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, and why giving should not be passive. The conversation also explores how working Bnei Torah can contribute not only with checks, but with perspective, standards, and real involvement.

This is a conversation about treating tzedakah with the seriousness it deserves.

In this episode:

• Why tzedakah is not just “giving money away”

• Why business skills matter in the nonprofit world

• How donors should think about impact and accountability

• Why trust and transparency matter so much

• What smaller donors can do besides give money

• How to support causes in a more thoughtful way

Uri Edell shares his story of addiction, rehab and recovery.

If you need help, contact Amudim now.

Crisis hotline can be reached at 646-517-0222, or from israel 02-374-0175

This is a special Purim bonus episode—a raw and honest conversation meant to warn and wake people up.

In this episode, Uri Edell 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.

Uri describes:

• The first win that hooked him—and the years spent chasing that same high

• How gambling isn’t only about money, but about time, secrecy, and control

• What happens when betting becomes available in the palm of your hand, anytime, anywhere

• The “VIP” treatment that makes you feel special… while pulling you deeper

• The moment he realized this was hurting the people he loved most—and why he finally came clean

• Rehab, Gamblers Anonymous, rebuilding trust, and living one day at a time

This conversation is intense, but it’s also hopeful. Uri doesn’t share this story for drama. He shares it to help someone listening avoid the same trap, or to help someone already struggling realize: you’re not alone, and help is real.

Purim Sameach—and please, a safe one.

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'oros Moshe — a curated collection of Rav Moshe’s divrei Torah on Pirkei Avos, pulling from Igros Moshe, derashos, chidushim, and key writings from talmidim and family.

You will hear: how Rav Moshe frames kollel, parnassah, college, career choices, and what it means to live with “aseh Torascha keva” even outside the beis medrash.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

1) Kollel isn’t “all or nothing”

2) “College” is not automatically the derech ha-parnassah

3) The big idea: “Aseh Torascha keva” is about orientation, not just hours

4) Career choices: Rav Moshe’s lens on medicine and “zero-sum” tradeoffs

5) Rav Moshe’s greatness wasn’t only brilliance — it was care-driven psak

To order Meoros Moshe, click here

Bio: Rabbi Moshe Kurtz

Rabbi Moshe Kurtz serves as the Rabbi of Congregation Sons of Israel in Allentown, PA. He is the author of Meoros Moshe (Aleh Zayis, 2025), a Pirkei Avos anthology of scholarship and stories about HaGaon HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l. Rabbi Kurtz previously hosted Shu"T First Ask, Questions Later, published Challenging Assumptions (Mosaica Press, 2023), and writes about contemporary halachic issues in forums such as the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society (RJJ Journal), OUTorah, The Lehrhaus, Torah Musings and Jewish Action. 

Rabbi Kurtz proudly serves as a member of the Allentown Police Department’s chaplain unit as well as the Allentown School District Superintendent’s Interfaith Council. He also contributes to The Morning Call and was featured on Business Matters, a production of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce (WFMZ Studios). Rabbi Kurtz hosts the As I Walk Through the Valley podcast, and is currently writing a book based on his Unpacking the Iggerot column at Tradition. He can be reached at [email protected]. 

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 hottest and most real-life arenas right now: religious soldiers in the IDF, and the tension of doing what’s right while still missing the beis medrash, the minyan, and the Yom Tov experience. The takeaway applies to soldiers and professionals: avoid guilt, stay honest about what you’re missing, and keep striving.

In this episode:

• The Midrash about Chanuch the cobbler: how “every stitch” can be holy when your goal is to help people

• Rav Wolbe’s big idea: there’s no such thing as truly “secular” work when you bring the right kavana

• The “Do Your Job” principle: why learning/davening at the wrong time can become a mitzvah haba’ah b’aveirah

• The soldier/workforce parallel: no guilt when you’re doing what Hashem needs from you now—while still feeling the loss of what you’re missing

• Balancing the three jobs: family, parnassah, and Torah (and why there’s no one-size-fits-all formula)

• A powerful closing charge from Rav Wolbe: Hashem hasn’t given up on you—keep striving to grow in Torah

• “Latent awareness”: how Torah stays with you even when you’re fully focused on your mission

To support Religous IDF soliers click here and support Tzalash.

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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 about:

• “I might be the worst learner in the whole yeshiva.” And how that humility became fuel—not a stop sign.

• Daf Yomi as identity: train rides, flights, gates, and “downtime” that turns into real learning time.

• Awe for talmidei chachamim: the pictures on his desk, and what they remind him of when work gets loud.

• Lessons from Satya Nadella + lessons from yeshiva—especially the mindset of being a learn-it-all, not a know-it-all.

• What it takes to stay frum while living around the world—plus huge hakaras hatov to Chabad for making that possible.

• “Truth is found in the field”: how empathy, listening, and outside-in thinking shaped his leadership style.

• The long game: building a unicorn company, and still saying, “When I’m done, I want to learn full time.”

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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 Kerem B'Yavne where he made a deep decision to skip the game.

We talk about:

• When sports is healthy… and when it starts to take over

• “Must-see TV,” compulsion, and where to draw the line

• Sports as a “religious” experience (arenas as temples)

• What Torah educators and marketers can learn from the NFL’s pull

• Community, purpose, and building a mission-driven life

• A fun detour into Bill Simmons and why sports can create real connection

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 his own pace, choose what to release, and never treat music like a paycheck.

We also get into:

• His path from chinuch to the family import business (and what that transition really felt like)

• Why he sees songwriting as a real form of chinuch — and how melodies can open up the words of tefillah and pesukim

• The story and intent behind Marvelous Middos Machine, and the very real dilemmas of teaching values through songs

• Reflections on Acheinu returning to the world in a painful new way

• His Torah writing (sfarim on Eliyahu Hanavi and Rabbi Akiva) — plus a surprising third book: a baseball novel built for kiruv

• Baseball, balance, and the line between a healthy outlet and a distraction

Subscribe if you’re enjoying the show — it helps more than you think.

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 beyond the book.

We discussed:

• What success really means (and why it can’t be one-size-fits-all)

• Why success isn’t about money — and how to build a life that actually feels aligned

• Meaning at work, mid-career “what am I doing with my life?” moments, and the idea of learn / earn / return

• How side projects can turn into real impact

• Staying strong in the lows: imposter syndrome, mentors, community, and keeping perspective

• Spiritual growth in the busy years: fixed learning times, realistic goals, balancing “heart” and “mind,” and accountability

Order Conversations with Jewish Business Leaders here.

Big thank you to the event hosts and sponsors: DLA Piper Israel and Yeshiva University Israel.

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 your value as a Jewish man does not come from your paycheck

• What most chassan classes don’t prepare you for

• How marriage changes at different stages of life

• Stress, self-esteem, and why men need support too

• Creating closeness at home without needing more time in the day

Resources

Aaron on Instagram

Beyond The Chassan Class (Webinar)

Shalom Bayis Daily (Whatsapp Group)

You can reach Aaron at [email protected]

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 banking and the C-suite, including how he learned to earn his “seat at the table” through facts, results, and humility. We talk about drawing clear lines when work clashes with Shabbos, why most people aren’t cut out for investment banking, and how to define success in a way that protects your priorities.

Then we shift into a deep dive on the Altar of Slabodka: Gadlus HaAdam, EQ vs IQ, gratitude, and the power of seeing each person as an individual with real potential.

And yes — we get into the now-famous practice: why Laizer handwrites 1,000 New Year’s cards and sends personal thank-you messages one-by-one, and what it teaches about hakaras hatov, relationships, and leadership.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why investment banking is “not cut out for most people”

• What “success” really means when you’re trying to grow in Yiddishkeit

• The importance of knowing your line in the sand (and not crossing it)

• A real story: a CEO tried to push Shabbos boundaries — and Laizer’s response

• “Facts, not emotion”: how to communicate with different personalities

• The Altar of Slabodka’s approach to building people, not just teaching Torah

• EQ as a Jewish leadership skill, not just a business buzzword

• Why Laizer sends personal thank-yous instead of mass messages

• Chesed that actually changes you (not just “check-writing”)

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