Success for Jewish Men with Aryeh Gurewitz

Exactly ten years ago today, I was blessed with an unforgettable moment in my life. To celebrate this special anniversary, I share the behind-the-scenes story of how I won first place in the very first MyLife: Chassidus Applied essay contest, hosted by Rabbi Simon Jacobson and the Meaningful Life Center.It’s not just a story about me winning. It’s a story about battling through emotional challenges through the guidance of Chassidus, and thereby learning how to help others do the same.You’ll hear:The personal struggle I was going through that year in YeshivaHow I stumbled on a maamar that felt like it was written just for meThe person who inspired me to write and really try to winThe powerful reaction people have had to the essay over the yearsHow the $10,000 prize was not just a nice luxury, but actually helped my continued growth as a JewHow this moment gave me the first public sign that I could share Chassidus in a way that really helps peopleResources Mentioned:📄 Read the full essay: “Getting Past Depression by Getting Past Yourself”📺 Rabbi Simon Jacobson’s Chassidus Applied program🎧 Coming soon: a bonus episode with the recording of 22-year-old me presenting the essay live at the JLI Sinai Scholars Symposium shortly after the essay contest.Thank You for Listening!If this episode inspired you, please share it with someone who’s working through their own challenges. May Hashem bless you with clarity, growth, and real simcha.—👉 For more from me, visit AryehGurewitz.com

In this special Purim episode of Success for Jewish Men, we explore one of the most life-changing shifts in perspective—seeing your life as part of a grander story about you and Hashem - and feeling that consistently, even when Hashem's Presence is hidden.The Megillah is unique among the books of Tanach. Hashem’s name isn’t mentioned even once. To an outsider, it might not even seem like a story about Hashem at all. And yet, we read the Megillah knowing it’s a story of miracles, Hashgacha Pratis, and Hashem’s perfect orchestration.The truth is, our lives are no different. We may not have prophetic narration explaining exactly how Hashem is involved, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t directing every single moment.In this episode, we explore:🔹 Why the Megillah is the perfect parallel to our own lives🔹 How to shift from "Where is Hashem?" to "I see Hashem everywhere"🔹 The Baal Shem Tov’s fundamental teaching on Hashgacha Pratis—how every single detail is divinely orchestrated🔹 The long-term plan of history—how your life is part of Hashem’s ultimate story leading to MoshiachWe tend to look at life and ask why challenges are happening and where it's all going. The way the Purim story is written (with ruach hakodesh) emphasizes to us that Hashem has a plan, and even though that plan unfolds slowly over time, He is with us every step of the way.Listen now to strengthen your awareness of Hashgacha Pratis, make real connection with Hashem a part of your daily life, and enter Purim with a deeper appreciation of its message.Wishing you a Freilichen Purim—one filled with clarity, joy, and the recognition of Hashem’s presence in every detail of your life!—👉 For more from me, visit AryehGurewitz.com

In this episode of Success for Jewish Men, we dive into a crucial but often misunderstood topic: the role of simcha (joy) in our lives—not as an optional extra, but as a necessity for our Avodas Hashem, our relationships, and our financial success.Too often, we think happiness is something we’ll experience after we’ve solved our challenges—after our Parnassah is flowing, after our marriage is perfect, after we’ve "figured it all out." But the Alter Rebbe in Tanya flips this thinking on its head: Simcha isn’t the result of success—it’s the prerequisite.Using the metaphor of a wrestling match, the Alter Rebbe teaches us that no matter how strong we are spiritually or mentally, if we come into the fight weighed down by sadness and worry, we will lose. To win in our inner battles, to step into our full potential, we need energy, enthusiasm, and readiness to do whatever it takes—which all come from Simcha.This episode explores:🔹 Why the Baal Shem Tov made simcha a central theme of Chassidus🔹 How the "American" pursuit of happiness differs from the Tanya's perspective🔹 A mindset shift that can unlock new possibilities in your parnassah, marriage, and spiritual life🔹 The secret behind Simcha Poretz Geder—how true joy shatters limitationsIf you’re ready to stop waiting for happiness and start using it as a tool for real success, this episode is a must-listen.Listen now and start implementing these shifts today!—👉 For more from me, visit AryehGurewitz.com

In this episode of Success for Jewish Men, we explore simple, powerful, yet often-overlooked lessons from the Rebbe and the Rebbetzin’s marriage — lessons that can truly transform our homes.Their connection, their shared purpose, and their profound respect for each other give us a clear picture of what marriage can look like when the Nefesh HaBahamis isn't getting in the way. And while their level is far beyond what we even aspire to reach, that doesn't mean we can't learn from their greatness and grow in that direction. The shifts proposed in this episode can help you become a better husband, strengthen your marriage, and create a life with less struggle, more flow, and more success.Give it a listen and be ready to implement what you learn!__Thanks for listening to the podcast! For more from me, visit my website:AryehGurewitz.com

In this episode of Success for Jewish Men, I share a concise yet life-changing teaching from the Rebbe—one that’s so simple that we could totally miss it (even if we've learned the sicha), yet potent enough that it can guide you to a new vision of literally every area of your life. Based on the Rebbe's words, we now have an authentically Torah-based visualization technique that can help us break free from our habitual patterns and step into the lives we're meant to live. And this is without having to do hisbonenus on Seder Hishtalshelus (even though that's a good thing to do, too). This technique isn’t just theoretical—it’s an actionable framework for personal growth, relationship success, financial breakthroughs, and more elevated avodas Hashem. And the best part? It may just be the Rebbe's key to bringing Moshiach. By the way, listen until to the end of the episode for a special offer for those who would like my help getting started with this technique.

What does Hashem have in mind for you to do for your parnassah? Did He think about that when He designed you, or is it too mundane for Him to take interest in? Maybe just have Bitachon and it won't matter so much? It may seem ironic at first glance, but the clearest answer I've found to date about how to choose your job from a Torah perspective is actually in the Shaar HaBitachon. It's time to start choosing our jobs and businesses the Shaar HaBitachon way. __ For more from me, check out my website: AryehGurewitz.com

You want it. You really want it. But are you fully committed to it? Yom Kippur always makes me think of this distinction. Get clear on the difference between the two - and how crucial it is in every area of your life - in this episode.

Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim is a cornerstone of the Rebbe's teachings. Get it right, and we'll be on track for a lot of spiritual success, which will flow into success in every area. Get it wrong, and ... well, unfortunately there are quite a few very religious Jews - and formerly religious Jews - who have suffered from that. In this episode, I suggest an approach to Kabbalas Ol that will make it much more pleasant, and one that we can actually implement simply and successfully. What makes it different? The fact that it is aligned with another core teaching of the Rebbe - that every Jew already, intrinsically wants to fulfill all the mitzvos.

Emotions are not formed by situations. They're formed by how we interpret situations. If we want to be happy people, we will want to learn the skill of interpreting even our most painful situations in a positive way. We see this way of thinking in the Rebbe's teachings about the Three Weeks - from the 17th of Tammuz being called "Tov Tammuz" to the idea that the Third Beis HaMikdash is the culmination of a process, not merely a replacement for what was lost.

Being a victim of circumstance is NEVER an effective way to live. The opposite - taking ownership - is ALWAYS an infinitely better way. This simple distinction can be an absolute game-changer in many areas of our lives. In honor of the Frierdieker Rebbe's Chassidim and their absolute refusal to be "victims" of the communist regime, let's take a look at how this distinction can be applied to the challenges we face in chinuch today.

The Rebbe is with us. The Rebbe is alive. The Rebbe is merely hidden. Are these appropriate statements to describe the Rebbe's situation after Gimmel Tammuz? How can we maintain a successful relationship with the Rebbe - one of the most vital relationships in our lives - without clarity about the language that's appropriate to this type of hiskashrus? In this episode, we address all of the above based on one page of a sicha from the Rebbe, speaking as a chassid of the Previous Rebbe after the latter's histalkus. (Source here.)

Any time someone does a job, there are various levels of performance at which they might do it. They could do a lousy job, a decent job, a very good job, a great job, or ... the absolute most amazing job that anyone could have imagined! Well, our lives are a job given to us by Hashem, and it's our job to choose what level of job performance we'll commit to. Recently, I've been realizing that making a deep commitment to settling for nothing less than the ULTIMATE version of our shlichus in this world can give us a lot of clarity in every aspect of our lives.

Get ready to accept the Torah - joyfully, and truly internalized - with this reminder: As much as the Torah is so much more than a guide to life, it is, at the same time, the very best guide to life that there is. This is something that we simply can't afford to forget - not on Shavuos, and not at any other time!

In this Lag BaOmer episode, I share two major ways my own life has been impacted by Pnimius HaTorah, which lead me to celebrate Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his teachings on a very personal level.

The Rebbe Maharash writes a beautiful description of the joy of a wedding, explaining that a marriage is really the reunion of two people who were already bound together before coming down to this world. In this episode, we explore how maintaining our awareness of and connection to that fact can set us down the path to a thriving marriage.

Let’s make Sefiras HaOmer a time of authentic growth in our real-life relationships! This quick episode highlights some challenging aspects of Chesed that you can take a look at and try to develop further.

We all have character traits that need work, bad or even destructive habits, and other flaws as well. What should be our perspective on that fact? Here’s my take on that question. By the way, it’s also an explanation of what it means to go out of Mitzrayim every day, and one of the key roles of a Rebbe.

In honor of Beis Nissan, I wanted to highlight a Hayom Yom that’s close to my heart. It’s a clear, concise statement of two areas in which the teachings of Chassidus - even the deep and abstract parts - are intended to drive our growth.

The Torah tells us that the Land of Israel is a land that always has the “eyes” of Hashem upon it. What does this mean? The classic commentaries seem to indicate that it means Hashem is always judging the land, whereas the Rebbe during the threat of the Gulf War cited this verse as proof that Eretz Yisroel is the safest place one could be. In this episode I suggest a possible reconciliation of these seemingly opposite explanations, based on the idea of Bitachon in Hashem.

In addition to G-d’s promise to give the Land of Israel to the Jewish people, the Torah—in this case, not the Bible, but the Halacha—also gives us a separate, tactical reason why we are forbidden by G-d to give up territory, as the Rebbe pointed out. (Disclaimer: I am not issuing any halachic instructions, only sharing the general information on the topic on a basic level.)