15 Oct BOOK REVIEW – BE HUGE: AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR RABBI RAPHAEL STOHL

Chaim Yehuda Meyer: I read your book, Be Huge, over the Yomim Noraim and found it to be very transformative. My davening, learning, and ahavas Yisroel were all the more enhanced by your work. How did you first get into the field of chinuch?

Rabbi Raphael Stohl: I love learning and I love people. If you love learning and you love people, then chinuch is a good choice for you. As a Kollel yungerman in Florida, I gave nightly shiurim to baalei batim, which people enjoyed, baruch Hashem. I also taught high school boys once a week. I wanted to grow in my understanding of Navi, so I gave a weekly Navi chaburah to incentivize myself. Thanks to that chaburah, I ended up writing a book on Navi (“A Deeper Look, Yehoshua: Hidden Depth and Concise Analysis of the Prophets and Writings,” Feldheim 2019). Additionally, I gave shiurim on the Siddur because I wanted to learn more about Tefillah. I didn’t have the chance to spend time on these topics in my earlier years in kollel, as I focused mostly on Gemara and Halacha. Eventually, I was asked to be a rebbi in a local high school. I was 35 years old at the time. My rebbeim advised that it was a good time to start teaching more formally. Everyone has to figure out where Hashem is sending them. My love for Torah and people, combined with a local high school asking me to teach in a setting where I could make a real difference, drove me to accept this offer. At the high school, I helped found a masmidim program for boys who wanted to reach a higher level of religious growth and learning but lacked a strong background in learning until that point. This was a unique opportunity. Baruch Hashem, the program has been very successful. For my first couple years, I taught in the mornings and continued learning in kollel for the duration of the day. I slowly transitioned to taking on more teaching responsibilities. A couple years ago, I was zocheh to be part of the creation of a post-high school yeshiva (Yeshiva of South Florida), where I serve as Mashgiach Ruchani in the afternoons and some nights.

CYM: There are those who say that yeshivos should focus more on Chumash and Navi in high school. Do you agree?

RRS: Torah learning for boys needs to be founded in Gemara and Halacha. You need that “Gemara-kup.” Then, you can expand to Chumash, Navi, Siddur, etc. All the major meforshim on Tanach had a strong grasp of Gemara. To strengthen your mind — to think clearly — we need a Gemara foundation.

CYM: What was your impetus for writing, “Be Huge”?

RRS: To put it simply, people often sell themselves short. People are able to accomplish much more than they initially believe. In chinuch, I try to show my students their true growth potential. Once they believe they can accomplish more, they put in the effort. That’s how you become huge. The sky’s the limit; people just have to realize it. That’s what I hope this book accomplishes. In previous ages, people became talmidei chachomim at a young age; we don’t even dream about that anymore. And this “small- thinking” isn’t just regarding learning. Chessed opportunities exist in each home. Tons of people out there need help. If you were to ask me right now, “Who can I help?” I could present you with a laundry list of people who can use your assistance! The problem is that people don’t believe they can do so. If you put in the effort and dedicate yourself to helping others, there is no limit to what you can accomplish. I have even seen young kollel rabbis sell themselves short. We can all accomplish huge things — in learning, chessed, tzedakah, and many other areas. People can do so much for Klal Yisroel, but all too often, they sell themselves short. I wrote the book to show people the path to accomplishing all they can with their time in this world.

CYM: To be huge seems daunting; how do people prevent themselves from becoming discouraged?
RRS: I try to be realistic in helping the reader become huge. The book is very down to earth. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Not everyone is supposed to be the gadol hador or the world’s biggest ba’al chessed. To be huge simply means to fulfill your own potential. Everyone can do this. People have different capabilities and personalities. One person needs longer breaks, another needs
shorter breaks. And your potential at the age of 17 is different than at 22. It’s a different stage of life. Same for age 35 versus 50. I talk to high schoolers all the time. If you dig deep into each conversation, everyone is looking to be happy. And Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants us to be happy as well. Happiness comes from fulfillment. In the long run, people want meaning and purpose. Put in the effort, and you will succeed. All people who use the Torah as their guidebook will find their true purpose and will be zocheh to be neheneh from the Shechinah in this world and the next. That is huge; and it’s available to everyone.

CYM: While “Be Huge” is geared toward teenagers and young people, I feel we can all gain from this book.
RRS: I got an email from a father who bought the book for his son and ended up reading it himself and loving it, baruch Hashem. While young people are always looking to grow in various ways (not always spiritually, however), growth doesn’t necessarily come as naturally for adults. But life is about constant growth. An adult who wishes to grow can definitely find a lot of help from this book.

CYM: Your book has a lot of footnotes and sources; you must have conducted a lot of research.
RRS: Yes, it’s a culmination of many years of learning and researching.

CYM: You cite the late Rav Yechiel Perr, ob”m, who passed away during publication. Did you have a kesher with the late Rosh Yehsiva?
RRS: Not personally, no. As I mentioned, I love learning, and I’m very curious. If there’s a sefer that has one nekudah I can gain from, it’s worth it to me to pay the $25 for the book and grow from that one chiddush. There are many books from which I’ve gleaned at least one gem. Rav Perr’s book was definitely helpful.

CYM: Aside from writing an accessible book, you have made yourself accessible by offering your email address to readers and offering to buy seforim for them.
RRS: It’s an investment; if buying someone a sefer can help him/her grow, it’s certainly a much better investment than half a single dinner, which often costs the same price! The returns are huge. It’s not just about spending money; it’s about showing you care. Your willingness to do for someone else demonstrates to them that they are worth caring for. When we invest in others, they begin to invest in themselves. There was a teenaged boy who wasn’t sure if he was going to keep Yom Tov, as his family isn’t frum. My wife and I invited him to stay at our home. Since I didn’t want him to feel claustrophobic in his rebbi’s home for three days (it was a three-day Yom Tov), we also worked out some great meals for him with some other local Rebbeim and friends. In the end, the boy couldn’t join us for the holiday, but because we tried to help him, he ended up observing the Yom Tov on his own. So yes, I am more than willing to sponsor a book for someone to invest in his/her own Neshama. I also try to raise money for boys to pay for Torah summer camps and post-high school yeshivos. These are the best investments we can make; they change lives
forever.

CYM: We can all be inspired toward greater growth; as you say, each one according to his own potential, one small step at a time. “Be Huge” is a short, clear and concise book. Yet, there is more to say, I presume, as this publication is subtitled, “Volume One.” What can we expect from Volume Two?
RRS: I am working on the second volume right now and hope to complete it over the summer, im yirtzeh Hashem. Volume One tries to help teenagers and young adults navigate the various aspects of day-to-day life and religious growth. Volume Two takes us to the next stages of life: choosing between various hashkafos, finding a community to live in, navigating the decisions we have to make regarding yeshiva, seminary, college, dating, building a family, and so on.

CYM: Thank you for speaking with metoday.
RSS: My pleasure; it’s all part of avodas hakodesh.