The Shtender Podcast

Amplify
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Judaism

Every Sefer Belongs on the Shtender. The Shtender is where sefarim come to life. In each episode, leading seforim expert and writer R' Shlomie Silverman of Judaica Plaza's world renowned seforim department sits down with mechabrei sefarim for an in-depth conversation about the sefer, the Torah within it, and the person behind it. Discover why it was written, how it came together, the questions and ideas explored within its pages. Along the way, hear the mechaber’s personal journey, inspiring stories, meaningful Torah messages, and the experiences that shaped both him and his work. For anyone who loves Torah and sefarim, The Shtender offers a deeper appreciation of the world of sefarim. New episodes released twice monthly. Powered by Judaica Plaza. 

Episodes

  1. Oct 20

    President Coolidge Saw His Yarmulke |The Shtender Ep. 4 ft. Rav Moshe Scheinerman

    Purchase Rav Scheinerman's Seforim here: https://judaicaplaza.com/collections/r-scheinerman-seforim  President Coolidge Saw His Yarmulke Long before Rav Moshe Schinerman became a rav, rosh yeshiva, maggid shiur, and prolific mechaber, his father was a young Jewish boy growing up in Washington, D.C. One Shabbos, while playing on the White House lawn, his yarmulke kept falling off. A tall man noticed, stopped him, and asked what he was wearing. Only afterward did he discover that the man who had just shaken his hand was President Calvin Coolidge. In this episode of The Shtender, R’ Shlomie Silverman sits down with Rav Moshe Schinerman, longtime rav, rosh yeshiva, maggid shiur, and mechaber of numerous sefarim, for a fascinating journey through generations of American Torah life. Rav Schinerman shares the remarkable mesirus nefesh of his grandparents, who raised nine Torah-observant children in Washington at a time when there wasn’t even a minyan of shomrei Torah u’mitzvos — something Rav Moshe Feinstein later called a “nes galuy.” He also reflects on growing up around the alte Mirrer, learning under Rav Scheinberg, spending seven and a half years with Rav Dovid Soloveitchik in Brisk, and the unforgettable impact of Rav Gifter. The conversation also reveals the unlikely story behind Rav Schinerman’s life as a mechaber: his first sefer began simply as a chesed for someone in his kehillah. When the first 500 copies came back so poorly edited that he planned to bury them, a man sitting next to him at a chasunah told him to start over — and offered to pay the entire bill. Today, Rav Schinerman has published 24 sefarim and counting. A conversation about mesorah, gedolim, sefarim, perseverance, and the people and moments that shape a life of Torah. The Shtender — Every Sefer Belongs on the Shtender. Powered by Judaica Plaza.

  2. Sep 8

    What Most People Don’t Know About Shofar |The Shtender Ep. 3 ft. R’ Shalom Rosenberg

    Purchase Rabbi Rosenberg's Sefer Here: https://judaicaplaza.com/products/4781053  The Shofar sounds we hear on Rosh Hashanah represent a world of halacha, technique, mesorah, practice, and avodah. In this episode of The Shtender, R’ Shlomie Silverman sits down with R’ Shalom Rosenberg, expert baal tokea and mechaber of Kol Demamah, for a fascinating look inside the world of shofar. R’ Shalom shares how an early love of music eventually led him to the shofar, and how his relationship with Rav Mordechai Dolinsky, zt”l, shaped his approach to tekiyos. The conversation explores what makes a great baal tokea, why serious baalei tekiyah practice constantly, how different shevarim and teruos are produced, and the mesorah behind the sounds we hear every Rosh Hashanah. Along the way, they discuss Brisker tekiyos, the Chafetz Chaim’s approach to questionable kolos, what makes one shofar better—or more expensive—than another, how shofarot are made and cleaned, different types of horns, the kavanah behind the tekiyos, and even why so many shofarot come from Morocco. More than a technical discussion, this episode opens up the avodah behind the sound, and gives a new appreciation for one of the most powerful mitzvos of the year. The Shtender — Every Sefer Belongs on the Shtender. Powered by Judaica Plaza.

  3. Aug 31

    The Man Who Proofread Rav Chaim's Sefarim | The Shtender Ep. 2 ft. Rav Uri Tiger

    Purchase Rav uri's Seforim here: https://judaicaplaza.com/collections/reb-uri-teiger What was it really like to sit for hundreds of hours with Rav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l — reviewing his sefarim, questioning a stirah, correcting a source, and seeing firsthand how he approached Torah on the page? In Episode 2 of The Shtender, R’ Shlomie Silverman sits down with Rav Uri Teiger, longtime magiah of Rav Chaim Kanievsky’s sefarim and a prolific mechaber in his own right. Rav Uri shares how a few ha’aros sent to Rav Chaim grew into a decades-long relationship of Torah and trust, eventually leading him to become Rav Chaim’s regular proofreader. Rav Chaim, in turn, reviewed Rav Uri’s own work, writing more than 2,000 hagahos on one sefer alone. The conversation opens a window into Rav Chaim’s world of sefarim — his precision, his relationship with the Chazon Ish, his warmth, and the derech in writing and learning that Rav Uri absorbed and carries into his own sefarim today. The Shtender — Every Sefer Belongs on the Shtender. Powered by Judaica Plaza.

  4. Aug 11

    Inside the Mind of a Posek | The Shtender Ep.1 ft. Rav Michah Cohen

    What Rav Dovid Taught Me About Psak In the debut episode of The Shtender, R’ Shlomie Silverman sits down with Rav Micha Cohn, Rav of Bais Medrash Kol Yaakov of Oakley Hills, Rebbe at the Mesivta of Long Beach, Posek for Kof-K Kashrus Supervision, and a close talmid of Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l. Through a fascinating discussion of Rav Cohn’s sefer, Shu"t Imrei Micha, we get an inside look at the way a posek approaches complex shailos, not simply searching for an answer, but understanding the sugya, weighing the different tzadim, and knowing when a shaila is truly a “groise shaila.” Rav Cohn shares what he learned through years of shimush with Rav Dovid, including why a posek may see the same question differently in different circumstances, and how mesorah, lomdus, practical reality, and sensitivity all come together in psak halacha. Along the way, the conversation explores some of the remarkable shailos found in Imrei Micha DNA and yichus, cochlear implants under the chuppah, end-of-life decisions, tola’im, modern medical technology, electricity on Shabbos, Siamese twins, mental health, and much more. The Shtender, powered by Judaica Plaza, brings you inside the world of sefarim with the experts who live and breathe them. Drawing on Judaica Plaza’s renowned sefarim department and deep relationships with leading mechabrim, rabbanim, and talmidei chachamim, The Shtender opens the sefer, meets the mechaber, and brings the Torah behind every page to life.

  • 4 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Every Sefer Belongs on the Shtender. The Shtender is where sefarim come to life. In each episode, leading seforim expert and writer R' Shlomie Silverman of Judaica Plaza's world renowned seforim department sits down with mechabrei sefarim for an in-depth conversation about the sefer, the Torah within it, and the person behind it. Discover why it was written, how it came together, the questions and ideas explored within its pages. Along the way, hear the mechaber’s personal journey, inspiring stories, meaningful Torah messages, and the experiences that shaped both him and his work. For anyone who loves Torah and sefarim, The Shtender offers a deeper appreciation of the world of sefarim. New episodes released twice monthly. Powered by Judaica Plaza. 

Information

  • Creator
    Amplify
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Shtender Podcast

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