Rav Mazrah: What's the Secret Charm of Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi?

Christians and Muslims from around the world send him emails with existential questions, and in a face-to-face debate with a Baptist minister, the minister withdrew in shame from his claim that Christianity is the truth. Even the Jewish governor of New York state was 'defeated' in a brainstorming session with him and had to admit the only truth—that the path of Torah and commandments is the way. What is the secret charm of Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi? How is it that he does not fear to speak the truth in any situation and to anyone—even at the cost of threats from various sources?

It all started 20 years ago when Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi (46) began his path of return. It was shortly before his wedding at the age of 25. In a brainstorming session with Rabbi Farjun (Mizrachi's uncle, a great Torah scholar married to the daughter of Rabbi Uri Zohar), after receiving decisive proofs for fundamental questions he had, within a short time, he decided to take upon himself the yoke of Torah and commandments.

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi

On the question of how it is possible that a 25-year lifestyle changed for him in one moment, while many find it difficult, Mizrachi responds, "It's simple. Everyone loves their life and wants to think their way is right and just. I was there too. But a person who seeks truth and prays to shape his life according to it, from Heaven they will help him find it. I was and am interested in the truth. Of course, at first, I tried to argue when my uncle proved to me one by one that there is a Creator to the world and that we are commanded to fulfill His commandments. But once I discovered the truth, I could no longer ignore its existence or deny it."

At what point in your debate did you break?

"There was one question, where the equation is very simple: 'If the Torah is not true, we're even,' my uncle told me. 'But if the Torah is true, and one day we'll both leave this world—when we reach the Upper Court, I'll be happy, as it will be my time to receive all the reward for the commandments I've kept in this world. But you, you'll be miserable for eternity. Isn't it worth checking the way at least?' I knew he was right."

It started with that. Continued with the understanding of the severity of Shabbat desecration, and how beneficial it would be if he returned an hour earlier—and ended with a Judaism seminar in which he agreed to participate. "I was very impressed by everything I saw and heard. Immediately after the wedding, my wife and I agreed that this is how we want to educate our children, and we decided to strengthen ourselves."

Lectures in 12 languages, 2,039 cities worldwide, 18 hours of work a day

After they got married in Israel, Rabbi Mizrachi and his wife returned to the U.S., where the rabbi worked as a banker. "Immediately after the seminar, I started going to various lectures and listening to a lot of tapes. I had a huge thirst for spirituality and consumed countless lectures by different preachers."

The inner change was not long in coming. "During the internal processes I went through with myself, I started talking to all my friends at the Manhattan bank and influencing them as well," he says. "Hashem planted in me a phenomenal speaking ability, and I saw that the things I spoke about really started to influence in the desired direction." The first person Rabbi Mizrachi succeeded in influencing to enter a yeshiva was his cousin, who was also in America.

Early in his path, Rabbi Mizrachi began giving Torah lessons within home groups. His oratory skills and genuine care for every person he encountered brought people—one after another—to return to their roots and drastically change their lifestyles. "While I didn't have as much knowledge then as I do today, I learned all the proofs by heart, made slides for all the relevant topics, and with that, I 'rolled onward'."

Then one day it happened: Mizrachi decided to stop working at the bank and dedicate himself entirely to the mission of reaching the masses. "My rhetorical talent was evident even in my work at the bank, so the bank was willing to pay me a full month's salary for one day a week—because it was very worthwhile to them to keep employing me. But numbers no longer interested me, certainly not at the expense of studying Torah and spreading it widely. I refused and started to study more and more Torah. At the same time, I joined the 'Or Israel' yeshiva in Monsey, where I also taught for some time. I felt I couldn't waste precious time and diligently studied for many hours."

Today, among his various roles, Rabbi Mizrachi remotely manages the "Seekers of Hashem" kollel located in Jerusalem.

His efforts received great divine assistance, and alongside his personal strengthening, Mizrachi succeeded in guiding many students. After the fall of the Twin Towers, when many Israelis fled the U.S., many of his students were among them. "I was sure my career had come to an end, but 'Many plans are in the human heart, but it is the counsel of Hashem that will prevail.' Just then, a certain framework contacted me, asking if I was willing to deliver lessons in English."

In a One-on-One Debate: The Priest Defeated in Shame

He did not dismiss the idea outright. "Slowly, the rumor spread, and I found myself delivering an English lesson—once a week. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a couple of computer programmers who regularly attended my lesson came to me and said, 'We've built you a website in English, and we are committed to uploading all your important lessons there. All you have to do is choose a name for it. That's how my website Torah Anytime was born."

Currently, his site hosts over 400 speakers from various fields, delivering their teachings in English and Hebrew. Around the same time, Rabbi Mizrachi met the Israeli film producer Yuval Ovadia during one of his lectures. After seeing his disk 'Divine Information', Ovadia decided to take charge and suggested turning the important disk into a film. "Though it was hard to believe at first, I saw that the film's production succeeded in captivating multitudes, on a scale that surprised both of us. Suddenly, we received an offer to broadcast the film on television. Seeing this, that the media was willing to include a film incorporating Torah and science in a secular channel, I was overjoyed, and we began translating the film into English as well."

New York, Florida, Toronto, Dallas, Montreal, London, and more—2,039 cities worldwide, including Israel, have already been exposed to his work and lectures. One of the significant and important videos uploaded online, which succeeded in strengthening not only Jews but also non-Jews, is the video called "The Debate", showing Rabbi Mizrachi in a one-on-one argument with a Christian priest, discussing who is right and which religion is the most correct and precise.

For three long hours, Rabbi Mizrachi managed to present solid evidence for the truth of Judaism over other religions and to completely refute the priest's claims and his 'enlightened' knowledge. And the result? A resounding victory for the Jewish religion. "'You're right,' the priest told me at the end of our argument. 'But for me, it's already too late to change my ways.'"

"An Al-Qaeda Engineer Begging Me to Help Him Convert"

Perhaps for the priest, it was too late to change his life, but for other Christians who watched the debate and realized they were living by false standards, it was enough of a reason to change. Twenty years have sped by since Rabbi Mizrachi began his activities to reach the masses, and in addition to all the Jews who grew closer to their roots thanks to him, there are also many non-Jews who converted thanks to listening to his lectures.

"Part of the people exposed to my debate with the priest was a devout Christian family from China. After repeatedly watching my video with the priest and regularly watching other videos of mine uploaded to the site, I received an emotional email from them. 'We know Judaism is the truth, and we want to leave Christianity and move to Israel,' the family head wrote to me." And so, under his close guidance, the entire family underwent a rigorous conversion, and they now live in the country, maintaining a strictly religious lifestyle.

Rabbi Zav Mayer Cohen and Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi

But that's not all, because not only Christians who understood their religion is fraught with countless 'human errors' seek him out, but also many Muslims. "Not a day goes by without me receiving emails from various Muslims around the world—including Pakistan, Al-Qaeda, and even ISIS."

The Jewish governor of New York State was also reached by Rabbi Mizrachi in his 'spiritual journeys'. For 45 minutes, before 200 people, they engaged in a sharp and heated debate. "After 45 minutes, during which I disproved all his claims one by one, the governor told me: 'I still have doubts.' I told him, 'No problem. Let's meet one-on-one—I’ll give you the answers you want.' I didn't think he would take up my offer. Nine days later, to my great surprise, I received a call from his assistant. I went to his office, and after three full hours, he got up, shook my hand, and said: 'I never thought in my life that religion could be logically proven. I always thought religion was all about faith.' I smiled and asked him: 'Now that you know the truth, what are you going to do about it?' Do you know what he answered me? 'For me, it is too late. I am married to a non-Jew, and I’m about to enter my 70th year.' Of course, it is never too late for a Jew—so it is very sad that this was his choice even after discovering the truth."

Suffering is What Strengthens

English, Russian, Spanish, Italian, German, Czech, Chinese, Japanese, Persian, French, and more—Rabbi Mizrachi's lectures have so far been translated into more than 12 languages. And who is responsible for all this? "That's exactly why my army of volunteers exists, who actually do everything necessary—translations, managing Facebook pages, uploading the videos to YouTube, editing, graphics, and more. Everything is done voluntarily and with amazing synergy," says Mizrachi.

Due to his aggressive speaking style, which is very different from the prevalent preachers today, Rabbi Mizrachi has often found himself under threat—from various sources. He believes his style also has its place. "A person who has no fear of Heaven must hope to return out of love. But how many souls like this are there? Most people strengthen their spirituality only when they understand that their actions have a price. I receive emails from doctors, scientists, and secular businessmen who write to me clearly: ‘Whether I agree with you or not, I know it is the truth’. You don't have to agree with how things are said, but you must agree with what's said. A person will change something in his path or himself only when he is shaken inside. And that is what most preachers don't understand. If Hashem didn't want us to know about the punishments awaiting those who do not comply with His will, He would not have informed us about it more than 12 times. Ah, it's unpleasant to hear. Now it causes you suffering? Fine. This suffering, it's what will bring you back, and it’s what will strengthen you."