#101: Behind the Bima - Shlomo Katz

from Boca Raton Florida rabbi's Ephraim Goldberg Philip Moskowitz and Josh Brody are taking you behind the bema the BRS Rabbi schmooze about contemporary issues and talk to special guests who give up behind the scenes look at how they got to where they are and what keeps them going welcome to behind the bema good evening it is Wednesday night at 9 00 PM I am your host Rabbi ephra Goldberg and I'm joined by my dear friend and colleague Rabbi Josh Brody and we're here to take you behind the we're gonna take it behind the beam Rabbi Brody this is a big episode it is episode number 101 one kind of we passed that hurdle celebrated a hundred now we get back to business now we get back to the business of inspiring meaningful conversation going behind the bema connecting with our beloved audience and uh it's exciting you know it's kind of like after Aaron judge hits 61 then they get that behind him and then you know we hit a hundred and now we're ready to keep going so super Aaron judge is that like a football guy or who exactly exactly there's a lot to talk about there's a lot going on very very exciting incredible event what Rabbi Brody has mysteriously been referencing and alluding to for the last several weeks actually have several years last several years actually happened last night and it was wonderful it was really fantastic really special he'll tell you that I got emotional when I left him a message afterwards it was really great so we'll get to it in a moment but there is a lot going on start with the ADL report ad put out a report yesterday that anti-semitic incidents in the state of Florida since last year are up what do you think what percent um first of all you know I definitely did not see this article so whatever I say is uh is on this off the cuff um I would say it's up probably 50 percent anti-semitic incidents are up 71 percent wow that's pretty scary one percent I'll tell you the same day that that report came out my wife the Robinson was at Costco and she was checking out and someone came up to her and she you know you know she dresses like a modest woman and I guess someone in the know would recognize her as an observant Jew but she's not wearing any outwardly religious signs or symbols and yet someone came up to her and said are you Jewish said yeah and then said something obnoxious or nasty really you know it wasn't traumatic but sugar you know you're in Costco is there a more Jewish if Jews can't be safe in Costco right Costco is like a Jewish Embassy you should be safe there you should have it's really Flags in Costco who else is buying paper gold toilet paper and that in that quantity other than juice like Costco is made for Jews they should have those they should have those kosher hot dogs you know and they should make kosher hot dogs in Costco they should if you can't be safe in Costco like I don't know where you can be safe and yet that happened to her just there so a little scary a little scary to see that go up very very concerning anti-semitic incense the ADL report we've got an eye on that we've got something exciting once again have you ever been have you ever had any anything you did the famous story in Tampa right yeah we started up in St Augustine and uh someone came up called my daughter a dirty ugly Jew and uh yeah you know it's funny I always remember when I was in Elizabeth there used to be this this Supermarket called um not Pathmark Pathmark was like the upscale place to go shopping there for Elizabeth Food Town was right behind the Dunkin Donuts and I remember I see I thought this would might have been maybe like a like an anti-semitic attack on me but then I'm wondering I don't know if I was ever wearing a yamago so I'm not sure it wasn't that doesn't matter but I think it was and this guy just came and he started chasing me and I was on my bicycle and I said there's no way I'm on a bicycle he's running I'll just and he caught me and I was so afraid I've never told anyone that story before yeah that's a lot of Foodtown yeah breaking news breaking news that is that is scary look it's jarring if you're not somebody who looks for or is used to conflict and you're not in Conflict you're not fighting over anything someone is just denying your right to exist first of all I know my mom's gonna call me right now I said mom don't worry everything turned out okay yeah you want to check on me and make sure everything's okay so that's all the bad news the troubling news there's some good news this Sunday in Mirza Hashem um two weddings I'm officiating at two weddings it's really wonderful and both symbols are are huge I'm really excited for for all four parties involved all four families very excited for simcha you know people found each other in a beautiful way but the second wedding are actually two 70 year olds who had never been married before two individuals in their 70s a man and a woman in their 70s never married before found each other getting married super super excited for them her brother's the one who actually asked us for a name of a reporter thought it was really a worthwhile story and the message is never give up keep looking keep searching God's got someone out there for everyone and these two people wanted to get married they weren't close to the idea and two singles in their 70s found each other and I'm really excited for them and to celebrate with them and please get to two great symbols this Sundays that's that's really exciting gears you hear that there's somebody hashtag hashtag where is he in the comments come on people hashtag we love Gersh as long as they drive at night he'll go out with them that's the rule yeah come on we can't give a better plug for this this is a worldwide audience listening we've got a great guy he's a chef you'll have great meals every single night he's a chef you know he's cooked for like dignitaries politicians world leaders so actually when the queen passed away you know I said Gersh tell me about the time you cooked for the queen he's like what are you talking about you cook for anyone whoever comes up he's like I want to cook for them all right so he's an amazing guy and and you know the point for everybody is stay patient keep looking right let God think of matchmaking work don't give up and you know there's a great couple and it's going to be a great wedding super excited for them we've got uh the shop has got a lot going on we got a new member a special kiddish welcome young leadership taking a real leadership uh uh position on the show over the lead in the show but we're also at the end of Davin going to be honoring our Congressman our dear friend Ted Deutsch Ted and Jill really yeah 12 and a half years he served as our congressman and not only did he fight for so many things that we care about and you know you agree disagree politics a lot of domestic issues that I know people disagree about but there's been nobody better in Congress for Israel than Theodore Deutsch than Ted Deutsch he's been really really amazing but he's also been great for our community I can't tell you how many people don't have a passport don't have a Visa need help with this emergency this crisis this urgency this legislation always responsive Always There In fact I was talking to him last week and I said he's going on he's becoming the CEO of AJC American Jewish Congress really really American Church committee a really big position excited from there I said you know we're going to miss you in Congress but is your office in Boca staying the same like are we going to still have same access to people because it's Wendy it's Alex it's the people who helped get things done so we're gonna have a chance on shot this morning at the end of davening very brief very quick but to be able to show appreciation retire 12 and a half years representing us our district to thank him and to thank Jill and we're excited for them and their future and what they can do what he can do at the AJC no he's going to do great things I can tell you when AJ had his bar mitzvah I remember he showed up for the bar mitzvah and there were some very prominent people in the room these rabbis that you know we have great people in our community I said to AJ I said you know there's a congressman right now in your apartments he's such a man she like shows up he's great he's a regular guy he's a regular guy before he got to Congress and throughout Congress and I'll never forget flying to Washington actually won in a special election Robert Wexler uh resigned midterm because he went to go take the Helm of uh of a Organization for peace Danny Abraham's organization and there was a special election in Ted one so unlike a regular turnover in Congress where everybody's sworn in together he won a special election so he was sworn in all alone it was a special special day and I flew there and I I'll never forget um because he and I studied the Parsha seeing him he he put his hand on an art scroll Stone and he was sworn in at an art scroll Stone in English in Congress which was really really amazing so he's a wonderful person and again everyone could agree disagree so much so much vociferous conflict now so much going on and I don't know it's like who even wants to see the conversations online they're filled with such Venom and you see their personal and the attacks and their issues you know New York Times had a big story but the Community Education and there's a lot to say in every direction I'm I'm not weighing in not right now probably not ever but people can have conversations without it getting personal in the attacks and so on politics also but it's undeniable that he was very good for our community to our community and on behalf of our community on issues that we really really care about I would say the Forefront particularly Israel so excited to be able to celebrate that I can't I can't wait because I guess when you're speaking he'll be sitting on the bema so we'll be behind the bema I'll be chat I'll be chatting it up with him he was on behind the beach together early early days yeah early days so we're excited for that and of course we're getting ready for Rosh Hashanah I don't think the average person knows you know you come to schulen it's just yeah there's a housing there's a person blowing the chauffeur they're not gonna give a speech but from the United tagging chairs first of all you didn't see tonight because you had another event that you were at but the blue chairs are in the shul blue chairs are in the show we've already yeah yeah yeah so blue chairs are in the shoe and um a lot goes on behind the scenes an enormous amount goes up behind the scenes but you know our job is for everybody to get to shul and and not even notice right now like you're not supposed to notice the Empire at a game if they do their job you don't notice that yeah almost the same thing it's supposed to come to shul and not notice the AC or the wrong chair or the scene if it's smooth and no one noticed all the work that went into it you noticed for ashrae when you sit down and you're like hmm where's that cushion not nearly as comfortable before we bring on our great guest of shalomo cats they're super excited back-to-back weeks of cats is one more cats and we'll talk afterwards about two brothers share some DNA same parents but uh very soon in many ways different than others really excited to have them back to back because each an inspiration in their own way and a lot of overlapping closeness between them but before we do Rabbi Brody tell us about last night was a dream that came true and now we're looking at the Finish Line in June it's actually the end of May and we I think we were able to do something last night which was which which was so special which many of us have hoped for and and I'll just try to frame it before which give me a little bit of a lead in here because I'm too excited but we showed a video from the late great Rabbi Lord Jonathan sacks describing and this is like a chilling moment because he's describing a program we wouldn't be great and he's talking to a federation group but it's not a group doing anything other than sitting and looking learning from him but they're not engaged in anything other than listening and he's talking about wouldn't it be great if you're sitting across the table from another Jew and you could literally reach out your hand and shake the hand of a Jew that's a little bit different than you and and get to know them a dream it's real this is the fantasy this is this can't happen What world would that ever happen well last night ladies and gentlemen after years of hopes and trying and maybe figuring out if this could ever work the plan was simplified in so many ways if I would have told this to you a year ago and Rabbi Goldberg has been so incredible as a guide and as a mentor just helping shape what this can possibly look like because they were very Broad and and bold Ambitions which maybe in in another world would have been possible but not in this world that we're living in but but try to figure out all the all the obstacles and and work around them and finally we said you know what let's come to a neutral space place where no one would say I can't walk into that room let's make sure it's a program which everyone would agree on which means okay I can't listen to that speaker I'm like I listen to this person fine no speakers two Jews different from one another intentionally set up with each other to learn a piece of Torah on octas and last night we said well we could easily pack a room invoke with so many so many people living here but wouldn't it be great to show the leadership of all these places representatives of all these institutions and we said we have you know 35 Shoals and we have seven day schools right now we have all these different organizations and one by one each of them started coming on board to the point where we have a list scrolling list everyone saw it last night a hundred Jewish organizations in our community 200 plus participants at the event I saw on on Facebook today people were saying 350 people I didn't correct anyone that's fine you could say 350 people it's fine but more than 200 people were in this room studying in a peer-to-peer Unity whatever you want to say goal is getting to know one another through Torah that's it not on Zoom not on the phone across the table you can literally reach out and shake the hand of the person across and it was emotional it was very emotional because people didn't want to go home you were assigned to see you wouldn't none of us knew what was happening no one knew no one knew what your collection was a great Testament to you because everybody's faith in you they came not knowing what it was but you were assigned to see you sat down just long tables you're sitting opposite somebody lights went out that Rabbi sax video played you spoke and then the lights came on and it just became a vibrant-based metric of space Yeshiva South Florida APAC jnf reform conservative every every segment and there were no differences in the room and the text was the text that everyone could feel comfortable learning it was good morning text and it was a booklet that was made up easily accessible to everybody and just sat and learned and and you didn't know I know that you this was like the hardest it's harder than sitting at a wedding you put people together who didn't know each other specific perfectly right everyone was sitting across from someone they didn't know right and then they just opened the text and studied with them so Torah is that common language and binded everybody bans everybody together it was an amazing night it was a beautiful view really really special and today I called I don't know probably about 20 different people just to say you know how would you would you think of the event and everyone told me something which I this is the one part that came out of it that no one expected and no one knows this even happened you know I thought people would say okay it was great you know the learning and getting to know someone says they said Josh the person you sent set me up with he said you did you know why I'm like what are you talking about I'm like no I I had some like I'll give you an example like a president of the synagogue with the president of that synagogue great match the khazan of the synagogue with the cousin of that Center a great match you know two people that are funny I know their personalities like like Rachel murzoff with Cindy nimhauser great match right two different organizations two different worlds great in that but everyone said you don't even understand I learned there is something there's some there's a story a connection there was a connection there was a like connection there's only a few degrees of separation between crazy it was a beautiful beautiful night on the other on the other end we're going to talk about where it goes from here because one night one night it's easy to do one night it's not easy at all but one night is one night where does it go from you're really excited on the other end but let's bring in somebody who brings people together shines his light and teaches his Torah somebody is an artist a musician somebody who is a great rev and a teacher uh our dear friend rip a cat oh the healing of the Holier of cavallik to be together I could feel your light and your energy mamish through technology through the internet coming across the ocean it's great to be together thanks for letting us go behind the Beamer with you I'm so happy to be with everybody here thank you it's really really fantastic together so uh so much to talk about and we're really excited to get to get into it um but let's start with ello ello right well who came on even more we just started just now that's I said how you doing and your response was one word so in that one word ELO for you what does that mean right there's the there are the people that Ello is like fear and scared and thunder and lightning and and yira then there's Elle that's love and affection and closeness and connection then there's ello gotta write a dresser I gotta figure out who's La davening at each minion is the ELO love I gotta organize the meals who's making the stuff cabbage so ello the the ELO reaction hello can mean so many things to so many different people what does it mean cats uh other than the stuffed cabbage it just got much more intense for me as you were talking right now so I will um it has to be both I think it has to be there used to be a time where it was cool to say no I will it used to just be about year of a Fahad but now we know I mean you know so it has to be both there's a there's a teaching we've been learning the last few weeks here with that however that speaks about that the devote of evil is to try to attain yeshuvadaspeth about that in order to know what evil is in order to know what the year was in order to go into the New Year let me let me get aligned with tacos where I've been and where I hope to go to and for that one person one must try to attain a level of issue of that of settling your mind down today with the world now it's the hottest word in the circuit which is mindfulness of today's new age however this is something that is a time to hopefully uh tune into a real strong issue of that but in order to do that you need Ethel you need everything that that that's in that so that's a little bit of what I'm feeling at this moment we had a REV Weinberger I think on last year in alola and he spoke about eloh not being that fear and beat yourself up but some of the love and ever since then somebody very close to me sends me makoros all the time trying to show me it is Euro and it is year and it is Europe but obviously even he didn't mean that it's all Avan that's life is that blend in finding so what do you do let us go behind the beam with her cats and and we're going to get to in a moment that you're you're a rub you're a maggot sheer you're a mashed you're teaching so much Torah you're also a musician is it your also a musician are you still a musician is musician included in your being a rebel we'll get to all that but he's also a rabbi right but what is so how does one align themselves how does the routine look different are you sleeping different hours are you learning different topics is your davening transformed is you're eating different how does Ella look different for you wow that's such a big question I hope to answer it as honestly as I'm as I as I would like to right now because it's a really stuck it's a really Stark question um to be honest rev Cooks rough cooks are such over is the guideline for anyone in today's world of premiers to really be in tune with edel and he starts off with chuba gufanet physical chuga so yes I am proud to say I've been going to the gym came out every day and I feel like it's as if I'm uh it's it's like doing steinmaker it's it's just as important as as anything else I feel that more and more I'm sure clauderov that you're in tune with this uh in a very deep way that that has to be part of my ill no matter what even with the sleeping routine my my wife and I have been discussing this book Hashem we have five five precious gems in the house and the one of them is still a vasikan every morning so that makes a little bit difficult to have uh you know longer longer times of sleeping but we're doing even in that area as well because when I sleep better everyone wins push it everyone wins um it still needs more and more help over there um I'll tell you something beautiful from my L for our haburra our heavy here what we did and the day before is each person took two people's names the mother's name their name and their mother's name and we went into ellul knowing that there's two other that's carrying like the iron a kind but not such that each of us know there's at least two people here that every day they're carrying my name on their heart wow I'm gonna do that right now that was uh that was uh that's been I I thought it'd be nice I didn't realize how much that would actually be uh a transforming experience for many of our government so definitely that and the learning uh beginning well I guess here was like design a little we waited till the kids went back to school uh getting back into seder was was very very crucial and I guess it'll lead you to the one of the questions you you said before the choosing of of where music will when and where music will take place this evil is a is a key for my personal truth and that's a lifelong journey that I know it's going to take many more years because I really balance out properly so what what's harder your is it you're a singer you're a composer you're a rough you're you're somebody who teaches Torah which is the are those parts of your identity and conflict are they competing are they aligned and do they complement and and which is the harder which is the hardest one does that change answer this question because this is years of deep he's going to listen to this question you know I never dreamed I never had an aspiration to be a musician it was never something I planned I I never thought I had a good voice I never really took on an instrument fully as like wow this is my weapon but of course I grew up in a home of music so it was always there but I never identified till today but it's weird I know that I am but I don't identify as one when I was 22 when I was 22 years old I was living in Los Angeles and I started getting into teaching by then my brother and I had put out two albums together something was starting to buzz but I know that I I realized at a young age that I have to go and learn I just have to go and get Smith I have to go back home there it's Israel where we where we were we we grew up here and I left at 16 17 and then came back at 22 it was exactly 20 years ago two weeks ago that I came back home I'm 42 now and my dad had to convince my Abba I had to convince me to bring my guitar with me because I I said to him I'm gonna go I'm gonna go learn I'm gonna I'm gonna go and I think that'll be the e-car in today's music was a phase three years it was cute yeah face and I also said to my father how about college like everyone in there it is you know everyone and their sisters playing guitar what's gonna be the kid this year like it's uh you know my father said just take it just take it with you so I took it I put it in my Caravan that Caravan I was because I was living in a caravan and he issued the famous yeshivata muftar under the tutelage of my roshishiva the bravender and under the the uh the name of Yeshua of orator Stone under Rabbi Riskin they should both feel well they should both have a foolish Lamas and many more years of good health and uh they they had tremendous influences I mean maybe we'll get to that later that those fear first few months in erz Israel well I'm we I started smiha we're learning mikvos um we're learning it we're learning because and then with the first year what we're doing after in after tissue what did we go into after Mike Wells I think we went right into Shabbos and I had my heads there but Hashem decided I want to send you a few nigonan and a few Nick William came down I started singing it to a few friends and then the yeshivas started calling and before I knew it this I I I'll never forget this for the rest of my life a root server called one day well I was been between morning and afternoon sailor and they said out of nowhere they just came on and said we have your new song it's out right now I don't know how they got it can you say something we're going to call you back you have two minutes I'm like okay then I started crying at that moment and I set their banished and if this is what you want I'll do it if you want this I'm not gonna I'm not gonna try so hard in this because I don't think that's really where my co-host should be but if you who am I if you want this to Salem and that was the beginning of a very interesting period in life because I realized how much I'm not really a musician because those nigunen those first few negunim that were coming down that year here they they were making their rounds so fast that they were recorded by other very big artists before I was even able to record them I'll give you an example I'm not going to mention names but I'll give you an example like that year or the year after I was invited to The Cask to do the Hask concert and I I just saw it as an opportunity to meet more yet and I didn't understand how in America it's such a it's such a huge deal I didn't get in I'm getting emails from all my friends saying Mazel Tov it's like you know like the Naismith uh Hall of Basketball Hall of Fame induction I didn't understand what this was right and when I got up to sing they gave me two songs they were either and they said just just sing don't talk in between just sing and by yeah I thought the crowd was looking at me wondering why am I singing other people's no songs it's not it's not yours yeah it was um [Music] we just sang that an artist this past Friday night and then I just written um [Music] I had no idea these were your songs yeah there you go that's why I realized that then in there like my my mahalas is not it's probably not going to be this because I'm I can't run after this is crazy this is such a personal intimate gift from their bonus I'm not going to get involved in the whole business side of it but if it is making if it is bringing amkus and if it is connecting me to more Eden how could I have the Hotspot like what kind of what kind of bowel guide is that to say sorry it's not it's not for me I'm above that who could say such a thing and that's what it was like in the beginning but that kufa somehow stretched for much longer I had three years later completed my Sam Smith I thought it was just going to be I didn't know exactly what but I definitely didn't think that the music would basically um I would meet the world you know I would go to Every at a very young age to already be on like every to to sing with hidden and to teach him all over the world and I started to look at it a little bit differently and after a while I realized a few main reasons why it had to happen like that I think one of the main main ones was to meet Revel hamburger sorry I just uh just thinking of him sometimes is um it's my order I mean I think that we're sitting here also mainly due to the gates that um he's open for so many but that's definitely in the Cuda but also because I felt like there was also one of the ways to meet the reborn by meeting that this many of this amount of Eden in in the in the early 80s had a fabrangin in Santa Monica with uh with two uh uh famous singers you may have heard of them uh Robert Zimmerman was one of them Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell a lot of stories about what happened there but my favorite story about what happened there was someone turned to Epsilon and said Rabbi what's your greatest dream so Epsilon is in his Unique Style you know his style he said my greatest dream is to meet and greet every person in the world and Dylan right away says Rabbi that's my greatest nightmare but I think that there's a nikuda that that you get to me you get to meet a Locus you get to meet the Republic by meeting more people and I was still single so traveling it wasn't a problem and I was traveling a lot a lot a lot I was I was I was I was about by you of course and but many many kisses in heaven but that was then today uh life life got in a beautiful way God got sharpened more than over the last few years but I know that what's happening now today it had to happen through if the music there wouldn't be a monster that I'd be as far as I feel that we would have what's going on now and be this what's going on now with this cover huh and this Binion and this movement um had it not been through that so it's conflicting because I I know that you know for some people they they don't know a certain side and some people don't they're meeting me now don't know about what was with with when the music was that but you know I'll tell you something uh uh I'm sorry I'm going on with this answer is this it's my order very deep naked and I mean I've been thinking about this lately I'll tell you a group of story and this will illustrate what my tefila is behind my answer that after the after the market of Miss Rich was Nifty so there was a big commotion it was a gathering somewhere and um they were trying to decide who was going to be the next in line to leadership was Nifty so everyone knows and he said don't worry it's birthday today right right that's right in honor of the Haley good best and the after that because it has to do without their limit to the story so after that after the market was rich was after the balship everyone knows he said don't worry there's a bear in the forest right and everyone knew up said that the market is gonna rain it took one year it's a little story but the market took over after the market was Nifty it wasn't so clear because it really started to open up it started to really develop you had the judicious lady that was Lucia you had the chernobylier and you had remember he had all this today so there was this convention to see who would lead and after a few hours it was very clear unanimously who was going to be the next leader of hasidus who was it it's clear to everybody with Mendel of a task the mild pre-orders the Mendel hears that he's voted unanimously and he runs off to his room at this wherever they were staying and they heard him crying his eyes out in his room for hours and he finally comes out and they asked to remember what what happened this is not a sad day what what's the whole why'd you run off and why is why do you look so shocked so he said like this he said you know up until today I really thought that I was really one of the lowest people in the world but then when I heard all these things he was saying about me I started saying to myself listen these are not these are not cottonless people here that are saying nice things about me could be yeshmy it could be maybe I'm not as low as I thought I was and then I realized that when I get to shemaim No One's Gonna ask me hey Mendel what did Zaman think of you while you were down there in the world think about you they're gonna ask me what do you think of you what did you think about you have the milliona have done this I go with that in my mind a lot when I have to really get out of that that Indian I was like so what is it are you are you this are you that because they're not going to ask me in shamayam do you did you see yourself as a rough or did you see yourself as a musician and um that story gives me a lot of physical to not have to give a definitive answer to a very good question yet one that I think that um that's why I said it's gonna we're gonna keep on answering that question as long as Hashem allows me to teach sing Davin and be with you so just want to follow before everybody jumps in is so so and we're going to get to in a moment your incredible kehila the show that you're building the beautiful difference you're making so as you've pivoted from that Musical tour so you're not on a musical tour anymore and you're not building up a musical brand and you've pivoted to this new do you have to turn off that musical urge is it still playing in the background in your mind is there a Negan that comes to you and you suppress it stop no don't push the Knick and I don't want to hear it or or the music is still obviously music is is a core part of your very nashama and it comes out in those ways but in order to maintain the pivot do you have to turn on is there a knob is something have to be lowered or turned off or it's just how you spend your time and and the second question I know it's a separate question but it connects because going back when you said these these two nagoon the my brother said he never heard of them but of course you heard of them because we all sing them it's like no I said I didn't I didn't know his reps all these tunes that we sing that people don't even know they're from him right you know the same is true with you so so tell us the mechanics how a negative comes to you you sit down with a guitar and you fiddle and you play and then then it came or you're literally like you're sitting there you're you're tapping your fingers the next thing is a nigging like how does that happen and do you have to turn that off from happening while you're right now building this kahila no no no I wouldn't I would yeah there's a Hashem I wouldn't I hope to never turn that off consciously at least then you wouldn't even still come down uh here and there but I never sit down this is a maybe I should but I never ever play guitar not because of not just because there's no real reason I play when I'm when I have to do an event but I don't really maybe because of time I don't know exactly what it is my father always pushes me oh he says that's what he calls me we have a beautiful garden where we live overlooking I am a a beautiful Jerusalem is kind of hiding over there it's like really looking you know south of Bethlehem he said I want you to sit there just just strum away play when I do allow myself sometimes it's beautiful but it's never out in us let's see what could what could come out I don't think like that I never did I personally never did maybe maybe I should have it's just me I never did so I don't suppress God forbid um I just I travel much less I traveled these days only if it's if I really get a sense of Ishmael or if there's students that have developed a relationship over the last few years online I'll get a great example is I was just in Mexico and that was that was incredible I was just in Mexico for it was a whole uh long Shabbos and a few Sundays and a few days Sunday and Monday and packed with Sheila and packed with different events uh that's that's when I when I when I'll go so that changed a lot it was usually like and also Hashem we have like I said before we have five children and four daughters and we had a we had a son about a year and a half ago has this a bit over a year and a half ago and these are the years that um if I can as long as Hashem enables me to just be able to be here I'd do anything easily that's what these years are for right now wow so first of all it's great to speak to you and all of my classmates in jec want to know how did yossi become yossi and every time it comes back to rip cats so the inspiration that you've given him inspires all of us to figure out what is the secret sauce that's going on in that community and you keep hearing everything that you're doing as you continue to have a major success right I'm just wondering when with with your music with the music that that you've composed how important is the lyrics is the lyrics that you're putting into the song is that supposed to teach or no it's it's the music's inspiring whatever you're trying to introduce with the song's introduction or afterwards but the music inspires but it's not or is it no it's so intentional what you're the word you're using I want you to understand this is the message does it get lost sometimes when they come together it's gone Aiden when when the when the words and and the song You You by the way you push you're in a good way you're pushing me towards a touchy area when the words come in with the Negan and you could sense they were meant for each other it's like it's it's gone even it's gone Aiden and when it's not you could hear when it's shoved in to just that's not a that's just music so I I I've never gotten into music I Hope they've only gone into like hopefully try to stay close to uh you know this this thing a world of of Nagina together with finding the right words but it doesn't always come there are few nigone of mine that it took three Guild wool until I realized just drop it just drop the words I have a called Negan of the birds I there was like three different versions of Words so it was alone a few others until I realized I just drop it just just let it just just set it free so sometimes the message can come across so much deeper when it's stripped from the from the hakubalas from the limitations of words I think that's interested does the movement of a niggan moves you to that place that's not confined by the limitations of words but again when the words are there and it meshes it it feels like just a Madness screen on that that is a beautiful moment in time that that that lasts forever so we're going to go there we had a very spirited conversation with your amazing brother etan uh recently about the the role and the impact of of non-jewish music finding its way into nigamum into Jewish music an interesting aside is how your music had an impact on non-jewish music story of harvest to dumb dumb story and techno and that that incredible story I don't know if you want to talk about that for a moment and and your reflection on that and what that was it's pretty wild so that's the opposite direction right but so tell us about that story but then what what are your impressions is is Jewish music lost its heart it's like kite it's it's it's it's something missing are we in danger are we a risk or or do you say actually after after that conversation with with eitan you know my family had I think at other Shabbos tables there were some continued spirited conversation would say look you know the kids crave that and better they find it here with these words with this person than than there so there's a role for that too it's a role for that too I didn't I didn't push back then but you know the guitar talks about how for everything that's awesome in this world there's an equivalent Heather and then it gives you know examples of that so how you know the the cow's utter is like and uh you know all these examples so maybe that's there's there's a there's a yet Sahara for that non-kosher taste so there's a kosher version of it kosher version of it of it so tell us the Harvest the Dum Dum story and then what are your impressions on this two sides of looking at the impact of non-jourish music and Jewish okay okay so harvested the harvested on them is I don't even know where this story came from but I I was getting so many questions about it that I finally put together as much as I could to try to explain what this story is of a a Negan written by one of them of the biggest influences on my life um not just musically but in a panini way a Negan of Mikhail Shapiro called The Harvest Negan uh in fact just texted me this morning they sent me they just recorded that track on their new album with words that it sounds so beautiful so that's going to be out also in the world this track it's a beautiful we recorded it on the Only You album that we put out with ish cradish a few years ago where Everlasting Love was on and that that whole beautiful Moment In Time and I sang it in the beginning of a sheer that I gave on the topic of live a few years ago in someone in one of my dear khabarian's house here as you as you can see in this video out of nowhere and I have no idea who these people are and I have no idea for my life if they're even hidden or how they got this track they found it intriguing that some guy that looks like me is chuckling singing in again they took that they tracked it it's hard for me to even describe what they did with it you know we'll have to send the link because it's such a crazy yeah we'll post a link this story this song um has reached by now I say this because of another piece of information I didn't even share it online Millions because it also became a commercial for I don't know if it's toothpaste shampoo or a drink I can't tell with these Spanish uh commercials but that had 12 million views um it exploded so sometimes Hashem says you can think whatever you're doing you're a bus where you want to go I sometimes need things to go wherever there's nothing to do with you I just don't you know get out of the way let's not spun that way I'll go to that spot this way now taking from taking from that and going in one of the greatest in influences on my on my field of music is Neil Young William Rocking In The Free Will anyone that knows any of his music can hear it and anything that I play it's it's just there you know I I it's just there there's nothing I can do about it it's just there but I never got caught up with him I never got caught up with whatever that it represented some kind of hush in his Nagina then I feel like I I I very much talked to me and I was eight and the way my fingers work on the guitar and the neck is just very natural it's nothing I had to work on I didn't sit there and look at his fingers or read chord charts to see how to play it was just a whoosh it was just there now the difference in my humble opinion between the spa of of the non-jewish music scene on Jewish music is very different between aretz Israel and America very different because what's happening in Earth Israel is that no one is singing Love Songs anymore even the biggest singers first of all half of them have done chuva like literal and even those that aren't considered like living you know horadical lives either because they know what cells and immuno cells today and Moana cells today cells and when I'm speaking to the hearts today so if you want to do if you want to get into L this is like a crazy thing to say go to almost any big concert that's going on right now in there it's Israel you'll walk home with here for a true huge here hooray children whether it's truly Rand whether it's isharibo whether it's not tangoshin whether it's Aviator whether it's across the board whether it's Amir I don't know if you know any I'm sure you know some of these names so the chuva has the the and with Cooks be spoke about this so clearly in the beginning of the 20th century how this is gonna happen Shiva has got to infiltrate through the Arts it doesn't mean that it's going to start to sound like but what I think it means is that it's going to drive the shama of the year to the same place that the Negan drove and that's happening and it's that that's here and it can only happen here obviously in my asserted that's just this is the bachelor it can only happen here this Mahala what we're speaking about um so that that when I say the sound and now you may listen to them and say it doesn't sound Jewish and that yesterday you have to go deeper into defining what Jewish sounds I guess one of the greatest examples for me is like this what's considered something holy he said holy is something that if while you're doing it you feel like you could do it forever that's probably something Kurdish a year if he's doing something that's not so proper then he won't feel like it's holy because he'll know that even if this is feels good because it's not going to last it's gonna it's gonna it's gonna go away so I think that if we stop and listen to a lot of the beats that are coming out from different places and it's really not hearing energy so this is really not it's not centered here I think you'll see it's like it's it's a good high for a few minutes of adrenaline it's not it it's not a big adult it's not it and cool I'm moving everyone's trying to do their best and especially when you see a crowd get riled up by something you do why would you think to stop it but it it takes the you know I I work on this all the time it takes their vote of never getting caught up with what seems to be working outside unless it's I don't know how to say that in English before I like um clear it's uh yeah sifted through you like it's gone through a process of like this feels and sounds clean some people are more sensitive to this than others so that's my little Spiel on that without getting too immersed in in the definitely not into individuals because I really believe kulama moving in other things but I think it's is the captain of this ship there's Weinberg the captain of many ships but definitely this ship of the premius of a Jewish music is and to do it best simcha to spread that message with simcha and with no fear with no fear but the revolution is happening here did you ever did you ever meet rip you're one of the biggest ambassadors of his Torah today publishing and organizing my cousin Drew I know has worked with you some of this incredible work hey look at Drew so did you ever actually meet and and if not even if yes how did you how were you introduced to to his world and and why does it do something so special for you I saw him once or twice as a little kid in Los Angeles I was 14 when he was nifting he was Nifty in 1994 it's going to be 28 years this location I was at his funeral I was NYU went to that went to the west side it was drizzling it was raining we stood in the street we sang the Gundam wow it's a big excuse um I I know these are certain things you don't choose I don't think this was a choice yeah when it was right when he was Nifty right after he was Nifty it was 14. and the story is that we were living in ranana back then and we had made Aliyah from Los Angeles in 89 this is 94 this is five years later and um living in ranana and like I said music was always part of the house because of my father and uh he would always put my brother and I up on stages and ah music also as a kid I had a rabbit from Sesame Street who who was basically convinced he was the big Pusher for my first instrument I grew up on violin because of Moreno the haliger he would go up on Sesame Street and he would play his violin and that was my first clip from three to eleven actually it was that was the Indian I lost the violin at 11 I realized it's probably I mean it didn't seem so cool to play violin at 13 and it's kind of dropped it but I could probably still figure it out a little bit anyway um this kid moves into my school in ranana this kid that lived in neighboring hurt Sylvia strange kid didn't we couldn't figure out what this deal is he wore like a big keeper none of us were big Keepers back then and he had weird things coming out of the sides of his ears none of us had those things from the sides of the ears back then either but what was most intriguing is that this kid stayed in school during recess and um I've always been in Brooklyn being social is a very it's a very natural thing for me it's not like uh I really work on itself and actually went up to him one day and I said to him like invited him to come play ball with us and um he said no no thank you and this happened a few days in a row I finally said we would sit with earphones on all the time finally asked him like why don't you want to come outside with us what are you listening to it's keeping you in here all the time he says are you sure you want to know I said yeah I really I would like to know and he put you put those earphones on my ear and um [Music] for reasons I'll never be able to understand I knew at that moment that this is gonna probably be the mahalak of life and I was 14. I don't know I don't understand all I know is that whatever this was I wanted more of but after pretty short while I realized what intrigued me much more than the songs with what was happening between the songs in fact it's kind of how I got married because my wife she had someone rather one of the Yeshiva buffers that would eat meals in her home in matisyaldi loaded her iPod that what it was called iPod the first thing right now the iPod I'm getting yeah with a bunch of of uh music and one of these long music and my my wife was the Shamus she was she was little to be the Shamus of rabbits in scheinberg and um she would go and take care of her and usual I'm in mathisdorf and um one day while she's on the bus she's listening to he he named him by him days are coming where I happen to be teaching um and that's where I met her during a year so which one was the shotgun it's uh yeah yeah Amazon and so yeah so that and then I just started writing from the age of 17 I just started I realized this is my turn this is what this is what Tash about pen probably will will meet the closest experience I'll have to to feeling as fabulous to touch about pan from a personal perspective and I started writing down every word that I heard him say and I will say that at that age right then we moved to Los Angeles right around then 16 years old and I was so into this but we had to move back looking there was someone that took me under his wings when I was 16 years old my father became the cousin of Beth Jacob in Los Angeles and on Shabbos we heard banging coming from downstairs I went and peeked to see what was going on downstairs and I found some soul brothers specifically one who took me under his wing and introduced me to many worlds that are very very close to to everything that I do right now and that is Stewie that's Stewart wax wow for the first time you got me my first um Pierce on the kutiman for the first time and many many other firsts of bikunan in my life were from him so that's in a nutshell how that that loves doing it's there is a gift to the world is a gift to our community he's light he's holy he's he's great we love him and he signed Mike Silva oh yeah wow yeah All-Star team yeah I'm abroading amazing yeah I'm just wondering I I see the the name of your your shul shirat David was it supposed to be shirat but then your name and then you can't you can't name the sure you know it's interesting there is a shoe at and if wrath actually what we call the irate yeah on the other side uh that was one of the first Charmin young that started when he was still alive I think so what do you do differently in your school that makes it so unique there's something so special going on there that people are drawn to it what's going on what can we learn from that it's a bunch of people that feel so blessed to be part of something that is of historic and biblical weight not weight but of a Biblical reference we are we are living between yuslim and hefron we we grew up in Cleveland Detroit Los Angeles Florida Australia Denver Hashem Hashem made it for us that he said listen there's going to be a group of they're going to love each other enough to build something that that is needed that's needed that's the key word here and there's a fire burning here and it is something that isn't taken for granted and it's a work you know we say that his skin his skin we say by the brother right by Asana so people think that means an everlasting building that means that there are certain marriages that they're Everlasting and every anniversary they just celebrate the fact they didn't get divorced during in BRS it's been it's never no stagnancy it's the whole world sees it em and by us because it's also on the land that avram Yitzhak and Jacob and Leia buzz and rules this all happened it's not like maybe it it's where I'm sitting right now I'm 30 seconds on the show it could very well be that when it says because you could see how it bias from exactly where I'm still sitting it could be that that's that that happened here that we're very conscious of that wow we're very conscious of that and it's a group of it's a group of action and really move actions the women here have have been the greatest inspiration of like right now my wife where are they right now all the women it's oh it's of course they haven't they have their favorite they're buying you know one of the women because of course it's not like oh are we gonna do something instead this is what we do the women and men learn every day we go on trips whether it's throughout the throughout here and many trips we've done to Ukraine there's there's a sense of kehila that's here and more than anything it's it's needed and it's humbling it is it is so humbling to be part of this if Weinberger has held my hand every step of this way when when we were trying to figure out when I was trying to figure out let's go back to the initial question music or this uh or other options and opportunities so Debbie told me he said you know one of the greatest things a person can do in this life if is if they end up doing what they actually want to do in this world what's even greater is if they end up doing what's needed but gun Aiden is when they're both the same is if what you want to do is actually what's needed and you end up doing that I feel a lot of the sevra here are living that matsius and if someone once asked me do you think do you do crab a Friday night I don't even know what that question means anymore what does that even mean do you have a Karbach minion I don't understand what that means not even you know what's funny I I'm most of the time for this first seanary Shona that we're in our opinion I'm hot on Friday night I think maybe on the yard side I actually did the actualness like he did because you have to be misconished but he's already in the massage even if it's new it doesn't matter it's he's in it it's like any any achron that ever wrote anything right that ever wrote anything even if he doesn't quote Rashi okay if he doesn't quote it's there and my last thought it's it's part of the Church of the Missouri right so of course it's there but it's not about that it's it's about something else that's going on here and it has to do with erity so it has to do with erits and it's a conscious it's a that's the word we keep on coming back to to live with that consciously it puts things into perspective they're just the gifts and the kale is growing and it is because I've been thinking about this for 10 years day and night and there is Israel he he Lots like you have by you is not so common it's not found so much and it's also the reason and I say this with f with a lot of year of a package right now but with trust that anyone that hears me remember what Paul Simon said man here's what he wants to hear and disregards the rest so I'm going to say this very clearly there's a lot there's a legitimate reason that many of them won't make that move to Earth Israel and it's because the the spiritual comfort not the physical comfort talk about the realistic of action the spiritual comfort that is presented before them justifiably and I say this but I'm not justifiably to to a large extent keeps them where they are and I get that I have I have conversations like this what I'm talking about I'm not going to say every day but at least two or three times a week with families that are that were in talks with to try to you know that that are coming or that have come and are trying to make it here major shift so what we've what we've built here what Hashem has allowed us to build here is to take that legitimate concern and say I'm sorry that just that excuse won't work not now it's a holy excuse it's a very holy excuse but as holy as it is it's still an excuse I look at the schedule of the showroom you're giving in in shirat David I thought I gave a lot of shiram awake Sunday Monday Wednesday Thursday Friday Shabba it's unbelievable what you're the light that you're you're sending out and it's really really incredible you've been very generous with your time want to go to a little bit of a lightning round as we uh start to head down to talk to us about the yamana ram in addition to being the rub of the kahila talk about the uh favorite anything that jumps out at you that you look forward to you count down towards is there that Pia that when you hit it is it is there something that is something that jumps off that you oh that's my pee it that's when I'm on fire yeah [Music] it's it's not just me there's something happens to everyone and the explosion goes without a shadow of a doubt huge huge um use your only gunum in the Daven probably I say that because as much as I prepare sometimes it's just you could prepare anything but if something else is going on in the room you just envato to it so I think do you ever prepare maybe even make a note in the boxer to use this niggan and then your mind goes blank you get to that theater you get to that place and you're like I I can't I can't by the way I'm you're that doesn't happen that's the difference between like guys like me like this that not like that's like a Shabbos table you tell you what I feel like you know that and I love how did it go again how does it start again and that's the difference in someone who leads dominating it does that doesn't happen here yeah I'll say yes to make people feel more yeah but it doesn't use is there a favorite eitan cats Negan that you have yeah of course definitely he knows them yeah yeah he knows give us give us give us one second yeah I don't feel like mine or his isn't mine it's not uh it's the same favorite favorite casting again the next one the next one I'm gonna debut here I love that answer I love that answer is there is there a part of davening that um don't introduce a Negan would you sing the nigging for okay that's a good question but the Kayla sings it but but I go over afterwards of course there's moment you can't mess around with it first sing it and then and then you'll yeah yeah I'm a son of a cousin like we grew up with rosenblatters and our strings in our blood the enemy uh and I know that there's a lot of cover that they got more into like more some kind of like a kind of style of davening but you can't mess with Nissan it's not just my opinion was very very much right right right yeah that's how I get ready by the way the YouTube while I'm writing that's just playing on a loop on a loop that's beautiful absolutely amazing we could talk for hours and hours and we will the mits Hashem in a frat and you shall I am we'll sing your songs and everyone else's we wish thank you for inspiring our hello going behind the bhima really so much to think about and and you're such a source of light and of inspiration and whichever direction you pivot share it all because we need it all and we're and we're super grateful for it all um thank you so much may it be that all our other right in front of our eyes these are two normal cats hard not to be inspired of the sweetness of his voice and his gentle souls and the Shema it's like wow another world he's not putting out a performance some people are are poor or cheap imitations of rib or others and someone are just genuine if they're nashama that shines through and I think he's the latter I love it you know I didn't know that most of the songs that I've I've listened to in the last I'd say 20 years are actually from him and his brother I had no idea yeah I really didn't know that I started listening to his brother now I'm gonna start listening to him it's like speaking another language a little bit you know if you don't know and I don't know what it's like to compose a niggan right I don't know what that means it comes to you and then you play with it and then it evolves and then you then you have it you know I can barely remember to sing the tunes that I already know and love that's why he looked at me like I was crazy I was like you ever mark off your monster then you draw a blank on what that is so funny I'll tell you last week I was at Hillel at FAU and we're doing like a pre-shabbas they wanted to do like a traditional service and I'm telling you like I tried doing like a Karma throwing a new one in I knew it was a mistake and you know like there's like three Kabbalah Shabbos tunes for like the six yeah right so I thought the first one I totally botched like I just I couldn't figure out the tune I just totally I blanked get to the next one which I love but I'm pretty sure I sang it to the wrong paragraph like to the wrong chapter okay what happens and I just but I went with it I just I like it happens I just kept tell us let's wrap up I uh first of all before we wrap up actually so what are your Reflections what was your favorite part of that conversation and how do you compare oh they're so different I think I know like we introduced I was saying there's so much that's that's different and so much the same but I I feel like there's a there's a lot of differences and I love them both the one thing that he said that that really touched me was it like resonated you know you take a look back and you'll see like it's like magic I couldn't stop smiling he said you know you always hear this I think Homie used to say this to us all the time you know you you find what you love doing and you never work a day in your life right but he took it to the next level where he's like when you find your purpose and that matches up with what you do and you love now it's like it's not just what you work at it's right it actually links up with what you think your purpose is and I think as we get older we kind of hope that we we're finding that so I love that image yeah yeah it was our dear friend Matthew hockerman Matthews the father of blessed memories to say if you love what you do never work a day in your life well so we're gonna get Matthew in behind the Beamer one day absolutely yeah I do I I think that you and I feel that way we're passionate we love what we do it's the difference between a job and a calling and if you feel like you're making a contribution what you're doing is a calling then it's not a job it's not work it can you don't have to love every aspect of it it can be tiring and exhausting but um but you love what you do but I think I think the tiring and exhausting and all the meetings and all the the nonsense that you have to put up with is really just like the Yates way of trying to distract you and trying to knock you off your game and just just you know plow right through that because I'm like I'm not stopping and neither I just wrote an article about Elon Musk and Tesla Fame he has a policy at Tesla he hates meetings he thinks they're terribly unproductive so he has a policy company-wide policy if you're at a meeting and you feel you're no longer needed you're no longer contributing it's not important for you to be there you should get up and walk out so if you're on a zoom just exit if you're in a room with people and it's a meeting that you say I don't really need to be here I'm not contributing I get yeah get up and walk out and like if you have a meeting and it wasn't necessary you're in trouble right not that if you don't show to the meeting you're in trouble if you have a meeting it wasn't as sorry you're in trouble it's an interesting philosophy about moving yeah very different they complement each other they're also very same they're both heartsacked they both have that same same authenticity and genuinousness and heart and love but you know hashgraphically different and we love that we love the shipment right we love Shivam to music upon them to to teaching and inspiration and that was a great conversation close this out by telling us what's next so last night incredible event proved that 200 different people could sit and learn with one another where does that does it die in the around the table where does it go now the work just Begins the the high holidays right we're about to about to descend on us right after that simple Torah we're about to launch a six-part series which will lead us into Hanukkah and the idea is that in six lessons or sessions whatever you want to say you're having with someone else on a weekly basis there could be a session of lunch and learns there could be a session of evening programs let's say every Monday or every Tuesday night and hopefully by the end of that successions you actually have found a new friend someone that you never would have anticipated and then you'll get get together for Hanukkah you'll light up a candle together and amazing I love it that is it and can I just say one thing and I hope you maybe you'll add on to this because I think you told me something special from Russell levation this morning the name of the program which wouldn't even tell anyone it's called I'm one I'm like I'm Israel right the nation the people and we should just be a nation that's one come back together and you said that um is also you're a nation when you act with the other person when you are together when you are together I um I didn't share earlier I wish I had but uh complimenting behind the we're starting a new project let's do the therapist in Boca and I you know there's an explosion of mental health challenges around the world right now and in our community and one of the biggest challenges with it is the stigma the shame the Shanda around it and the way that we get rid of that is to talk about it so we are having a program is the Saturday night Priestly it was 9 30 p.m you can find it on YouTube on on YouTube from Goldberg it's called out of the Shadows dealing with mental health we have on Dr Blumenthal Dr pelkovitz Rachel tuckman Ellie Chevrolet four real All-Stars in the mental health area mental health space talking about there's an introduction overview of mental health issues in the uh in the Orthodox community and then each episode will focus on a different Mental Health Challenge anxiety depression bring out an expert we'll bring on people who are struggling with it what they've learned and lessons that we can take away and I'm really excited hopefully that makes a difference to get people talking about it take away the stigma to have people come out of the shadows and that's how we can hopefully move the needle on this in a meaningful way so you're moving the needle on Jewish Unity called M1 we don't even care right try to move the needle and Out of the Shadows you can find that in a podcast player after this Saturday night after this Shabbos and you could find it on YouTube so so streaming 9 premiering 9 30 on Motors before it's a good productive use of the evening hopefully people will take advantage so excited about Brody always great conversation always great to be together and spend time together until next time next week we got a big guest next week big big really big yesterday very exciting guest and uh not not fully confirmed but hopefully it's going to work out and uh hmm they guess can't wait to find out I'm excited just everyone out there knows like I don't get to find out in advance episode don't forget get garish married if you've got an idea for him let us know whoever uh we'll eat well the great chef and they will be loved and taken care of he's such a great heart yeah so it's always great to be together until next time stay happy stay healthy stay holy