Fifteen years ago, I set the vision for my future
Backstory:
To explain why I’m spearheading this new column, let’s back up 15 years: I’m in yeshivah, on a high from learning. Looking ahead, I envision myself harmoniously balancing Torah and business, growing continuously in both. I’m not sure in which industry I’ll find my niche, but I’m hoping I’ll have a successful career. When it comes to Torah, though, I have pretty clear picture of what I want to accomplish: teach a daf yomi shiur, inspire unaffiliated Jews, host guests for Shabbos, attend minyanim regularly, and have a big, happy family.
Sounds simple enough, right?
After yeshivah, I worked for several kiruv organizations all over the world, including the Ronald Lauder Foundation in Europe, Counterpoint in Australia, and NCSY in Canada. Those were exhilarating, fun, and meaningful; and while I was busy, I was still able to juggle my various responsibilities.
I was blessed to meet Melanie, my wife, eight years ago. She shares my vision and passion, and in 2012, we moved to Eretz Yisrael, where we began teaching at a kiruv program at Bar-Ilan University. I also enrolled in Tel Aviv University’s MBA program. While there, I interned as a management consultant at Deloitte, a professional-services firm, before pivoting into business-development roles for Israeli startups. I also started teaching a daf yomi shiur for young professionals in a suburb of Tel Aviv. Melanie and I were living our dream, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to balance it all.
We moved to Ramat Beit Shemesh to join a vibrant community with schools for our three children, and I started to teach my new shul’s daf yomi shiur (that shiur is still active). I published my first book, The Gift of Stuttering. Since then, I’ve spoken for numerous shuls and organizations around the world about my story, focusing on embracing life’s challenges and leading a meaningful life as a result of adversity. I also started producing short videos for Aish.com.
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