Rabbi Natanel Wiederblank on Finding His Place at YU, Learning from Great Rebbeim, and Teaching Machshava

Rabbi Yaakov Feit interviews Rabbi Natanel Wiederblank, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Torah Studies in RIETS, about his path from Silver Spring to YU and the rabbanim who shaped him. Wiederblank describes growing up under Rav Yitzchok Breitowitz, learning in Yeshiva of Greater Washington, Kerem B’Yavneh with Rav Blochman and Rav Stav, and a year in Chevron in Rav David Cohen’s shiur. He explains initially resisting YU before realizing he loved it, inspired by the mesirus nefesh of students balancing Torah and college and by chavrusas like Meir Welcher. He reflects on learning from Rav Twersky’s precision and his ongoing guidance from Rav Willig. Wiederblank discusses how teaching in places like Edmonton and IBC led him to develop shiurim and sefarim on machshava, and he shares his approach to teaching and the joy of seeing talmidim grow.