Be our guest! (Ep. 299)

Hi, this is David Olowski and welcome to the Rabbi Olowski show. And whether you're watching with our friends of Ruth at time who are producers or wherever you watch or listen uh to your podcast as always we are excited to have you along for the experience. And this is beginning our seventh year. This is our anniversary show. Even I clap for that. It's very exciting. Can you imagine? We We've done so many years already. It's amazing. And we're approaching our 300th episode. I don't know if this is the 300th episode. It might be. I guess it depends how you count all the shorts and everything, too. But, uh, wow. It has taught me that I have the ability to talk for 300 hours without any preparation whatsoever. Yeah. You know these guys who go out on dates and uh they they're like they don't know what to say. I never have that problem. I always find something to say. You know, sometimes it's nice, sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's relevant, sometimes not. Sometimes it's deep, sometimes it's shallow. Yeah. There's all kinds of different things, you know, but uh but the the goal is at the end to have a totality. And uh that's really what um what life is. Life is made up of many different types of moments and some of them happy and some of them sad. You know, I mean some of my episodes get the most views are my Tishbove episodes and uh they're usually pretty sad because Tishb is a sad day. And then the other ones surprisingly which get a lot of views is my PUM episodes and they're not usually so sad. At least I try not to make them too sad. So um so I'm coming on to the anniversary show and every year when the anniversary show comes around I want to do something special and I always think what but of course I don't do any preparation you know. So uh my daughter uh I asked her I said so what should I do for the anniversary show? He says, "Why don't you make a reaction video?" I said, "I don't know what that means." It says, "You know, you show clips of like, you know, the best moment of the show and you react to it." I said, "I have 300 shows. How am I going to go through now 300 shows and pick out clips and and decide which ones to react to and how how to do that? That's that's going to be too hard." But I got from that a germ of an idea which I will tell you as soon as I mention our sponsors and our sponsor is one of our regular sponsors victed wishing to you and yours me and mine and all of Israel. And it is ironic on one level that Reba Vda, who is a close friend of me and a close friend of the show and has worked very hard to keep it going because he actually was going to be mentioned in this week's episode without being a sponsor. So this is what they call serendipity and uh serendipity is translated as but serendipity is a much cooler word. I learned that actually from Rebbitson center when I uh were by them for a suda in Muny and then I spoke spoke there and she was telling stories of serendipity right which is basically so I decided you know what would be interesting that I would like to share with you is I have had over the past six years quite a number of guests and I I want to talk a little bit about what the logic is in having a guest on this show because I've had a number of guests, but it's uh it's I don't think even 10% of the shows that we've had were were interview maybe 10% were interview shows. But uh but every now and then I I wanted to have a guest. I'm gonna tell you how it got started. The show started when I asked Mull Samuels, who had set up my website for me and my Facebook page, if uh we could make a podcast. I didn't even know what that meant. I just, you know, podcast. He says, "Sure." So, the first one they filmed in my room in a corner over there. It looked like a hostage video a little bit because, you know, it didn't have the background. And people watched it and wrote in and said, "You should be sitting in front of a bookcase. You should be sitting in a chair. You should be." I was like, "Okay, we can do that." And that's been the format ever since, you know, uh during COVID, you know, I had to do them over Zoom uh because uh we were in lockdown mode. Um and uh and there was a time that we were green screening the the um the uh the bookcase, but this one's real. This, by the way, was my first shas I got in 8th grade when my rebby rebel who was basically mire of me um told us to buy and so I got that chass for $35 from Z Burman's in 1974 73 it was 1973 or 74 and um and uh I still have it. chose the test of time. Not because I used it so much, but just because it was a cheap binding, so it fell apart. But I'd like to tell you because I I learned them to death, but I didn't. This is my shot over here that my father-in-law got me uh guns all over. And uh I had this, but you know, the shots is really hard to learn with. He's like, you know, you take the take it. You know, the best thing. And again, when I got married, 1982, you'd see these young couples, they'd get married, they'd rent an apartment, and they buy a big lazy boy recliner and have his custom shots. And Friday night, he'd lean back, put the gumar over him, and fall right to sleep. So uh that's why uh I have I have bought myself smaller ones that I uh are more practical but uh but these are much easier to see. So uh anyway but um um so we started doing it over here and uh it was basically me talking and um at the beginning it wasn't hard because I had lots of stuff that I wanted to say just to to get out there into the uh into the ether. Um but then one chabas uh a fellow by the name of Rabbi Fogel Garn from Australia came with a bunch of guys on a trip to its and he asked if he could join us for a suda. So he said sure. Yeah. And him and the boys turned out had sort of a band and they were singing. They were singing over Shabas beautifully and harmonizing and Rabbi Fogarn had written a song you know that uh that I thought oh it'd be nice for me on my my podcast. I later found out on YouTube he has like 50,000 views so he didn't really need me you know and uh um although I have a much more fanatical following than he does you know so people follow this show you know so I said why don't we do this on the show well M had to do a whole thing he had to get in a bunch of cameras and set up chairs and they came with guitars and that was the very first musical episode and that's what it was called the musical and it was para's bashalak So I said, "Oh, we have that." And that was the first guest that I ever had. And since then, we've tried to have some musical guests and uh and Roy Fogarn who is a Makan. He's now somewhere in Florida as a youth director um and doing good work, but he's essentially a Mane. And uh and that became my litmus test for a musical guest. I tried to have on musical guests from time to time, but I didn't want just somebody who's a musician or somebody who's dumb, you know, a singer. That to me holds no appeal for me. you know, um there was a major Jewish publication that had on their cover once two very popular singers to talk about uh issues in Clayo. And I'm thinking to myself, you're a singer. What? Just sing. I forgot who said that line once, but to Bruce Springsteen. He goes, just be quiet and sing. You know, I mean, you're a singer. You know, why why in the world should you suddenly become an authority? you know, uh, Jerry Seinfeld got an award once from some place, you know, I forgot what it was, a special maybe from from HBO, whatever. And he says only comedians deserve awards. Actors don't. He says actors show up, somebody wrote them a line, there's a director telling them how to say the line, they film the line, and then they give an award. The guy is a genius. We wrote the line. you read it just like we told you, just like we directed you. Oh, what a genius this guy is. And then they go off for opinions on politics. Like all of a sudden, now you're a Bucky in politics. Now you're a genius in this, you know. So, uh, he says, "But comedians, we write our own material. We have to look around and see what's going on in the world. Our opinions, uh, you know, should have more weight, you know." So, uh, so just because a person sings doesn't doesn't mean that you're anything other than a singer, you know. Um, so the people that I had on after that I I always tried to have on people who I felt represented something more. So I had on my good friend uh Lenny Solomon um who of course is from Schllock Rock fame. I I wore my Schllock Rock shirt once on the show. Even when he wasn't here, he gave it to me as a gift. And our theme song is Lady Solomon. If you ever go on the website and watch the full video, it's it's Lenny playing and he wrote the Revolowski theme show song, etc. You know, I was so excited because my mother whenever I would start complaining about something, she goes, "Oh, that's your new theme song." And I was like, "No, I have my own theme song. I don't I don't need another theme song." But it used to be we just had this little like, you know, bling, you know, that introduced it. And then after Lenny wrote that song, it became uh took it to a whole another level. Raviolski theme song. Yeah. And uh but Lenny was a guy who I worked with at NCSY and he was an accountant and it was after one habdoll that I gave that he was so moved by this. He said I was talking about doing what's meaningful etc. and he said, "I have a coyak in music to teach toyra through music and I'm going to leave accounting and do this." Yeah. Um I question that decision to this day. But listen, you know, there's no question that tens of thousands of young people have been introduced to Yahadus because of him. So I had him on and I had my good friend Ari Goldwag. Yeah. And um I remember I called I I called him up and I wanted to have him on on the show, you know. So he says, "Oh, I'll talk to my kids, you know." So my kids said I should go on the show. People watch it. And we go back a very long time. He's been he's been a shabas guest by us. And he's essentially a mik. He has a para uh para video that he does every week. And he he teaches Torah. In fact, when he would make a concert, um he was one of those people who had difficulty because he would not allow any mixed seating. And uh some people would have like uh you know men seating, women's seating and mixed seating, you know, which is exactly the main minion at Grossingers on Russia where they brought in the choir from the New York Filmonic to sing. There was another minion which was a straight Orthodox minion but you know you know mixed you know and he has tremendous integrity so I wanted to bring him on. my son Moshu Huda who of course writes and composes songs and I really have to have him on because uh again because he writes his own things now you know and he has some real big hits some of which have are are clay and some of which are not yet and uh I have him on but he came on with some of his friends from Waterberry because in Waterberry they put out their own albums and their own music we had them on twice you know and the first time they sang beautifully they didn't really get the conversation part in so much. I basically had them singing. The second time they said, "Okay, we're going to do it right this time." And they were a lot of fun. So, uh, those are my, uh, musical episodes. And of course, um, I had Niss Black and, uh, he was a musical star, but he wouldn't sing because his story is so unbelievable. And talk about being a Mahan. I mean, this guy inspired me and I have a heart of stone and he managed to crack it open because he's so sincere and so, you know, unbelievable. It's a two-parter. It's definitely Kadai to to go back and watch it. Um, we got him to do one little piece, you know, all my grandchildren came because Nissa Black's going to sing, you know, and finally at the end he did one little uh song, you know, um that we got it in, but most of it was just talking about his story and his life, which is amazing. I'm just thinking, oh, one one other musical guest I almost forgot. And that was if you remember I had I had Ari Goldwe on twice because uh when I did the series after the tragedy on Shminyas I did a whole series on Shabas because there were those who said that it happened on Shabas Yandiff. So we have to be mazic or Shabas. So I gave a whole series on Shabas. At the end I took B Shabas Mirus and I brought Ari Goldweag in to sing some of the nigun for different uh you know etc. I really needed more of like a musical historian kind of a thing to say where all the nigurum came from. But like I would say a particular thing and he goes I never heard of that but I wrote my own and he would sing his niggan which was a lot of fun don't get me wrong. Um, but somebody said to me, "You left out uh the Sparty uh Zmeirus." So I brought in my nephew Ezra Orlavski, who is a born again. Um, he lives up in the Golan. And uh, he reads Saja Goen in the Arabic. I mean, just, you know, he's he's next level. Just he's not not like a regular guy. I brought him in and he did all the nigun. I think those were my musical acts. I don't did I forget anybody? Is that all my musical acts? Okay, I think so. But since I mentioned Ezra and since I mentioned Moshi Huda, I have had on the show um some of my family because you know it's a family affair. Full disclosure, I'm giving this away because I really wanted to do it one time. I don't have women on the show. Whether that's right, whether that's wrong. Um, you know, I have all different types of followings. I have certain people who don't have any internet and they call up Torah anytime to hear the podcast, you know. So, someone said to me, "Then what do you care if you have a woman on? They're not going to see her anyway." I said, "I understand." But there are also people who do have access to the internet. In fact, there's one yeshiva where someone told me that they have internet in the smarim and uh and when the podcast comes out the the whole goes in, you know, they lock the door and they put it on, they all watch it together, you know. So, uh so I try to I try to be sensitive. There's a principle that I have that uh I try to be as unoffensive as I possibly can. I don't always succeed and that's why sometimes Nucky radio takes me off because I'm not so nucky and sometimes they put me on with a warning label. So, but I do try. I really do try. So, um there was a big issue here in Israel what they call hadat nashim leaving you know leaving women out of public life. big big issue here in Israel. In America, it's also a big issue because there are the women who are very upset that publications, the from publications will not uh publish pictures of women, you know, the more modern ones obviously will, you know, and put in pictures of women and so they won't put in our picture, you know. So, uh, there was a a big issue in the Hamodia when they put in the picture of the situation room when Obama's was watching them killing um, uh, Osama bin Laden. They airbrushed Hillary Clinton out, you know, because that's that's their policy. That's their policy. Listen, you like it, you don't. Anyway, so I tried to do that, but I wanted to have as a perm episode to um have a couple of my daughters who are very involved in, you know, the outside world and things to come on to the show to speak about Nashim covered in sheets, but none of them would agree. Every now and then they would say yes, and then at the last minute they would all back out. But that to me would be just so hysterical to discuss had nashim with three girls covered over in sheets. But that never happens. I never had any of my my my daughters on. Considering that I have eight daughters, you understand that that kind of makes it think. So, of course, my son Yakov, you know, who had his own podcast um and uh uh on Israeli politics, he he stopped it, but you know, he of course was much more polished, etc. And uh he would come in all the time. He was I don't know how many episodes he was with with my son Schlommo. He uh he was on uh two times. one time on a PUM episode with Yakov and uh another time where is the proprietor of Schlime's meats he showed everybody you know explained the correct way to make a barbecue on of course my son Moshi Yehuda was part of the musical guest but what many people don't know is that my son-in-law Avi Lieberman who is um a mag and ar Leavon which most people know as suspects yeah He writes and he wrote a beautiful safer on um on pur which by the way I wrote an introduction to and uh he was on the show speaking about his uh speaking about his pur book. So, I had on I had on some I I have some few more son-in-laws we'll have to get on, but not everybody uh likes to come out and and talk and and it's always tough to decide, you know, when it comes to a guest because there are people who want to be on the show and I have to make a all the time because at the end of the day, it's the Rabiowski show, right? And that's why um the podcast that I did that has the most views is when I had on Tuvia Singer who of course is famous for that was just this past year for uh battling missionaries and debating missionaries and uh I was talking about it and I got a lot of the most negative comments. I got the most views and the most negative comments. Why did you keep interrupting Turvia Singer? And I said, cuz it's the Rabi Olowski show and if I don't say anything, then you could just go watch a Turia Singer video and you don't need me for the whole reason. It's my show. So, I'm interviewing him and I want to try to draw out certain ideas, etc. He's got thousands of videos you can go and watch. I I would like to think that the Rabioloski experience is going to be a little different, but I have to always consider who I'm bringing on, why I'm bringing it on. So, I brought on a an old friend, a very old friend, and also someone I know for a very long time, and that was Rabbi Yasi Granowski, the Rashiva of Urvit. And uh he came in to to give a lot of different insights, etc., But I'm friends for many years and I know what he has to offer. And uh and one of my categories of that I brought in over the the six years that we've been doing this is uh some of my friends. So Rabbi Nissle came in to speak about his book about uh Shapiro. And of course we he he was a to Shapiro. I had this to listen to some of his shirum. And so we were able to share my stories together. I had on my friend Rabbi Z Rdman twice as it happens. One time to talk about his the book that he wrote about the women who are childless and Tanakh and then he talked about his safar and the etc. And uh that was special. Um I don't know what category I put RGV in. I guess I could count him as a friend you know. I don't know if he's under the category of friend or famous speaker category. I don't want to I don't want to be pogo in his cover, but we had Rajgav here. And um uh I've tried to get him to come back a couple of times, but he uh he he was always very busy. Um uh I have my neighbor and uh again a famous speaker you know uh Greenwald who happens to be a neighbor and a friend but uh he wrote a book on uh on on how to how to mainstream after you you know what happens after chuva and uh they wrote the book he came on but you know I don't know if I get if I put him in the terrorist friend or terrorist special speaker famous speaker and that goes with two other ones. These were we had three live shows when I used to go to America every now and then I would do a live show but uh it was it was difficult to arrange and and and to handle things. So, but um I had my good friend Reverend Yak Franle who I knew all the way back when he was the RV of congregation in Long Beach and he used to come to my NCSY Shabonim and now of course he's the uh the RV of the good of the five towns and he put out a a cafer of Yadi which is uh all the souk he got from Rabd Feinstein. I just used him this year in my shave shouvage Russia quoted Absak that he brought in which is really fascinating. But um uh he came on the show and we got to ask him all kinds of embarrassing questions about Risha that uh that most people would not answer. Franco was more than happy to jump right into the fray and that was very special. And of course I had my friend Y Rubenstein from Manchester. I say from Manchester, but of course he's Scottish. And uh and we had him also talking about gosh just everything. And um and uh that's in the friend C category. We also had on Rabbi Mike Ravinski who um is uh just f first of all we go all the way back. He was a kid in NCSY when I was working at NCSY. Now when I was working at NCSY, I was also a kid but I was a little older than he was. So I I got to I got to be considered staff and you know he was a kid but um he became a mile and he does thousands of bras well I shouldn't say bras circumcisions for and it was just a fascinating story you know he recently lost his wife we were talking and he says he started telling me the most amazing stories and I said I have to have you back on to to talk about this but Uh again, uh just just a fascinating fascinating fellow. Um I'm I'm sure I'm going to forget people. Uh I had the of on the show Revnosen Gisler. Nosen Gisler was a legend already years and years ago. He was the man of Kaba and he was just a legend in girls especially and uh I'm talking about when when this was the gold standard of a seminary and I did a whole series on girls choosing seminaries. I brought him in in the end to talk about it. Um I also as most people probably know at this point I'm a cartoon character. Yeah. Um, and I'm known as Rabbi Sitter and uh, uh, Dan Roth, who, uh, is the head of Torah Live. Um, he's the, uh, he's the person who was the brains behind it. And, um, he made a character out of me. I voice it. They drew him a little bit to look like me. Um, in fact, we have a problem because he wanted to start switching over to AI, but when AI does Rabbi Sitter, I come out looking like Doc from the Seven Dwarfs. I said, "This is not Rabbi Sitter." And even though it's much more expensive to animate me, uh, you know, old style, he sticks to it and every now and then just brings me in and I just talk. So, we had him on to speak about Torah live. and uh the amazing things they've done. I mean during co he offered all the programming for free just so that kids who are stuck at home would have what to do and uh he keeps thinking how to take it to the next level and how to use the technology to help kids learn it. That's why when he described to me originally what he wanted to do he asked me you know what should I call it and he wrote a book on uh picyavos and he'd asked me for a title on each chapter that he had and each mission that he would do. He would ask me for a title. I'm good at coming up with titles, you know, and um in the end he asked me for a title for the book. And I said, "Well, the whole book over here is trying to take the Mishna and take the Musa and make it relevant for people today. So, call it relevance." Which he did. So, when he described to me what he wanted to do with this thing where he uses technology to make Torah come alive, I said, "Why don't you call it Torah alive?" And he's like, "Yeah." And so I am the I am the godfather of Torah Live. Thank you very much. And uh Rabbi Sid character of course is me. So we had him on the show to talk about Torah Live and all the things that it does. And um that was also a lot of fun. I'm I'm giving you just a an overview so that should any of you want, you can go back and look these up. Apparently, there is a playlist just of where I've had speakers uh um on the show. Now, I had on as a guest um producer Mik Ml Samuels. It was an anniversary show and uh like this and uh I was thinking of something to talk about that would be, you know, appropriate for an anniversary show. So, I told him, you come on and talk about how this whole guy started. So he basically talked about the evolution of the Rapolski show and how it took place and everything that went on with it. Anyway, after he he got married and he really didn't have time for this anymore. So uh so we had Yra Yukowski who became the the person who was filming and editing it, etc. And uh we never had him on the show, but we had his brother on in a two-piece, a two-part piece. And it is essential watching because with especially the anniversary of Shminyatis and the tragedy that took place, he tells the story how his friend who works for Hats Solo woke him up on Shminyat morning and they heard that there was something going on in uh you know in the south and they got into their Hatsah ambulance and they drove down and they came to the Tet and that was as far as they were allowed to go and uh and he said but but there are people being killed. He goes, "You are a nice Karedi guy." This is his brother uh Ari um he says, "You're a nice kari guy. You drive a ambulance, you know, take little from kids to the hospital who broke their arm." You know what I mean? But you should not be in a war zone. you're not combat trained. And he said to the guy with him, I was not mal Shabas and Yantiff to stand here. And he drove in past the roadblock and they can trace all of the ambulances they have. Uh and they said, "Come back here right now." And he says, "I'm not." He said, "Then we're not responsible." And he says, "I got down there and I was the only ambulance operating because Ma Magendome, one of the ambulance got blown up. So they all went to hiding. There were no army ambulances. He's driving back and forth to the toe with wounded people all day and handing them over. I said, "Well, what about supplies?" He says, "Every time we brought in the wounded, they would clean out the ambulance and give us new supplies." I said, "From where?" He says, "We had a a a truck that came in with supplies from Hatsah." I said, "The government didn't give." No. Anyway, it's a fascinating story. story after story of what took place over there. And uh it's such a story of courage. And on the subject of courage, it I don't know how you pick one that's uh special cuz everybody here um you know, I'm I'm something of a cheerleader when it comes to guests. You know, like I said, I don't have on somebody unless I really feel like I I want to hear what they have to say and what they're contributing. That to me is very important. And uh um my good friend Vic Frerieded who as happens serendipity is sponsoring this episode. He's very involved in Shuvu. Now most people are familiar with Shuvu. It's they made um uh they make schools for Russians, etc. etc. Well, he got Mik Gman who was the head of Shuvu to come. Every now and then, one of these episodes go on for two uh two episodes because if we have a lot to talk about, we just keep going. You know, I have to tell you, he was so fascinating. I just wanted to keep going with him. But he had a hard stop because he had a meeting that he had to get to. So him and River Vda came on the show and I have to say I was blown away by what they had to say because I may have heard of Shuvu but uh the Shouvu schools are creating a map in Clausil. Let me just give you a statistic in Israel. I forgot how many kids are registered for school this coming year. Twothirds of them are in religious schools. Only a third are in secular schools because even secular parents don't want to send them to the secular schools anymore. That's what Shuvu started with the concept. They started with the concept of take um Russian families who want the best education and say we're going to give them the best education. We're also going to teach them about Judaism. And the parents were like, "Well, okay, but as long as they get the best education and so they give them top-notch better than unfortunately public schools uh are are not that successful." And in the Jimmy Carter administration, they started the department of education and from that point onwards uh the standardized scores in tests have fallen. So you know the public schools are not very good at doing their job and Shua was. And uh and he talked about all the fights that he had to be able to get it started and get it in. And then he told me something that was unbelievable. He says he kept having people come to him, secular Israelis, who said, "We also want a Shouvu school. How come only the Russians get it? We want our kids to get aflight education." He says, "But you know, we also teach religion." Goes, "We don't care. We'll put up with it. We want our kids to be in a safe environment without any violence and crime. We want our kids to grow up with a sense of respect and cavode. We want our kids to get a top flight education. He says, "So he and and this to me was maybe one of the most fascinating lines I' ever heard." says, "So, we hired one of the top polling services in Israel, and we asked them, uh, I want you to do a poll and find out how many people would come to a Shouvu type school with what we have to offer, you know, if it wasn't for Russians, just regular Israelis," he says. And they said to me, "What answer do you want?" Goes, "What do you mean?" says, "Usually when people commission a poll, they tell us what answer they want to find. I was blown away, blown away that they would admit it." And he was like, "No, no, I want the truth." He was, "Oh, I I guess we could do that. It was time. We could do that if we had to." And it came back with this enormous amount of people who would sign up in such a school. And he said, "I could flip Israel tomorrow. I could open up all these schools. I just don't have the money." And I thought to myself, if somebody was in the position to fund this, we could open up hundreds of schools for a million secular Israelis, and they would all learn about Yadus. It's it's it's right there. Anyway, it was so he had to cut it short and he had to go. But he gave the history of Shou and how it happened and how everybody was fighting them, you know. Amazing. Amazing. I think that's everybody. I think I think I I I tried to remember everybody. I hope I did. And um I I hope you can see that there's uh uh a method to my madness. I don't have on guests all the time. And there are a lot of people who ask me they would like to be guests on the show. I don't just have on people to talk cuz for the most part this is not an interview show, right? This is not meaningful people who, by the way, have never asked me to be on. I'm waiting to get on to meaningless people. I think they're going to call me. I love that joke. It's one of my favorite jokes. But um you know, but you see, I have on family members because as somebody said once, you know, when you watch the podcast, you know everything that's going on in my life. I live I I I wear my heart on my sleeve. You know everybody I know. you know everything I do, you know where I'm going. You know, my kids, it's very uncomfortable for my children. But then they shouldn't have had me as a father. But uh they should have thought about that beforehand when they were up in Shimai and they were picking their families. But you know, they they um they meet people and they're like, "Oh, are you so and so? Are you the one who It's like he goes, "My gosh, they know all about our lives." He goes, "Yep, you're you're a uh you're a nipple baby. you know 100% you know uh I I include my my family in this because uh my life is basically a sitcom and everybody has a has a has a role has a part to play and uh it's very exciting and everybody everybody becomes a part of it. I I have so many things I wanted to do. I wanted to, you know, we make a big simple showa. I wanted to film that once. Uh uh when we were doing the Shabas series, I wanted to, you know, go down and and and uh ask Romeo Harowitz, the Boston Rebbit to do a tish, you know, so people could see a tish. He does it in English, so that's a that's a big advantage not a lot of rebers do, you know, and uh go in there and film it, but it's hard to do on a Friday night. But uh you know, maybe we could set it beforehand. I don't know. Anyway, but um uh but there there's so many different things that that are exciting. Um you know, you know already that uh that my mother taught me how to cook and uh I have to bring it out. Oh my gosh. I had some guys who who came by and uh and they asked me to wear it on the show. I haven't worn it yet. I have to get it. They bought me a a apron and it says on it, "It's easy, stupid. They know that's how my mother taught me to cook. She'd say, "Do this, do that. It's easy, stupid." I said, "I don't know how." She goes, "It's easy, stupid. Do this, do that." You know, so I have an apron, you know, like that when maybe this will be the year of the merch. You can buy yourself your your apron, you could get everything in, but you know, when we do the recipes, so people said, "Gosh, you should do like a uh you know, a live demonstration or something." You know, I mean, maybe maybe we'll see. Mostly it's me just sitting here in this chair in front of the bookcase just sharing my thoughts and uh gosh it's been so many years and and I can tell you you know new produ Ari always you know he he has comments that people send in besides the questions that people sub uh submit. Oh, I got to tell you, we have a few important announcements I think I get through, but thank you Arielaski for all your Torah and I have been listening to you ever since you gave a shir at the Pesak Seda in the mere yeshiva Ezra Noshim in 1999. Now he he learns in the mirror so he didn't say that 5759 I'm translating as a muhammed I have used your hash countless times to give over ama and yahadus to my but I have never received so much as I did when I downloaded your on at the beginning of I have just been strongly criticized by someone dear to me and was feeling pretty down and it was affecting the mood in my home your smoo past that's a new one helped me change perspective and by the time the year was over I was able to change my mood and change the atmosphere in my house too. Thank you and may you continue to be maza for many years. Thank you so much. I get there are hundreds of these of of people whose lives are difficult and they get I can't tell you how many people I just met another one you know he said he was sick and it was hard for him to to learn anything he the only thing he do is listen to to my sh and listen to my podcast you know I've heard this from so many people I really should make a a deal with the health funds that they uh you know that they fund to the show because there's so many people from people who sick people who are who are struggling. I hear from older singles. I hear from yeshiva guys who are having issues. I hear from uh divorcees. I hear from people who are mammish all kinds of turus and terrible thing. The first year when I I gave a a podcast about dealing with suffering you know as a fellow called me up with lost a child and said this is the first that I've gotten. So, so the fact that I know that I'm doing this and I'm and when I say I bring my family into the show, I'm including you. Everybody who listens to this show is part of the family. And when I meet you, and like I say, I haven't met you all because there's about 25,000 of you. But when I go to Lakewood to go to Gourmet Lot to go and get something, you know, or when I'm in the five towns or I don't know when this happened, people don't say five towns anymore. They go five towns. I don't know who who was gurus that that should change. probably the same person who decided that qatara should be katar you know welcome back kata but uh it was always Qatar you know but uh whoever named it five towns you know I'll be in five towns you know and I'll be going in some place and I meet people you know or I was in England I had people coming over to me I was in uh Arizona I had people coming over to me it it's the most amazing thing that's gratifying because it's not me it's us. I really believe that very much. And um and uh we're we're doing this together. And that's why when I meet somebody who says to me, I just found the show and I'm up to, you know, episode 200 and something. You just sat there and listened to over 200 hours of me. Luckily, I don't listen when I talk. Otherwise, oh, how did I listen to myself for 300 hours? But knowing that you're the most important person out there, you know, and that's why, you know, we've we uh well, I didn't get enough of you. I'm going to try again next year to just we're going to record themselves and wish everybody in the Revoli show community, you know, a good gent. Yeah. So, we have a few. We've peppered them in in between. Hopefully, you've seen them. Um at one point there was a time if you go back to the early episodes I used to do 45 minutes and producer Mal came up with the idea of adding in like 15 minutes of questions answers of course I end up talking too much know and there's this brilliant idea that producer I has to um start doing just a question and answer segment. do one question and answer several times a week. Just put that up separate like we do the parin five just to deal with questions. Now obviously if it's a longer question I make a whole podcast out of it. So but the smaller questions you know so I didn't get to any questions here but here's an example by El Sternberg. I am sure the RV gets lots of questions. How does the RV decide which ones to ask on the show? Now, that's not worth a whole podcast. That's a nice short question and I will answer it for you. Yeah. First of all, it's got to be a question that I know the answer to. So, I'm kind of fixing this, right? When I do a question and answer in public, so I don't get to uh editorialize, you take whatever they get asked. But here because it's my show, I can decide which questions I'm going to answer and which ones not. So obviously I'm going to go first towards the ones that I really know. Yeah. Sometimes uh questions are silly and then I have to decide if I want to answer it or not. You know, uh what's your favorite food? What's your favorite this? What's your favorite that? You know. But uh I got one question. I've always been I've been debating this was years ago. I've been debating whether or not to answer it. It's like, how many ties do you have? Because you might notice I try to change my tie with each episode. And I'll tell you why. There's there's a reason for it. Um because sometimes when people go and they look at the little snapshot, the little picture, how do they know whether it's an episode they saw or not? So, if I'm wearing a different tie, that at least gives them an idea that, oh, I didn't see this one yet. So, I do have a lot of ties and I I'm a little bit of a hoarder and I hold on to them. So, uh you've seen some of my novelty ties, I'm sure. I wore my white tie for Yum Kipper on the show. I wore my gold tie for Ashana on the show. I wore my matzah tie for Pesak on the show. I have I have uh I have some uh some novelty ties and then I have certain other ties that I try to mix in. I always thought I don't know if that's worth anybody's time me bringing out and showing all my ties. I have been asked by more than once. Could you go over all the swarm in the bookcase? Yeah. No, but I can sing from Uncle Mishi. But it's so hard to learn Reb all the in the library. It'll take so long to learn everyone. I'm afraid that I'll never be a uh that's all these books back there. That's them. All the ones you need to learn. It's very funny. I spoke once in um JFS in London and uh they have a fellow who was in charge of Jewish studies, you know. So I said, you know, what can I talk about? I don't know if he wants this publicized, but I didn't mention his name. So in fact, I'm not even mentioning the school. There was a school in London. Doesn't matter which one. And uh so I asked him, "What can I talk about?" And he says, "Anything that God gave Moses on Mount Si, we don't teach here." But that I know is interesting. So one thing is I try to find a course I know the answer to. Second of all, I try to find one that's not too absurd. Um, third of all, I try to take a question that I think will be interesting to the majority of the audience because sometimes questions are very narrow and I try to answer those sometimes in an email if I can, you know, but uh but they're not a question for everybody, you know, like um this happened to my chicken as a kosher, you know, so that's not a question for everybody necessarily. Um it's a it's a you know a more a more uh unique one. You know I just found out what I'm a momser you know what uh you know what do I what do I do now? You know it's like I don't think I need to deal with that with everybody you know. So um uh so I try to find questions that I think are are going to be more universally interesting etc. So, I do have a tremendous backlog because I've just been talking too much. And that's why, like I said, when I have a guest on, I talk also. It's not just to have a guest. Otherwise, you can go watch their YouTubes. Plenty of them. I had Rabbi Fogarn, the very first guest, you know, and he sang his song, you know. Yes, it is a big deal. Every Friday night is a big meal, right? And uh and I thought, wow, I'm giving him an exposure. And then I see he has his own video already where he sings the song and you know got 50,000 views. So I mean you know anybody I have on my show I'm not there's no exclusives here. I'm not breaking any news. You know there's nobody here who you can't find. You know plenty of videos that they've made themselves. You know if if I have Donald Trump on I'll try not to talk too much. That's not true. I definitely will. But uh you know there are certain people I I I have a cha come on and ask them questions. But the questions I want to ask are questions that I think are important questions for clasel as opposed to and and I mentioned this when I talked about all the criticism I got uh when I had Niss Black on. If you watch the two-part interview and I encourage you um even though he says I never told this story before. I never said this before. I'm not asking generic questions. I'm speaking with him as one makan to another, as one marb to another. You know, he happens to be more famous than I am. He also happens to be black, you know what I mean? He also knows rap, you know. I don't know rap, you know what I mean? Uh I uh I think that's a gift. That's the expression gift rap. If you ever heard it, that's where it comes from. But anyway, so um uh but uh but I can't do that, you know. So, but I I want to talk about him as a person and and the the questions that I think people want to hear in order to get that inspiration and that meaning. That's why we have this show. That's it. That's what we're trying to accomplish. And every guest that I've had on and I hope to have on guests, I have I have a a list of people I would like to have on. And uh Mr. President, if you're listening, I'd love to have you. Uh Mr. Prime Minister, you're welcome to come on as well. Um, I won't ask you too many hard questions. And uh, and if you don't come on, I do have people who do a BB imitation. I believe that this is a time when we must come together anyway, you know, but uh we could do that, you know, but uh but if we want to have uh big names, but I I I find so much more people who are who are just fascinating and uh and I can't have on that many people because I I I'm surprised by this, but people don't want to have guest shows all the time. They want to see me, you know. It's the Rabbi show. Yeah. Torah and mitzvah. Ready to go. It's the Rabbi show. Till next time. All right. Anyway, so I wanted to tell you about that and then I want to tell you about something else that was suggested by one of our community. They said, "I would love to sponsor an episode, but I can't. It's too much money. So why don't you have like small sponsorships? Okay. So we don't get a whole uh a whole hespit at the beginning. You know what I mean? You don't give like a whole speech about us, but just have a list of people. You can even just put it on the screen who gave $18, $25, you know, whatever it is, and just say these people are all helping to contribute to sponsor the show. And uh I spoke it over with producer Ari and he says I think that's a great idea. We're going to be starting that. We're going to be starting the new question and answer uh forum and um um we have some other exciting things planned that we hope to do. Um I uh I have to give you an update on Pesak. They finally got back to me and they said, "Why do you think we weren't interested?" Of course, we're interested, you know, and we finally set up a meeting uh for the end of October. And uh I'm making this very clear to you. I have a list of requirements because I want this to be the best pesak for you if you're coming. If you're not coming, I hope you have a wonderful pesak wherever you are. But um you know uh I have to make sure that everything is going to be user friendly for my people the way that I want it. And uh so we're going to have a meeting. But uh you said why why do you think we're interested? I said cuz I spoke to you six months ago the day after Pesa. I went up to your office and I talked to you. Now I'm not doing this. my son-in-law is doing it because you know I have a big mouth and I'm not really good at these kind of things because I sometimes say things that are um you know uh not uh not presented in the most diplomatic fashion. Yeah, you But anyway, anyway, but uh but uh we're going to have that meeting and I will give you an update. I'll tell you the meeting is October 23rd and right after that I will make an announcement. Hopefully they will agree to everything that I want and uh we will start booking those of you who have already reserved you know eight rooms 10 rooms I have you all written down you're all there and two one room two room too I mean you know just saying don't worry everything is there I hope if that that I can work it out and if so it should be something that'll be great for everyone and that's it welcome to a new year of the Rabbi show welcome to the Rabiowski community. If you're seeing this for the first time, you must be wondering to yourself, who is this guy? Why is everybody watching him? That is the question that everyone needs to ask as we begin our seventh year. And this has just been a privilege that I cannot put into words that I have this opportunity more than anything. You know how many people I know who try to make podcasts and they can't get people to watch it? And I'm talking about famous people. And the fact that you watch me and share with me and I share with you means that we have a special bond. I feel a special to you and I hope you feel an to this show and thank you again Reb VDA uh our good friend. Thank you to all of the guests who have honored us by being on the show during these past six years and man holla hopefully this year will be even better than the years before. And that's it for this episode. If you want to find out more about the show, you can go to my website raolowski.com. You can ask a question, you can leave a comment, you can sponsor an episode, you can sponsor a uh N5. I don't know if you can sponsor a question and answer yet. But I think you can if you go to sponsor an episode and you want to sponsor less than a full episode, you know, you can do it already and you'll be in on the next episode where we'll just have the names of the people who are contributors and supporters and and uh and friends of the Reverend Alaski show. Um and you can sign up for one of my online shar uh Shir uh on Sunday women's mash on Monday and Dapomi every morning Eastern Standard Time at 7:15. And that's it for now and until next time we continue hala. I am David Olowski and this has been the Rabbi Olowski show. >> It's the Rabbi Olowski show. Torah and Simra ready to go. The Rabbi Olavski Show. Knowledge and wisdom will help you grow. Lots of fun in every episode. And we don't have to rhyme, though. We hope. It's the Rabbi Orlavski show on rabbi.com. Torah anytime, YouTube, and more. It's Rabbi orski show. Torah and ready to go. It's the Rabbi Orski Show. Till next time, till we meet again, it's the Rabbi Show. It's the Rabbi Show. It's the Rabbi Olowski show.