Is Teaching Just a Career? Teach for Lubavitch Staff, Participants Speak
Just a few days before Pesach, a virtual open house took place for Teach for Lubavitch, a post-seminary program of the Menachem Education Foundation, exploring the deep connection between Chinuch and the season of freedom and renewal. The session centered around one key question: Why teaching? What makes Chinuch so essential—not only as a career path, but as a mission that touches the heart of who we are?
Program director Mrs. Shana Teichtel opened the session by exploring the Rebbe’s approach to Aleph-Chinuch, his passionate call to bring the “Aleph” of Torah and Yiddishkeit to every child. One story shared captured this beautifully:
A bus driver and matron in Bnei Brak were unsure who was responsible for helping children board the school bus. They brought the question to the chief rabbi of the city. After serious consideration and an hour immersed in Torah texts, the rabbi called them back and said:
“I don’t understand… how you don’t see what this is. Lifting a child onto the bus is like lifting a Sefer Torah. Buckling them in? That’s like wrapping the Torah after reading. Every child is a living Torah. What you do is holy.”
This perspective reframes even the simplest acts in Chinuch as sacred and reminds us that no role is too small when it comes to nurturing the next generation.
That’s exactly what Teach for Lubavitch is all about. Entering its second year, TFL is a one-of-a-kind program designed for post-seminary girls who are looking to explore or pursue a future in Chinuch. The program empowers young women to step confidently into the world of teaching—with the tools, mentorship, and inspiration they need to succeed. Participants gain hands-on classroom experience, connect with experienced educators, and become part of a growing network of passionate mechanchos who are shaping the future of Jewish life around the world. Some of the current host schools include Cheder Chabad of Baltimore, Cheder Lubavitch Morristown – Girls, Sacramento Jewish Academy, and Cheder Chabad Florida, offering participants a range of environments to learn, grow, and make an impact.
During the open house, Raizy Weingarten, a current TFL participant teaching at Cheder Chabad of Florida, shared how teaching was her lifelong dream, but TFL helped her gain the confidence and skills to act upon her idealism and make an impact. Cheder Chabad principal Mrs. Chaya Matusof described how the teachers hosted by her school have grown into phenomenal mechanchos, supported with the training and mentorship of Teach for Lubavitch.
One of the TFL teacher training presenters, Mrs. Batsheva Deren, gave a taste of the material she shares, based on Klalei Chinuch V’hadracha combined with practical techniques for the classroom. TFL staff members Mrs. Rivka Holzman and Mrs. Chanah Rose shared the nuts and bolts of this multifaceted, immersive program. MEF executive director Rabbi Zalman Shneur, the visionary behind Teach for Lubavitch, spoke about how this new generation of mechanchos is truly changing the world.
There’s a reason why so many find themselves drawn to this path. Chinuch doesn’t just fill a need in the community—it fills a place in the soul. It’s an answer to that voice inside asking: What am I meant to do?
If this message resonates with you, maybe it’s time to explore that question a little further. Whether you’re still deciding what comes next, or you already feel a spark of passion for teaching, Teach for Lubavitch invites you to take that next step.
Because teaching isn’t just another career. It’s a calling.
Join the journey. Step into the mission. Discover what it means to teach, through Teach for Lubavitch.
Learn more and apply at mymef.org/tfl.
Watch the recording https://mymef.org/teach-for-lubavitch-open-house/.
