I first heard about the TorahMates program from my wife. She had already been learning with her own TorahMate for two years. When I asked her about it, she told me that men could have TorahMates too. Thanks to my coordinator, Yaakov Landman, and to Hashem Yisbarach, I was able to partner with Yehuda Weiss. In addition to being a great TorahMate, he’s a good friend. We started with The Shabbos Kitchen, and now we’re in the middle of Navi. The way Yehuda breaks it down, the way he teaches – it’s just amazing. I come from a background where we keep tradition, but The Shabbos Kitchen really enhanced my understanding of Shabbos. It deepened my knowledge and helped me keep Shabbos in a much stronger way. Even learning Navi has been eye-opening. It’s changed the way I see things, the way I understand history, and how I view the events and our history through the looking lens of the Torah. It’s beautiful! I’ve been learning with my TorahMate for four and a half years now, and this has been my longest chavrusa (study partner) since I started becoming religious. Over the years, I tried to find a consistent chavrusa, but this program has been the most steady and reliable—especially with the flexibility of learning once a week at our own time. We even made a siyum (a meal to celebrate a Mitzvah), and the whole experience has been wonderful. I hope the program continues to grow and bring chizzuk (encouragement) to more Jews. No matter what background you come from, you can always expand your horizons and see Torah from a new perspective. And when you do, you realize just how much it can change your life.
Yehuda Weiss Jackson NJ TorahMate since: 2020
After I got married, I lived in Israel for a few years. When I moved back, I joined Rabbi Lefkowitz’s kollel, where I met someone named Rabbi Leifer. He told me he worked for Oorah and said I should get a TorahMate, that I’d really enjoy it and find it geshmak (deeply pleasurable). So that’s when I got set up with David – four and a half years ago! We learned Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen’s book on Shabbos, from cover to cover, and we’re going through Tanach now, specifically Navi. We’re really understanding and living the history of Klal Yisroel (Jewish Nation) together. It’s amazing. David is a great guy; he’s so devoted and grabs every opportunity to learn. We’re both busy, but we make time. He’s a big inspiration—completely committed to his growth. For me, there’s so much chiyus (liveliness) in being able to give over from my time in yeshiva and what I’ve learned. These aren’t just surface conversations—we’re talking tachlis, real life. It’s not about politics or sports; it’s about Torah. And it’s not like a business meeting that ends. It’s a constant continuation and a very real relationship. TorahMates is such a great program and I would recommend it to anyone who can join!
