Har HaBayit. Torah Im Derech Eretz. Searching for Meaning.
It's the summer mailbag episode! Yaakov opens up the inbox and brings on Rav Ari Koretzky (director of Meor Maryland, host of the Iyun podcast) to work through listener feedback together.
In this episode:
- Why Shtark Tank does pre-chag episodes, and whether they're on brand or just a scheduling excuse
- Is there such a thing as a distinct "baalabatish hashkafa" for guys balancing Torah and a career
- A listener's story of how the podcast changed how he networks and built real friendships through cold outreach to guests
- Rav Ari's day job in kiruv, and why baalei teshuva may find an unexpected home in Shtark Tank's world
- Pushback on the Har HaBayis episode, including the halachic and hashkafic case against ascending, and whether the debate got a fair hearing
- How to handle controversial topics without becoming a clickbait machine, and the cost of staying in your lane
- Why the Rav Rafi Dembovsky episode on Torah Im Derech Eretz struck such a nerve
- The "grass is greener" pull toward nonprofit work, and why it's not the meaning shortcut people think it is
- What 130+ episodes have taught Yaakov about mindset, and what's actually holding Shtark Tank back from growing bigger
