Nachi Gordon sits down with Ben Brafman, one of the most well known criminal defense attorneys in the country and a proud frum Jew. Ben opens up about sitting with clients at the worst moments of their lives, why he says he's "not the morality police," the Otisville visiting day he can never forget, and the hardest conversation of his career, with Super Bowl champion Plaxico Burress. They also get into the pressures and shortcuts that lead good people into serious crimes, the damage lashon hara does in our community, keeping Shabbos while representing Sean Combs, and the Brafman family legacy, from the Torah his father saved on Kristallnacht to the lives his brother, Rabbi Aron Brafman, changed at Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. This episode is sponsored by: ► PZ Deals Never pay full price again when you download the PZ Deals app. https://app.pz.deals/install/mpp _________________ ► Colel Chabad Pushka App The easiest way to give Tzedaka. https://pushkapp.cc/meaningful _________________ ► Touro Serious about your education and your Torah learning? Touro's Lander College for Men/Beis Medrash L'Talmud offers over 20 majors and pre-professional tracks, including finance, computer science, accounting, biology, psychology, pre-law, pre-dental and pre-med, plus honors pathways into New York Medical College and Touro College of Dental Medicine. Join the Open House on November 8. https://lcm.touro.edu/openhouse _________________ ► Ceremian Financial Advice built on experience. Moshe Alpert and Ceremian Financial are fiduciary financial advisors offering wealth management, financial planning, retirement planning, and estate and legacy planning for families, professionals and business owners, so you can have real peace of mind that your finances are taken care of. Schedule your first conversation today. https://ceremianfinancial.com/ Moshe@ceremianfinancial.com 718-644-1594 _________________ ► Town Appliance Visit the website or message them on WhatsApp. https://www.townappliance.com https://bit.ly/Townappliance_whatsapp Timestamps: 0:00 Intro: "I'm Not the Morality Police" 3:29 Ben Brafman on Talking Clients Out of Suicide and an Affinity Fraud in Shul 6:25 No Mussar and No Shortcuts: The Hard Work Behind the Job 8:31 His Father, Kristallnacht, and the Torah Saved From a Burning Shul 9:39 Law School, Stand-Up Comedy, and Humor in the Courtroom 11:46 What Gets Frum Business People in Trouble 13:26 Otisville Visiting Day: "Tatti, Kum Aheim" 16:28 COVID Loans, False Applications, and Federal Sentencing 20:34 Mesira, Cooperating With the Government, and Pardons for Sale 24:34 The Chesed of the Jewish Community and Hospital Shabbos Rooms 28:26 Lashon Hara: "Be Like Ben" 31:26 Yiddishkeit vs. Career: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and a "Heart Surgery" 35:30 Making a Name: In the Zone and No Summers Off 37:58 The Hardest Conversation: Plaxico Burress 41:40 How Do You Defend Someone You Think Belongs in Jail? 43:26 Smicha Is Not a PhD: Kollel, Financial Pressure, and the Cheder in Ramat Eshkol 48:42 The Art of Cross-Examination and the Evidence You Can't Cross-Examine 54:22 No Shortcuts to Success, and Lawyers Burned by AI 56:03 Not Picking Up on Shabbos for Sean Combs 1:01:18 The Mafia Cops Case That Should Be a Movie 1:05:36 Best and Worst Advice, and Learning Daf Yomi 1:09:26 Ben and His Brother, Rabbi Aron Brafman 1:15:50 Sullivan & Cromwell and Frum Lawyers in Big Law 1:18:08 Closing and Meaningful Minute Plus
