י׳ סיון ה׳תשפ״ו | May 26, 2026
They Are Called ‘Talmidim Hashluchim’ for a Reason
“Towards the end of last year, a bochur on mivtzoim told a regular we visit for tefillin that next year he would be moving on. When asked, he said he would no longer be a student, but part of the yeshiva staff. This bochur seriously believed that the concept of shlichus is to be a program director.”
By a past shliach in yeshiva
Towards the end of last year, a bochur who was with me on mivtzoim told one of our regulars, whom we visited regularly to put on tefillin with, that this would be his last week there, as he would be moving on next year.
When the man asked where he was going and whether he would be attending a different yeshiva, he replied that no, next year he would no longer be a student at all, but would actually be one of those who run the yeshiva.
This bochur seriously believed, and this is how he explained it to others, that the purpose of shlichus is to be a program director, part of the yeshiva staff, and that he is no longer a talmid in yeshiva.
One who looks at how the Rebbe defines the talmidim hashluchim will see that this completely runs against the way the Rebbe writes about it.
To give one example out of many, in a letter from 5731 directed to shluchim in a yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel, the Rebbe writes strongly that the purpose of the talmidim hamashluchim is to learn b’shkida v’hasmada, to be an example for others in how to learn, and not to run the yeshiva. At most, they can point out issues to hanhala, just like every other talmid in the yeshiva. If they cannot do their shlichus properly, the Rebbe continues, they should go to another yeshiva as ordinary talmidim.
In other words, it is clear that the purpose of a talmid in a yeshiva (“talmidim hashluchim”) is to learn. Nobody would say that people go to yeshiva in order to run programs.
It is true that bochurim do go on mivtzoim, and this is what the Rebbe wants them to do in their spare time. It is also true that they may organize various activities to strengthen Yiddishkeit, and they help other bochurim in the yeshiva as well. This is the responsibility of every talmid in yeshiva. However, their primary focus must be learning Torah. Of course, this applies equally to talmidim hashluchim.
Talmidim hashluchim are talmidim, meaning their primary task is to learn in yeshiva. They may assist in mivtzoyim and other activities, and being the oldest bochurim in the yeshiva, they may have more responsibilities in these areas than other talmidim. However, this is not what defines the talmidim hashluchim.
Some talmidim hashluchim do indeed go with the correct mindset – knowing that they are going to learn in yeshiva as a talmid, both in mesivta and in zal. I found that these bochurim were the ones who had the greatest impact on me from all the talmidim hashluchim. It was amazing to see the incredible hasmada that these talmidim hashluchim learned with. At times, they would also farbreng with us, and seeing their general conduct, we were inspired to learn from them.
However, some bochurim seem to have a different mindset from the beginning, even before they arrive at the yeshiva. Their plan is that they are coming in order to be program directors. This not only has an effect on the year of shlichus, but also on the year following shlichus and even the year preceding shlichus.
You can well imagine that a bochur who feels that he was not in yeshiva while he is on shlichus will find it difficult later on, after he goes to 770 or a smicha program, to now start taking seder seriously. He hasn’t shown up in seder last year, he hasn’t felt that hanhala has any authority over him, and the next year he makes a kal vachomer: If last year I was above the level of seder and didn’t have to listen to anyone, this year most certainly I don’t!
The same thing applies to the year preceding shlichus. The Rebbe writes that in the years preceding shlichus, they should learn b’shkida v’hasmada, and that he will only send shluchim from those who are learning with hasmada (as the Rebbe wrote to someone who wanted to join the group going to Australia). However, if the purpose of the next year is not to learn in yeshiva, it has an effect on the preceding years as well.
I would suggest that perhaps from the beginning, from the year before shlichus, bochurim should already know what their purpose is the following year when they go on shlichus, and therefore prepare themselves properly and come with the right mindset: that they are coming in order to learn in yeshiva and to be a true example of a talmid, even more than any other bochur, so that they should serve as a living example of what a tomim is.
And in such a way, through their influence, the local bochurim will follow in their footsteps.
But if they themselves, chas v’shalom, are not behaving as they should, then not only are they not being mashpia positively, but on the contrary, they are being mashpia negatively. They are basically telling the bochurim that they just need to wait a few years, and they too will be free of learning.
It is imperative that we should ensure that the shluchim being sent are bochurim who have clear kabolas ol, and that they follow through on what they are coming for – to learn and to have a positive influence on the local bochurim.
May Hashem help that this year the shlichus should be a very successful one, and we should be zoche already to the coming of Moshiach!
COMMENTS
Anash Thank you for allowing in a respectful way conversations that need attention to be discussed, engaged to improve and bring us all to the ultimate goal of Moshiach!
Unfortunately, many hanholos are more interested that their shluchim should be program directors rather than sitting and learning, as this is a free service to them that helps them run their yeshiva. Find me one yeshiva where the shluchim are not expected to make any mivtzas at all. Puk Chazi. You can’t put all the blame on the bochurim. Hanholos need to pay a yungerman etc. to make mivtzas, not the shluchim.
I was in a yeshivah that expected the shluchim to be only Dugma Chayos.
we did do Mivtza’s and helped around, but we actually pushed that more than Hanhala.
we had a great year., every Yeshiva has Maalos and Chesronos, but that’s actually something we appreciated.
Every Mesivta that I know of has a long list of things that are expected from the “Talmidei” Hashluchim that go way beyond sitting and learning.
At the end of the day (as of today) signing yourself up to be a Shliach in Yeshiva comes with accepting a lot more responsibilities regardless of what YOUR mindset is
If the bochurim insist that they are coming to learn – the yeshivos who want to have chassidishe shluchim will have to conceded.
Besides, if a shliach is truly dedicated to keeping seder and learning himself and with other bochurim, most yeshivos would be very pleased. The problem starts when he’s anyways not learning… (כיון שמפסיק בלאה”כ)
I am currently a shliach in a mesivta. We were told that the only thing we are expected to do is to sit and learn. Only a short time after we came we found out that that is only the official job description. However small jobs are imposed on us all the time.
I want to clarify, when I say all the time I mean on a day to day basis. This is aside for mivtzas that are year long, what I mean by year long is, we are approached in the beginning of the year -before we know what shlichus is about- and strongly asked to run a mivtza that includes a $20,000 budget plus weekly work, Not knowing better we say yes to are new menahel thinking we will figure it out. And as you can imagine there goes our year down the drain.
We then get criticized for not being fully involved in the Yeshiva seder by none other than the same ones that have previously imposed on us the side jobs that directly caused our lack of presence and involvement.
I got to give credit to my Yeshiva for being better than many others, I have friends that are currently in other Yeshivas and they have it much worse.
For example, in my Yeshiva if a Bochur gets sick one of us the shluchim must bring him to the doctor. That means we are no longer present in Yeshiva for those 2, 3, or 4 hours. That also means we are behind in all the things the learning we are involved with. You can imagine the frustration in weather changing seasons one of us that must leave every day, or even more than once a day, considering the 90 boys we have in yeshiva.
The reason why my Yeshiva Is better then my friends, is because we get paid $18 an hour for going, in other words we get fired from being a shliah and hired to be a legal guardian at a doctor’s office. However a good friend of mine was just sent with a boy in his yeshiva to the doctor for 4 or 5 hours, and was not paid a penny, probably under the free labor contract that almost every Yeshiva Takes heavy advantage of.
I rest my case.
“Some talmidim hashluchim do indeed go with the correct mindset – knowing that they are going to learn in yeshiva as a talmid, both in mesivta and in zal. I found that these bochurim were the ones who had the greatest impact on me from all the talmidim hashluchim. It was amazing to see the incredible hasmada that these talmidim hashluchim learned with. At times, they would also farbreng with us, and seeing their general conduct, we were inspired to learn from them.” 100%
What about those who are being sent to elementary schools or chabad houses?
Since when did the Rebbe send Bochurim as Shluchim to schools or Chabad houses?
It’s a new phenomenon that only started when the number of positions in Yeshivos outgrew the number of Bochurim that wanted to go on “Shlichus.”
I believe there goes the same for community Shlichus
If you want to have a system where not everyone is sent on Shlichus, there must be an alternative option for where Bochurim can continue learning past Shiur Daled
I write this out of my own personal experience.
Not too long ago I was in Shiur Daled and I aced my report cards. I had no problem with the Hanhalla regarding Seder the only problem I did have was I wasn’t a socially popular goat i.e. cool hip hop sick bro vibe lit chiller dude. I sat in the Zal every single day and learned like a big loser.
Shlichus time came and I knew where I was headed. The goats (description explained above) were going to top tier exotic places and myself way down under. So at the end I ended going to a place a Bachur if you paid him a million dollars would refuse and look at you like your crazy but as a loser I went. nonetheless and I saw and knew my other friends were having a much greater time having fun but myself I made five Chavrusas a day half of them being ADHD and I sat and learned Chassidus and Nigleh with them every single day. at the end of the year those same Bachurim (very chassidish) hugged me and were texting me days later that they missed me. those same Bachurim moved on and are now in nice big Yeshivos doing very well.
My winner goat friends who won’t even look at me came out just a bigger Yesh more Gavvah but I honestly don’t think many of them served their actual purpose.
Very well said!
The solution is obviously not simple at this point in time but תשועה ברוב יועץ!
I believe this started (or greatly expanded) with the advent of shluchim to Mesivtas and “mivtzas”.
Ultimately the responsibility lies with the hanhala and their expectations.
BH
I went on shlichus in סו, we went with a good kevutza. Only a few of us came to seder consistently. The rest where no shows until 12 or 1 each day almost daily.
I heard that in most yeshivos it was the same. I went to the hanhola of the yeshiva that sent me and told them what happened. They thought I was exaggerating.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the Talmidim Hashluchim program does tremendous good for the yeshivos and the Talmidim Hashluchim gain in some ways.
I’m currently working on a solution to upgrade the system. I have seven yeshivos on board so far. Email me for more information
[email protected]
Betzalel Bassman
I think a bigger problem is the subsequent years of a Chossid’s life:
1) 770 & Eltere Bochur years are largely spent “Waiting around to get married” sometime accompanied by a fake Mosod job
2) And then once you get married and pretend to learn in Kollel while your wife slaves away to cover your expenses
3) Shlichus and work life can be very unstructured in the wrong environments with not enough support and can be very detrimental in Avodas Hashem
It is morally wrong to derail a good point that someone finally spoke up about, Through shifting focus away to other problems that have absolutely no connection to this one.
There is a bigger issue at play here and its not about what you do after shlichus because at that point it is your decision what you do…
The issue stems from the yeshivos that send out the shluchim in the first place.
The bochurim need to know what shlichus is and how to go about the challenges you are faced with on a day to day basis in a mesivta where just a few years ago you were a mekabel from your shluchim.
For example bullying which is a lot of the time preventable and only by the shluchim is it so.
The point is that we cannot sit here blaming the shluchim or the hanhala of the mesivtois the issue unspoken about is the meshaleach(im) who need to prepare the bochurim for what’s coming.
I am a current shliach In a Msivta, And they gotta say we were prepared very well efore we arrived, We learnt all about it, Different people came to speak to us in yeshiva about it, We Farbrengd about it, the only thing stopping us from doing our job are the ones directing us to do other things aside for learning.
I like the term ‘free labor contract’ that is mentioned in one of the other comments I think it really brings out the point.
This issue is very much overlooked, and this may be a huge part of the cause
I went on shlichus in עז
In my years in yeshiva, I observed that in mesivta, only about one in eight shluchim consistently attended morning seder. In zal, the number was significantly higher, perhaps around fifty percent. When I later went on shlichus to a mesivta, I was the only one in my group who consistently kept morning seder, and maintaining that commitment required tremendous effort.
I believe one of the main reasons for this discrepancy is the difference in the learning environment. In a zal, the bochurim are much closer in age to the shluchim, therefore the seder and shiurim are much closer to theor level, making it easier for a shliach to integrate into the yeshiva’s regular sedorim and learning structure.
In a mesivta, however, this is often not the case. There are generally no shiurim designated for the shluchim, no formal seder for them, and much of the students’ learning takes place in classrooms rather than in the zal. As a result, the beis medrash is frequently empty for much of the morning, making it difficult to create and maintain an atmosphere of learning. The level of self motivation required to sit and learn for four hours every morning under such conditions is immense.
For this reason, I believe that shluchim should not be sent to mesivtos unless there is a designated member of hanhalah whose main responsibility is ensuring that the shluchim have a meaningful and structured learning program. If we expect shluchim to serve as examples of hasmadah and serious learning, we must provide them with the framework necessary to succeed.
A yeshiva must take responsibility not only for what the shluchim can contribute to the local bochurim, but also for the shluchim’s own growth and success during the year. In fact, when shluchim are not maintaining a serious learning schedule, the negative message that sends usually outweighs the positive impact of the programs and mivtzoim they run.
If a yeshiva is unwilling to provide the support and structure necessary for the shluchim’s own learning, then it is wrong for it to have shluchim at all.
Mendel
i was at a yeshiva where the hanhalah sat us down and said you are not here to learn you are here to be the buchrims friends and only if everyone of us could agree on a time then we could get a shiur from one of the members of hanhalah ,which because there were not enough buchrim to have the same time to learn, it is very important to go with buchrim that you can get along with and learn and farbereng together
The answer is simple all shluchim should do smicha while on shlichus, and like that they will be forced to learn in order to make their quota and pass their tests. Then they could learn other subjects like dayonos after.