How Rabbi Doron Discovered the Depth and Truth of Judaism

Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron is a teacher, guide, author, and head of the "Heart of Things" organization. At 50 years old, he looks back at a spiritual journey that began in a very distant place both physically and emotionally from Judaism.

He grew up in Haifa in a completely secular home and started asking big questions about life and meaning at a young age. His search led him through all kinds of spiritual paths: Christianity, Eastern religions, philosophy, yoga, shamanism, meditation, and even parapsychology. But it was during his army service that everything changed when a book by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov “just happened” to fall into his hands. That moment marked the beginning of his return to Judaism. Since then, he’s written around 20 books, guided spiritual groups, and built a warm, welcoming organization dedicated to helping others find spiritual truth.

On the Hidabroot program “In Another Direction,” hosted by Dudu Cohen, Rabbi Doron shared his incredible journey.

He recalled that back in his army base room, one wall had quotes from the New Testament, and another from a Hindu teacher. Judaism? It didn’t even cross his mind.

“Of course not,” he said. “What did Judaism have to do with anything? It felt strange, irrelevant. Religious people seemed odd to me. The way it was taught in school made it sound dry and boring. I had no idea there was anything deep or meaningful in it.”

When asked what turned him off from Judaism originally, he was clear: “The way it was presented. It wasn’t real, it wasn’t alive. No one gave us the real thing. What we were taught didn’t help us connect.”

He strongly believes that to truly explain Judaism to others, we need to first improve ourselves. “You can’t teach what you don’t live. If it doesn’t speak to you, how will it speak to anyone else?”

During his younger years, Rabbi Doron kept looking for spiritual truth, but he never found real peace. Until he met Judaism without the masks.

“I didn’t want spiritual comfort,” he explained. “I didn’t want some group to calm me down or give me fake answers. I wanted the truth. And that meant I kept moving on when something didn’t feel right.”

He gave an example: “In Christianity and some Eastern religions, you’re told that the spiritual person must separate from the world, become isolated. But that didn’t make sense to me. If everyone does that, life falls apart. Families disappear. That can’t be the truth. It has to be something that connects both the spiritual and the real, the everyday life. I only found that in Judaism.”

What makes Rabbi Doron so approachable is his humble and real connection with people. “I’m not here to act like a rabbi or to be placed above others,” he said. “I talk to people like a friend. Everyone has something to teach me, too.”

He reflected on our generation’s emotional struggles. “There’s something deeply painful in this generation. People are more anxious, more lost. My grandparents barely knew each other before marriage, and they had a solid bond. Today people marry at 40 and still feel alone. We’ve lost simplicity.”

He believes Rabbi Nachman’s teachings are especially relevant today. “They speak to emotional pain, loneliness, fears. That’s what I try to share in my books and classes. The need is huge.”

What’s causing all this distress?

“I don’t fully understand the history,” he admitted, “but I do know that the pain is growing. The world today is all about appearances. Everything is on the outside. People are living in a kind of inner emptiness. That’s why we created the 'Transparent' workshop to help people reconnect with what’s real inside.”

The full interview goes even deeper into Rabbi Doron’s journey, his teachings on emotional healing through Judaism, and the honest inner work he believes we all need today.