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Each chapter has three defining 
features. 

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First, each section shapes the 
hero, making him into a bigger, 

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better person. 
Second, each chapter is unique 

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with his own themes and 
subplots. 3rd, and most 

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importantly, each chapter is 
loaded with opportunities to 

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fulfill our mission on this 
earth and grow closer to a Shep.

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We are so busy with seemingly 
mundane activities that between 

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work and family, we have very 
little time and energy left for 

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Torah, Fila and other spiritual 
pursuits. 

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So how do we flip the script and
find opportunities to serve 

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Hashem during this part of our 
life? 

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Shol Malikham and welcome to 
Stark Tank. 

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Stark Tank is a podcast by the 
challenges and opportunities of 

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being a mentor in the workforce.
This week I want to share a post

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I wrote for the Stark Tank 
website. 

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If you've already read it, don't
turn this off just yet. 

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This edition includes some bonus
content, an expanded 

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introduction, a special piece of
feedback I received, and some 

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additional thoughts that I had 
that were triggered by the 

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message. 
Last Shabbat, I was asked to 

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speak to the overseas students 
at Mahon Lev. 

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I was thrilled at the 
opportunity, but not for the 

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reason you might think. 
Obviously, it was great to speak

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to budding Benito in the 
workforce, connect with some 

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existing listeners, and see some
familiar faces, but the real 

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value was the opportunity to 
consolidate Bakashem. 

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We've already released over 120 
episodes, and lately I've been 

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thinking about ways to reflect 
on these hundreds of hours of 

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conversation and distill the 
core messages into a more 

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compact format. 
I'm hoping to do more of this 

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with the help of AI, and my 
friend Zach from So for AI has 

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been very helpful in that 
regard, but what follows is 

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completely from my heart. 
Seasoned listeners will 

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recognize themes and ideas that 
surfaced across many past 

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episodes. 
So after speaking to the guys 

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from Mahonlev, I had the 
opportunity to take the train to

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Chilean for a bunch of meetings 
this past week. 

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I love taking the train and the 
smooth fast ride was a great 

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setting to type up my thoughts 
and even sharpen them a little 

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more. 
I posted it on Friday and was 

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not expecting what happened 
next. 

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I got loads of comments, far 
more than any other long form 

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writing that I've done in the 
past. 

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Many people just reached out to 
say thank you and that they 

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found it meaningful, which is 
always a good sign. 

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There were also more substantive
comments, and I'll share one of 

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them at the end of this episode.
I hope you find it meaningful 

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too. 
If you want to receive more 

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written posts straight to your 
inbox, make sure to go to 

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starktink.org or follow the link
in the show notes and subscribe 

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today. 
Here we go, B'ne Brock, summer 

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of 2014. 
In the summer of 2014, I spent a

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Shabbat in B'ne Brock. 
I was in my first year of Hezder

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at Ishibat Karambiafina and I 
tagged along with the bneh 

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cotslarats for their Shabbaton. 
At one of the meals, a local rub

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was invited to share de vrytora.
He spoke by the centrality of 

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talmatora, encouraging everyone 
to make the most of their years 

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in the Bateman Josh. 
He looked around at the room 

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filled with sincere guides, 
which in the ages of 18 and 20 

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and said these years when you 
are exclusively focused and 

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completely dedicated to your 
learning, this is the climax of 

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your life. 
The rough from Nabrock finished 

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up, said good Shabbos returned 
to his home and the suda 

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continued. 
Later, one of the KBY rabbis got

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up to speak. 
He said that he respectfully 

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disagrees with the guest 
speaker. 

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A person is constantly supposed 
to be growing and it would be a 

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shame if the rest of his life 
was 1 long regression from his 

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peak in yeshiva. 
This left a deep impact on me. 

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I was torn because I could 
identify with both sides. 

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On the one hand, for someone 
like me who fell in love with 

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learning, there's nothing that 
compares to those days, nights, 

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and weekends of uninterrupted 
learning. 

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On the other hand, it certainly 
doesn't make sense that the 

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climax of our life could come so
early. 

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In retrospect, this incident is 
one of the defining moments that

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led me to start starting. 
The time came for me to leave 

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yeshiva, and it took over a 
decade. 

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The voices of these two rabbis 
wouldn't leave my head. 

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Stark Tank is part of my quest 
to gain some level of clarity on

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this and other big questions for
Benet Torah who have left 

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yeshiva to pursue a career. 
Through my conversations on the 

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podcast, as well as my own 
learning and writing, I've 

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developed a few possible 
approaches to that Mahocus in 

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Benet Brock. 
In this episode I will share a 

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number of ideas that connect to 
one larger theme, and it starts 

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with one of my favorite ideas 
related to Mata Torah, Torah as 

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a way of life. 
One of the reasons for staying 

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up all night on Shavuas is a 
strange madrish. 

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The Major says that Moshe had to
wake up the Jewish people to 

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receive the Torah. 
This is puzzling. 

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With hundreds of thousands of 
Jewish weddings taking place 

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every year, it would be shocking
if even one or two brides needed

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a wake up call on their special 
day with Sput with such buzz and

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excitement. 
The problem is usually the 

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opposite, not being able to 
sleep. 

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So how could it be that on a 
historic day of revelation, the 

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entire nation slept in Ravshim? 
And Schwab explained that Moshe 

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Renu was not serving as an alarm
clock, rather he came to correct

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a fundamental mistake that the 
Jews had made. 

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Ravshwab explains that when 
Moshe told the Jews that they 

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were going to hear directly from
God, they assumed that this 

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meant prophecy, and the way 
prophecy is received is when the

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prophet is not conscious. 
So the entire nation got into 

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their pyjamas, said Hamapial, 
and went to sleep. 

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But this was a mistake. 
Torah is not the same as Devoe, 

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and Torah cannot be learned 
while sleeping. 

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Although many attendees of 
Shiram and Drashos may beg to 

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differ, this is not just a 
technical difference in the way 

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Dvarsham is transmitted, rather 
reflects A fundamental 

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understanding of what Torah is 
really all about. 

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Torah is not just a book that we
learn, but a way of life. 

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The fact that we were awake when
we received the Torah is an 

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indicator. 
The Torah is not meant to draw 

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us away from the realities of 
day-to-day life. 

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This dynamic is precious. 
Many religions believe that the 

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only way to live a spiritual 
existence in this material world

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is to withdraw as much as 
possible. 

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Torah offers an entirely 
different framework where our 

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lives on this earth are filled 
with meaning and connection to 

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Usha consistency of change. 
If Torah is a way of life, 

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there's something about this 
world which is quite obvious but

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needs to be stated. 
The only thing that is 

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consistent is change. 
All the modern technologies that

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we live with is only one clear 
example of how dynamic our life 

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is, but there are many other 
ways where we see this. 

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For example, the weather was 
cold a few weeks ago, and a few 

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weeks it will be hot. 
Our physical bodies are also 

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changing, so much so that my 
children and I need to see 

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different doctors. 
So if the Torah is a way of 

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life, and life is dynamic, then 
our relationship with Torah must

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also be dynamic. 
I worded that last line 

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carefully. 
One of the Ramam's 13 principles

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of faith is that the Torah does 
not change, but the Torah is 

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structured in a way where we 
have constant values with very 

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different expressions of those 
values from day-to-day. 

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This is also, by the way, how 
Torah has survived for thousands

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of years and various exiles on 
different continents. 

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Chapters of a book. 
Now let us return to the story 

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in Bnebrak. 
Based on the framework above, I 

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prefer to think of the 
transitions of life like a book 

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with multiple chapters. 
Each chapter has three defining 

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features. 
First, each section shapes the 

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hero, making him into a bigger, 
better person. 

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Second, each chapter is unique 
with its own themes and 

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subplots. 3rd, and most 
importantly, each chapter is 

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loaded with opportunities to 
fulfill our mission on this 

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earth and grow closer to Asha. 
This is where I disagree with 

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both of the Rabbis and Bnebrak. 
They were both placing our 

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entire lives on one linear 
chart. 

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I think that life is too complex
and nuanced for such a 

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framework. 
Thinking of different life 

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stages as chapters in a book 
allows us to appreciate 

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different periods on their own 
terms while keeping in mind the 

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bigger picture and overarching 
themes of our entire life. 

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Opportunities of the working 
chapter. 

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This brings me to another 
question which has been a 

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central theme of Starktank. 
What are the opportunities for 

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total living while also growing 
in your career? 

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The challenges are clear. 
We are so busy with seemingly 

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mundane activities that between 
work and family, we have very 

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little time and energy left for 
Torah, Fila and other spiritual 

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pursuits. 
So how do we flip the script and

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find opportunities to serve 
Hashem during this part of our 

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life? 
Even though at first glance the 

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question seems daunting, the 
truth is that there are golden 

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opportunities everywhere. 
I will lay out just a few in the

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coming sections. 
Shabbos Shabbos is one of the 

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staples of our religion. 
Most of the people listening to 

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this have experienced Shabbos 
once every seven days for their 

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entire life. 
And yet our relationship with 

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Shabbos takes on a new dimension
when we start to work for a 

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living. 
What does it mean to do you work

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for six days and the 7th is for 
Hashem? 

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What does it mean to remember 
Shabbos all six days of the 

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week? 
How do we understand the 

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difference between kodesh and 
hull? 

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And why do we add to the kodesh 
from the hull Mustafin Mikhal al

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Kodesh? 
What is Manuka and does it align

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with the Western ocean of rest 
and relaxation? 

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What is Abdullah and why is one 
who makes Abdullah promised male

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children? 
These are just a few questions 

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that one can gain a new 
perspective on. 

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Sure, when we put away our 
notebooks and get dressed up for

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Shabbos and yeshiva, it's a 
special experience. 

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But there is a unique 
opportunity to appreciate 

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Shabbos and connect with values 
when we arrive after six days of

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hard work. 
Kittashasham, the second mitzvah

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and value with great potential 
in the working world is Kiddosh 

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Hashem and Yeshiva. 
This is expressed through nice 

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behavior and cleaning up after 
yourself on a bananas montel at 

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work. 
It's all day, every day. 

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There are non Jews, secular 
Jews, and other types of Jews. 

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The volume of interactions is 
immense and the situations can 

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be infinitely complex. 
There can be various 

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stakeholders in any given 
situation, all with different 

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goals and expectations. 
On top of that, money, sometimes

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big money, is on the line. 
Making a kid Hashem in these 

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situations can be very 
challenging, but there is a 

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corresponding reward. 
Hashem knows our challenges and 

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judges us accordingly, and the 
people around us usually 

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appreciate the character 
expressed under adverse 

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conditions. 
Yeshiva Olam Another mitzvah 

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00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,240
uniquely accessible to 
professionals is Yeshiva olam. 

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One of the reasons a gambler 
cannot be a kosher witness is 

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that he is not being a 
productive contributing member 

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of society. 
The Rama in Perisher Mishnaus 

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00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:16,720
St. 
Hejid para Gimmel Mishna Gimmel 

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00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,000
says that all worthwhile 
pursuits in this world fall into

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one of two categories, one 
learning Torah and spiritual 

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pursuits and the other is 
Yishuva Ola. 

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The Kolbo in Simsamek writes 
that one is not supposed to work

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00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:33,240
on kolomoi in order to do more 
learning, but if he has taken 

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00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:36,320
off to do trips and activities, 
it would be better for him to 

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work and be productive. 
Is there a source in the written

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00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,360
Torah for this value? 
I think it is rooted in the 

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mitzvah of Pru urvu. 
Our responsibility is not just 

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to populate the world with more 
humans, but also to create the 

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00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,000
world that will allow them to 
thrive. 

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Developing the economy is 
critical for the well-being of 

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our children and future 
generations. 

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This idea is also alluded to in 
Rashi Yavamos Dasana Fez 

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Amidalif. 
In the modern economy, it can be

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hard to feel satisfied at work. 
There are a number of reasons 

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for this. 
Being one individual at a large 

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00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,520
corporation can make an employee
feel small. 

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00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:14,640
Working in AB to B space, where 
it is hard to see the effect of 

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our work on a real on real 
people is also a challenge. 

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But the fundamental equation has
been true from the time of Adam 

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Harishon until today. 
Contributing to the economy is 

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part of what keeps the world 
going for us, our children and 

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generations to come. 
Talmatura Opportunities. 

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The sections above presented 
just a few of the mitzvos and 

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Torah values which can be 
embraced and fully appreciated 

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during the working chapter of 
our life. 

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But what about talmatora? 
It is certainly one of the 

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central mitzvos, and yet it can 
seem daunting to grow in our 

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learning when we are so busy 
with work and family. 

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Here too, it is important to 
look for unique opportunities. 

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Maybe this deserves a full 
podcast, but for now I will 

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briefly point out a few ways in 
which a person's learning can be

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significantly improved while 
working. 

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The first is that learning as a 
Bala bai forces you to find a 

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deep personal connection and 
true satisfaction in your 

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learning. 
Otherwise it's just not going to

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work. 
Another aspect is learning with 

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your children and paying their 
tuition. 

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This is one of the most 
important aspects of tamatora, 

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since this is what the Pasak 
actually instructs us to do 

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Bishina Tamluvaneka. 
And finally, there are many 

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parts of Torah pertaining to 
work and business and other 

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professional fields which can be
understood a lot better while 

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working. 
For example, there's a 

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disagreement amongst business 
leaders about the importance of 

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loving your job. 
Steve Jobs was a was a major 

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proponent of finding meaning, 
purpose and passion in your job.

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Scott Galloway, a professor and 
entrepreneur, says that you 

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should be making money, doing 
what you're good at and do what 

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you love on the weekends. 
What is the Torah have to say 

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about this? 
Well, there are actually a 

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number of Torah sources that 
point in different directions. 1

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mission in Perky Gabos says to 
love your work. 

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A different Mishna says to 
minimize your work as much as 

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possible in order to make time 
for learning Toro. 

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These mishnas seem to echo the 
same debate that we see amongst 

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modern business leaders. 
We'll hopefully dive into this 

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more in a future post. 
Afterward, that Shabba, Suda and

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Maybrock led me on a journey 
which is still ongoing. 

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I am still trying to find my 
place in life after leaving 

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yeshiva nearly two years ago. 
My years in the Bait Madras 

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shaped my worldview, but I think
it's important to treat that 

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foundation as a starting point, 
not a finished product. 

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Yeshiva guys, or I'll speak to 
myself. 

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I was young and easy to get 
excited about simple ideas. 

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These ideas resonated in the 
sheltered atmosphere of the 

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Bateman Josh. 
But life afterwards is not so 

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clear cut and nuanced. 
Frameworks can be helpful in 

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understanding how to serve 
Hashem at each stage and 

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chapter. 
That is the end of the post. 

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I got a great message from my 
friend Reuben Mehlman, and he 

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writes as follows. 
I really enjoy all of your 

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podcast episodes, but I 
especially appreciate this piece

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because you're talking about 
your own approach to work, 

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hearing about the moral qualms 
and ethical struggles going on 

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in your head. 
I want to jump in here and point

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out that these are two very 
different things. 

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I totally get why listeners want
to hear more about the 

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struggles. 
There's something comforting 

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about hearing that other people 
have their own sorrows. 

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But hearing more of my approach 
is a separate question, and 

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honestly, I'd love to hear from 
you, the listeners. 

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Do you want to hear more of my 
voice, my ideas, and my 

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00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,920
lackluster sense of humor? 
Or do you want me to keep 

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bringing on smart people and 
getting out of the way? 

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I genuinely don't know, and I'm 
happy to hear from you. 

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No, Ruben continues. 
I am starting my first job this 

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summer. 
It's a big deal transitioning 

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after six years in yeshiva. 
On the one hand, it feels 

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00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,200
daunting. 
All beginnings and changes are 

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00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:52,880
hard, but on the other hand, 
I've been preparing for this. 

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00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,640
I've developed a Derek Hollywood
that can work even when time is 

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00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,680
limited and a general hash 
cuffic approach to being in the 

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00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,320
workforce. 
I will add that Ruben is also 

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00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,040
well prepared because he listens
to Stark Tank every week. 

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00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,840
Ruben goes on to mention that 
Revola Piansky opens Bento for 

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00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,280
Life with a heavy description of
a young man leaving yeshiva 

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00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:12,280
deeply emotional about the 
transition. 

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00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:15,320
But for Ruben, having gone 
through Yu and consciously 

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00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,360
preparing for this day, the 
transition feels less drastic 

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00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:22,080
and a much smoother take off. 
Still, he writes, there are real

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00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,280
challenges and he appreciates 
hearing honest and grounded 

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00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,440
thoughts on these topics. 
I'll just add that I have my own

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00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,360
relationship with her. 
Lapianski's hakdama. 

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00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:32,920
I transitioned to the workforce 
straight out of 11 years in 

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00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:35,040
Karen Biavenet, no intermediate 
stage. 

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00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,920
Did I experience the same shock 
as Yaakov, the character in the 

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00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,560
opening of Bentora for Life? 
Yes and no. 

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00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,200
On my last day, it was hard. 
Taking my SARM out of the 

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00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,160
Bateman Josh was an emotional 
moment, but overall it wasn't as

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00:16:49,160 --> 00:16:51,800
difficult as I expected. 
And here's the thing, that's 

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00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,760
only part of the story. 
A few years earlier, I opened 

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00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:58,880
the Safer for the first time. 
I read through the 1st paragraph

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00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,840
and my throat got tight. 
A few more paragraphs in and my 

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00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:05,560
eyes were wet. 
By the time I finished, I was 

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00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:07,880
crying. 
That was its own important 

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00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:10,720
moment because it was one of the
sparks that pushed me to take 

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00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,480
this topic seriously. 
I started Shark Tank during my 

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00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:16,160
last half year of Kohl, and by 
the time I was packing up the 

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00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,280
boxes, I had a much healthier 
perspective. 

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00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,200
So thank you to Ruben for this 
feedback and thank you.