Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron: "We're All Looking for a Shoulder to Lean On"

Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron has been searching for truth since his childhood. He read books, explored various religions and spiritual methods, and met people who claimed they had the key to the meaning of life. He was disappointed by all of them – until he discovered Judaism through an encounter with a Breslov Chassid who had returned to the faith. Today, he is on the other side of the coin: he is the person seekers turn to, with tired eyes and numerous questions.

In the many years since returning to Judaism, Rabbi Doron has been a flowing source of outreach: he leads the organization 'Or Pnimi' (Inner Light), which he founded after leaving the organization he previously managed, 'Lev HaDvarim.' He publishes books and discs at a rapid pace and gives lectures across the country. With his experience and wisdom, he recognizes the drastic changes taking place in Israeli society, changes that lead more and more people to consider that perhaps the ancient Judaism holds the answers they need.

"I think people see the world changing. It has become more dynamic, overflowing with information. People want a quiet corner where they can relax and understand the situation. They seek comfort from external and internal crises. In the past, only individualists embarked on such a journey, but today everyone seeks a shoulder to rest their head on, quickly realizing that this shoulder can only be found with Hashem. The sages knew we would get to this point and predicted about the generation before the coming of the Messiah: 'Who do we have to rely on? Only on our Father in Heaven...'"

This change is reflected, he says, in the types of questions directed at him. "In the past, I would get questions like: 'I have my world, but I'm interested in Judaism and want to know why things are this way or that.' Today, people tell me: 'I have no world, I have no life, I have nothing. Tell me what there is.' People are very tired, overwhelmed with stimuli, exhausted by the agitation and aggression. They want air. For those who know how to look, you can literally see how people seemingly walk around with a sticker on their forehead: 'I have no place in the world.' Rabbi Nachman says there is a place – Hashem is the place of the world."

So everyone is looking for a safe corner. But why is Judaism chosen to be this corner?

"People may search in other places, but in my opinion, they also get tired from that. They understand it's a kind of plastic. Not something serious. Not something they belong to. They want to come home. Feel like a soldier returning home after long weeks in the army. This is not found in Buddhism or any other place.

"Today's seekers are also not naive. They say: I'm tired but I'm not a fool. Don't fool me. And in this suspicion, there is something good. They are searching for the truth from a very inner point, wanting to feel they are being spoken to honestly. The sages say that those who seek the truth, Hashem sends them an angel of truth. And they want to be spoken to on eye-level, not patronized or attacked."

In his personal journey to Judaism, Rabbi Doron went through many stages. Yoga, Buddhism, shamanism, parapsychology. But when he was exposed to Judaism, he says, the doubts vanished immediately. "It's impossible to compare Judaism to the other things I checked. It's like comparing a galaxy to a crushed ant. Suddenly you look back and say: 'What did you sell me?' Like a person who eats junk food for a long time, then receives a proper meal and realizes that's the nourishment they need. Suddenly the whole picture becomes clear."

Rabbi Erez Moshe Doron

To summarize the difference between what Judaism offers and everything else in one sentence, Rabbi Doron says: "Judaism talks about life. Everything else talks about some leisure idea or detachment from life. In Judaism, there isn't a single detail in life that it doesn't discuss in a detailed manner. People are looking for truth, not shortcuts."

The approach to Judaism in our generation is happening in ever-widening circles, surprising even him. "If years ago people returned to the faith, became ultra-Orthodox, and disappeared from the secular world, now for many years no one goes anywhere but stays in place and tries to influence their surroundings. Finding synagogues, opening mikvehs. There are traces of this everywhere. I'm sometimes astonished to meet people who seem far away and suddenly present me with a halachic question with unclear origins. So many people are interested, searching, finding a mitzvah, and strengthening through it."

We talked about the journey of those distant from Judaism. What about religious people who feel Judaism does not bring them happiness?

"Initially, when I wrote books and lectures, I thought I needed to talk to those distant from Judaism because those familiar with it surely have everything right. But I quickly saw that truly all of Israel wants to return to the faith, including the religious. Being born into a religious society and leading a religious lifestyle is not enough. I need to investigate, search, find, live it, and believe in it, choose it. I see observant people from all sectors telling me simply: 'We want to know Judaism.' A regular participant in my lesson is the son of an important rabbi, and he tells me that everything his father taught him never touched his heart, so he comes to my lesson hoping to find a connecting point. Today's trials in all fields are difficult, and people understand that you cannot overcome them with habit alone. You need the inner point."

What book are you working on right now?

"I'm writing a Q&A book that deals with the special questions arising in our time. For example, recently many people have encountered the painful and troubling phenomenon of a person they trusted as a rabbi and influencer being revealed as a crook, criminal, sinner. Unfortunately, this is a phenomenon that leaves many people in great disarray. I think this is a special trial for our generation, putting the faith of many at great risk. So I discuss, for example, this trial and how to emerge from it strengthened and not shattered. I'm answering very painful questions about relationships – people write to me disappointed and desperate in this area. They say they don't feel anything. They want to know what is a man and what is a woman, how to communicate, how to cope.

One of the characteristics of our generation is that we often feel demanded to do beyond our capabilities. And this is a mistake. Either we can, or what is demanded of us is something entirely different. The Talmud summarizes what is required in each generation—in our generation, faith is required. So let's understand what faith is, what is demanded of us, what Hashem really wants."

This concept, says Rabbi Doron, can be linked to the miracle of Chanukah. "What was required of us during Chanukah was something simple and easy: to light candles. And the victory was so great—why not light bonfires on the mountain tops in its memory? But no, Judaism is not about loud noise. We pray quietly, without a megaphone and loudspeakers. We light small candles. We are not required to exert enormous powers. Just light the candles on each day of Chanukah."

"It seems to me that the great miracle of Chanukah is that the Hasmoneans even lit the menorah! We might have said, 'For what purpose, it won't suffice, let's wait until there's more oil, do a proper ceremony, bring in photographers, renew the lighting in a festive manner.' The Hasmoneans had a different mindset. We'll do what we can, innocently. And that's the miracle. Many times, we feel: 'What difference does it make what I do in the face of what's happening in the world? I'm powerless.' And the answer is – perform mitzvot and survive. That's how the people of Israel have always survived and it doesn't require tremendous actions but small and consistent ones. Another *tefillin* placement, another Shabbat observance, another candle lighting, another prayer. Do what you can—but be consistent. And this will overcome everything."