BROOKLYN — Rabbi Binyomin Eisenberger, a distinguished New York rabbi and leader of Khal Heichal Hatefillah in Boro Park, widely recognized as a baal mashpia who delivers his daily speeches in Yiddish, gave a very powerful musar schmooze Thursday, and said he was mystified as to how a man like Zohran Mamdani could win — despite the widely held understanding that many of his promises, such as free transportation, groceries, and affordable housing, are unlikely to materialize.
Rabbi Eisenberger recounted a moving conversation he had last night with a Jewish man who had chosen to distance himself from Yiddishkeit. In that discussion, the rabbi said he asked the man pointedly: “What is the non-frum world truly offering you? You’ve seen with your own eyes how so many who left alongside you are now lost — struggling with drugs, depression, even suicide. So why do you still cling to that path when, in reality, it offers nothing?” Join our WhatsApp group
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The man paused and admitted, “You’re right — it offers me nothing.” Yet he added something that struck the rabbi deeply: “At least they understand me. At least they acknowledge my pain. My own community doesn’t.”
Rabbi Eisenberger said that moment revealed something profound — not only about this man’s spiritual journey but about politics itself. “It helped me understand how a man like Mamdani could win,” he said. “Even if his promises are empty, he acknowledges the pain of people who feel unseen and unheard, and he recognizes their economic struggles and affordability challenges. Sometimes, that acknowledgment alone is enough to draw them in.”
Drawing on his musar perspective, Rabbi Eisenberger emphasized that the lesson is moral rather than political. “It’s not about supporting or opposing anyone — it’s Byad Hashem,” he said. “But it serves as a reminder: when we take the time to truly understand another person’s pain and make them feel heard, that connection can be more powerful than any promise or ideology.”
I have just heard the entirety of Rabbi Eisenberger’s talk about Mamdani and the off the derech man .He hit the nail on the head.He is 100% right .I have been dealing with such situations for the past 55 years in my outreach work in Long Beach ,California.
In fact in my book which will IY”H reach the Chanukah market,I show many situations where giving a listening ear brings about great results
What the Rov says is true However I believe Momdani won for one simple reason.Muslims voted for him because he’s Muslim, blacks voted for him because he’s the democrat and Gen z voted for him because he’s young, energetic, smiles, and promises free stuff . I’m not so sure many voted for him because of his empathy.
For those who understand Yiddish, this is a very simple but very powerful speech
About time the religious community understands why people leave
Maybe just maybe it’s partially us
Can’t accept him his hats different he doesn’t wear one. And so on
We’ve become so insular and non accepting it’s frightening
I know personal so many people have hard time getting into a Jewish school they reject kids left and right , it’s a shame we all Jews..
Rav Eisenberger is a tremendous Yid – A tremendous Talmid Chochom and a HUGE Pikei’ach
My knowledge of yidish is limited to perhaps a couple hundred words, but it is obvious even to me that yidish is not the Rav’s native language.
Why insist on this painful pseudo-yidish then?
Besides, even a top quality yidish is basically a variety of a medieval german with some Hebrew and slavic words mixed in. Yeah, I know the Chasam Sofer’s tshuva permitting yidish, but I can argue that this tshuva was addressed to oilom that actually spoke yidish as a first language, as opposed to the contemporary artificial language on life support with half of its vocabulary lost and half of its vocabulary taken from the American English. Why don’t we speak loshon hakodesh(I did not say modern Hebrew) if there is an insistence on speaking a Jewish language?
This was why Trump lost 2020, he showed no empathy during the coronavirus shut down. Even now, as his tariffs have hurt thousands of small business owners, he hasn’t expressed any empathy or support for them. He is still better than any Democrat but if he’d have a little better Middos, he’d be more popular.
Truth is always simple (not simplistic). What the Rav is saying is simple yet powerful and to the point.
very well said
Spot on! Wow
As we say in the Yom Kippur prayers, we have turned away from your mitzvos and good judgments, but it wasn’t worth it for us
How does one say feeling disenfranchised in Yiddish?
Very nicely spoken which resonates with most people as you can see in the comments, but if you think about it, it makes no sense, what exactly dose the not frum world understand that the frum community didn’t? Which pain do they acknowledge that the frum community doesn’t? Is it maybe things that are against our values so we cannot acknowledge them? That’s why he has to choose to leave our community and go OTD? Cuz any other pain or suffering there is no other community in the whole entire world that listens, takes care and does anything and everything to help than our community.
People who leave have a high rate of drug abuse and suicide for the same reason they have nothing keeping them from leaving. Usually there’s a loss of familial connection or a depression that hits before they go, not after.
Yes, he is correct. All the poor and people with problems voted for Madmani. They felt he understood their real needs and they are a lot of people.
Test
His Yiddish stinks.
a great speech and i will add that its also about the feeling of being judged and outcasted that the OTD feels in the community and not on the street just as the losers who voted for Mamdani who made them feel that they are not lone losers but part of a large “Mamdani community” of losers
The video quality seems to imply this shiur was professionally recorded and posted.
Why is he speaking in Yinglish?
anyone who leaves yiddishkeit is mentally ill