How about setting up a entrance fee….?

rather write a op-ed that parents should give a few times a year to their sons/daughters mashpia/s for example Tishrei, Chanukah, Purim, Pesach, end of year, which is a very popular thing in the Poilisher/litvish world

that is about a permanent position which is pretty obvious that it has to be paid for…. every Yeshiva pays their Mashpiem, am I wrong?

this is about Tishrei when this Mashpia has this Chazaka and this Mashpia always Farbrengs in so and so Sukkah, is it so wrong not to pay?

Did R Yisroel. R Yoel, R Pinye להבל״ח R Sholome, R Nachemn, R Shalom, ever take money for any of the Tishrei Farbrengens (let alone about a whole year…)

Did we become a “pay for play…”

Are we going to pay for every time we walk on the streets in CH??

If you want a service, you pay for it. You don’t want to pay? No problem. Find a free Farbrenger, who may or may not show up.