27 Mar THE HEART OF THE MAGGID: HOW RABBI PAYSACH KROHN TRANSFORMS LIVES THROUGH STORY & TORAH

As Klal Yisrael prepares to sit at the Seder table this coming week, retelling the story of our nation’s birth and recommitting ourselves to emunah and mesorah, the timing of this conversation feels especially meaningful. Pesach is not only a celebration of geulah; it is a Yom Tov of storytelling, of parents transmitting emunah, resilience, and identity to the next generation. Few contemporary figures embody the power of sacred storytelling quite like Rabbi Paysach Krohn.

The name of Rabbi Paysach Krohn has long been synonymous with inspirational stories and brisim. Affectionately known throughout the Torah world as “the Maggid,” the Rav has uplifted hundreds of thousands through his storytelling, seforim, and personal connections. Beyond his renowned gift for storytelling and writing, the Rav performed thousands of brisim over his lifetime. His skill, care, and deep spiritual sensitivity made him a trusted and beloved mohel, leaving a lasting impact on the families he served.

Throughout his life, the Rav has maintained close relationships with many of the gedolim from both past and present generations, including Rabbi Moshe Feinstein זצ״ל and Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky זצ״ל. These connections reflect the deep respect he earned across the Torah world, not only as a gifted Maggid but also as a devoted talmid chacham and baal chesed, whose life has been fully immersed in avodas hakodesh.

With twenty beloved “Maggid” volumes published by ArtScroll Mesorah Publications, the Rav’s works grace the shelves of homes, shuls, and batei medrash across the globe. More than just books, they have become trusted companions to Klal Yisrael, sources of comfort, guidance, and renewed purpose.

In December 2024, when the Rav suffered a stroke, Klal Yisrael united as one family. People davened and said Tehillim, their hearts turning heavenward in hope. Baruch Hashem, the Rav is now feeling much better. Relatively speaking, it was a milder stroke. His speech and clarity of thought remain fully intact, something for which countless people continue to offer heartfelt thanks and tefillos each day. The Rav continues to walk, speak, learn, write, and inspire, with the same warmth and clarity that have defined his decades of harbatzas Torah.

Even during his recovery, the Maggid has not slowed his mission. The Rav maintains a steady seder and continues to write and share stories that uplift rather than tear down. Perhaps this is the secret to why the Rav is so universally beloved. In a generation hungry for encouragement, the Rav’s message has always been clear and consistent: “You are good and you can become even better.”

In the weeks leading up to Pesach, Ari Hirsch of the Jewish Vues had the zechus to interview the Rav at his home for their fourth in-depth conversation together. We are truly grateful for this opportunity.

Klal Yisrael has been deeply concerned for the Rav’s well-being and has been davening constantly on his behalf. We understand that the Rav experienced a stroke in December 2024, just over a year ago. How is the Rav feeling these days?
Baruch Hashem, relatively speaking, it was a milder stroke. Because I’m right-handed, the stroke affected my left hand and not my right. My speech was not impacted, and my machshavah, my thinking, remains clear.

For that, I am deeply grateful to HaKadosh Baruch Hu. Even today, someone very close to me suffered a stroke, his family called to say that his speech is slurred and they can barely understand him. That’s heartbreaking. I thank Hashem every day that I’m able to speak, to walk, even though it’s with a walker, to communicate, and to read.

There’s no question that I’m doing a great deal of exercise. I try to walk as much as I can, although I probably don’t do enough. I have a wonderful aide who exercises with me, as well as both an occupational therapist (OT) and a physical therapist (PT). The OT is outrageous torture, and the PT is physical torture! They really push me, but they’re trying to help. The OT comes to the house, and I travel to Forest Hills for PT. They work very hard with me and give me exercises, especially for my left hand, which is difficult to lift. The stroke primarily affected my left side.

Baruch Hashem, I have many seforim to keep me occupied. I now have a seder in Nach Yomi, which I love, it’s a beautiful program. And every Thursday, I give brachos via WhatsApp to six different organizations around the world, in Australia, Zurich, England, and various communities throughout New York. These brachos are for children from single-parent families, and they receive them at one o’clock on Friday. BH I’m still very busy.

There are very few individuals who earn truly universal admiration throughout Klal Yisrael. Yet the Rav seems to be someone whom all of Klal Yisrael genuinely loves. Why do you think that is? What is it about the Rav that resonates so deeply with people from all backgrounds?
That’s a very overwhelming question, because I didn’t realize, until I became so sick, how many people truly cared about me and how many were inspired. I’ll tell you what I believe the answer is: in any speech I give, I never break people down. There are many rabbanim who focus on how bad people are, the aveiros they’re doing, and the terrible mistakes they’ve made. I always try to build people up. I tell them, “You’re good, but you can be better,” and everyone wants to hear that. That’s what resonates.

When I tell a story, it’s meant to inspire someone to improve. For example, in the book The Glittering World of Chessed, I share stories from around the world about the incredible chessed people are doing. Many readers can say, “Wait a second! I can do that too!” That’s what I try to show people: every person can be great. Every person can do wonderful things.

For instance, someone told me a couple of years ago on my birthday something I now repeat often: “The day you were born was the day Hashem decided the world could not exist without you.” In other words, everyone should feel, “Hashem put me in this world because I have something to contribute to someone else.”

Rav Dovid Cohen shlita once told me, “Why is it that a person can give a bracha on their birthday?” Look at what it says in Tehillim. In Perek Beis it says, “Ani hayom yelidticha”—today I gave birth to you. Then it says, “She’al mimeni v’etnah”—ask of Me, and I will give it to you. In other words, on your birthday you can ask for what you want. You can give someone a bracha, and Hashem will grant it. That’s the source.

So that’s what I think. No one ever leaves one of my speeches feeling broken. I always tell them they are good and that they can become even better. The stories I share aren’t only about Gedolim, but about ordinary people like you and me who do extraordinary things. Take someone like NYPD Chief Richie Taylor, He’s a regular person, yet he does remarkable acts of kindness. When people hear that, they think, “He’s a normal guy. If he can do that, so can I.”

And I believe that’s the answer.

This month marks the 40th yahrtzeits of both Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l and Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l. Did you meet or know either of them? What were your relationships with them like? What personal memories stand out? How did their leadership and hashkafah impact you and American Torah Jewry at the time?
I knew both of them very well.

There’s no question that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l was one of the kindest and most remarkable people, a true gadol hador, whose psak everyone respected and followed. I remember that when I first became a mohel, I was twenty-one years old, and there were other mohelim around. In those days, in 1966 after my father passed away, many brisim, especially for non-frum families, were done in hospitals. It was very important to be a hospital mohel, which is why my card says, “Hospital and Private Practice.” I always kept it that way because you had to be in a hospital to perform those brisim. The frum families had their own mohelim.

Some people wanted to prevent me from getting into hospitals, so they spread rumors that one had to be twenty-five to be a mohel, citing Rav Yaakov Emden. But then there was a man in our neighborhood, Chaim Israel, may he merit Gan Eden, who took me to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l. Rabbi Feinstein wrote a letter, which I still have in my book, in his own handwriting,
about me and my father. He stressed that people should help me because I was a young yasom supporting my family’s parnassah. I had to care for my mother and six younger siblings. My father hadn’t walked any of his children down the aisle at their weddings, so I did it for my brothers and sisters alongside my mother. Rabbi Feinstein’s letter emphasized the importance of supporting a young yasom with such responsibilities. That was Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l, very close and personal.

My father and Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky zt”l were chavrusas in Ner Yisrael; they were even roommates. My father was the shadchan for Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky zt”l and his wife, so Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l was always very close to our family. I remember going to Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l with certain questions, sometimes even with my mother, and he was always very kind to us.

One of the most memorable moments was when I asked Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l where to send my sons to yeshiva here in Queens. There were two schools, Ohr Yisroel and Tiferes Moshe. I wanted guidance because the gedolim always had a perspective; people ask questions about maaser and halachah, but what about the chinuch of your children? That’s what really matters. I mentioned to Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l that Tiferes Moshe, a few blocks from us, required all the Rebbes to have beards, whereas Ohr Yisroel, run by Rabbi Gil Zeller in Forest Hills, did not.

Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l looked at me and said, “Then why don’t you have a beard?” I explained the situation, and he replied, “Oh, you must send your sons to Tiferes Moshe.” I asked, “Rosh Yeshiva, I’ll do as you say, but why must I send them there?” His answer was brilliant: “If you send your son to a place where the Rebbe must have a beard, by the time he reaches seventh grade, if his father doesn’t have a beard, by osmosis he’s going to think you’re a goy.”

Of course, I sent them to Tiferes Moshe. Both of my sons today know Shas, and both are Rabbonim, one in Manchester, outside Lakewood, and the other in Passaic.

When I was growing up, there were three gedolim: Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l, Rabbi Aharon Kotler zt”l, and Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l. I didn’t have personal ties with Rabbi Aharon Kotler zt”l, but those three were central; nobody moved without them. Everyone recognized Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l as the bekaeach hador, and major decisions were made only with his input.

Just the other day, I shared an amazing story about the emes of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l. I had been at his kever in Mount Judah in Brooklyn, where I took sixty women.

We went to Rabbi Avraham Pam zt”l and Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l, and I told them how incredible his middah of emes was. For example, his wife needed surgery, and he wanted to call Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l for a bracha. His children asked, “Why didn’t you call him?” He said, “I tried, but there was no answer.” When they suggested using Rabbi Moshe Feinstein zt”l’s unlisted number, he replied, “I was given this number for emergencies in Klal Yisrael. This is my personal matter. It’s not an emergency in Klal Yisrael. Using it would be dishonest.” That was the middah of Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l.

Another story his son, Rabbi Binyamin Kamenetsky zt”l, shared: When he started elementary school in South Shore, Long Island, he wanted to put the mezuzah lower so the children could reach it. Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l said, “You can’t teach children falsehood. The mezuzah belongs in the top third. Use a stool and have a teacher stand there to help the  children safely reach it, but the mezuzah must remain in its proper place.”

The Rav has always spoken with deep emotion about visiting the kevarim of tzaddikim. After describing your visit to Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetsky’s kever, does the Rav remember the first time he went to Ma’aras HaMachpelah, the kever of our Avos, in Chevron?
I remember that first visit as if it were yesterday. I must have been in my mid-thirties, I had started as a mohel when I was twenty-one. I happened to enter through the back entrance, and I began davening at the graves of the Avot. I davened by Yaakov Avinu, and that was fine. I davened by Yitzchak, and that was fine, too.

But when I reached Avraham Avinu, I completely fell apart. I couldn’t stop crying, I was like a child. Avraham was the first mohel, the original kiruv professional, which is exactly what I was doing at every bris. And on top of that, my father’s name was Avraham, so I felt an almost personal connection. I can still see myself standing there, completely overwhelmed, tears flowing freely. It was a moment I will never forget.was Avraham, so I felt an almost personal connection. I can still see myself standing there, completely overwhelmed, tears flowing freely. It was a moment I will never forget.

By then, I had been performing brisim for about ten years. I had already done so many for so many families, yet standing there, I suddenly understood on a deeper level what each bris truly meant. That experience also led Artscroll to ask me to write the Bris Milah book. I told them, “I’ve done brisim for both Sefardim and Ashkenazim. I know the minhagim, and I know what each group wants and needs to hear.” I would sing the niggunim with the families, and in the book, I included all the piyutim so that everyone could feel connected and involved.

It wasn’t just a visit, that day, at Avraham Avinu’s resting place, everything I had done over the years, the brisim, the davening, the songs, suddenly came together. I understood the depth, the history, and the sacred responsibility in a way I had never felt before.

I recently asked the Rav, “Outside of family members, who influenced your life the most?” To my surprise, the Rav answered, “Rabbi Dovid Cohen.” I had expected the Rav to say Rav Sholom Schwadron. Can you please explain.
Both of them, of course, have had a profound impact on my life. In the middle of my living room hangs a large picture of Rav Sholom Schwadron. Without him, I probably wouldn’t be a speaker today. He told stories that could make people laugh and cry, and the greatest compliment a speaker can receive is hearing someone say afterward, “You were speaking directly to me.” That’s exactly how people felt with Rav Sholom. He had a way of speaking to each person individually, as if he were in their own living room.

Rav Dovid Cohen, on the other hand, has been a constant presence in my learning for over forty years. He recently moved to Lakewood, and now we study together over the phone or via FaceTime. His eyesight has declined, so he can’t read the sefer himself. I read aloud while he translates and guides me, a task that’s surprisingly challenging. Whether it’s Gemara, Chumash, or anything else, we navigate it together. Right now, we are going through parts of Tehillim: he writes each pasuk in large print so he can see it, and then we study it together, line by line.

In many ways, Rav Sholom taught me the power of storytelling and connection, while Rav Dovid has taught me patience, dedication, and the depth of learning. Both shaped who I am today, each in his own irreplaceable way.

How did the Rav meet Rav Dovid Cohen shlita?
That’s a great question. I first heard about Rav Dovid Cohen when I was a counselor at Camp Agudah. I had been chosen as the color war general for the teams Yissachar and Zevulun, and someone came over to me and said, “If you want any chazal about Yissachar and Zevulun, there’s a guy at Camp Munk who knows every chazal that exists—his name is Rav Dovid Cohen.” That was the first time I had ever heard of him.

Later, a cousin told me that Rav Dovid’s father had actually paid him to learn as a private tutor. Inspired, I called Rav Dovid and asked if I could learn with him. He said yes. At first, I would meet him at Chaim Berlin in the Beis Medrash, and later I would go to his house.

I asked him, “How much do I owe you?” He smiled and said, “You’re taking over the spot of a doctor who was transferred to Los Angeles. He already paid me for the year, so I don’t need to charge you.” I never knew if that was entirely true, perhaps he sensed I didn’t have much money, but it didn’t matter. It was an incredible act of generosity, and it left a lasting impression on me.

Rav Dovid Cohen also gave me one of the most important lessons about life. When I began performing brisim, most of my clients were not frum. Huntington, Long Island, was a growing area, and I thought to myself, “I live in Queens. Huntington and Suffolk County are so far. Maybe I should move there, get to know the rabbis and doctors. It could help my work.”

Rav Dovid immediately told me, “That would be crazy.” Surprised, I asked him why. He said, “What about your children? Their chinuch comes first. You can’t live in Huntington if you want to raise them as frum Yidden. There are no frum shuls there, no frum community. Parnassah doesn’t come first. Hashem will provide. But moving there would harm your children.”

It was such a powerful lesson about priorities. From that moment, I understood that some things- our children, their education, their spiritual environment- must always come first, no matter what else seems important.

What was the Rav’s relationship with Rabbi Berel Wein zt”l?

I can’t really call it a “relationship.” I loved him, I admired him, and I had one of the funniest experiences of my life with him.

Once, I was asked to speak alongside Rabbi Wein at a program for over a thousand women at Montauk High School. The topic was “Preparing for Mashiach.” I spent weeks preparing. When I found out I’d be speaking with him, I said, “I must go first. I can’t speak after him.”

Here’s a tip I always give about public speaking: never, ever start with a joke. Most opening jokes fall flat, and the audience thinks, “What does this guy think? I’m crazy? That wasn’t funny.” I stick to this rule, except with Rabbi Wein.

After I delivered my speech, polished and practiced for weeks, he looked at me and said, “I learned a lesson in the rabbinate a long time ago: when the mohel gets finished, there’s very little left for the rabbi to do.” That’s Rabbi Wein- sharp, unexpected, and utterly unforgettable.

The Rav recently published a new ArtScroll sefer called The Maggid on Tefillah. I believe this is your 20th book, an incredible milestone. How does the Rav do it? First, how do you gather so many stories? People share stories with you all the time, but what transforms a nice story into one worthy of inclusion in a sefer? What elements must a story have, and do you ever turn down good stories?
That’s a very good question. First, I have a wonderful wife who manages everything at home. I always say, “She knows where everything is, and I know where she is.” Because of her, I have the time and space to write. Look at the desk in front of me. It looks like a churban, and I know it bothers her, but I’m learning Chumash, studying Tanach, writing, and preparing speeches for Shabbos and Pesach. She allows me that time. I’m a night person; I start writing around 10:30 PM and often go until one or two in the morning. Baruch Hashem, she allows me that.

Every story I write is meant to be somebody’s favorite story somewhere. It has to speak to a person, making them think, “I could do that,” or “I should be like that.” Sometimes a story is meaningful only to the person who shares it; it may not inspire anyone else. I try to choose stories that teach a lesson and encourage reflection or action. That’s the goal.

Someone recently told me he struggles to daven with kavanah. His mind wanders, thinking about work or other matters. What would you suggest for someone who struggles to maintain focus during davening?
Every person should have their own siddur, with words and phrases underlined. Daven from a siddur, never by heart, because it’s easy to skip words. Look at my siddur: I underline words, phrases, and names of people I want to daven for. When you do this, the siddur speaks to you.

For example, one of my favorite lines in Hallelukas says, “Harofei l’shvurei lev.” The first letters—Hay, Lamed, Lamed, Hallel—remind me: the greatest praise of Hashem is healing the brokenhearted. So many people are broken today. Recently, a family called me, Nosson Greenberg from Far Rockaway had a stroke, and my heart went out to him. That’s what you must focus on.

Another example: “Poseach Es Yadecha.” There’s a remarkable story behind this phrase, the best in the book, that brings its meaning to life. When underlined, it guides your kavanah. That’s why I highlight and underline in both my siddurim and my Tehillim. This practice, more than anything, helps maintain focus.

Here’s a story from my Tefillah book:

Rav Elimelech Biderman in Eretz Yisrael told of a poor boy sent by his mother to buy fruits and vegetables. He picked up an apple and a tomato. The storekeeper asked, “Yingele, that’s all you’re buying?” The boy replied, “We’re poor. We can’t afford more.”

The man noticed the boy eyeing a bowl of cherries. “I own the store,” he said. “You can take some.” The boy refused. The man insisted twice more, but the boy declined each time. Finally, the man put a bunch of cherries in the bag himself. When the boy returned home, his mother asked, “Where did these cherries come from?” He told her the story. She asked, “Why did you wait until he put them in the bag himself?” The boy replied, “Ma, he’s got a bigger hand than me.”

Rav Elimelech explained: that’s why we say “Poseach Es Yadecha.” Hashem has the biggest hand; He can give us anything.

Recently, I took sixty women to the kevarim of the Tzadikim. Many were seeking shidduchim. I told them: when you say “Poseach Es Yadecha,” you can ask Hashem for anything- marriage, health, parnassah. That phrase, underlined in my siddur, brings kavanah to my davening. Every person should do the same.

As we approach Pesach, what childhood Pesach memory stands out most vividly in your mind?
Rav Sholom Schwadron sitting at a Seder, crying as he recited Nishmas. When he was in America, he stayed with my parents for Yom Tov, at least for the first days, and you had to hear him say Nishmas. Tears would just stream down his face.

At the Rav’s Seder now, does the Rav make a big deal about Nishmas?
I’ll tell you something very interesting. People often ask me what I do at my Seder. My wife feels very strongly about it, and she convinced me that we should go to our children’s Seder. Baruch Hashem, my children are now old enough to lead their own Seder, and their children deserve to see a Seder conducted by their parents.

So we go to the kids’ Seder, so their children can witness their parents in action. All those little kids, K’nein a’harah, are learning so much in school. They want to say their parts, and they want to say them in front of their parents and grandparents. We’re like spectators now; we don’t lead the Seder anymore. I don’t even know if I’d have room here for all my children and grandchildren, Baruch Hashem. But the point is, it’s a tremendous nachas to see how they’re doing it.

Does the Rav have any new Pesach stories to share with our readers— perhaps a recent experience that beautifully illustrates the spirit of emunah or hashgachah pratis?
I can tell you this: many people have shared that they use my ArtScroll Haggadah throughout the entire Seder, from beginning to end, and there is a particularly moving story included in the section of Yachatz, where the matzah is broken. I wrote that while people might think something is lost or broken at Yachatz, that piece of broken matzah actually becomes the apex; it becomes the Afikoman. Why do we take something broken? Because from something broken, you can build, grow, and transform.

In March 2019, I received a call from a Kollel fellow, Asher Yurowitz, in Houston, Texas. He told me about Nechemia Passell, a boy born with only one arm who was about to celebrate his bar mitzvah.

“You befriended this boy when you met him here in Houston seven years ago,” Asher said, “and I know he would appreciate a call from you in honor of the simcha. Would you mind calling him?”

Within minutes, I was on the phone with Nechemia. As we reminisced about our meeting years earlier, it occurred to me that someone even more inspiring could give this young man the encouragement he deserved: Mr. Woli Stern, a remarkable elderly gentleman from São Paulo, Brazil. Mr. Stern had lost his left arm in an accident at the age of nineteen, yet he went on to achieve extraordinary success and make a profound impact on the lives of others.

After speaking with Nechemia, I reached out to Mr. Stern and asked if he would write to the boy. The letter he sent is truly exceptional, filled with love, guidance, and encouragement for anyone who may feel “broken.”

Dear Nechemia,

Mazal Tov, Mazal Tov, Mazal Tov!!

On the occasion of your Bar Mitzvah, it is my privilege and honor to wish you, from the bottom of my heart, that Hashem grant you strength to go from one success to the next and merit to become an Adam Gadol.

My name is Woli Stern. I am 89 years old and live in São Paulo, Brazil. I lost my entire left arm in a car accident at the age of 19. At the time, I was completely devastated. But the first thought that flashed through my mind was: “I will not let this accident drag me down or stop me in life! I will try my best to continue life as usual, as if nothing had happened.” From that day on, my handicap became my driving force. I did not let it hold me back, and as soon as people saw my determination, they treated me normally. The sheer willpower required to overcome my handicap became my greatest asset, and I was able to continue life almost as usual. I even became the first Brazilian boy to study at the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, Ohio.

Baruch Hashem, Hashem sent me an extraordinarily refined lady, whom I ended up marrying. She did not see my handicap as a reason to reject the shidduch, and we have been happily married for over 60 years.

Baruch Hashem, Hashem has been very kind to me. I have been able to do many positive things: learn and work normally, run a successful business, take an active role in community matters, and help promote worthy Jewish causes. To mention just two examples, I take special pride in sponsoring the publication of Tractate Horayos/Eduyos in the Talmud Bavli series by ArtScroll/
Mesorah Publications. Additionally, I spend most of my day working for an organization called EFRAT, which assists pregnant women in Israel. Be’ezras Hashem, we have been able to save nearly seven thousand (7,000) unborn children so far.

I have always loved helping people whenever I could. My handicap has never held me back. It never stopped me from driving a car, playing tennis when I was younger, or even learning to ski at the age of fifty, which I did for many years. There has never been a problem for which I needed others’ help. Everything is in your mind; it is your mind that directs and commands your actions. Thanks to Hashem, I have been successful in all my endeavors.

I understand how it feels to anticipate your big bar mitzvah moment, with all eyes upon you. Based on my own experience, my advice to you is simple: get up and do whatever you planned in front of the audience— seriously, calmly, and with confidence—as if there were no handicap. This will earn you the greatest respect. At the end of the day, how people relate to you mirrors your own attitude toward yourself and your handicap.

Trust that Hashem will guide your way, believe in yourself, and rise to succeed! You have a great life ahead of you.

Wishing you the best in all your endeavors,

Sincerely yours,

Woli Stern
São Paulo, Brazil

Looking ahead, what is the Rav working on next?
Artscroll wants me to work on a sefer about Shabbos, but it’s such a major undertaking that I can’t yet grasp the enormity of the task. I’m not sure I’ll do it. There’s so much going on, and I need to focus on restoring my health. I want to feel that I can travel and move around like I did before; only then might I consider returning to such a project.

With so many seforim being published today, what types of sefarim do you think Klal Yisrael needs more of? Are there particular topics or approaches that you feel are missing in today’s Torah literature?
Anything inspirational. Stories are very important, but they must be true. I can’t stand stories that aren’t true; it’s simply not right. That’s why I always mention names and dates so people can verify them, and I quote my sources. Every source I cite, I check carefully.

I have over ten thousand source cards in my office that I’ve personally verified. I look up each source, write it down, and file it so I can use it again. If I quote a pasuk, I always include the nekudos so it doesn’t sound like the words of an Amora. Each card represents a different source I’ve used in a speech, so there are 10,400 sources here dating back to 1985, when I began speaking.

FUN QUESTIONS WITH RABBI PAYSACH KROHN SHLITA

PESACH / HAGGADAH QUESTIONS
Which part of the Haggadah speaks to you most personally?
Vehi She’amda.

Which Gadol’s Seder that is alive today would you most like to attend?
Rabbi Elimelech Biderman.

What is your favorite Haggadah to use at the Seder?
Mine.

What’s your favorite part of the Seder?
The first time you bite into the matzah.

MUSSAR / MIDDOS / TORAH QUESTIONS
What is your favorite mussar sefer?
Alei Shur by Rav Wolbe.

Which middah are you currently working on improving?
Chessed.

What is your favorite tzaddik biography?
Rav Pam and The Manchester Rosh Yeshiva – Rav Yehuda Zev Segal.

Which rabbi’s life story would you like to see turned into a film?
The Manchester Rosh Yeshiva – Rav Yehuda Zev Segal.

Which mitzvah do you find most challenging, and why?
Ve’ahavta Le’rei’acha Kamocha. It can be very difficult if you know that a person has done things that disturb you.

If you could have a chavrusa for one hour with anyone from the beginning of time, who would it be?
Rashi.

What is your go-to sefer or peirush for your weekly dvar Torah on the parsha?
Chofetz Chaim Al HaTorah.

Which mitzvah have you not yet performed, but would like to fulfill?
To write a Sefer Torah.

What is your favorite mesechta?

Kesubos.

Who is your favorite person in Tanach?
The one I feel the most sorry for is Shaul HaMelech. He had a difficult life.

PERSONAL / INSPIRATIONAL QUESTIONS
If you could have a superpower to help in your avodas Hashem, what would it be?
To understand every Tosfos.

If you could sit in on one shiur from any rabbi, living or niftar, whose would it be?
Rabbi Leibel Chait. He was a Rav. He learned in Chofetz Chaim, and he was a Rav in Forest Hills. He taught in YU. Nobody learned a piece of Gemara or a Tosfos like him. He was a talmid of Rav Dovid Leibowitz (Henoch’s father) in Chofetz Chaim.

If you could live in any era of Jewish history, which would you choose?
I’m happy where I am.

Who in Klal Yisrael today inspires you most by their actions?
Rabbi Nosson Sherman shlita.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Before every speech I give, I call my closest friend, Dr. Yaakov Solomon. He always says, “You’ll be great.”

What is your favorite act of chessed to do for someone else?
Make them feel that they’re special.

What English book would you make mandatory reading for parents?
One of the greatest books was To Be a Jew by Rabbi Chaim Donin. Many years ago, he wrote a book on chinuch, and it was very, very good.

At Techias HaMeisim, besides family, whom are you looking most forward to meeting?
Rashi.

What is one skill you’d love to master instantly?
How to be a speaker that influences thousands.

Which Jewish song best represents hope or geulah to you?
Acheinu Kol Beis Yisrael by Abie Rotenberg.

What is your favorite Abie Rotenberg song?
Joe Dimmaggio’s Card. I love that song. Abie played it for me on the piano in my house before it became public. He told me he was thinking about Reb Shmuel Kamenetsky when he wrote it. By the way, I was Abie’s Pirchei leader in Kew Gardens many years ago when he was a young man.

Which person from Tanach do you feel you understand more as you get older?
Sadly, Dovid HaMelech.

If you could thank one person, past or present, for shaping who you are today (not family), who would it be?
Reb Dovid Cohen shlita.

What’s a question you remember asking as a child that you still think about today?
I once asked my father, and this is the truth: “Is it possible to be a maggid in America?” That was when Rabbi Sholom Schwadron was here, and he was inspiring so many people. My father gave me an answer that I live with to this day: “In America, you could be anything you want to become.”

Who is the most famous or chashuve person you ever went to yeshiva with?
Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, who is a very chashuve Rav and a posek in Baltimore. We graduated from Torah Vodaas together, then he went to Eretz Yisrael to learn, and he became a Rav in Denver. Today, he is a chashuve Rav in Baltimore.

One word that summarizes Shabbos.
Zemiros.

One word that summarizes Yiddishkeit.
Connection.