The Demands of Teaching 13,000 Classes | Rabbi Daniel Glatstein | Behind the Bima #186

Welcome back to Behind the Beimma, Rabbi Moscow. It's always be great to be together. >> It's always great to be together. >> I love our interviews and our guests. I love Behind the Beimma, but we get a lot of feedback that people really just enjoy. They don't know that we actually like each other, spend time together, and smoo regularly >> and we talk a lot. We but this is you know it's rare that we get to just sit down like this and talk about life issues and bigger picture issues. >> That is true. Okay. So here's the question for you. We had this conversation at our shabas morning off the record which we could describe for people or not another time. Basically an open forum over a little kiddish where people can share their opinions and we pose a question. So last Friday night at my home somebody who I respect um who's a big thinker and a big heart and amazing journey and she's doing some great things in life. But she basically challenged me and posed me and said, you know, some of these people that we've been dismissing as out of bounds and and irres media personalities who've gone to the dark side. And you could put whoever you want on their list. We can name names, not name names. Unfortunately, that list seems like it's only growing. And frankly, JD Vance may have joined it with something he said recently. But the people who are not willing to call out a spade a spade, black and white, against anti-semitism, against conspiracy theorists, hold friends accountable who say crazy things, who friend accountables who host crazy people, right? And that list is growing. So, do we say about them, whatever name you want, and I'm going to I'll choose one name, Dave Smith, who is a former comedian and self-appointed um political pundit, expert on international affairs or whatever happened that day. He's a YD. He's a Jew and he loves to invoke that as a Jew kind of cover that he likes to. So do you say look Dave Smith like hosted or was hosted by Nick Fuentes. Dave Smith thinks Israel perpetrated a genocide. Dave Smith thinks that everything that happens is because of Israel. Right. So he's irredeemable. He's out of bounds. He's manipulative. He's not honest. He's not he's not committed to the truth and and therefore write him off. Or do you say there's a pinsid inside him? There's a spark. And if you had his phone number, invite him for a Shabas meal because you never know if he had YV Goldberg's chicken soup, a bowl of YV Goldberg's chanting, a piece of Gober's kala. Who knows what spark inside? Is he going to turn around and become the biggest spokesperson of the Jewish people? But you know the way that he speaks so negatively now when he's going to think in his mind's eye about that nice family who hosted him or the beautiful Shabas meal that he had. So, are these people wholesale, irredeemable, out-of- bounds, write them off, stay away, untrustworthy or like just invite him for a Shabas meal because keep connected if you have access connect somehow >> and obviously he's different because he is a Jew and a lot of the people that you're talking about are not Jewish and they you're not talking about that Pintilin and more just broadly do you think you could change someone's perspective. What was interesting is you posed that shot this morning at our off the record which as you said is a forum and part of the whole goal of off the record is to allow other people to share their perspectives. >> And I was shocked. >> I was shocked that almost everyone to a tea believed that you should have these personalities over that you would be able to convince them that there was no harm in doing it. If anything there was enormous amount of upside and almost everybody believed that you should have these people over. Were you surprised by that? >> I was surp I actually am generally conflicted about it. Meaning I often I come into off the record and I pose something as a question. We post something as a question and I often have my opinion, my position. The whole point of it is to hear from others. This one I'm genuinely conflicted because there's that piece of me, the eternal optimist who wants to believe people are redeemable. You could touch a spark. You could bring back their soul. And there's the other side that says they're not trustworthy. And you know what? They've written themselves out because of the positions they've taken, the damage that they've done. And you know, just to be clear also because I challenged the person at my table Friday night, nobody would suggest you should have sinir for a shabas meal or Hitler for a Shabas meal or, you know, whoever the the the character who's actively hurting Jews. Some of these podcasters, they might they might be um inspiring anti-semmites who could be violent about Jews. They're not directly responsible. And maybe that is a difference of having >> it could be. It could be. I I'll be I'll I'll admit I I personally was surprised by almost how uniform everyone was in believing that you should have the person over that there was a benefit to that and that it's ultimately good for the Jewish people. We need as many friends even if you move them a little bit on the and I was surprised by that because there was another nagging voice in my head and I have friends who are probably to the right of me on politics who who I had them like nagging in my ear. Do you not stand for anything? Do you not have a backbone? do not have any self-dignity as a people that says that if you treat us a certain way, speak to us a certain about a certain way, act towards us about a certain way that at some point you've crossed a line and you no longer deserve our love, respect, compassion and yavage chicken soup. And there was a piece of me that was almost bothered that nobody that morning. Almost had that fire of saying like we stand for something. We're no longer apologetic, right? Do you have some dignity and selfworth? Like if you have any dignity and selfworth, you're going to host somebody who is so diametrically opposed. Like where's your dignity and selfworth? >> But here's the other piece of this which is not only about some altruistic religious pentalid. We love all Jews, turn them around. There's a strategic part of it which is that that group right now part of what their whole they keep coming back to is Jewish people want to cancel any dissenting voice. If you disagree, if you criticize, if you just ask questions, they try to silence you and cancel you. and are saying, "No, we're not canceling you. We're just criticizing." It's not working. So, what if you went the other direction and said, "No, we're not canceling you. We love you and we're gonna turn you around. We love you. We're gonna shower. We're going to kill you with love." >> Are you living in a naive world where these manipulative people who who literally feast off of these types of situations? I knew a rabbi photo ops with certain, you know, >> so that was part of the condition of it, right? We then spend time with someone after Shabas who is an authority on this topic and who felt very strongly don't go near it, don't trust any of them. They'll manipulate, they'll distort it, they'll turn it around. And to me, that's the final authority and the final word on the subject. Um, but let's say you could trust. Let's say there was a condition you could place and you'd say, again, I'll come back to Dave Smith. Dave, if you're watching, first of all, you are invited for Shabas meal because you watch behind the bea. But, um, take Dave Smith, right? Let's say you could create this condition. You say, Dave, you're invited to ask for Shabasma. But here's the deal. First of all, Shabas, there's no pictures. There's no photo op. But second of all, neither of us talk about it. I'm not giving a sermon about it and you don't talk on your podcast about it. Neither of us are using it. I'm not going to use it to talk about how I turn this Jew around. You're not going to use it to say, "How could I be an anti-semite? The rabbi invited me for a Shabas meal." Neither of us talk about it or use it. It is a confidential non-disclosure agreement Shabas meal that we're just two Jews, two yidden, heart-to-heart, two souls sitting having a Shabas meal to see is there anything to connect on. So I I share your conflicted, you know, on the one hand, I could very easily make the argument that part of what I think is lost in our generation is because everyone's screaming into their echo chambers and they're screaming at cameras and not sitting across from someone. I think that's part of the problem. And I do believe that by and large, if let's say it's Republicans or Democrats, the right, the left, if people spoke more and communicated more, we would be in a much better place. We we heard that from when Congressman Deutsch was in Congress and he would say all the time that part of what's shifting in Congress is it used to be they used to have lunch together and they used to go to the clubs together, the poker games together and now everyone is so siloed off that they never communicate with each other. And he thought that like accelerated a lot of the distrust. So there's a part of me that says that that says if you could sit down with him and you could break the barriers and you could show them that there are loving Jews who are also thoughtful and love America but also love Israel, that's a net positive for the Jews. But then there's a side of me that says we're a different age nowadays. We're not the Jews of 50 years ago, 60 years ago, of 80 years ago. That we're we're no longer that like exile Jew mindset. We are Jews living in a different time of age where we have an army. We have a homeland. We have that self-dignity and worth that you were talking about. And therefore, we have to stand for something. And it's okay to stand for something now. >> Yeah. We're both conflicted. I don't know if you could have Joe Rogan for a Shabas meal, right? Joe Rogan is a person who seems open-minded and he does have some a lot of Jewish friends, but he has on had on guests that he didn't confront and that he didn't correct who've said some outrageous things about Israel and Jewish people. And you just feel like he could sort of go either way because that's the other part of some of them. If you marginalize, if you dismiss, if you write out of the conversation, if all you do is criticize, look who you hosted, then they might as well join that bandwagon. Versus like you say, if you become that personal connection and friend, the next time he's tempted to say or the next time a guest is saying something and he's picturing that chamis with that nice family, that wasn't my experience about them. That's not who they are. That doesn't represent the truth. That's not accurate. You know, it's it's easy to vilify, you know, the people you don't know. It's easy to vilify people on on X, but actual human beings you have a relationship with, it's harder. >> Do you believe that the conversations we're hearing now in America are in search of the truth? when Joe Rogan or some of these other personalities go on and they spew things that are categorically false, >> right? >> Is that because they believe it's the truth or they're playing to a base? And therefore, if they're playing to a base, either because it's a financial base or because it's a political base, they might agree with you offline, but would they be willing to put themselves out with great political and financial liability because they had a job as me? >> It's a good question. I try to remind myself that we know an enormous amount about Israel. obviously, but we we shouldn't expect that the average person does and even someone like Joe Rogan, who you know has the most popular podcast on the planet, how much does he know? How deep a dive did he take into it? So, for example, with these extraordinary things happening in Venezuela, what do I know about Venezuela? I read a few headlines. I saw a few tweets. I heard about they have the most oil, the most resources, this corrupt leader, the drugs he was getting in or not getting in. But the truth is, whoever you read had a bias. >> Could you pick it on a map? Could you find >> Yeah. Right. Could you find that on a map? who whatever I saw how little it was came with a bias and a slant of whoever put it up. So imagine there was someone from Venezuela or passionately moved from Venezuela passionate. We just met today with somebody actually whose mother lives still in Venezuela and um in a compound and her bar and we was like how's your mother doing? Which we meant like how does she feel about this change of government? She's like she's probably not going to get killed today. Like that was met with someone else from the Ukraine who literally that was the conversation. >> Correct. whose father is fighting in the war on the Ukraine side and hoping to not hear. >> Um, we had our gayest meetings today. Anyway, so um, so like what do I know about Venezuela, right? So imagine I was interviewing someone, they said something, you know, outrageous about Venezuela, why it's good or it's bad, whatever, and I let it go. Like I'm not a bad person or I laughed about it. You're not bad person. So So let me, you know what I'm saying? You're not a bad person letting them off the hook about it. >> But you're also not talking about it. You're not getting on behind the beamer right now and saying, "Let me tell you about Venezuela." I'm I'm just I'm I'm differentiating between Joe Rogan and Dave Smith. Like Dave Smith has dedicated his life for some bizarre reason over the last couple of years. In fact, the person who was at my house Friday night told me, "I haven't done it. I haven't done it. I'm just asking questions." But if you look into it, apparently the common theme of many of these people, Dave Smith and others, is fathers who abandon families at a young age. And they've sort of been looking for a father figure. I don't know exactly how that she was correlating it with, okay, >> their being angry at Israel, but something about father. I don't know exactly what it was. Um, so you're right. Dave Smith has spent a his his new career is criticizing Israel. That's his career. Joe Rogan certainly is not doing that. He's not dedicating podcast to talking about it. It's just that he hasn't corrected guests who said things. He's maybe dropped a comment that was really ignorant or hurtful or offensive. But I really feel like if you got some time with him behind the scenes and you could correct him in some of these things and you just developed a relationship and he had fun with you and you know >> and you lived it, right? We have a friend Myers Lemonard who made a big mistake ignorance was on the behind the beimma and your relationship with him really turned him around completely and now he's a >> it was before I don't want to take the credit for it but he right and the whole nature of that relationship was he was going to spend a year doing all the right things. He wasn't going to have some documentary done about how he turned his life around. It was meet Holocaust survivors, connect with rabbis, study about Judaism, experience Jewish families on a shabas meal. And you know what? If you've spent now a year really taking a deeper dive and understanding it, now you could legitimately tell the world, I made a mistake and I've turned myself around and he did and he remains a friend. He's he's a great guy. So I, you know, I just think that there's there's some nuance here. Jew versus non-Jew, Dave Smith's Pentily versus some others, those those who've been outspoken incessantly negatively versus people who've let a comment happen and didn't correct them. People are changing, right? Megan Kelly might have gone from one to the other. She might have crossed that line now. We might have lost her. you know, but even even so, I don't know if if you could have Megan Kelly for a Shabas meal and the deal would be no photo op, no mention on your podcast, don't talk about don't use me as cover that you're not an anti-semite. >> Listen, I said I'm conflicted because there's a piece of me even just as you're describing those names and and the combined listenership of those names are in the tens of millions of people >> and you think to yourself, we are such an isolated small people. >> Yeah. And we rely better or worse on so much on America's support, financial, political. We need all the friends that we can get. And we can't afford to excommunicate people and to silence people and to marginalize them. So there is that piece of me. There's that piece of me that says that if you can have Megan Kelly over for a Shabas meal and she is going to go on her podcast and say one more nice thing about Israel or she's going to hesitate once before, then it's worth it and we need to do that. There's definitely a part of me. And then I have that other side of those friends who say have you no selfworth that these people who are >> there's a few variables. When are people irredeemable? When are they redeemable? When is it having selfworth and personal pride and dignity and and and and not allowing yourself to be used to have them? And when do you say no? Yeah. These are >> now there are chuvas about this, right? There are chuvas post the Holocaust about Nazis who want to do chuva. Are you allowed to accept their chuva? The Gamarra talks about some of the worst executioners in history who did chuva repentance and threw themselves into a fiery furnace. Does that factor into your thought process at all? >> It's a general optimistic hope about people. Are they redeemable? But look, Israel paid a price for that because while Sinir was in prison for all those years and he pulled the wool over Israel's eyes and convinced Israel that he was repentant, that he had changed his whole position and they really believed when he was released that he was somebody who'd live a whole other life. And meanwhile, all along he was scheming and plotting about how to perpetrate the greatest atrocity since the Holocaust. So again, that's a sin war. I'm not putting these other people in the same category. Sinir, it remains a question. By the way, we'd love to hear from you, our listeners, behind the bea. If you have a thought and idea, comment on below and and letting us know what you think. And >> now, now as a follow-up, you're so convinced that your Shabas table could convince any of these people. >> Walk everyone through what a Shabas table, you know, not everyone gets the invite. We'll have to say no. Tease tease. Not everyone gets an invite. What is it about your Shabas table that you believe you could use to >> food? That's for sure. It's not me running it. It's food. That's the kicker. Maybe we'll start with that next time behind the bea our conversation. What does an ideal shabas table look like? What do ours look like? Do people have a misconception of what they might be like versus what they are in reality. But now we have a fantastic conversation. Rabbi Gladstein, who's an amazing person who's uh pumping out uh books, Hebrew, English. Sh modest and humble and and we had a great conversation learning about where he came from, his world, his yeshiva, whether he completely continues to identify with it, not anything against it, or has broadened his horizons and much more. So, we're very grateful to Rabbi Gladstein. Thank you for this conversation. Welcome back to Behind the Bea. We are super excited to welcome you to our new studio. And I can't think of a more hush of a guest to welcome to launch our new season from our new studio than our dear friend of Daniel Gladstein. Thank you so much for being with us, making this part of your schedule on your visit. >> Thank you for having me. It's an honor to be here. >> Rabbi Garcia, I I I'm considered someone who's pretty busy and I'm proud of of what I do. Um, but I look at you and I see Torah anytime almost 13,000 shurimarum Hebrew and English arul leading tours of trips around the world. And I say I I don't know how it's possible. I don't know how you're getting it all done. So really this is a conversation. It's behind the beimma, but really it's like an intervention for me. I want to learn from you. Did you study time management strategies and skills? Did you just pick them up? Do you have all kinds of hacks and shortcuts? How are you possibly getting that all done? I >> think you know uh our sages teach kalha pelumi pisel. I think uh takes one to no one. I I'm going to throw this one back at you. I mean I I I it is my first time here in BRS and it's not a shul it's not a center it's it's like it's an empire of Tyra Fila. So you tell me how busy how this has been created. >> Okay I I'll tell you my tips after but but how really how do you balance it all? Is it are are you rigidly planned and scheduled and prepared? Do you have you mastered the art of saying no? When do you say yes? When do you say no? What are some of the tips and tools that you've used to to get to this point? >> I'm very uh humbled that the answer is negative to all the above. I have to figure out how to say no. I have to learn a little time management. I wish I would make use of my time better. Try to do as much as we can. >> Is it siata dishaya? >> Everyone needs dishes. Yeah. >> Everyone and everything. So tell us a little bit more about um Ravan Daniel Gladstein. There are 13,000 Shirum online. Um the Torah is accessible, available. Obviously it's it's hitting deep. It resonates with people. That's why it's so popular. But tell us about yourself, your background, where you grew up. Did did you when you were a little boy picture I want to be teaching on Torah anytime. I want so many people clicking and watching and learning with me. I I doubt that at your bar mitzvah they they gave you that braha. So tell us about your background, your childhood, and how you got from there to here. >> Okay. These questions are very difficult for me to answer. I'll tell you personally. People think, you know, I have a lot of sher online and maybe I'm out there a little bit and they think I'm a very public person. I'm naturally shy. I'm naturally uh I like to I like personal time. I like private time. I don't enjoy the attention. Let me tell you about my background and then maybe you'll get a little bit of an insight into uh where I come from. So I always start with my grandfather. My grandfather is Holoca was a Holocaust survivor. He passed away a few years ago at 106 years old. >> Wow. >> He was maybe one of the last talim of Raman Zamba. >> He was a Benas by Raim Zamba. He had from pre-waram names that are almost unknown today. Schlma David Kahana. You could look in the Misha and Rashma Kahana is called Avi Auno. father of all >> the women who were of uncertain status after the holocaust. They didn't know what happened to their husbands. So he was the one who was m all the aunois. He was a fascinating personality. He was of Lithuanian descent and he was the chief rabbi of Warsaw which is a very complex situation. You know Warsaw is the seed of Gasidas. To bring in someone from Leita would not be a natural fit. But he was such a go that he led and Can I use these words? He was such a brilliant Torah scholar that he was able to be the leader of Pishidus Ldus in Poland and he was also the Russash of Takamoni which was something was somewhat of a university that coupled secular studies with with Hebrew studies. >> When did he pass away? >> About 50 years ago. >> Okay. >> He's buried in the Sanhedria cemetery where You didn't know him? >> I didn't know him personally. But you know, I I saw my grandfather. My grandfather took me back many, many generations. I saw a man who saw Imraz. I saw somebody who his grandfather was the RV in Lynchettz in the 1860s when the Malbam the Malbam was one of the greatest of all the Aen of the one of the uh later sages. The Malbam had one of the most rocky rabbitic careers of any rabbi in history. He literally went from one rabbitic post to the next. I don't know if he stayed in one place for too long. His life was in peril from his tabor from his kahila from reform. And at one point of time in the 1860s, he he sat in a schul in Lynchitz where my great greatgrandfather was the rabbi and he was friends with the Malbam. So my grandfather, I'm looking at him, he grew up hearing firsthand about the Malbum. You know the Malbum, the Brisker say there are three aim that have a status of Arishine. They say of course, >> the Vagin and the Malbum. So you know my grandfather brought me to a different world a world that nobody h had any exposures nobody knows anything about >> and you know he he was a gerassid but he didn't take that with him after the war he was a rabbi in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for 70 years he was a very compassionate and um kind-hearted and generous generous person. He was one of the most sensitive souls that anyone has ever met. He was a very big sadic. Uh he had tremendous inner gura. He had miraculous salvation from the holocaust. And my grandmother was the daughter of the last RV of Sakav. So he was a student of the Sheamish. And uh the name of this RV was Rabhud Vulman. He was an upandcoming young in uh Poland. He had association with um Rome Shapiro. He had a kusa shaft with a big makubel named the sadic of Ranana. And he was an upand cominging budding god of Israel. At one point of time he could have saved his life by coming to America where the agoda was going to carve out a position for him chief rabbi of America. and he gave up his life ones in the war again. >> Now I notice I noticing that when you talk about yourself you're very shy and slow and hesitant and softspoken and when you talk about other people you light up and you know their biography but these other people clearly impacted your life too. You drew from them and that that is you. What you're describing about where you come from is also somewhat autobiographical too trying to take the best of those. >> I'm just trying to give you a little bit of a picture. So, you know, I grew up hearing about the RV of Sakav and him giving he gave up his life akides because he says it's not right for him to leave his kahila. Um, I have a lot of other influences in my family background. One that I think is a particular interest in regarding rabbitics. Okay. My my mother's grandfather. Okay. His name was Schlomma Salman Glick. He came from a very different background. He came from a rabbitic family in Poland. I believe the Haskella started making inroads in the family. So he had older brothers that now when I say Hcala, it doesn't necessarily mean leaving uh observance, but a little bit of a different approach to to the outside world. and he decided on his own he got in his head he's going to come to America maybe in the late 20s and early 30s I don't remember I'm not sure and when he came to America he had not chartered his course for his life he didn't know where he was headed on the boat people would tell him you know what do you have to fill in no you don't wear fillin people were throwing the fillin overboard so he decid he was very stubborn and he said you know you don't tell me what what I should do I'm going to wear my fillin And he was self-educated. He taught himself to learn Mishima. So he didn't know any he didn't know you know these these you know are not meant to be kept. These are meant he didn't believe in cultural Judaism. He believed in doing what what you're supposed to do. So he came across a that you're now to speak by dabing and if you speak by dabing so he doesn't know any so in the 1930s in America when it was literally unheard of the concept of not talking by dabing he went around telling people straight >> right >> either stop or leave >> right >> and many raonim if not most didn't like that so he wasn't able to stay And finally he went to a Rafael David maybe you heard of the name Rafel David and uh Rafel David said you know you're right you know I have nothing to say about that so he started a revolution in flatbush of kavarat villa and until today in the actual you literally could hear a pin drop by the >> d >> so I'm growing up you know I know zade almond you know uh he was moistister Nephesh to create this revolution which was not popular but made very strong inroads at least in the in the neighborhood that I grew up in. So these are some of the >> influences >> influences and if I could add my father my father is a trial attorney so he was not in the ravenet you know he said his father was in the rabinet his son is in the rabinet but he's an extremely talented speaker he's a world-class speaker and one time ahatura came to our long story short my father became a volunteer uh lecturer for Ashatur discovery. So he when growing up he spoke in all the college campuses in America doing um the discovery program. So I saw grew grew up seeing firsthand the power of Torah to transform people you know in a in a in a very dramatic way. >> So I want to pick up on that because you self-describe yourself as a humble person. Um and yet at some point it must have clicked in your mind. >> I don't describe myself as that but >> humble. Sorry shy. You are a humble person that comes across very clearly. At what point though that clicked and you said to yourself despite my shyness, despite obviously a a really um a humility you said my mission there's a purpose I have to be Marbit's Torah. So many other people make the opposite decision. They say who am I? Okay so I have this lineage. I'll learn in the base medish but it's easier for me to sit in a corner. I don't want to get involved politics community. Who am I to get up and give Shirum and record them? And what allowed that to click in your mind? What allowed you to make that change that says I have an aas. In other words, I have a misor. I have an ability. I have a gift from Hashem. And therefore, I have to use it to be Marbit's Torah for Kali. How did you break through a barrier that so many other people are not able to break through? Okay. I don't think it it's my lineage that I said, you know, my uh grandfather's grandfather knew the malam therefore I have responsibility. No, it's an inner calling. It's, you know, it's something in my soul says this is my calling in life. This is my mission in life. And through that, I discovered ability that maybe I didn't even know or realize that I had. >> So, where did that start? Walk us through. Did you give the Vora when you were 10 years old and you realized I can do this? When when did you realize that I have some talent or skill? It took many years. When I was maybe 20 years old, I had an opportunity to give a shar on Shabuis night. I literally prepared for that share for, you know, six weeks to give an hour share. And it was it was grueling because to get up in front of a seabore and to deliver was not is not my nature. I did it one year, I did it two years, I did a three years. Slowly slowly, you know, it became a little bit more natural to me. And then after I uh finished Kyle, I was dabbing in a shul and I saw this shaw didn't have a rabbi. And after dabbing, people would just file out. People would file out. So I suggest you know before people file out somebody should say so you know the board voted and after much deliberation they came back that the v the the board voted 9 to8 that this is a good no you know that it's a good idea and they but but you need to do it I said no you know I wasn't I wasn't suggesting myself they said no it's a good idea try it out so I used to prepare maybe three hours for a twominute vatara you know to really pack it in to make it interesting to and Then I did it daily and then it became very natural and people enjoyed it and from there I was recommended to give Shirum the youngest of Kugar Hills and in other places and then uh Rabonus opened up right near my yeshiva and that's where I started and then uh but still but still I'll tell you where it really picked up when um you know when the technology developed that you could put a share online Somebody once suggested to me and I started in a shul in Queens. The name of the shul is Tus. It was an big old pulpit synagogue. You know, it was the first shul in Queens and it was a little bit on the outskirts of the neighborhood was like a dying shul and it was a starter job. Okay. So I was right out of Kyle and it was a very good opportunity. You know in New York for every available job there there are thousand applicants, right? So I fell into this job and I was giving a weekly share and somebody suggested you know why don't you record the share? Said record the share. I said what am I going to do with it? So he said you're going to post it. I said where am I going to post it? He said online. >> What's online? >> I said I said online? You know I had never been on a computer in my entire life. I had not been on a computer and I was I was 30 years old. I had not been on a computer. I even took computers in high school, but all we needed to do is memorize like a hundred questions and answers. So, I did it. There were like there were eight computers and there were 10 kids in the class. So, I didn't have one, right? >> I had not been on one. >> And he said, "No, this this is where it's at. You know, you're going to post this year and maybe 200 people could watch it." I said, "20 people?" So, he said, "Give it a try. I'll come. I'll record it. I'll post it. We'll see what what happens." And I remember uh started posting the shirm and after I don't know a year or two I was told that one week a few hundred people watch the share said a few how's that possible there are a few who's watching the share and then I said why don't I post other shirm you know why just the once a week share and the more I posted and the feedback I got and I realized you know maybe there's something over here maybe there's something to it and the the feedback and the response really, you know, fired me up that, you know, this is this this is compelling. You know, people enjoy this. This is something that can make an impact. >> Can I just pick up on one point you said because I don't want to let it pass. Yeah. >> You said that when you gave the two hour two-minute cheer. >> Yeah. >> You prepared for hours and hours. I think that's something I'm This is kind of addressed to both of you because both of you are >> internet personalities. you, you know, Torah, but you you're out there on the internet. And I think the assumption most people have is that you get a you give a shir and you move on. I don't think most people understand the amount of preparation and work that goes into every shear that's given. And I didn't want to let that moment pass without first of all reflecting upon it and digging a little bit deeper. Um, do you still do that? Are you still preparing so much for every Shear? Is is it the pride that you take in this year, the husad? What drives you to to do that? I don't have the luxury to do that anymore. I don't have the time to do that anymore. I wish I could because I think that people people on people recognize that if you put time into something, people appreciate it. People appreciate that you value their time and that people know when you're you've said the idea and now you're just dancing around it and saying it from a different perspective just to because there are 10 minutes left. You know, people want to know eight minutes is eight minutes, 10 minutes is 10 minutes, an hour is an hour. That if they're coming to an hour shear, they realize they could also learn on their own for for an hour. But this hour she like they're learning for 10 hours because they know you put 10 hours into it. Now I don't have the luxury to to do that for every year or to continue to do that today what I once was able to do uh when I started. But preparation is key. Preparation makes a very big difference. >> Are you mak are you very punctual? Meaning if it's an hour, you end after an hour or do you say, "But I still have three more points to make it where in my notes I really want to get it across. It really wraps this up." >> I'm not punctual. >> You're not punctual. >> No, but once you're on the roll, you're on the roll. >> I'm on it. Yeah. >> But but but the preparation is Yeah. that the content is organized, >> you know, it depends. Let's say, you know, Shabas Hag Shabasha then I would like I like to keep it to the time. Yeah. >> But >> me too. Not exactly. Yeah. >> I'm actually punctual the whole year except but you know, different styles. different styles. >> Um you mentioned your yeshiva learning in so you learn >> Yeah. >> Um and clearly you're a product in in many ways. I think um sort of the muser that uh maybe maybe not classic muser, maybe you're not even comfortable calling yourself a bosser, but that makov, that depth, that character improvement, that emphasis on personal growth, how relatable what you speak about is obviously resonates and that's probably where it comes from. Um, would you describe yourself today as as a member of the community? >> That is such a good question. >> I'll tell you I'll tell you why I ask and I don't want it to be controversial. >> No, it's not controversial and I want to speak about that and our community is very strong and and I'm super grateful our our institutions local yeshivas some of the local Rabanim and it's it's magnificent. These are colleagues, these are brothers, these are dear friends, these are people we look up to and we admire. One of the things that I've always not only admired but even been a little bit envious of from my yes is yeshiva and our background is that guy knows exactly who our rashiva was is what we stand for what their hope and expectation is of us what are what is our everything in a neat box and in many ways I don't say this to them it maybe connects or parallels other movements within the from world where people marry members of their same community and follow through and have this sense of mission of what they go out and do um and and without criticism of where I come from. But our yeshiva, who share you in will determine what your misora, what your min, what your ashkafa, where you let the manora in the dorm, everything mamish is like many yeshivas within one. And I' I've admired that even to the point of being envious of it. So that that power is very strong and palpable here in our community that usually if someone went to you know that they bleed that they wear it on their arm. It's who they marry, where they send their children and what that is. That that's the background to my question. >> Okay. That question I'm excited to to answer. >> I was nervous. I was nervous to ask. >> No, no, no, no. I understand it could be very controversial, but I don't think it will be. Okay. And and I'm gonna I'm gonna tell you straight. I'm gonna be very transparent about this. Many people listen to my shirim are shocked that I went to and many people when they find that I went to they say, "Uh, now we understand." They're shocked, but yet they understand at the same time. So, so let me explain. I'm a very uh proud alumni of Yeshiva. I learned there for many years. I went to high school in in Brooklyn. I was in Israel for a short stint. I was in the quote unquote mothership for more years than anyone you know. And at the same time, I'm an extremely atypical alumni from Yeshua. a because of my family background because my grandfather knew the system hadn't even been conceived yet you know so I feel I have a rich msira with or without yeshiva >> number two I have many uh personal influences outside of the yeshiva that I personally pursued while in yeshiva and I'm not sure They allowed me to maybe they had maybe they're trying to wrap their mind around it exactly but I'm very close with Rashiva uh I think was one of the good marbitra of our generation what he accomplished for jewelry in the United States of America David Harris you will not find someone who is genuinely aml I mean just sweating to understand Gamarra Rashi Tyus like Rod Harris, someone who has been working on his midos for decades and decades. But at the same time, for me personally, I also needed other uh other role models and other to look up to outside of the yeshiva system. Maybe because of my background or because my personality. So, I like to think that my foundation is from the yeshiva, but I also have a lot of other influences and other maybe um other parts of the building, other floors of the building besides the foundation on the first floor for example. So, when I when I started as a bakar, I used to sneak out of the yeshiva. >> Yeah. But this is not going to be too exciting though. >> I used to go to >> the bea moment. Yeah. Yeah. It's not as exciting as you think. I used to go to Riker Miller. That was where it started. >> That was a rebellion. >> That was a rebellious streak because you know Miller learned he learned in Slabka. See, here it is in they're telling me what Ravid said happened in Slab. So I said let me let me see what happened in Sabat. So I used to go to Miller. I went there for three years on Shabas. I used to walk from M and 31st to Essen Ocean Parkway next to the Mary Shiva and I used to go to his hashkafir. I used to ask him, I have a notebook of questions I asked him, did they do this in Sabatka? Do they do that in Sabatka? So I always like to say I used to ask him because he was very into exercise. He Miller used to walk in his heyday an hour and a half a day. So I I would ask him, you know, should Bakar do exercise? Yes, you should walk for 30 minutes a day. I said, do they do they do exercise in Slabka? Yeah, they walk to a far away dining room. But but but to me it was, you know, it was interesting. Let me hear from someone who was in Slabka. You know how things went. Then a very big influence was after a Miller passed away and I was in Kyle. I stumbled across from so to me you know what appealed to me was not the because people have different versions of whatus is. My grandfather grew up in Warsaw. He knows what is. You know, he grew up knowing blood of Gamarra B and and Liut Maran, right? But he had an uncle in Warsaw who is like an emista breast. So what what appealed to me about is um he would say overam and he would say it over and bring alive different parts of the in a way that I had never been exposed to. So I got very drawn to of many we're not typically exposed to. So now I got very intoarim, you know, I want to learn all thearim of all the different and Rulban would speak about their history and their background and he would have a tish but his tish wasn't, you know, singing. There was a little bit of singing, but that wasn't the main thing. his tish. He would take a godal and analyze their history and their background and the times they lived in and how it affected the swarm that they wrote. Now this really appealed to me because >> you know I I think we spend so much time learning you know you learn rashi you learn tis a typical yeshiva bakar forget about a typical yeshiva bakar a typical rabbi in America doesn't know who Rashi is doesn't know who Tyus is and they could have learned for many many years people don't know the era that Tyus lived in people don't realize it happened during the times of the crusades Was Tyus in jeopardy in the during the crusades? Was his life in danger? What were the conditions that he wrote under? Who was Rabinam? You know, everybody thinks the Rambam the Rambam the Rambam was the greatest of all the Risham. No, that's what believe. Ashkanazm don't accept that. It's it's brought in many that we hold Rabinu was the greatest of all the rishim. But really he was. What was so great about him? It was his approach to the Talmud. Rabinotam was a very wealthy man. Rabino Tom owned real estate. He he had vineyards. And you see Rabinotam throughout chass has a certain attitude toward saving Jewish people money, you know. And each reish has a unique history and a unique background and each akin has a unique history and unique background. So this it's not history, it's Torah. It's learning. And here was somebody who made you feel it's not toyra to know that or study that or appreciate that in >> absolutely yeah right not only is it not tora it's almost maybe I'll talk about by the on but it's it's bit to the other way you're lacking in your appreciation understanding for if you don't understand who these people were you know the I became um fascinated with the life of the ka's life really resonates with me and I just read the other day Maybe yesterday the wrote his first book at 16 years old. It's called Helm Davund and he never published it. 150 mistakes that aim made because they weren't familiar with the background and the history of a particular god. >> Wow. >> But he never published it. >> Now, was this all selftaught or or did you have places that you would look for this information? Did you just take out books and start reading about people or were there online personalities? not a great expert. I'm not, you know, but Rabbi, you know, this opened up my eyes to appreciate uh this miktsaya, this area of Torah knowledge. I I would sometimes go to the classes of Schneer Lyman, he was uh >> he was uh someone in our neighborhood. Um and this interested me a lot. And I think when when a RV when a rabbi gives a shir and he brings in a Torah personality, let teach the people who this personality was so that they have a greater appreciation for their Torah. If it's okay, I'll probably repeat it later. But you know, very often people say, "Oh, I heard this." Okay, who said it? I don't remember. You don't remember? So then what are you telling me exactly? You're just saying an idea. I would like to know where this comes from. Where do you get theam from? You saw in a parish sheet or do you know which safer it is? Is it in Mosha? Is it you know they were written at different times wrote certain things when he was younger when he was older? This is all this is all part of it. A certain element of scholarship of fullness of scholarship that I think is a is enhances the the learning >> and that's connected to the Torah itself because the person is we don't disconnect the the information from the person. You're saying so how could you know the information if you don't know the person the person who authored now it's interesting and I don't I don't want to make this about your yeshiva you know of course which I say I'll flesh that out but are are you >> and I don't want to make it about them >> I know that they're incredibly proud of you but are you a success story of theirs meaning somebody whoseka ends up being I I'm very much connected this relate to this I wrote an article about what I call the shahal right the 13th gate to the bdash if you didn't know the sh that you came from and the and this idea of the people who say I don't necessarily feel comfortable. Don't lock me in a box. I'm not only in one place. There's a width and a breath and a beauty to Torah and I want to connect to it. I gave a talk in in England a couple years ago and someone wrote me a beautiful email that one of the Rabanu was there who came from yeshiva that also made him feel, you know, less than if he needed more if he was curious. He looked at he had he had a home address of his ashkafa but also a passport to be able to travel and explore and see and and after that it opened up his eyes and it changed his life and he started learning and he he he became so but I get some push back for having that that opinion that that's who I am too and people are surprised sometimes let's say where I went to yeshiva given the breath of of what I like to quote and share what what speaks and resonates to me in the sharim that I give so have you received push back for that does people say you know if if everyone's your ashkaf then you have no ashkafa Okay. >> Or why are you exploring or looking everywhere? Who are you? Ashkanazi, you know, what are you in the end? >> I'm going to clarify. I'm going to continue to clarify because yes, I enjoy the I enjoy the I love I love many many different and different influences. But at the same time, I will sometimes hear speakers orim and there they say, you know, you could say this, the says this and the says this and let's put it in the pot and mix it up together. No, you don't know what you're doing. Why you know cuz you're not grounded. You need to be firmly based with a foundation and a solid foundation. I would say that it has great value to to have intellectual curiosity to try to uh be familiar with different disciplines, different branches of knowledge. But that can't be your starting point. That can't be your foundation because then then then your stability is in question. I think what I like about the yeshiva, you know, you mentioned I went to is that I feel the the foundation is rock solid. The foundation is rashi applying yourself to understand the tamudic process in a in an intellectually honest way. We're not trying to, you know, say just for the sake of saying to really genuinely understand process and complimented with knowledge of and mus and I know it's popular today today muser orus I likeus but I personally thinkus is good but you have to have muser because think about it you have a choice I could study my own psyche you know, am I jealous? Am I arrogant? Am I wearing my C? Or I could start thinking about the various am. Now, it's definitely more convenient and comfortable to think about the angels in heaven than to think about my own deficiencies. And it's definitely more glamorous to think about that. And it might excite the people more when I talk about and then if I talk about, you know, kina and tya and ga. But who's going to who's going to be more of a grounded and firmly based Jew? Someone who spent years and years thinking about um you know the extra pious practices or cababalistic mysticism which I love. I'll be the first to admit that. Or somebody who spent many many years and decades working on their own character. So I think Yeshiva is a a very special uh yeshiva in terms of teaching young Jewish people the foundations of of Torah Judaism. >> To be clear, it could be any yeshiva. It wasn't about I'm speaking only because that's what but any yeshiva that's your foundation. Their point is that at 17 18 19 you can't be I'm everywhere because then you're nowhere. You need a foundation. You need a home address. Then you could travel if you don't have a home. And I'm now now I'm going to take the liberty. You said I'm very modest. Now I'm going to be not modest. Okay. I'm not going to be not humble. I think to a large degree the appeal of the Shirim is that because I have the foundation of this yeshiva that I went to and now I feel I apply that to the and while if people in general hear or other sources they're trying to wrap their mind around that it's not presented to them in a way that they feel it's based or grounded. But I think if you're grounded in the Tamudic process and alic process and you could show how these ideas emerge from authentic Judaism then then people are really then that really resonates with people. >> In other words, the same critical analysis of a rashi and then I'm not moving on to like I'm not just dropping because I saw it quoted somewhere. I'm saying I'm whatever I'm saying I understand. I'm holding in >> to some extent. Now when you talk about being grounded is there a limud to you that is keshakadashim in other words with all your teaching with all your preparing is there a time during the day that you say this is an hour that I'm taking for myself for my own personal growth it's not about what I'm going to give to others it's about what I'm giving to myself and what would that le be what would it be or what should it be I I'll let you answer >> yeah there are a lot of things that uh I would like to be doing uh for my own personal growth. I like to learn with Rashi. I find that by learning with Rashi, I always like glean like my new insights from my my one of my favorite pastimes is gleaning original insight from simple rashi. So, >> so that that's what you carve at the time. What do you get more of a gishmak from um speaking or writing? How many swarum since we're already on not humble? How many swar are there currently? Is it like children? Are you allowed to say the number >> there? There English Hebrew >> a number in there are a number of them in English. Yeah. And can you >> what do I get more? >> So do you get when when if you look at your schedule say what am I doing tomorrow? If tomorrow is a speaking day, tomorrow's a writing day, tomorrow's a learning day, which is the one that energizes you more? Writing does not energize me because most of the writing process is tedious and grueling because I already know the idea. I g I said it I gave it over you know I I often I created it. I gave it in a shar I said it. Now it's a matter of crystallizing it in print. So it but it h but I feel like it has to be done because if I don't do it I'm not preserving it. So does it do I get a out of writing when I sat down and I wrote the idea originally you know that gives me a or if I read it over a year or two later I say it's a good thing I wrote it otherwise I probably would have forgot it that gives meas but the actual writing is is very is hard work >> brother you'd rather do the speaking that energizes that excites you >> it's easier >> is all did all the writing begin a shirum and then you organized and took Shirum and turned them converted them into is that is that generally the the path of the writing? Most much of the written material came from the Shir. But the the consideration of what I choose to write is, you know, did I create the material? In other words, if I just saw this data, I saw that and I gave it over in an interesting way, I don't feel like it's a contribution. But if let's say I I put together I strang together a few different maramaky moist and by stringing it together I created I feel I created a tapestry that that and that tapestry presents like a new perspective on a >> subject there's a >> yeah but it has to be yeah it has to be it has to be original >> whatever the threshold original is that's >> so not everything that you say do you write that's that's the threshold for what you write but most of the writing originated as a as a sheer is something that came together data rashir. >> Yeah. Now you've obviously traveled extensively open up Mishbah magazine five town Jewish times. >> Yeah. It's the same trip every week. It's not >> um what do you what do you find most enjoyable about those trips? And what trip has been the most impactful for you in terms of your own personal hashem understanding of Judaism? The most enjoyable part of a trip is preparing for it. If you don't prepare, it's not enjoyable for me. What's enjoy? You know, I don't sitting on the bus seeing, you know, it's not like we're it's graves, you know. Now, people ask, you know, why do you go to the grave? Do you feel you're going there because you need to get your answered? No, that's not that might be a valid reason to go. And you know I believe that it has value to do sadikim. That's not the real reason I'm going. I'm spending my life dedicated to studying the texts written by these Israel. I feel that by learning about their life and and understanding the times they lived in then their Tyra to me is taken to a new level. So I need to go there and but going there is is the motivation to prepare and to learn about them. So the the enjoyment of the trip is commensurate with the preparation. >> So where are some of the places that you've been and where do you still yet hope to go? >> Meaning do you have this desire and craving to travel the world and and travel to these or is that there's tour operators they take there's people who want to learn it's an excuse for you to prepare and teach. No. So it's like another venue to transmit. For the most part, for the most part, this past uh trip excluded, I'm going to tell the trip uh organizer, listen, I want to go here. I want to go there. So, let's make a trip around these areas. So, for the most part, uh usually that's how it works. The most impactful trip was going to France when we went to the the grave site of Rashi and then in Ramarupt Rabinotam the Rashbam the ream because you grow up your whole life learning about the balatus but until until you actually uh spend time learning about their life you realize you know you don't know you don't know the first thing about them >> you know you know that each maka had a different editor a different baltois who's the editor and could you ask a contrad iction between Tyus in one place and another place. Not necessarily. >> So regatin, you didn't go to university, you didn't go to graduate school, you don't have somebody who's had to research papers and and draw conclusions and look up index cards and do a decimal system. So when you go on these trips and you learn this background, how do you do this research? How are you doing that prepared? The fascination that you have and you only went on the computer for the first time at 30 years old. So where where is this research coming from? How do you even know how to do it? Okay. So, uh I think that in today's day and age, a very important element of the Rabbonus and that I think both of you are have been very successful at is that you need to bring a sense of professionalism to the Rabanas. You know, you have people who are doctors, who are lawyers, who are um academics and they've spent many many years not just studying but studying in a professional way. So, why should Torah be treated any less? And I think for all shirim and for all topics you need to bring a sense of professionalism which means researching and exploring the topic in every and any possible way that will enhance the understanding of the topic. So you know when it comes to the trips um you have to go out and buy books and buy sarum about uh about the subjects and personalities you're going to visit and you have to do your due diligence. You have to put in the time and you have to collect the information and and uh condense it and be able to pick out the things of uh that are meaningful and that will resonate with people. >> That's actually I find sometimes even more of the work. Meaning when you research a subject now you have 20 hours that you want to say but you only have an hour for that particular thing. So how do you it's it's the discipline to not to hold back to yourself within it sometimes harder than the actual research. >> Yeah, it is. Are there go-to people that you turn to? You say, "I'm going to this place. Could you tell me what are the go-to forum books? What do I download? Who are the experts in in Jewish history?" Shane Lman, you mentioned is it did you ever turn to him? >> You know, Rabbi Obam gave me let's say a mahalak, you know, so let's say I would see he would talk about a certain personality. So where did he glean his information? You have the safer of you have other there's a safer that gives brief biographical information of all the you have the a listing of all the art sites of all the who ever lived. You have a set of called that's out of print from that has biographical information. You have Rabbi Wine's uh books. I made it my business to make a relationship with Rabbi Wine over the last couple of years who was a tremendous resource surprising not just of history but of common sense in general about the Rabonos. >> Yeah. So, you know, I appreciated. >> Now, for our listeners, notice that Ray Glassian did not list Wikipedia on his >> Yeah, I do use it, but I didn't I didn't mention >> No, no, no. But, but it's you're going right to the primary sources, which is also part of the foundation that you had from Yeshiva. like primary sources not trusting or relying only on >> no I'll tell you a funny story recently okay so one of thearam that published recently was translation annotation of the pishua okay >> in our office >> so that's a safer everybody's heard of and I grew up hearing about it so I had I had this to put it out for arts girl but before putting it out I said you know what I'm I'm putting out a safer I need to write something about the history of Alishua. So I started doing research. When did write this? What were the conditions that he wrote it? I searched and I searched. There is no when did it's in the back of appendage to like 19 other countries. And when did he write it? And so I'm researching on on it says that son-in-law published it for the first time in the 1920s. and and he writes on the title page published for the first time for Claus in 1929. Why published and then he says because couldn't publish in his lifetime because of censorship >> and he first published it in a newspaper called Hapelas. So it says censorship. I started researching the sens censorship of works and how he had to encounter the early mascul and the masculum gave him a lot gave him heartache about different things in sav that he had to publish. So I'm searching now the newspaper is called hapelas. It's not in there. So I contacted um the national library of Israel. Now I don't know if a typical yeshiva bakar would would know to do that but I contacted them and the librarian came up he said it's not hapelis but they discovered that the the editor of hapelles was somebody named uh rabbi rainoowitz who was a rabbi in palava hapelis went out of business and then for five years he published a magazine a newspaper called hamodia >> for five years which obviously is a predecessor of the current Hamodia and as a supplement meant in Hamodia the stuck in like you know um >> like Indian magazine >> Indian magazine yeah and you know Yat has uh these magazines he's stuck in this magazine uh tisua >> so you know I got to the bottom of it >> but >> and that's the whole introduction to >> that's the introduction to but I'm very proud that I put that into I think it adds to the safer and then an understanding you know what was the issue with that the sensor had a problem with it. And clearly the concept of Jewish uh redemption bothered the the secular Jewish sensors because one time when was uh was brought to be edited to be censored the the the sensor was the son-in-law of the father of the mascul I think his name was Joshua Steinberg. Steinberg was looking at this and he saw wrote Mazal laavdav and Steinberg said how could you say laavdell there's no difference you know universal mankind and so you can imagine if the word laavd was a problem to ste certainly the concept of Jewish redemption would be a a problem but that's that's fascinating that the could not publish the safer peaceu in his time >> how do you write do you dedicate time every day every week do you have certain goals how many words how many pages is it when you're early in the morning, late at night. >> I'm hoping that in these conversations one day someone will break through and I'll actually write. I have a lot of books written, but they're just all in my head. >> Ta. >> Yeah, as of now. >> Um, sometimes I I say, "Okay, I have to get this out." And then I, so to speak, closet myself up for some time and and just spend time. >> He'll cancel Shirum and other things. No, I won't cancel Shirim, >> but >> you won't be available for meetings, phone call. I got to bang this out. I've got to knock this out >> to some extent. I'll I'll make myself I'll really focus on it. >> But otherwise, it's just steal a few minutes here and a few minutes there and it's not laptop. >> Yeah, but it's it's really >> Does give you deadlines? Are there deadlines? >> It's all self-imposed. >> It's all self-imposed. There's no deadlines. Speak to a lot of get to give you some deadlines. That's good. That's good. How often are you traveling uh for shabases like this one? >> For shabas, a couple times a year. >> Oh, not often. >> Not often. >> Five times a year. >> Okay. Well, Florida hopefully now in November. It's gorgeous weather. The children are here. Some children are here. So, it's a good excuse. A good excuse to come. Where where's a place you haven't been yet that you still want to go? I don't mean on the speaking tour, but I mean the travels and >> let's say of Jewish historical interest. >> Well, we were going to do a trip uh but then October 7th happened. So that would have been epic. We're going to go to Petra Kev of Aron. So that that was one interesting spot. And also there's Nal Arn where the Jewish people crossed into Israel and you can make a bra there. >> But that's not a typical place that I that's really ancient Jewish history. >> Yeah. >> And Egypt you have the ke of the Yakovaki. But uh one day >> one day >> maybe Syria now will become available. >> Yeah. The world is changing every day. It's unbelievable what we find. Your and and your books and your lectures are almost kulo tora. And what I mean by that and I can't I don't want to suggest that I'm an expert in them is it's not commenting on contemporary issues or weighing in on controversies or taking a stand on whatever Jewish people have determined is the crisis. Is that intention by design? Meaning, do you think that part of why you resonate and why you have a broad audience is that you just keep it focused on Torah and you're not distracted and don't want to distract others by saying now I'm going to come out with a strong statement on the sh crisis or the this crisis or yeshiva thing or the new mayor of New York or I'm not weighing in on this is the army like it it's it's Torah. It's Torah. It's character. It's >> it's Are you tempted to ever comment or insert yourself and you have to hold back from it? you know maybe maybe in the sarum uh you'll notice that for the most part I'm not cont I'm not commenting on contemporary issues that's in the Hebrew swarm in the English swarum I have touched on them and in the book the darkness and the dawn there's certain things that I wrote about Israel from various opinions that somebody once commented to somebody who gave an appribation like you know this is and I was able to back it up because it sourced, but I do comment on contemporary issues in the Shirim and and they do go pretty and many of them are public, >> right? >> Be it sometimes politics, sometimes Israel, sometimes >> but >> and is that always premeditated? You you mean to comment on that or it just happens in the natural flow? I I I mean to comment on it but I will sometimes take a position a very interesting position where I will say what I feel but there are certain things this is how I feel about a certain issue but if there is a enough if people are not happy with it then I can re-evaluate and say look this is not one of my core principles So what do I need to aggravate people now? They're not going to listen to my garium. They're not going to listen to my brochure. They're not going to is it really worth it? So in other words, let's say for example, one of my core principles is um decorating. That's not negotiable for me. I will I've I've lost jobs. I've lost a job for that. Yeah. >> But I will not bend. I will not budge. I feel that it's responsibility of the leadership of Ashul to ensure decoring talking and use of devices but so that's something I'll stick my neck at I you know I'll I'll say it and if you don't like it jump in a lake but let's say other things if I once gave um the history of early I gave and everything I said came from legitimate sources I And I this was not theory what I was saying. Okay. And you know somebody I got pushed back about it. You know what do I need that for? What do I need it for? I got to marry my kids. I got to you know it's not my one of my core principles. >> Did you take the shirt down? >> I took it down. >> You took it down. What do I need out there? >> What do I need? Yeah. >> How many have you taken down over the years? >> I don't know. >> Does it happen frequently? >> No. >> No it doesn't happen frequent. But, you know, I think if it's not your core principle, then you know, you're doing yourself an >> which hills to die on. Choosing the hills to die. I want to follow up on the decorum and I know we're we're winding down because time is valuable and Chabas is coming. >> Um, >> I agree. We agree obviously both in our own personal conduct and the way that we're trying to to grow and build our shul. But what do you say to the people who say, "Look, it's a different generation. It's a different time." And if somebody who struggles, who doesn't have the attention, the discipline to be able to make it through, who every now and then and and and finds the parts in Davening where it's not as egregious, meaning because there are people who are like from the beginning to the end in a biscuit, you can never talk. And others who know a little bit, no, you can't talk between this and this, but here like a little bit I need to I I can't take a tinus deep or that long. It's it's a form of torture. And if you're going to crack down, you're going to create such a focus on decorum, I'm I'm going to be turned off. I'm going to stay home. I'm not going to dive in. Meaning where we put the bar is complicated and and in our own shu which has eight minion on machab this morning you know there's one minion in particular where they make very concerted announcement and they put down their foot and it's in that's not tolerated and you'll be called out if you do talk you'll be asked to go outside and have your conversation if there >> yeah and and in other places meaning we give a dr on our way out somebody says like and like we're all getting musk and that's okay because that's the standard that's the sort of agreed on and other there's more flexibility because it's understood that's a minion where might come a little bit later, might talk a little bit more and you know person who's still finding their way. So if there is this emphasis or focus um is there a concern we add minionum all the time and people approached us about a minion for a particular demographic group who wanted a minion let's say they'd be a weekday minion that'd be under 20 minutes you you absolutely fly everything is super quick everything is super and we put a foot down and we said even though we have the daily pl now complicated but people are looking for it we have that creation complicated we allow it but a minion that category to ally goes against what we think is is dignified file. We we can't host and even if it means that those people won't d with a minion because they need it to be 18 minutes. It's got to be a matzah minion. Maybe they could find it somewhere else. If not, they won't find it with us. >> But when it comes to the quorum, is there that concern that the overemphasis and the the absolute intolerance for a person anywhere any time could leave people just not coming to shu because I they also crave a social component to it and they're looking something different not only the davining or not connected to the doining. Where do you where do you find that balance? So I'm I I don't have a balance with that. I'll tell you I'll tell you straight up. You know I know people have a social need and I don't think that Davening is a time to fulfill that social need. Are there times in Davening where there are certain loopholes or leniencies? Well once you start Shamar until after no you're you know between you're allowed to talk but you can't >> right >> there are no other exceptions. So are you allowed to talk Bengavra legra says no says yes. >> So I could understand you know you're not going to crack down Bengava legra. But I think if somebody says look rabbi I have a need to to have a social outlet or I cannot remain silent for two and a half hours two hours straight. I think you could have a candid discussion. Say look you know this is our opportunity. We come to schul to recognize the creator of the world. I understand you personally have a hard time remaining silent throughout. So take a break. Take a break in the sanctuary is not is not a place for socialization. >> Now do you have that luxury because of where you are? In other words, a show that has so much diversity and so many different types of people coming into a room is a little bit different than when you're in a sh where okay, if you don't like this, you can go next door, you can go down the block, there are like 40 other shs for you. My shell has a standard and you're okay setting that standard and if you don't like it if you live out of town you were the only you're a community shaw where your whole mission is to bring people in and to be mccari people and if they're not coming here they're they're not going anywhere else. So does that change the conversation a little >> meaning the guy who's on the journey towards Yiddish kite or who was on the journey away from Yiddish kite. So Dominic starts at 9ine. He comes in at 10:00. Few people near him give him shalom before he opens up a sitter. But if everyone's gonna give a sh and go ah and you can't and how could you? Forget it. I'm not coming. >> He's not going to the sh next door. He's just going to check out. >> We're not here to defend talking. I understand your conversation. I think they're two different demographics. If you have a kov of somebody who's not educated in Torah, >> so then >> I think those people are 100% receptive to the importance of proper decorum by davining. I've never encountered any I think it's the opposite demographic which I have you know I'm in New York so I know exactly this demographic I don't you know I know I know this demographic better than anybody okay I grew up I went to Flatbush Brooklyn yes where you you either go to the five towns or you go to Lakewood okay and I'm I'm a rabbi in the five towns which means that this is the exact demographic that we're dealing we're talking about people who learned in yeshivas and then for whatever reason, call it chip on the shoulder or something like that. They're trying to figure out their way back. I personally am not familiar with the approach of I haven't seen that ultimately by bringing them back in and allowing the kdosh and the talking that they'll ultimately come back to, you know, call um genuine observance. I haven't seen it. You know, maybe there are people who specialize in that in that type of rabanas and they have the exact formula. I'm not familiar with it. I don't know it. I just my my approach is that you know these are the house rules. I'm in a place where on every single corner there's a shaw. You want to come to my sh this is uh >> right and that's fair that works there and I would want to go to your sh. I want to go to your but it's an interesting complex question that that people have to grapple with. Rabbi Gladstein, thank you for being here. We're so excited you made time for this among all of the shor and all that you're doing >> and uh may may not be your comfort zone as a shy person. >> Um and we didn't let you prepare because we didn't really give questions in advance but that's when that's when you're best without the preparation at least for these topics. So thank you for making the time inspiring inspire and continuing to elevate this as a center not only for for Florida but really for all of >> Amen. Amen. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for listening to Behind the Bea. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you next week for another peak behind the beimma.