Shtark Tank

Get ready for Pesach with a mega collection of divrei torah, from Bnei Torah in the workforce. You will hear from Rav Yakov Danishefsky, Rav Jonathan Livi,Rav Max Berger, Zak Lenik, Mark Tobin Dr. Mordy Goldenberg and Yoel Van Messel. At the end, you will hear some ideas of mine which I shared on The Greatest Parasha podcast, hosted by Raymond Ashkenazie and Emma Dayan A big thank you to Shlomo Pr...

What happens when Torah, growth, and mental health start pulling against each other instead of working together? In this episode of Shtark Tank , Yaakov Wolff speaks with Dr. Dan Jacobson — psychologist, musmach, co-author of Flipping Out , and author of Light in the Darkness — about stress, anxiety, yeshiva pressure, and the long-term impact they can have on our Avodat Hashem. To recieve a free c...

Dov Adler is an audit partner who has in intereresting relationship with auditing. In this episode, Dov Adler shares a refreshingly honest take on work, fulfillment, and responsibility. We talk about growing up in a rabbi’s home, choosing accounting over rabbanus, wearing a kippah in corporate America, and building a career that is meaningful not because every task is enjoyable, but because of the...

How do Bnei Torah apply skills from the workforce to serve non-profit organizations? In this episode, Yaakov Wolff speaks with Allen Pfeiffer and Hillel Scheinfeld two successful professionals who bring their strengths into the world of tzedakah and nonprofits. They discuss why donors should think more seriously about where their money goes, why nonprofits need more transparency and accountability...

This is a special Purim bonus episode—a raw and honest conversation meant to warn and wake people up. In this episode, our guest shares his personal story—how gambling started young, how “just for fun” escalated over years, and how legalization + apps turned it into something 24/7, always within reach. If you need help, contact Amudim now. Crisis hotline can be reached at 646-517-0222, or from isr...

We’re coming up on the 40th yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein , and this episode is a guided tour through Rav Moshe’s Torah on the questions every Ben Torah eventually faces: How do I build a life where Torah stays central… while I’m working, providing, and living in the real world? Our guest, Rabbi Moshe Kurtz (rabbi, podcaster, and serious Rav Moshe researcher), just released a new sefer: Me&#39...

What if the most “frum” thing you can do at work… is simply doing your job well? In this episode, I’m joined by Rav Dovid Gottlieb for a sharp, practical conversation built around a powerful piece from Rav Shlomo Wolbe (Alei Shur) —with guidance that every working Ben Torah needs. (The short chapter can be found in Alei Shur vol. I pp. 269-271) Soon after, we take these ideas into one of the hotte...

In this episode, I sit down with Yossi (Joseph) Landes —President and co-founder of Nerdio (a unicorn), and a 23-year veteran of Microsoft. But this conversation isn’t mainly about startups. It’s about growing in Gemara when you don’t see yourself as “the best learner,” and building a life where Torah stays at the center—through airports, moves abroad, pressure, and big responsibility. We talk abo...

Super Bowl week is here, and as Bnei Torah, we can't avoid asking a hard question: what is sports doing to our time, our headspace, and our Avodas Hashem? In this episode of Shtark Tank, I sit down with Rav Moshe Benovitz (Director of NCSY Kollel) for a real, nuanced conversation about loving sports without losing yourself in it—including the famous story of a Super Bowl night in Yeshivat Kere...

For Parashat Beshalach / Shabbat Shirah , we’re pulling a fan-favorite from the archives: a wide-ranging conversation with Jewish music legend Abie Rotenberg — songwriter of classics like Acheinu , Mama Rochel , and Na’ar Hayiti . But this episode isn’t only about music. A.B. shares how building a serious career in business gave him something rare in the music world: freedom . Freedom to write at...

Is it possible to grow in Torah and business at the same time? Last week, I sat down with Moe Mernick, Ben Lang, and Michael Bloch to talk it through — live, in front of an energetic crowd of 50+ growth-oriented leaders , at the offices of DLA Piper Israel in Tel Aviv . The “excuse” for the gathering was Moe’s new book, Conversations with Jewish Business Leaders — and the conversation went way bey...

In this Shovavim special, I sat down with marriage coach Aaron Zakowski for a direct and practical conversation about what it really means to be a Jewish husband and father in today’s world. We talk about: Why emotional safety matters as much as financial stability The mistake many men make when they try to “fix” instead of listen How long work hours affect marriage—and what actually helps Why you...

What does real success look like when you’re trying to stay grounded as a Ben Torah? In this episode of Shtark Tank , I sat down with Laizer Kornwasser — CEO of DrFirst, professor at Yeshiva University, and Chairman of NCSY — for a wide-ranging conversation about ambition, pressure, leadership, and the Torah ideas that shape how we show up at work and in life. Laizer shares stories from investment...

This week on Shtark Tank , we’re opening the mailbag to dive into the conversations, questions, and insights sparked by our recent episodes. We explore what it really means to be an eved Hashem , a professional , and a family man in a fast-paced world. In this episode, we discuss: The "Millstone" of Marriage: Does our Avodas Hashem fundamentally change once we have families? We look at t...

Gratitude is usually talked about after things work out. This episode is about learning it while you’re still in it . In honor of Chanukah, 'days of praise and thanks', Dan Cohen shares what it was like to go from a full, busy professional life to an unexpected spinal surgery and 90 days in a rehab ward — right in the middle of a national crisis. Not a dramatic story. Not a miracle tale. A...

It’s Chanukah — the season of miracles. But what about the “miracles” we’re watching unfold in our own lifetime… through technology? In this special Chanukah episode, I’m joined by Mois Navon , also known as the “Mobileye Rabbi.” Mois has spent decades in high-tech and decades learning and teaching Torah — and in this conversation he helps us think clearly about innovation, awe, ethics, and where...

What do you do when your day job feels empty — but you still need to show up, provide, and stay honest? In this episode of Shtark Tank , I sit down with my cousin and friend Yoni Schwartz — Head of Data Science at Exponential and Head Producer of Living L’chaim . Yoni shares how he went from a corporate role that felt like “a complete lack of purpose” to leading 10 shows that have inspired and hel...

Aliyah isn’t just a flight and a moving truck. It’s a total reset of how you think about parnassah, gashmiyus, bitachon, and what “quality of life” actually means. In this episode, I sit down with Eli Freedman , founder of Cork & Cellar Wine Club , to talk about what it really takes to move to Israel and stay – spiritually, emotionally, and financially. Eli shares how he: Went from Boston → Wa...

Is work a curse, a burden… or a gift from Hashem? In this solo episode, we go into the Netziv on Parshas Bereishis and pull out five big career ideas for Bnei Torah in the workforce. Is Work a Curse? Did God Plan on Creating Bahlabatim? How do I handle Relationships with Secular Collagues? Is it Possible to be Spiritual at Work? Can I Live a Life of Luxury? If this kind of Torah-first career talk...

100th episode. World-class Torah educator. All your burning questions. To mark our 100th episode, Rav Aryeh Lebowitz joins Shtark Tank for a wide-ranging Q&A on what it really means to be a Ben Torah in the workforce. We talk about: “You’re never going to be Rav Schachter… and that’s okay” – setting healthy goals in learning Gadol biographies, ambition, and why you’re not supposed to be the Ch...

As we mark the yahrzeit of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, we’re remembering him through the eyes of two working Bnei Torah who knew him personally — not as a public icon, but as a mentor, a mensch, and a man of deep humility. Joe Hyams spent his late teens on Rabbi Sacks security team. driving him to events across London and making sure he was safe. From the front seat, he saw the balance between maje...

Last week’s episode hit a nerve. Some listeners loved it. Others were really bothered by it. So for the first time ever, we’re doing a feedback episode — bringing back Rav Yehuda Halpert to go deeper on the toughest questions you raised. Is the culture of Big Law really compatible with Torah values? What does it take to survive — or grow — spiritually in that world? And how do we weigh ambition, f...

You don’t have to love your job—but you can’t hate it. Rabbi Yehuda Halpert (shul rabbi, Big Law attorney, author) joins Shtark Tank to talk straight about Torah life inside a 90-hour week, setting real standards, and why reassessing is different than slipping. What You'll Hear How a Ben Torah can thrive in Big Law without losing the plot “Slipping vs. reassessing” — setting honest standards a...

With tremendous historical events unfolding, I couldn’t record a regular episode. This moment demanded more than another interview, it called for guidance and clarity. What does this new chapter in our history mean? What is our role right now? How do we balance the whirlwind of emotions — gratitude, pain, pride, and confusion — that we’re all feeling? I was grateful that Rav Moshe Taragin agreed t...

As we prepare for Yom Kippur, we speak with Joseph Gitler about his son-in-law, David Schwartz HY”D —a ben Torah, law student, and IDF reservist in Handasah Kravit (combat engineering) who fell in Khan Younis on January 8, 2024 alongside his chavrusa Yakir Hexter HY”D . Joseph shares how David wove together strong learning with real-world duty, his years in Gush Etzion, his time at Reichman Univer...