Your son has just finished a year learning in Eretz Yisrael, or perhaps in a beis medrash closer to home, a time when he should be thinking seriously about the direction of his life: future learning, a career, marriage. Yet so many young men have no idea how to go about taking those next steps. How can we encourage today’s young people to be resourceful in preparing them for the successful “launch” to the next phase of life? How can a bochur discover who he is, in addition to his role as a talmid? Certainly, those who wish to continue learning should be encouraged to do so, but what about those who don’t see the beis medrash as their long-term goal — how do they navigate the next few years?
We’ve brought together four experts to discuss the challenges confronting the young men of our communities and how they can create a road map to guide their future
Rabbi Yosef Sonnenschein
is the menahel of Touro’s Lander College for Men Beis Medrash L’Talmud and the rav of K’hal B’nai Shalom in Waterbury and Camp Shoresh.
Rabbi Donny Frank
is a marriage and family therapist in a private practice and works extensively with young men moving into adult life. He is the author of How Can I Change, for Heaven’s Sake? and the soon to be released, The Making of a Dynamic Duo.
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Pirutinsky
is a Lakewood-based clinical psychologist on staff at CHEMED and a professor at the Touro University Graduate School of Social Work.
Rabbi Dr. Benzion Twerski
is a Brooklyn-based clinical psychologist who works with couples and young people, and the son of Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski a”h.
