Shtark Tank

Yaakov Wolff
  • 4.9 (37)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. Ashi Taragin (Rabbi, Dr.) Didn't Become a Rosh Yeshiva

    1D AGO

    Ashi Taragin (Rabbi, Dr.) Didn't Become a Rosh Yeshiva

    Ashi Taragin had every reason to stay in yeshiva. He grew up breathing Torah. His father is Rabbi Reuven Taragin. His mother is Rebbetzin Shani Taragin. He made a Siyum HaShas at his Bar Mitzvah.Yet he didnt choose a career in Chinuch. Today he's an ER doctor at Sharei Tzedek, a lawyer, a mohel, and a sofer. He's also the unofficial rav of the emergency room, fielding end-of-life shailos in real time. And he still teaches Torah — but entirely on his own terms. In this episode, Ashi breaks down his version of the Rambam model: why financial independence from Torah makes your Torah better, what it means to be a baal habayis as a zechut rather than a compromise, and why he thinks sitting and learning all day isn't what Hashem put you here to do. Make sure to check out our newsletter and subscribe: ShtarkTank.org

    27 min
  2. Pulling Teeth, Publishing Torah (and a Shavuos Conversation on Megillas Rus) ft. Dr. Reuven Mohl

    MAY 18

    Pulling Teeth, Publishing Torah (and a Shavuos Conversation on Megillas Rus) ft. Dr. Reuven Mohl

    What does it take to build a serious Torah legacy while running a thriving dental practice in Manhattan? Reuven Mohl has spent the last decade doing exactly that — and the results are five published books, a growing body of scholarship, and a model for what it looks like to take your Torah life seriously without stepping away from the working world. In this episode, Reuven walks us through his upbringing in Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, where his father Rabbi Oscar Mohl — a philosophy professor, Holocaust survivor, and talmid of the Baba Vredi — set the tone for a home where Torah and ideas were always on the table. From Yeshiva Flatbush to Yeshiva HaKotel to YU, Reuven shares how his years of learning shaped both his character and his career path into dentistry. We talk about the discipline behind building a successful practice, how he carved out time for serious learning between patients, and what led him to compile commentaries on the Haggadah, Megillas Rus, and Tehillim using the writings of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovitz and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. And in honor of Shavuos, we learn together. Reuven shares a beautiful lesson from Megillas Rus on the difference between din and lifnim mishurat hadin — and what Boaz's generosity in the field teaches us about how to show up at work, at home, and in life. Topics covered: Growing up with a philosophy professor father and a Holocaust survivor in the homeThe work-life balance reality of a dental careerHow to pursue serious Torah scholarship while running a businessBuilding commentaries using the Rav and Rabbi BerkovitzMegillas Rus and the obligation to do more than the minimumThe story of calling before Shabbos

    44 min

  3. MAY 11

    Are You Past Your Peak?

    A Shabbaton in Bnei Brak. Two rabbis. A machlokes I have been wrestling with ever since. One rav told a room full of 18-year-olds that they were living the climax of their lives. Another rav pushed back. Both left a mark. In this solo episode, I share the audio version of my most-responded-to piece of writing to date — a post that starts the process of distilling over 120 episodes of Shtark Tank into one central question: what does it mean to serve Hashem during the working chapter of life? Subscribe to our newsletter at ⁠ShtarkTank.org⁠ We cover the surprising lesson buried in the Matan Torah story, the unique mitzvos that come alive when you enter the workforce (Shabbos, Kiddush Hashem, Yishuv Olam, Talmud Torah), and why this stage of life isn't a regression from the Beit Midrash, it's its own chapter, loaded with opportunity. Plus: a beautiful piece of listener feedback from Ruben Melman, a recent Yeshiva graduate about to start his first job, and my own honest reflection on what it felt like to pack up the sefarim boxes.

    17 min
  4. Why This CMO Learns Tanach Every Morning at 4:30am ft. Moshe Isaacson

    MAY 4

    Why This CMO Learns Tanach Every Morning at 4:30am ft. Moshe Isaacson

    Moshe Isaacson is a marketing executive and go-to-market leader in the SaaS world — and one of the most passionate Tanach learners you'll ever meet. In this episode, Moshe makes the case for why Tanach is the most underrated limud in the Torah world, how his love for it was ignited on hikes through Eretz Yisrael, and why he wakes up at 4:30am to prepare the three weekly shiurim he gives to his community. Topics covered: Growing up in Pittsburgh — a broad, out-of-town community that exposed Moshe to every type of YiddishkeitHow a yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael turned Tanach from stories into living heritageWhy Tanach gets second billing in the yeshiva world — and why Moshe thinks that's an avlaThe Maskilim and Zionists claimed Tanach as their own. Moshe's response: that's exactly why we need to take it backHow Moshe got into marketing entirely by accident, starting at IDT and building from thereThe overlap between psychology, marketing, and Torah — and why pattern recognition is the common threadBalancing a demanding career with three weekly shiurim, a daily chavrusa, and serious limud preparationThe 4:30am wake-up, the one-hour train commute, and how Moshe engineers his day around learningA practical challenge: 929 perakim, one a day, finished in under three yearsSefer Shmuel as his favorite — four years learning and teaching itWhere to find his podcast, Tanach in Depth, and his AI-generated Torah content To follow Moshe's Torah: https://open.spotify.com/show/3G2IJ0opltMtTlrsTioQVg?si=SAg8yci3QTeK99v8qWRWcQ https://x.com/isaacson Sign up for our newsletter @ ShtarkTank.org

    41 min
  5. Jon Medved Is Not Done Yet | OurCrowd Founder & Startup Nation Pioneer

    APR 27

    Jon Medved Is Not Done Yet | OurCrowd Founder & Startup Nation Pioneer

    Jon Medved has spent decades building Israel into a global technology powerhouse, helping fund hundreds of companies, bringing billions of dollars into the Israeli economy, and playing pivotal role in what eventually became the Startup Nation brand. Then he flatlined in a hospital for eight minutes. In this episode, Jon sits down with Yaakov Wolff to talk about growing up far from Judaism on the beaches of California, the unlikely path that brought him to Israel, and why he believes the Avot were the original entrepreneurs. He makes a bold case that building companies, solving the world's problems through technology, and living as a proud Torah Jew are inseparable. He also opens up about his ALS diagnosis, what it felt like to be brought back after flatlining, and why, at this stage of his life, he's more driven than ever. In this conversation: From Berkeley to Jerusalem — Jonathan's winding path to Aliyah and observanceThe PowerPoint that seeded Startup NationWhy the Avot were all entrepreneursTechnology, Torah, and where the two meetLiving with ALS and refusing to stop"I'm not done. There's still what I have to accomplish." For exclusive written content, subsribe to our newsletter at ShtarkTank.org

    33 min

  6. APR 20

    Yom HaZikaron & Yom HaAtzmaut Mega-Episode ft. Eitan Morell & Rob Airley

    This Yom HaZikaron, we sit with two fathers who lost their sons in the early months of the war. Eitan Morell shares the story of his son Maoz — a kid with ADHD and learning difficulties who walked into a yeshiva that didn't want him, refused to leave, and became the kind of soldier his unit looked up to. Eitan reflects on what it means to suddenly see your child's whole life in reverse — and how grief reveals a person you thought you already knew. Rob Airley shares the story of his son Binyamin — named best soldier in his platoon, loved by commanders and chaverim alike. The kind of guy who, moments before being killed, volunteered to run into a building because his unit needed him. Rob talks about learning to grieve without falling apart — and what it looks like to keep laughing and dancing in the house when Binyamin is no longer at the table. We end off with exerpts from 3 other episodes, about the beauty of living in Israel. Shtark Tank episodes with Eli Freedman and Yaakov Ehrenkranz, and Yaakov's appearance on the DHR podcast hosted by Zak Lenik. Make sure to sign up for newsletter at ShtarkTank.org To support Beit Binyamin click here To watch the movie about Maoz Morell click here Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:20 Eitan Morell remembers his son Maoz 00:39:34 Rob Airley remembers his son Binyamin 01:11:25 Shtark Tank with Eli Freedman 0:1:23:17 Shtark Tank with Yaakov Ehrenkranz 01:33:24 Yaakov on DHR Podcast

    1h 46m
  7. Rav Asher Weiss: The Hashkafa Every Working Ben Torah Needs [Classic Shiur]

    APR 13

    Rav Asher Weiss: The Hashkafa Every Working Ben Torah Needs [Classic Shiur]

    Two years ago, we sat with Rav Asher Weiss and asked him some of the most fundamental questions a Ben Torah in the workforce can ask. I've returned to this shiur more than almost anything else we've put out — it's that dense with wisdom and direction. Since then, the show has grown a lot, and I wanted to make sure newer listeners got a chance to hear it. And if you've already heard it? I think you'll get something new from it the second time around. Make sure to sign up for our newsletter at ShtarkTank.org

    37 min

  8. MAR 29

    Pre-Pesach Mega Episode

    Get ready for Pesach with a mega collection of divrei torah, from Bnei Torah in the workforce. You will hear from Rav Yakov Danishefsky, Rav Jonathan Livi,Rav Max Berger, Zak Lenik, Mark Tobin Dr. Mordy Goldenberg and Yoel Van Messel. At the end, you will hear some ideas of mine which I shared on The Greatest Parasha podcast, hosted by Raymond Ashkenazie and Emma Dayan A big thank you to Shlomo Price for his help with extra editing. Wishing you and your families a Chag Kasher Vsameach   Guest Bios and Links Rabbi Yakov Danishefsky, LCSW CSAT, is a Chicago-basedtherapist and author of the widely read Attached, the newly released AttachedHaggadah, and the forthcoming sefer The Delight of Shabbos. He leads AvodasHaLev, a Chicago organization devoted to meaningful learning and communityprogramming, and hosts The Attached Life Podcast. He is known for bringingdepth, passion, and warmth to everything he teaches. To order the Haggadah: To order in US: https://a.co/d/03dgzXKD   https://alehzayis.com/product/the-attached-haggadah/   https://feldheim.com/the-attached-haggadah   To order in E"Y: https://siparti.co/attachedH/ Jonathan Livi is founder and Principal of RJL CapitalAdvisors, which places JV equity for middle market commercial real estate transactions across the United States. He is also the Hazzan and assistant rabbi at Shaare Rachamim Synagogue in Great Neck, NY, in which capacity heteaches Tanakh daily. His shiurim are available on Spotify and Apple Podcast via his various podcasts. He is married to Kayla, and father to 3 kids. https://open.spotify.com/show/45srXeZZgZKHAomOmpIkmh?si=hf6h-z2dToezYb95H0dMxQ   https://open.spotify.com/show/48iHU4mP1cvgZOGFrC5Jys?si=JinlUNvmSeimGKQl9LWiMQ   Max Berger was an aspiring rabbi turned aspiring philosopherturned VC. He spent the last two years at Next Gear Ventures, a Tel Aviv basedearly stage VC fund, before moving back to New York this year.   ZakLenik  is a real estate advisor in Israel who works mainly with Anglos looking to buy a home andbuild a life here. His own aliyah journey didn’t start in the most typical way, but through years of learning—and later teaching—Torah, he developed a strongsense of purpose that ultimately brought him back to Israel for good. Now, he helps others navigate that same journey, combining real estate guidance with a deeper understanding of what it means to truly build a life here   https://www.instagram.com/zak_in_israel?igsh=YTU0MWRlbW5iMGMx&utm_source=qr   00:00 Intro 00:52 Rav Yaakov Danishefsky: Writing Your Own Story 18:08 Rav Jonathan Livi: The Revolution of Freedom 34:40 Rav Max Berger: Matzah and Authenticity 52:26 Zak Lenik: Freedom or Slavery? 01:11:12 Mark Tobin: The Holiday of Emunah 01:19:07 Dr. Mordy Goldenberg: Late Night Vision 01:25:51 Yoel Van Messel: Understanding Our Goals 01:38:40 Yaakov Wolff on Greatest Parashah Podcast 02:01:26 Outro

    2h 2m
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4.9
out of 5
37 Ratings

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

Information

  • Creator
    Yaakov Wolff
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    126
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Yaakov Wolff
  • Show Website
    Shtark Tank

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