I Traded Success in Texas for a Life of Torah

By the age of 28, Moshe Buhbut had already experienced what many would call a dream life. Today, at 31, he’s a full-time Torah student at the ‘Nezer HaCohen’ yeshiva in Beitar Illit. But not long ago, his life looked very different.

At 22, just after completing his army service in an elite combat unit of the Israeli Navy, Moshe took a one-way flight to Houston, Texas. There, he began working in the cart business, selling small portable kiosks in malls. After two years as an employee, he realized the real profits were in owning his own business. Together with a partner, he launched his own company.

They started small, with just two carts. But business quickly took off. Before long, they owned 40 carts and employed 40 Israeli workers. “As is common in the U.S., we rented furnished apartments for the workers with all the luxuries,” Moshe says. With that level of comfort for his staff, it’s no surprise the business saw major profits, about three million dollars over five years.

But then, everything changed.

At 28, Moshe’s life took a sharp turn after a close friend came to him visibly shaken. He had a disturbing dream about Moshe and described it in vivid detail. The dream was so unsettling that Moshe knew he couldn’t ignore it.

“I realized I couldn’t continue living as if nothing had happened. I needed to speak to a rabbi,” he recalls.

He went to the local rabbi, who listened to the dream and told Moshe, “You need to strengthen your connection to Hashem. Start praying for 40 days in a row. With Hashem’s help, the negative outcome from the dream will be prevented.”

That was the beginning of Moshe’s return.

“I started taking small steps toward Judaism. A friend and I committed to putting on tefillin every day.” (Tefillin are black leather boxes containing Torah verses, worn by Jewish men during weekday morning prayers.) Moshe also began searching for Torah classes online and discovered the teachings of Rabbi Zamir Cohen. “I connected to him from the very first moment.”

Soon after, Moshe and his friend decided to begin keeping kosher. What sparked this change? Divine timing.

“Just before Yom Kippur, the rabbi asked if we wanted to take part in a mitzvah of buying and slaughtering sheep that would be distributed to poor families before the holiday.” They agreed, donating about $1,000. “We watched the kosher slaughter and learned about how the lungs are checked and other halachic details.” (Halacha means Jewish law.)

After that, Moshe said, “We knew we couldn’t keep eating non-kosher food. That experience changed us.”

Then came another surprise.

Word spread that Rabbi Zamir Cohen would be coming to Texas to give a lecture. “I brought all my employees, plus more friends I gathered. Around 80 people came.” At the end of the talk, Moshe went to speak with the Rabbi. “He gave me his personal number and said, ‘If you come to Israel, I want you to visit me.’”

Three years ago, Moshe returned to Israel and remembered the Rabbi’s invitation. He called, not expecting much, but was stunned by what happened next. “Not only did Rabbi Zamir remember me, he remembered what he had told me. It felt like he had been waiting for my call.”

Following the Rabbi’s advice, Moshe enrolled in a singles’ seminary in Zichron Yaakov to strengthen his learning. A year later, Rabbi Zamir invited him to join his yeshiva full-time. And he didn’t just give him a regular room, “He gave me a whole floor to myself, with air conditioning, a kitchenette, and everything I was used to. It made the transition smooth and joyful.”

At the same time, Moshe’s girlfriend entered a women’s seminary in Jerusalem. For six months, they remained fully apart to focus on spiritual growth. Then, seven months ago, under the guidance of Rabbi Zamir Cohen, they were married and began building a Torah home in Israel.

Looking back, does Moshe miss his luxurious life in Texas?

“Not at all,” he says with conviction. “That world was full of illusion and emptiness. Today, thank G-d, I’m fulfilled spiritually and even materially. Torah has given me everything I was missing. It’s not always easy, but this life is true. And there’s nothing better than living with truth.”