Shtark Tank

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

Shtark Tank is a religion podcast hosted by Yaakov Wolff, with 137 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Yaakov Wolff hosts Shtark Tank, a religion show with 137 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Shtark Tank

  Rav Hershel Schachter: Finding Meaning as a Ben Torah in the Workforce (Shiur plus Q&A)

  Aug 16, 202640 min

  Subscribe to our newsletter at Shtarktank.org Rav Hershel Schachter addresses one of the most persistent tensions in the frum professional world: does the ben Torah at work matter as much as the one in the beis medrash? Recorded live in partnership with the OU Israel Business Professionals Network, this episode includes the full shiur plus a Q&A. What's covered: Why Klal Yisrael needs doctors, lawyers, engineers, and businessmen just as much as it needs roshei yeshiva, and why the "learning is more important" mindset is a distortion, not a Torah value The little-known letter from Rav Elya Meir Bloch on why the religious world can't afford to run from Zionism, Tanach, or Ivrit A Q&A covering how much work is enough, whether a rabbi should be wealthy, balancing communal obligations against raising your own children, and a practical seder for using limited learning time (starting with Kitzur Shulchan Aruch) Why Rav Schachter has spent 30 years teaching high schoolers at NCSY Kollel, and what he sees in that generation

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  Shtark Tank

  Should You Start Your Own Company? ft. Alec Kremins (Founder, Baal Teshuva, Content Expert)

  Aug 9, 202633 min

  One year ago, Alec Kremins got fired. Same week he found out his wife was pregnant with their first child. He had a choice: go find another stable job, or bet on himself. He went all in. Alec built his career at Ramp (now valued near $40B) before making Aliyah and eventually going out on his own. In this episode we get into why he tells most people not to start a company, even though it was the right call for him. We cover: The day he got let go, and the decision that followed Why he thinks life is about meaning, not comfort, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe story about the "contract" nobody signed promising an easy life The Histadlus/Bitachon dance and why it gets a lot harder when you're working for yourself Whether your work should be part of your identity, or just what funds it A surprising parallel between starting a company and childbirth (his words, not ours) Why he actively discourages most people from starting their own thing Building a personal brand without losing your Shabbos, your learning, or your sanity to the algorithm Where AI actually fits in content creation, and where it doesn't touch the core at all Alec Kremins is the founder of RallyUp. You can find him on LinkedIn .

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  Shtark Tank

  Yaakov Wolff Answers Your Questions with Rav Ari Koretsky

  Aug 2, 20261h 1m

  Har HaBayit. Torah Im Derech Eretz. Searching for Meaning. It's the summer mailbag episode! Yaakov opens up the inbox and brings on Rav Ari Koretsky (director of Meor Maryland, host of the Iyun podcast) to work through listener feedback together. In this episode: Why Shtark Tank does pre-chag episodes, and whether they're on brand or just a scheduling excuse Is there such a thing as a distinct "baalabatish hashkafa" for guys balancing Torah and a career A listener's story of how the podcast changed how he networks and built real friendships through cold outreach to guests Rav Ari's day job in kiruv, and why baalei teshuva may find an unexpected home in Shtark Tank's world Pushback on the Har HaBayis episode, including the halachic and hashkafic case against ascending, and whether the debate got a fair hearing How to handle controversial topics without becoming a clickbait machine, and the cost of staying in your lane Why the Rav Rafi Dembovsky episode on Torah Im Derech Eretz struck such a nerve The "grass is greener" pull toward nonprofit work, and why it's not the meaning shortcut people think it is What 130+ episodes have taught Yaakov about mindset, and what's actually holding Shtark Tank back from growing bigger

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  Shtark Tank

  Living Up To Our Values ft. Rav Uri Lorkis (Torat JLIC Crossover)

  Jul 26, 202631 min

  What happens after the fire of yeshiva goes out? This week I'm sharing an episode from Torat JLIC , a podcast I love, one that takes the complexity of modern life seriously instead of talking around it. The guest for this episode is Rav Uri Lorkis, who just wrapped a few years as JLIC rabbi in Michigan and now works as a startup coach. We dig into the real transition every yeshiva guy faces: how do you carry that intensity into the next stage of life, when the schedule, the chavrusas, and the structure are gone? Beyond the practical adjustments is a deeper crisis: Is it possible to live up to our values? Or will the daily grind dictate our agenda? Rav Uri brings some sharp, honest insight. Make sure to check out the Torat JLIC feed for more great content!

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  Shtark Tank

  Tisha B'Av Prep ft. Rav Moshe Taragin: Mourning in Times of Geulah, Achdut and Har Habayit

  Jul 19, 202643 min

  How do you mourn a Beis Hamikdash you never knew, in a generation that's watched Klal Yisrael return to Eretz Yisrael and rebuild a country? Rav Moshe Taragin returns to Shtark Tank to help us hold two truths at once: we are living through open miracles, and we are still so far from the finish line. Rav Taragin unpacks why every question in Jewish life now splits into "before October 7th" and "after," why Tisha B'Av doesn't require manufactured grief but honest yearning, and how looking at Chazal's account of the Churban Bayis Sheni (zealotry, internal division, over-reliance on foreign powers) maps uncomfortably well onto Israeli society today. He also addresses the tension around visiting Har Habayit as a means to an end versus an end in itself, and offers a clear-eyed, non-preachy take on Aliyah, achdut, and what it means to stay grounded when the news cycle wants you anxious and reactive. In this episode: Why October 7th changed the answer to nearly every question in Jewish life The difference between authentic mourning (aveilus balev) and performing grief on cue The machlokes over changing Nusach HaTefillah to reflect our current reality What the internal strife of the Second Beis Hamikdash teaches us about achdut today The danger of turning Har Habayit visits into a photo op or political statement Why Aliyah advocacy can tip into preachiness, and how to hold the ideal without judging the complexity of other people's lives Practical advice for gaining perspective when you're drowning in headlines Rav Taragin's new sefer, Reclaiming Redemption, HaGeula Volume 2: Faith, Identity, Peoplehood, and the Storms of War , is out now. Check out https://www.mtaraginbooks.com/ You can also join Rav Taragin's Whatsapp Chizzuk Chat: https://chat.whatsapp.com/HAER24G31VpJZW5zEXROYH for daily chizuk

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