Special edition: Over Shabbos, Rav Itamar Schwartz zt"l, author of Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh, passed away at 50. This episode opens with a short hesped from Ben Hoffer, who flew to Eretz Yisrael to join the shiva. Then, the full interview. Ben Hoffer is a general counsel, a community builder in Springfield, NJ, and a member of the Jewish Agency's board of governors. He has two goals: Dveikus BaShem and Achdus Klal Yisrael. Here he explains why they're really one goal, and what it looks like to chase both with a full-time job. We talk about: - Why an Ohev Hashem can't exist without an Ohev Yisrael - Kineh Chaver after yeshiva, and why a Rebbe and a chevra matter more once life gets busy - Anchoring your week around Shabbos - In-house vs. big law, and what work-life balance actually takes - Sitting at the Jewish Agency's unity table as an Orthodox Jew - Having the spine to be different - The Asher Yatzar story with his coworker - Lightning round: Friday night, a favorite sefer, and an alternate career Timestamps 00:00 Cold open 00:53 Special Edition: Remembering Rav Itamar Schwartz zt"l 07:29 A story from the shiva 09:29 Main interview: Ben's two goals 10:12 Bayonne, Springfield, and a family that grew together 15:23 Yeshiva and Kineh Chaver 18:34 Building a chevra when life gets busy 22:44 Becoming a lawyer 27:25 A day in Ben's schedule 30:54 Dveikus, Achdus, and the Jewish Agency 38:57 The spine to be different 43:39 The Asher Yatzar story 45:44 Lightning round Shtark Tank is a podcast for the challenges and opportunities of being a mentor in the workforce. Subscribe on Substack for more: shtarktank.org

Don't miss out on exclusive bonus content, as well as special offers and initiatives. Join the Shtark Tank Quiet Whatsapp Group today, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Has Shtark Tank made even a small impact on your life? Email me at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected] ⁠⁠⁠with feedback, questions, comments. To order Ben Torah for Life, by Rav Aaaron Lopiansky, click here This episode is sponsored by Virtual Halacha Program. Go to ⁠vhalacha.com⁠ for more info on their unique program tailored for serious Bnei Torah in the workforce. Overview: The conversation with Rav Aaron Lopiansky explores the emotions and challenges faced by individuals transitioning from yeshiva to the workforce. It also touches on historical precedents and the unique challenges faced by the current generation. Rav Lopiansky emphasizes the need for personal guidance and finding a community that aligns with one's values. He also discusses strategies for balancing time and commitments, as well as the importance of finding the right approach to Talmud Torah. The conversation concludes with a discussion on how to maintain a healthy relationship with one's yeshiva experience and the importance of cherishing the memories and values learned during that time. Bio: Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky is Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva of Greater Washington – Tiferes Gedaliah, accepting the position in July of 2014. He studied and received rabbinic ordination from the Mir Yeshiva of Jerusalem. In Israel, Rabbi Lopiansky taught at Aish HaTorah from 1983-1990, and then taught at the Mir for five years before assuming the post of Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva Gedolah of YGW in 1995. Rabbi Lopiansky is a prolific author, having written more than 20 seforim on various topics.

New beginnings are hard. Shtark Tank went live at Yeshiva University Israel in Beit Vagan, recording in front of a room full of YU summer interns spending their summer working in Israel. The theme: new beginnings and transitions, and what it actually takes to navigate them. Part 1 is a panel conversation with threeShtark Tank All-Stars, who have each made their own version of the leap from the beit midrash to the workforce. Rabbi Reuven Berman is a rebbe, business owner, and CEO of Kobe IP. Zevi Reinitz is a founder, marketing executive, and author of 14 Sefarim. Moshe Rapps is a client advisor at Bernstein Private Wealth Management, an EMT, a podcaster, and a baseball coach. Together they get into the unwritten rules of workplace communication that no one teaches you, how to stay true to your values without wearing them like armor, why relationships are the only career asset that compounds forever, and what it really means to reinvent yourself when the world is moving faster than your LinkedIn profile. In Part 2, Shaun Regenbaum joins the conversation. Shaun is a PhD candidate at Hebrew University in bioengineering, founder and CEO of PropheX, and one of the more fascinating people you'll hear on this show. He built a Talmud lab in the middle of Georgia Tech, started his first company as an undergrad out of pure necessity, and has been quietly building one of the most interesting Torah and AI projects around at Talmud.dev. Shaun talks about what entrepreneurship actually feels like from the inside, why he doesn't recommend it for everyone, how he navigated being the only shomer Shabbat Jew at a major research university, and where he sees Torah and technology heading. Recorded live. Real audience. Real questions.

Teddy Berman grew up in the Syrian community in Flatbush, went to college, worked in finance — and then got the itch. Almost ten years of learning later, he's back in the driver's seat, building a family in Yerushalayim and trying to figure out what comes next. In this bonus episode, Teddy reaches out with the questions a lot of guys have but don't always get to ask directly: How do I balance parnasa with a serious morning seder? Is the dream of American hours realistic? Does it matter if I'm a working person or a mashpia by the bima? And how do I even figure out what I'm cut out for? We get into all of it — including the recruiter who laughed in my face, why Rav Yonasan Sacks's career advice puzzled me as a bochur in KBY, and why knowing yourself is the most underrated job search tool there is. Also: what Aliyah really means for your community, your nusach, and your kids — and why "choosing a box" might be the wrong frame entirely. If you're somewhere between the beis medrash and the boardroom, this one's for you. Topics covered:Hishtadlus, bitachon, and the Ramban on going to warAhavat melacha — what Chazal actually say about loving your workSoft skills vs. marketable skills: the honest breakdownUsing AI for career self-reflection (Teddy's been doing it)Building community in Eretz Yisrael as an Anglo olehDati Leumi vs. Haredi — more nuance than you think

One year ago, Alec Kremins got fired. Same week he found out his wife was pregnant with their first child. He had a choice: go find another stable job, or bet on himself. He went all in. Alec built his career at Ramp (now valued near $40B) before making Aliyah and eventually going out on his own. In this episode we get into why he tells most people not to start a company, even though it was the right call for him. We cover:The day he got let go, and the decision that followedWhy he thinks life is about meaning, not comfort, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe story about the "contract" nobody signed promising an easy lifeThe Histadlus/Bitachon dance and why it gets a lot harder when you're working for yourselfWhether your work should be part of your identity, or just what funds itA surprising parallel between starting a company and childbirth (his words, not ours)Why he actively discourages most people from starting their own thingBuilding a personal brand without losing your Shabbos, your learning, or your sanity to the algorithmWhere AI actually fits in content creation, and where it doesn't touch the core at all Alec Kremins is the founder of RallyUp. You can find him on LinkedIn.

What happens after the fire of yeshiva goes out? This week I'm sharing an episode from Torat JLIC, a podcast I love, one that takes the complexity of modern life seriously instead of talking around it. The guest for this episode is Rav Uri Lorkis, who just wrapped a few years as JLIC rabbi in Michigan and now works as a startup coach. We dig into the real transition every yeshiva guy faces: how do you carry that intensity into the next stage of life, when the schedule, the chavrusas, and the structure are gone? Beyond the practical adjustments is a deeper crisis: Is it possible to live up to our values? Or will the daily grind dictate our agenda? Rav Uri brings some sharp, honest insight. Make sure to check out the Torat JLIC feed for more great content!

Subscribe to our newsletter at Shtarktank.org Rav Hershel Schachter addresses one of the most persistent tensions in the frum professional world: does the ben Torah at work matter as much as the one in the beis medrash? Recorded live in partnership with the OU Israel Business Professionals Network, this episode includes the full shiur plus a Q&A. What's covered:Why Klal Yisrael needs doctors, lawyers, engineers, and businessmen just as much as it needs roshei yeshiva, and why the "learning is more important" mindset is a distortion, not a Torah valueThe little-known letter from Rav Elya Meir Bloch on why the religious world can't afford to run from Zionism, Tanach, or IvritA Q&A covering how much work is enough, whether a rabbi should be wealthy, balancing communal obligations against raising your own children, and a practical seder for using limited learning time (starting with Kitzur Shulchan Aruch)Why Rav Schachter has spent 30 years teaching high schoolers at NCSY Kollel, and what he sees in that generation

Emotional support at the end of life. Thorny halachic questions about scientific medical breakthoughs. AI and the end of work. These are all part of the Rabbi Jason Wiener's daily routine. Rabbi Wiener is the senior rabbi and executive director of spiritual care at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles. In this episode we cover:What a healthcare chaplain actually does, and how Rabbi Wiener fell into the role with almost no trainingThe hardest moments of sitting with grieving families, including an uplifting story that took nearly 20 years to find its endingHow Torah sources think about medical breakthroughs like CRISPR and GLP-1 drugsHis essay on AI and the end of work: if a machine takes your job, does it take your identity too? Find more from Rabbi Wiener at rabbiweiner.com, on YUTorah, on LinkedIn, or on Instagram at @rabbi JW. Sign up for our newsletter to recieve unfiltered takes on work, Torah, family and more. Go to ShtarkTank.org and subscribe today.