28 Feb TRAVELING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Though the word
“influencer” has been
used in English since
the mid-1600s, it has
more recently taken
on a new meaning.
Though the term can
apply to a wide variety of people,
influencers, essentially, are people who
engage their large social media followings
by sharing experiences, knowledge and
advice. Influencers are paid to feature or
endorse products, with some making as
much as $1 million for a social media
post. Indeed, the Influencer Marketing
Industry is set to grow to approximately
$21.1 Billion in 2023.
This term has made its way into the
Jewish vernacular, including the orthodox
community, with those who boast
substantial audience often treated like
Jewish celebrities. There are some
wonderful things that have resulted from
this phenomenon, including the sharing of
Torah ideas and inspiration, spreading
modest fashion trends, promoting kosher
recipes, and more, but we must never get
confused about who our tradition informs
us are the true Jewish influencers.
The Hebrew word for influence is
hashpa’ah and those who influence others
are mashpi’im. In Judaism, influence is
not determined by social media status, it
emanates and flows from being authentic,
practicing what one preaches, serving as a
role model and example of our values.
The word hashpa’ah, influence, comes
from shefa, which means that which flows
from the Divine. The greatest influencers
in our illustrious history made their
difference without ever looking at or
caring how viral they had gone.
This week, a group from BRS went on
our annual Mevakshim trip to New York
and New Jersey to meet with some of our
great influencers with the goal of being

influenced, challenged, uplifted, and
inspired. You may not have heard of
several of them, you won’t find most of
them having a large (or any) online
following, but make no mistake, they are
an enormous source of influence on the
Jewish world.

We began in Lakewood where we met
with Rav Yeruchem Olshin, Rav Gershon
Ribner, and Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen,
and learned with hundreds of ba’al
habatim at the extraordinary early
morning Kollel Ohr Shmuel at Bais
Medrash Lutzk. We made our way to
Yeshiva University where we met with
Rav Mayer Twerski, Rav Yaakov
Neuberger, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin and
patronized the SOY Seforim Sale. From
there to Monsey, where we davened at the
Kever of the holy Ribnitzer Rebbe and
Rav Lazer Geldzhaler and then met with
Rav Refoel Schorr, Rav YY Jacobson and
Rav Ephraim Wachsman. We had
breakfast with businessman and Talmid
Chacham Reb Dovid Lichtenstein, met
with Rav Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and then
we went to Brooklyn to meet with Torah
V’Daas Rosh Yeshiva Rav Yisroel
Reisman. Our trip concluded at the
Lubavitcher Rebbe’s Ohel where we
farbrenged and davened with Rav Moshe
Weinberger. It was a whirlwind and truly

special two-plus days.
The rabbonim we met with are incredibly
diverse and distinct in their personalities,
constituencies, worldviews, personal
practices, and advice they offered. The
goal of our trip each year is to expose our
group to a tapestry of Torah
views, to draw on what resonates
from each, to be challenged,
inspired and to come back on fire
with practical and sustainable
commitments. One thing that
always amazes and inspires me is
seeing people in our group take
advice and gain inspiration from
someone they may never have
heard of a day earlier or someone
who leads an institution they
could never imagine feeling
connected to.
Each person we met with is unique;
however, we noticed some common
themes that are worth reflecting on:
Torah is our anchor. From the chassidim
to the misnagdim, the more yeshivish to
the more centrist, all the Rabbonim we
met with emphatically emphasized the
critical importance of regular, structured,
focused Torah learning. Torah is core and
central, it is the anchor that grounds us, it
is the compass that helps us navigate, it is
the armor that protects us, it is the fire that
fuels us. There must not be a day without
Torah learning, regardless of the particular
Torah content.
It was also emphasized that while
learning Torah in any form or fashion
allows us to tap into what Hashem laid out
in his blueprint for the world, there is no
better way to immerse yourself in this
beautiful experience than in person. While
the last few years have created an
expectation of remote working,
telecommuting, and distance learning,
this cannot be viewed as an ideal way to
connect to the Boreh Olam. Our time in a
full Kollel Boker humming with the
sound of a roaring Kol Torah reminded
us that coming to the Beis Medrash
and attending shiurim and classes in
person is the best way to fully enjoy,
pay attention, avoid the distractions
and pull of multitasking, and absorb
the majesty of Hashem’s Torah.
Think, Then Speak. A recent article
in Time Magazine observes, “We live
in a world that doesn’t just encourage
overtalking but practically demands
it, where success is measured by how
much attention we can attract: get a
million Twitter followers, become an
Instagram influencer, make a viral

video, give a TED talk. We are inundated
with YouTube, social media, chat apps,
streaming services… Yet many of the
most powerful and successful people do
the exact opposite. Instead of seeking
attention, they hold back. When they do
speak, they’re careful about what they
say.”
Many or most people think and speak in
one motion. Great people pause, think,
and only speak when they have thought
through and formulated what they are
going to say. The great rabbonim we met
with were thoughtful; some paused for
uncomfortable lengths (as long as 31
seconds) after a question from someone in
our group creating both awkward silence
but also providing a refreshing example of
thinking before speaking.
Individualize. People today increasingly
make broad and blanket statements,
overgeneralizing and espousing a one size
fits all philosophy to life. In responding to
a myriad of questions, a common refrain
from the rabbonim we met with was that it
is hard to give one answer, each case is
different, each individual needs to explore
what is right for them given their specific
circumstances.
Mindfulness. Many of our distinguished
speakers emphasized the importance of
focus, of being present, of taking
everything one minute, one day, one daf,
one tefillah at a time. And this was not
simply lip service; without exception,
every single one of the rabbonim was
fully present with us despite the countless
responsibilities, obligations, and “day
jobs” we were taking them from. Not a
single one of them looked at a phone, a
watch, or seemed distracted or unfocused.
It was so effortless for themthat often we
did not even notice. In our world of

multitasking, of busyness, of constant
distraction, we were given a real life lesson
in how to truly engage mindfully and
meaningfully and make the people you are
with feel like the only thing in the whole
world.
Humility and Unpretentious: We came
to seek their advice, to hang on their every
word, to ask difficult and deeply meaningful
questions, and yet, rather than exhibit
inflated egos, from the gentle way they
spoke, to their kind and generous words
about our group and community, to the
hospitality some showed in opening their
homes or yeshivas to us, the genuine
humility and unpretentiousness of these
individuals was obvious and inspiring.
Many of our speakers were reticent to
speak at all about themselves. When I
asked one particular gadol what sefarim he
learns, he responded with a smile, “Not for
now.” This particular person is known for
being a massive repository of Torah who
probably learns more in a week than many
learn in a year, yet he was not comfortable
talking about himself or his learning habits.
The world is increasingly telling us that
everything should be shared, should be

public, should be fodder for discussion. It
was refreshing to interact with people who
live with innate modesty and humility and
believe in keeping much about themselves
only to themselves.
Pain not platitudes: Our trip came in the
midst of our community reeling from the
loss of our beloved Esti Moskowitz a”h
and our sense of profound pain and grief
together with her special parents and
family. Our learning and growth
throughout the trip were dedicated in her
memory.
We were, and are, struggling with deep
theological questions and were anxious to
seek counsel from these Torah luminaries.
What resonated first was their authentic
sense of empathy, of feeling the pain of
another. Since most of them do not know
the Moskowitz family and were not aware
of their loss, we had to provide context,
and each time you could feel the tangible
air of sadness and empathy wash over the
room. Their greatness created a true sense
of familial love – our loss immediately was
their loss.
In addressing our questions and our grief,
nobody shared a platitude or pretended

they had the answers to
unanswerable questions.
There was advice, practical
lessons in faith and struggle,
and importantly, validation
to having questions and
feeling confused.
Our trip took place over
Rosh Chodesh Adar, the
beginning of the happiest
month on our calendar,
which became another theme
in many of our conversations.
One of the greatest things we
can do to attain happiness is to be a
mevakeish, a searcher of truth and seeker
of inspiration.
We say in davening a pasuk that appears
both in Tehillim and Divrei Hayamim:
“Yismach lev me’vakshei Hashem. Let the
hearts of those who seek Hashem rejoice.”
The Chafetz Chaim explains that when one
seeks and searches for something, we are
not satisfied unless we successfully find or
obtain that which we were looking for.
However, one who is mevakeish Hashem,
seeks Hashem, finds great pleasure and joy
from the actual search, regardless of its

success. The process itself, the exercise of
seeking, searching, and yearning gives
great satisfaction. Yismach lev mevakshei
Hashem – That is Hashem’s promise for the
individual who is sincere in his or her
quest.
You don’t have to go on a trip or fly-in to
be a mevakeish. You just have to be hungry
and driven to grow, and that you can do
from anywhere. If you want happiness this
Adar, expose yourself to inspirational
people and be open to influence. Be willing
to grow from someone outside your
comfort zone. Seek, find, and learn from
true influencers.