Elad Danino – Sh’nayim Mikra V’Echad Targum

[music] Welcome to Inside Art Scroll, where the books that we read and the people that write them come to life. It's a pleasure to welcome to Artgirl Studios for the very first time, Eladino. Shalom. Shalom, Rabbi. I feel like I'm meeting my celebrity because I've seen you and watch you so many times giving beautiful dvar all over the place. >> Yeah, thanks for the kind words. And we're here today about something super exciting, something transformational and that is the brand new art scroll mikraius is out is coming out now and it's a game changer. I've heard from so many people. So if my understanding is that nothing none of this would have happened without you. So, we're here to talk a little bit uh to understand who you are and get a better understanding of what the project is and what brought you to this point where we have this gorgeous finished product over here. So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Um where did you grow up and how did you get to Schneomi which we'll talk to soon and just this whole idea of Schne. >> So, first of all, thank you for having me. Sure. Pleasure. >> Um this this really um to give you a little bit of a background about myself. uh grew up in Brooklyn, went to yeshivas, went to Taurus MS or they call the cominates uh went to tab for high school TJ Raban in Greenwald who just actually he was my Shiva and TJ and >> we just interviewed him. >> Yeah. So it's not it's not for nothing. >> Okay. >> Um he's my Shiva and live in Brooklyn very involved in the community. Go to many shs to be you know to to spread the awareness of Schneamera and Schnay. Um, and I just it's a passion that I really grew really really grew over the last I would say five years. >> How how did you start? Like you have this massive first off why don't you explain to us what Schneomi is and then we'll get to the actual Kish itself. >> Sure. So January 1st 2020 I'm on the way to the SMA shastomi and uh I was going with a few friends. We were going from Kings Highway in Brooklyn to the Barkley Center. We're on the subway and I actually didn't have this kamish yet. It didn't come out yet, but I had my stone kish on me and on the way to the to the Barkley Center. I pulled it out, start learning, doing shikra and a guy comes over to me. I was with a few friends. A guy comes over to me on the train and he tells me, "Hey, what are you learning?" He's introduces himself and I tilted I don't remember who this guy is and I'm trying to find out. So if anybody remembers, please come come over to me. He tells me, "You're learning the wrong topic." I said, 'What do you mean? He said, ' Don't you see everyone on the train is learning Dafomi? He's catching up on the da. They're catching up on this. I said, I really I you know, one day I'll get there. I don't do Domin unfortunately, but I have to do I do Schnemaker today. So then he looked at me, okay? So I I turned back at him after like 10 seconds and I was just like, I actually have a question. You're making a CMAS today? He said, yes. I said, do you do Schneika? And he said, "I don't have time." And something clicked. >> Hashem just put something in my head, in my heart, and I ran with it. Which on some level is counterintuitive is not learning Tyra. Of course, that's that's the basics. But that's so interesting. You go a guy who's finishing shasikra. And then what was that idea? So, I'll tell you, you know, for the last couple weeks, I think I realized that I'm not sure if it's the Shay Mikra that's pushing me or if it's just me feeling bad for Hashem where I think that's really it's a mix of both. I know the importance. I mean, everybody knows that it's important. Nobody could deny that. And I've been hearing my whole life from and that all my rebies that it's it's a it's there's no questions about it. But it's really I feel like it was something that touched me that like I kind of felt like my father is like not being taken care of like they're not taking it seriously enough. And when you feel like someone is not giving your father the right respect, you take it personally. And that's what I did. >> So what happens? You get off the subway on your way back from the Barkley Center and then what's your next step? >> All right. So then I realized the entire time at the SEMA shot I was very happy to be there. It was very nice. But I'm not going to lie, the entire time I was cooking in my brain, what are we going to do about this uh that we can you know comparable to what they're doing at at the CMAS. So I started thinking I said okay we need to make a group effort. It has to be CM has to be you know social gatherings. Um, I have to break it down to daily. It's too hard. Most guys, I know I know there's a sheet that to do it on Friday, arabis. Most guys can't do it. Most guys need to break this down. So, we're going to make it as easy [snorts] as possible, short as possible. Um, I need to make it exciting. So, I bring a different rabbi every single every single week and to give a a little introduction to each day's aliyah. two minutes, one idea, one topic, something that you could take along with you that day and cooked it all together. It took me time and that following boratious cycle which was about eight months later. >> I launched made about 50 guys, some my best friends, they all joined and from them it's history. >> What What are the numbers now? I mean could be it's impossible for you to know but like you have an idea of how many >> Yeah. So I'm not I'm not a big numbers guy. I don't like numbers so much because I feel like every pussk that's being you know it's this I'm really all about every pussk is one step closer to Hashem being happy. >> Um but if I have to take give you a more or less between all our platforms I mean >> say between 7 to 10,000 guys that are doing this on a daily basis. >> I just think something fascinating. Romero Shapiro was the one that thought of the dafayomi, but on some level is also Romero Shapiro because had you not been on the way to the Dayomi, you would never have come across this >> for sure. >> That's crazy. So there's Dafomi and >> that's amazing. >> Um, so what happens? Do you have a platform? People sign up. How does it work? >> Yeah, so it started with a with a WhatsApp chat. Um, and slowly we we had a website. We added a website where we put up the daily video and the PDFs of that day's schnayra. We have a dialin system. We're on the podcasts. We're on um tour anytime. I mean, wherever we can get on, that's just my, you know, that's what I believe in. >> So, every anyone that signs up, they get a short video about that day aliyah. They get the actual PDF so they could do mikra and they're good to go. >> Yeah. And there's actually a rabbi that's sitting here that did a great job last Jimos, guys. Check it out. Thank you for this quest. Do you have any rabbis that you repeated or you're going strong? >> I try not to. I do get requests to bring certain rabbis back. Um and it's really hard for me to say no because um my you know, everyone has celebrities in life. You know, everyone certain things whether it's fashion or money or >> sports sports. For me, it's very simple. It's rabbis. When I see a rabbi, it's like it made my day. Especially when I see a rabbi I learned Torah from and I'm able to meet him in person. That's really it's like a dream come true. Um I believe they and the guys know that. I think the guys on Schneomi feel that and they really feel that you know me bringing in a different rabbi every week. I just show them how much I care to connect the guys onomi with all these amazing rabbis all over the place to connect them and bring it to life. >> How many how many weeks do you already have of content do you already have >> over the last five years? >> So it's five years worth every week. every week. >> It's incredible. It's like 250 different people that you had to find to record an aliyah and an introduction >> pretty much. >> That's amazing. That's one. Is this take has this taken over your life? >> Yes. >> Is that a good thing? >> I love it. >> Okay. Great. Beautiful. Okay. Can we talk a little bit more practically? You have thousands and thousands, tens of thousands of people perhaps that are doing shyra. Are people doing rashi? Are they doing tarum? What do you think most people are doing? >> I don't know. I'm constantly trying to get my, you know, finger on it and my my touch on what's going on. Um, I feel like most people that I meet are are beginning >> that just clearly it's been neglected. >> And whether it's a guy that that was learning for an hour or two a day, whether it's whoever it is, it's been neglected. So I always push for this most simple way to do it as possible and just to get your feet wet and then start and from there it's endless. You can do rash, you can do I found out later Kineski did like 20 mim every year on Shai Mikra. So it doesn't end even Kany took it. I mean not not even we could just dream that one day we can get to a little bit of where he got to but you got to start somewhere. And I think this is so simple and clear. Do PK twice. You could do the target in Aramaic. You could do it in English which is based on the Aramaic of of Uncleas or you could do Rashi. It's so simple. And Art School was the natural partner because if you need a really good translation of Tarum Arts School actually has the uncles, they have the lucid rashi, they have the regular Rashi, they know how to type set and set everything up. That was the natural partner. >> Yes, absolutely. >> How's that journey been with Arts Girl? >> Unbelievable. Unreal. I uh can I tell you how this started? Is that is that where you want it? >> That's where I'm going. Let's go. Great. >> Um >> it was a soft, you know, soft slow pitch right over home plate. >> Okay. I'm I'm try to knock this out. So, um, Pares Vieiraa 2021. Um, I went to Landers College in in Queens. Went to record the Mishko there. His name is Raosha Bamber. >> Sure. >> Okay. Raosha Bamberger is one of my best friends, Rebeam. My my good friend from Chicago, Jake Wilner, calls me up. He says, "Alad, you must get my Revan." I said, "Okay, done." We set it up. in middle of rev in the middle of my recording of him he stops me I pause and I said is everything okay he said I I don't want to forget this I just want to tell you you should come out with the kish [snorts] and I said okay he's like we'll talk about it later but you should come out with the kish all right I said no problem I uh I brought it back started playing again at the end we sat down and we kind of just brainstormed a little bit no question that we're going to go with arts girl was no question was how much do I I need a push if I need a push. So poor hashem from Rabbi Bamberger's idea I I took it. I didn't I didn't sleep with it. I really took it. I went straight to Rev Gadal. I said, "Rabbi, I'm pitching you this idea." And I think I caught him off guard a little bit. And then I think it it's settled in. And he's like, "Whoa, we're doing this." And since then we this is about two years plus in the making. We've been cooking it and cooking it how to do it right. And I saw just the the every single part of should we do this way or that way? Every thought and and I loved having a partner because I did the same thing for Schneomi and I loved seeing someone like Revodal being so careful about this and it was natural. You bring up a great point because like a guy walks into this farm store, walks into Jadega store, picks up the safer, he's like, "Oh my gosh, this is great. I'm going to take it off." And he starts learning. He never in a million years would dream how many conversations there were of how the format should be, the layout, what should be included, what should not be included and they just pick up the finished product and whatever it is for $ 20 $30 you got yourself a nice kesh you have no idea what really happens you know in the back office in the conversations and I think that's one of the beautiful things about art scroll they give you a seamless product it's done but they put tremendous amount of reflection and thought into it I'm going to tell you something personal here that like I use art scroll heish every week, etc. It's large. I use a large one. I like the large letters. I got the tarum. I got the rashi. Um, but I'm I'm definitely transitioning. This is this is this is the way to go. Are you going to have like the pocketsiz ones? >> Um, I can't give you all the secrets, but you'll have to ask what's the next steps, but I I would imagine we're going to go that way >> because I just think I'm on a plane and I I want to catch up on Shay Mikra, you know, for my I do Arisa. So like I got the soft, you know, the paperback Gamar that's inside of my I think about like a small schnay mikra >> that be that'd be game changer. >> Yeah, keep keep a look out for that. Um I just want to take one step back. >> Um Rabbi Mosha Bamberger who gave me this idea, you know, I um I went back to him. So asked me who's going to who's going to author whatever we need to author. So I said um well I want to come out with a summary on each aliyah similar to our program to blend what we're doing digitally with this masterpiece >> and he said okay who's going to write it. So I said I'm going to give you a name and tell me if you like it bamburger he's like done you got it get him starting. So I I called her a bamburger. I said, "Rabbi, you gave me this idea. I'm not going to anybody else. I would love for you to take on this project. Every single aliyah and he and each word, I mean, I went through it and the feedback has been amazing. Incredible. It's such an easy read and in some way in a paragraph or two on every day, he found a way to just make it so simple, smooth, and and concise. It's unbelievable. It's also beautiful because you know when you take in a lot of information at the same time it's hard to retain but even one paragraph of summary at the end of that of that experience it really locks it in. It's beautiful. That's amazing. >> Um I want to ask you a question because I found this in my own life and I wonder if you're getting people to tell you this. I find that inevitably, I'm not going to say every week, but often something that I learn or something about the para and my life, you know, kind of they they they they they coincide. Uh there's overlap between them. Are you hearing from hundreds and thousands of people, people who've had those type of experiences? >> Absolutely. I mean, we we started uh titling our daily videos um with some type of a message. I've been asking the rabbis, can you just give me the title PLIA? And it's unbelievable. Guys, even before they start watching the video, I would get like I got a message the other day. I think it was called never give up. The the message of that day's aliyah from Rebe golder. Guy sent it back to me like I you couldn't have sent a better day to send me a video on this day. Never give up. So definitely and I'll tell you that really since desperatious my phone has been blowing up because of this. I'm getting a second phone now personally for my family because I can't handle the calls anymore. But their only calls, they're good calls. They're only they're great messages and their WhatsApps and their emails and it's all about this. And um I'm so happy that Hashem really chose me and Rabbi Bamberger and Radalia to be to team up and to present something to the to the Jewish people. Do you have any uh stories that you could share with us? Obviously, you don't have to say any names of amazing things that happened when people started Chennai Mikra or just messages that were otherworldly. Wow. Um I do [laughter] but I'm just starting to think about all these messages that I got. I was like overbearing it. >> Tell you something funny. >> If something comes up I'll >> I'm interviewing Rabbi Cron also and Rabbi Cron sent me like 50 of his stories in the book that he wants me to read. Um, so I read like 25 of them in one shot and at the end he says me which one was your favorite and I'm like um I don't remember all 25 of them. Okay, you know what? This one was good. You know, it's great. That's what happens. Um, do you do you do you view this as this is like your life mission right now? It's like Hashem put Eladino in this world to teach people, you know, the concept and the beauty of Schneamera. The answer is on January 1st, 2020 when I was on subway. That's when I knew when the guy looked me in the face and he said, "I' sorry, I just don't have time to do mra." It was then it wasn't a question. I want to get to a different aspect of this which we didn't have a chance to talk about. You know this pastra when I finished being med mikra part of me was like I should make a sem like when I learn of gar or sed of a seder of gar is a big summ like I'm just going home okay I'm having a yuk meal that's great because I happen to finish some castra and I'm going to dance but I'm jipped I feel a little bit jipped like you know maybe I should do something for my family I don't know um and you somehow figured that out tell us a little bit more about your events Yes. Okay. So, this is really one of the things I love most about Shinyomi because I'm very social. I love people and I feel that if a guy does shame Mikra, he deserves a reward. So, what we do, we do two things. We do what we call a Shnime Yomi Schnimra kickoff event. It's the beginning, it's usually the first week of the new cycle. And then at the end of every safer, we'll host a little summ, you know, to keep guys motivated. We do it in a different city usually. We've done in LA, we've done in Miami, we've done ramapesh. I'll do because we have people everywhere and everybody deserves to celebrate. Um the Shayim Yomi kickoff event which happened at you know in the beginning of various this year was unreal. Unreal. I you know we we were expecting a few hundred people. We had close to 2,000 people. The place was jammed. I had to I had to rent another hall and do a a live hookup and then I opened it up for dancing. I mean, Ruian Feinstein was there. Rabbi Joey Haver was a keynote speaker. Mosha Bamburgger spoke. Rabbi Laditz, >> Rabbi Gadali Ladawitz crushed it and I told him, [laughter] >> he always does. >> He does. And um and then we danced with Benny Freriedman. I brought a singer from Israel, Nariah Reelli. It's a good friend of mine. It was just, you know what it was? I'll tell you what was an a and to answer your question before like do I get what type of feedback do I get? Every single person that that left that night was so touched and I think they all knew for one reason. It wasn't about anybody personally. It wasn't an individual. It was simply we're all there to tell Hashem we're in. We know that this has been dormant for so many years and that's it. We're going to do this together. Every person has a in it. Whether you're doing a pusk or whether you're convincing someone else to do shy mimikra or whether you're joining or whether the rabbim you know I had about 35 rabbanim that came in to the event and I had about 10 that flew in from out of town and they're not the I know the rabbi schedules I know they're extremely busy for a rabbi to fly on a Sunday morning and come back Monday it's not simple to leave Miami to leave his congregation it just showed me that they knew the importance they're not coming for that's not I know they love me but they're not coming for me they're coming forem and I really felt every single person told me the same thing. >> That's incredible. Sounds like you're just starting and Hashem should give you continued. I'm sure he has tremendous from what you're doing. You should go from strength to strength and I can't wait until the last comes out. Um because I'm sure you have something up your sleeve after that. >> We'll find out. >> Thank you so much for being here. >> Thank you. Okay. Pleasure. Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music]