Chatting Rabbis

With some amusing stories from their own experiences, Eliezer and Mendy discuss the importance of Chabad yeshiva students willingly making themselves available to help in the mission of bringing the joy of Torah and Judaism to the world rather than turning it into a job for pay. 

From Qatar to New York City: Mendy and Eliezer start with discussing the efforts to make kosher food available to Jewish World-Cup fans, before moving on to a recap of their most inspiring and uplifting weekend at the International Kinus Hashluchim. Bonus: A behind-the-scenes peek of a farbrengen.

The world can sometimes seem broken and in need of healing and repair. In advance of the International Conference of Chabad Emissaries (the Kinus Hashluchim) Eliezer and Mendy discuss how the world can be made into a better place and how each individual can do something about it, starting in our own lives.

In the wake of recent elections in the US and Israel, Mendy and Eliezer have a spirited conversation about the significance of voting and whether every vote actually matters.

After a brief hiatus for the month of holidays, Mendy and Eliezer are back with a new season of Chatting Rabbis, starting off by providing an peek into the lives of Chabad rabbis during the busiest month of the year.

With the High Holidays approaching, Mendy and Eliezer wrap up the first season of Chatting Rabbis with a conversation about personal growth and improvement, looking towards a great year ahead.

As a follow up to last week's episode, Eliezer and Mendy continue exploring the tuition crisis, which from a parent's perspective is really an education crisis where schools and yeshivas need to up their game drastically.

An emotional conversation about the tuition crisis facing the Jewish world at large, and specifically within the Chabad community. Mendy and Eliezer discuss the problem at length, and even offer some possible solutions.

A conversation about the significance of the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who was imprisoned and exiled to Kazakhstan, and eventually died in exile, due to his insistence on upholding the strictest standards of Jewish law in the Soviet Union. 

In honor of the birthday of Eliezer and Mendy's late grandfather, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Chitrik, they reflect on their memories of him, including an honest conversation about how his character shaped their lives and personalities.

With Tisha B'av this week, Mendy and Eliezer discuss the differing observances of the day in their communities, and what the true purpose of the fasting and mourning is—a hope and prayer for a brighter time. Also included is a brief conversation about whether rabbis should take vacations. As always, we welcome our listeners' feedback.

After a brief follow up to episode 41, which has been temporarily taken down until further review, Mendy and Eliezer explore the blurring of traditional gender roles in family life, and how it can actually be a good thing.

With the Chatting Rabbis attempting to go a week or two without wading into controversial subjects, this episode serves as a placeholder of sorts. As a result, a variety of unscripted topics are covered, including: Mendy and Eliezer's grandmother's birthday, a little about her parents and her life (may she live and be well), the emphasis some of their ancestors placed on their lineage, and also a...

When someone makes the leap and decides to become frum and adopt a religious or Chassidic lifestyle, they still need the support and guidance from their mentors as they did when they were just getting started. Mendy and Eliezer explore this sensitive subject in hopes of bringing awareness and rectification.

Join a no holds barred "farbrengen" with Mendy and Eliezer about the Rebbe's upcoming yahrtzeit, on the 3rd of Tammuz, and what its relevance to us should be today.

Our memories are far from perfect, and as a result our recounting of events often includes embellishments and inaccuracies. But when does a story move from being merely inaccurate to being completely false and contrived? As always, an unscripted conversation about issues on Mendy and Eliezer's minds.

Self-promotion is often necessary, especially in the context of community building, but it's also sometimes overused to the point of complete fabrication. Listen to Eliezer and Mendy discuss the need for good PR, and along the way learn about a country's new name, inflation, cats in Starbucks, and even kiddush menus.

Mendy and Eliezer discuss the enigma of Jewish holidays (in this case, Shavuot) being a day longer in the diaspora than in Israel, and how that affects travelers today. As always, personal anecdotes and observations round out this fascinating topic.

In the wake of last week's mass shooting in a Texas school, Eliezer and Mendy have an emotional conversation about how to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future, including the roles of guns and government, the culture of violence, and a lack of morals.

Recent events in Israel within the Ger Chassidic community inspired this conversation about tolerance towards people whose views are different than our own, and the importance of condemning violence and intimidation in any form. Ahavat Yisrael, love for your fellow Jew, doesn't only extend to people you agree with.

Lag Ba'omer is the anniversary of passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar and the first to disseminate Kabbalah, hence the association of this date with the study of Jewish mysticism in general, and Chassidus in particular. Mendy and Eliezer discuss their own struggles with esoteric study, sharing tips on how to overcome these challenges.

Eliezer and Mendy discuss the value of being non-judgmental and open to conflicting views, before segueing into a recap of the recent conference of Chabad rabbis in Europe, Africa, and Middle East, held in Lisbon, Portugal, and a general history lesson of various worldwide Jewish communities.

Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) as well as Yom Hazikaron (Israel's Memorial Day) commemorate Jewish lives lost in the not-so-distant past. So why don't many orthodox Jews observe these seemingly significant days? Mendy and Eliezer discuss the reasons, as part of a somber conversation about the Holocaust in general.

Eliezer and Mendy recap their Passover activities and travels, also sharing memories from past Passovers, and some of the eclectic collection of Haggadahs Mendy used this year.

Passover is a holiday with many unique and often peculiar traditions, both in the Chabad community and in the Jewish world at large. Eliezer and Mendy offer some insight to these customs in their own families, along with an exploration of various other Passover observances, including tips on how to overcome Passover-related anxiety.