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Torah Ohr is a Jewish ministry in Israel founded by Ariel Klimer. Ariel was born in 1958 to Holocaust survivors. His grandfather escaped by hiding under a heap of corpses, and his grandmother was persecuted in front of her children by a neighbor who, armed with a Garden fork, shouted “You killed Jesus; therefore your blood will be spilt now!”
Scars of pain and concern for his people became engraved in Ariel’s heart as a result of the Jew’s persecution during thousands of years of their existence; including the Spanish Inquisition, and especially the Holocaust, in which about ⅓ of the Jewish people were destroyed, and more so now, that Antisemitism has returned again.
“For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest…” (Is. 62:1).
“This painful part of the Jewish people’s history is the most significant thing in my life… it is one of the elements that drove me to implement my vision among the nations“, says Ariel “Zealously keeping and defending my Jewish identity is clear and incontestable for me. The greatest danger for the Jewish people is assimilation or becoming apostate.”
Rabbi Nachman, in “The Book of Traits,” writes: “By not making G-dliness known to the nations of the world, through this, the nations of the world instigate and seduce Israel to follow after false wisdom,” –this false wisdom brings much evil to the world.
Ignorance is the root of all the world’s evil and illness; the ground from which antisemitism and idolatry grows. Antisemitism and idolatry are interconnected. They are found everywhere—similar to dust carried in the wind, which can be visible but subtle—it can consciously but also unconsciously exist in every person. This is the time of exile, where knowledge is obscured and blindness and ignorance “rule”- but the redemption reflects the opposite: “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Is. 11:9)
Hence, through Bible studies, Torah Ohr’s first initiative is to counteract antisemitism and idolatry found in the minds of innocent people as a prejudice and false theology, and to build a bridge of faith and love between Israel and the nations: “For then I will make the peoples pure of speech, so that they all invoke the LORD by name and serve Him with one accord.” (Zeph 3:9)
After his military service in the IDF, Ariel lived as a Chassid (pious observant Jew) for 13 years, during which time he discovered that the “language of the Mashiach” is Chassidut, which is the light and soul of the Torah.
As a practicing ultra-orthodox Jew, Ariel became well-versed in Bible study, Judaism, and Chassidism. He learned how to be obedient and to follow his Rebbe, who was devoted to God, the Messiah and His people. The most significant gift that Ariel received from the Rebbe while he was a Chassid was “Ahavat Israel,” love of Israel. Hence, he knew what it meant to have zeal for his brothers, the God of Israel, and His Torah.
Over the past 15 years Ariel has given Bible classes for Jews and non-Jews in Israel and abroad. In addition, he extends devoted assistance and aid to the disadvantaged, thereby enhancing the quality of life of individuals and families in distress and crisis. He acts on behalf of those who have devoted their lives for the LORD, the Torah, and His People Israel. Ariel is also a Personal Coach, helping individuals realize the potential for a goal or a vision on a personal, professional and spiritual level.
As a teacher of the Hebrew (Jewish) roots, Ariel is not a distant observer with foreign roots, with a mindset and language alien to the People of Israel. He is not a condescending outside critic engaged in a scholarly critique of and against Judaism, the Torah of Israel, and the true tzaddikim (righteous individuals) – God forbid! On the contrary, Ariel is a Jew with a Jewish soul and speaks the “Jewish language.” Ariel’s motto is: “I dwell among my own people.” (2 Kings 4:13)
Ariel believes with complete faith in unfiltered Torah and Chassidut, which are able to pour upon each person the “light of the resurrection”. He believes that study and learning can return and reveal the glory of the Mashiach, and hasten his arrival. His unique concept is courage to go against “automatic assumptions and thought patterns” – beyond the Western mindset – and with truth, bravely correct behavioral patterns and practices arising from prejudice and stereotypes that form barriers inhibiting development and spiritual growth of the believer.
