Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky is rabbi of Congregation Shaare Tefilla in Dallas, Texas. 

Rabbi Rackovsky and I go all the way back to Rochester, NY, where, growing up, we attended the same Shul - Congregation Beth Hakneses Hachodosh - BHH, or St. Regis, as some irreverently called it, after the street on which it was situated.

Several decades later, we caught up as adults and reminisced about some of our fondest memories about the shul, its spiritual leader at the time, Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff, and the unique cast of characters and hidden Tzaddikim that every shul seems to possess. 

Rabbi Rackovsky and discuss the value of collaboration when it comes to preparing a Drasha, and his process for developing ideas with some of the best rabbinical minds in the field today.

We also talk about the two models of Drasha - content based or context based.

You’ll discover:

His sermons are published here: https://www.shaaretefilla.org/sermons

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Rabbi Daniel Grama is the rabbi of the Westside Shul in Los Angeles and an award-winning teacher in Valley Torah Yeshiva High School. 

You may recognize Rabbi Grama’s name from a highly popular episode of the 1840 podcast - featuring Rabbi Grama and his daughter Aliza, who co-host an Instagram Live program called “Torah Tuesdays.”

Rabbi Grama is a self-described “student of life” - he learns from everyone and everything, and his approach to public speaking is no different 

We discuss the role of speaker as Shaliach Tzibbur, a representative of the congregation, and how that responsibility should shape the substance and the style of every presentation you give.

You’ll hear about how Rabbi Grama has evolved over the years as a speaker - with a little help from his wife...

And we also talk A LOT about technique - if you want to learn different things you can do to keep the audience engaged - you’re going to want to listen to this episode.

We also discuss the value of vulnerability - opening up to your audience and letting them into your life as a means towards connecting with them and growing together through some of life’s shared challenges. 

One thing that comes across loud and clear is how intentional a speaker Rabbi Grama is - and how much he’s thought about his craft and the goals he has for his speaking slot.

We share some jokes, some heart-warming stories, and I’m sure you’ll learn a lot as I did, from my conversation with Rabbi Daniel Grama.

Today I’m joined by comedian Joel Chasnoff. 

Joel is a stand-up comedian, a former IDF soldier, and the author of several books, including the newly released “Israel 201”

Joel Chasnoff is a household name in shuls all over the US and Canada - he’s performed at more than 1,500 Jewish events in ten different countries, from the Melbourne Comedy Festival in Australia - all the way to Israeli late-night TV.

His comedy is clever, clean, and positive. 

In Joel’s words it’s “It’s hip, wholesome stuff about the joys and oys of Jewish life”. 

As a comedian AND public speaker - Joel is in a unique position to teach us techniques for: 

1) Establishing a connection with the audience right from the start - so they’ll want to follow you where you want them to go

2) How to appear confident and in control onstage- so the audience will trust you and be more likely to follow you.

3) And the power of vulnerability, which has the power to make people feel less alone and isolated when they can see themselves in you.

We also talk about how to be relatable and how to create intimacy between speaker and audience.

This interview is like a master class on audience engagement and attention management, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

Learn more at: https://www.joelchasnoff.com/

_________

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Rabbi Judah Kerbel is rabbi - and the 2nd youngest member - of the Queens Jewish Center in NY (the rabbi’s wife is the youngest).

I came across Rabbi Kerbel’s sermon for Parshas Vayetzei, published on line, and I was struck by its poignancy and his candor as he related some of the struggles experienced by our Patriarchs and Matriarchs back to his own life.

We discuss the purpose of a rabbi sharing personal challenges with the congregation, and how to strike the right balance between being inspirational - and using the pulpit as therapy.

We also discuss:

- some of the goals of a rabbi’s sermon,

- Rabbi Kerbel’s influences and role models, 

- and even how to use humor effectively from the pulpit

➡️ Download your free Maggid Method of Public Speaking template at: https://maggidmethod.com/

It was back in February of 2019, when three rabbis from the Riverdale Jewish Center joined together to record their first episode of a podcast called "Drasha Deconstructed". 

They used a room at the library of Yeshiva University as their recording studio, and the concept was to take a Torah idea and develop it between the three of them into a full-blown Drasha during the 60 minutes they spent together.  

It was kind of like crowdsourcing, for sermons.

The podcast lasted about a year, until Covid prohibited them from meeting together live.

Nearly 4 years later, I stumbled across the Drasha Deconstructed podcast, and I tracked down its principal host, Rabbi Yitzi Genack, who is now the rabbi at Shaare Torah Congregation in Pitssburgh, PA, to talk about the origin of the podcast, its hosts, and Rabbi Genack’s unique approach to writing and delivering his own Drashos over the last 13 years.

Drasha Deconstructed Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drasha-deconstructed/id1451836296

Go from creating indifference ➡️ to making a difference with your Drasha, master The Maggid Method here: https://maggidmethod.com/

Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, a much sought after speaker and teacher, is the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun (KJ) in NYC. After nearly three decades of experience in the Rabbinate, Rabbi Steinmetz has mastered the art of presenting the timeless wisdom of ancient texts in a contemporary way.

In this special episode, Rabbi Chaim and I cover a myriad of topics, including:

- How to improve your speaking style and sermon structure 

- How to make your speech more impactful and memorable by using power phrases and evocative imagery

- How to deal with stage fright

- The pros and cons of writing out one's sermon word for word

- The sermon styles of Rabbis Joseph and Haskal Lookstein, and Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, a former assitant rabbi at Kehilath Jeshurun.

- How to strike the right balance between mining your own experiences for Drasha material - but not going overboard and possibly coming across to your audience as self-abosrbed 

- The most distracting circumstances rabbis have to speak under, and how to be prepared to pivot when the need arises

- The ideal length of a sermon, post COVID-19

- the role of AI in crafting a Drasha - should a rabbi be nervous about AI taking their job?

Follow Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz here:

Blog: http://chaimsteinmetz.blogspot.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaimsteinmetz/

X: https://twitter.com/rabbichaim

Jewish Journal: https://jewishjournal.com/author/chaimsteinmetz/

Go from creating indifference ➡️ to making a difference with your Drasha, master The Maggid Method here: https://maggidmethod.com/

Rabbi Areyah Kaltman is the Executive Director at Schottenstein Chabad House.

Whenever Rabbi Kaltman speaks in public, he speaks from the heart. He aspires to transform the lives of his listeners with every single presentation he gives. A masterful speaker, Rabbi Kaltman has been known to put 10+ hours of preparation for a single speech.

In this episode, we discuss:

- techniques to stay ahead of the audience, to keep them engaged

- the need for a personal connection to the stories you tell

- Rabbi Kaltman's mentors and influences

- the best feedback he's ever received, after giving a speech at a wedding

- the life or death stakes he feels before he gets up to speak...

- and more!

Learn more about Rabbi Areyah Kaltman here: https://www.chabadcolumbus.com/

Go from creating indifference ➡️ to making a difference with your Drasha, master The Maggid Method here: https://maggidmethod.com/

In 2003, Rabbi Benjamin J. Samuels, PhD wrote a short essay titled "An Anatomy of a Dvar Torah" for the 18th anniversary of his synagogue, Shaarei Tefillah, in Newton, Massachusetts. 

“Anatomy of a Dvar Torah” is a guide for constructing and delivering Divrei Torah, whether in the synagogue or at the Shabbos table, or any other occasion that calls for saying some words of TORAH. 

It’s a reflection of Rabbi Samuel’s own experiences delivering Divrei Torah, as well as insights from his teachers.

It covers Drasha structure, like:

- introductions and conclusions,

- stories,

- content driven Drashos vs context driven Drashos,

- how many points to make with your Dvar Torah,

- the importance of aiming to reach the heart of the listeners with your Dvar Torah and not just their head,

- and lots more! 

22 years later, I stumbled across “Anatomy of a Dvar Torah” through my friend and guest Rabbi Noah Cheses, who grew up in Rabbi Samuel’s Shul and directed me to the essay.

So I tracked Rabbi Samuels down for an interview and asked him if we could revisit the wisdom contained in this short piece -  that really has the potential to empower any individual who wants to share their own Torah teachings.

Anatomy of a Dvar Torah: https://www.academia.edu/36786300/The_Anatomy_of_a_Dvar_Torah

Go from creating indifference ➡️ to making a difference with your Drasha, master The Maggid Method here: https://maggidmethod.com/

Rabbi Yitzchak Sprung is the Rabbi of United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston (UOSH). Follow his podcast: "Parsha Pick-Me-Up" here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parsha-pick-me-up/id1650845889

On this Season 1 finale episode of the podcast, I'm joined by Rabbi David Wolpe, Max Webb Emeritus Rabbi of Sinai Temple and Visiting Scholar at Harvard Divinity School.

Rabbi Wolpe and I discuss:

- how to create intimacy and build trust with your congregation, on and off the pulpit

- Rabbi Wolpe's goals for his sermons and how he measures their effectiveness

- should a congregational leader divulge personal struggles and challenges in the sermon

- where Rabbi Wolpe finds sermon content

- guidelines for using humor from the pulpit

- Rabbi Wolpe's mentors, speaking influences, and role models

- average sermon length

- best and worst feedback

- and more!