Shtark Tank

Yaakov Wolff

If you are a Ben Torah in the workforce, this is the podcast for you! Make sure to check out ShtarkTank.org for more meaningful content. You can access bonus content and community events through our quiet Whatsapp Group https://chat.whatsapp.com/B5jEcBP5umZAHWk2ILBWTS Feel free to reach out with feedback, or just to say hi: yaakovwolff@gmail.com

  1. Rav Moshe Feinstein on Torah, Work, and Keeping Torah “Fixed” ft. Rabbi Moshe Kurtz

    8 HR AGO

    Rav Moshe Feinstein on Torah, Work, and Keeping Torah “Fixed” ft. Rabbi Moshe Kurtz

    We’re coming up on the 40th yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, and this episode is a guided tour through Rav Moshe’s Torah on the questions every Ben Torah eventually faces: How do I build a life where Torah stays central… while I’m working, providing, and living in the real world? Our guest, Rabbi Moshe Kurtz (rabbi, podcaster, and serious Rav Moshe researcher), just released a new sefer: Me'oros Moshe — a curated collection of Rav Moshe’s divrei Torah on Pirkei Avos, pulling from Igros Moshe, derashos, chidushim, and key writings from talmidim and family. You will hear: how Rav Moshe frames kollel, parnassah, college, career choices, and what it means to live with “aseh Torascha keva” even outside the beis medrash. What you’ll learn in this episode: 1) Kollel isn’t “all or nothing” 2) “College” is not automatically the derech ha-parnassah 3) The big idea: “Aseh Torascha keva” is about orientation, not just hours 4) Career choices: Rav Moshe’s lens on medicine and “zero-sum” tradeoffs 5) Rav Moshe’s greatness wasn’t only brilliance — it was care-driven psak To order Meoros Moshe, click here Bio: Rabbi Moshe Kurtz Rabbi Moshe Kurtz serves as the Rabbi of Congregation Sons of Israel in Allentown, PA. He is the author of Meoros Moshe (Aleh Zayis, 2025), a Pirkei Avos anthology of scholarship and stories about HaGaon HaRav Moshe Feinstein zt”l. Rabbi Kurtz previously hosted Shu"T First Ask, Questions Later, published Challenging Assumptions (Mosaica Press, 2023), and writes about contemporary halachic issues in forums such as the Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society (RJJ Journal), OUTorah, The Lehrhaus, Torah Musings and Jewish Action.  Rabbi Kurtz proudly serves as a member of the Allentown Police Department’s chaplain unit as well as the Allentown School District Superintendent’s Interfaith Council. He also contributes to The Morning Call and was featured on Business Matters, a production of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce (WFMZ Studios). Rabbi Kurtz hosts the As I Walk Through the Valley podcast, and is currently writing a book based on his Unpacking the Iggerot column at Tradition. He can be reached at rabbi@sonsofisrael.net.

    51 min
  2. Do Your Job: Avoid Guilt, Keep Striving | Advice from Alei Shur ft. Rav Dovid Gottlieb

    16 FEB

    Do Your Job: Avoid Guilt, Keep Striving | Advice from Alei Shur ft. Rav Dovid Gottlieb

    What if the most “frum” thing you can do at work… is simply doing your job well? In this episode, I’m joined by Rav Dovid Gottlieb for a sharp, practical conversation built around a powerful piece from Rav Shlomo Wolbe (Alei Shur)—with guidance that every working Ben Torah needs. (The short chapter can be found in Alei Shur vol. I pp. 269-271) Soon after, we take these ideas into one of the hottest and most real-life arenas right now: religious soldiers in the IDF, and the tension of doing what’s right while still missing the beis medrash, the minyan, and the Yom Tov experience. The takeaway applies to soldiers and professionals: avoid guilt, stay honest about what you’re missing, and keep striving. In this episode: The Midrash about Chanuch the cobbler: how “every stitch” can be holy when your goal is to help people Rav Wolbe’s big idea: there’s no such thing as truly “secular” work when you bring the right kavana The “Do Your Job” principle: why learning/davening at the wrong time can become a mitzvah haba’ah b’aveirah The soldier/workforce parallel: no guilt when you’re doing what Hashem needs from you now—while still feeling the loss of what you’re missing Balancing the three jobs: family, parnassah, and Torah (and why there’s no one-size-fits-all formula) A powerful closing charge from Rav Wolbe: Hashem hasn’t given up on you—keep striving to grow in Torah “Latent awareness”: how Torah stays with you even when you’re fully focused on your mission To support Religous IDF soliers click here and support Tzalash. If you want to help us grow Shtark Tank, make sure to hit subscribe and leave a 5 star review, thanks!

    52 min
  3. The CEO Who Handwrites 1,000 Thank-You Notes | Laizer Kornwasser

    5 JAN

    The CEO Who Handwrites 1,000 Thank-You Notes | Laizer Kornwasser

    What does real success look like when you’re trying to stay grounded as a Ben Torah? In this episode of Shtark Tank, I sat down with Laizer Kornwasser — CEO of DrFirst, professor at Yeshiva University, and Chairman of NCSY — for a wide-ranging conversation about ambition, pressure, leadership, and the Torah ideas that shape how we show up at work and in life. Laizer shares stories from investment banking and the C-suite, including how he learned to earn his “seat at the table” through facts, results, and humility. We talk about drawing clear lines when work clashes with Shabbos, why most people aren’t cut out for investment banking, and how to define success in a way that protects your priorities. Then we shift into a deep dive on the Altar of Slabodka: Gadlus HaAdam, EQ vs IQ, gratitude, and the power of seeing each person as an individual with real potential. And yes — we get into the now-famous practice: why Laizer handwrites 1,000 New Year’s cards and sends personal thank-you messages one-by-one, and what it teaches about hakaras hatov, relationships, and leadership. In this episode, we cover: Why investment banking is “not cut out for most people” What “success” really means when you’re trying to grow in Yiddishkeit The importance of knowing your line in the sand (and not crossing it) A real story: a CEO tried to push Shabbos boundaries — and Laizer’s response “Facts, not emotion”: how to communicate with different personalities The Altar of Slabodka’s approach to building people, not just teaching Torah EQ as a Jewish leadership skill, not just a business buzzword Why Laizer sends personal thank-yous instead of mass messages Chesed that actually changes you (not just “check-writing”) If you got value from this episode, please take 10 seconds to subscribe and leave a 5-star rating — it helps more people find the show.

    43 min

About

If you are a Ben Torah in the workforce, this is the podcast for you! Make sure to check out ShtarkTank.org for more meaningful content. You can access bonus content and community events through our quiet Whatsapp Group https://chat.whatsapp.com/B5jEcBP5umZAHWk2ILBWTS Feel free to reach out with feedback, or just to say hi: yaakovwolff@gmail.com

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