The DJ Who Found Happiness in Yeshiva: 'I Discovered Where True Happiness Lies'

"Describe who I am?" Eyal Shitrit asks me at the start of our conversation. His voice is energetic and lively. "It's a bit challenging because I'm involved in a wide range of fields, and essentially my whole life is a large process of sampling from a broad variety. But if I had to summarize it in one sentence, I'm a person whose main desire is to get closer to our Father in Heaven."

After this introduction, Eyal moves to the core of our conversation, revealing that he uses the skills he acquired throughout his life to help others succeed, whether in business or personal growth, seeing it as a true mission.

"Of course, the concept of 'success' varies from person to person," he clarifies, "because it changes according to the talents and aspirations they wish to bring out. But the idea is not to waste life because it's a gift given by Hashem, and we're supposed to use it to better ourselves and the world. This is the essence of Torah and Judaism."

A Child of Music

Eyal was born in Kiryat Shmona into a traditional Moroccan family and connected with music early on. By the age of 14, he was consistently spending time near the DJ booth, mesmerized by the music and eager to learn how the system works.

This scenario repeated itself until he learned the professional secrets. At 15, he joined an event team and later became a karaoke DJ. Not satisfied with this, he eventually decided to produce his own music, which led to impressive achievements. Initially starting small, he was soon invited to play at large concerts, sometimes in front of thousands. "I decided at a certain point that I wanted to create music myself," Eyal recalls, "and that's how I continued to grow. I lived in Eilat for a long time and then returned to Kiryat Shmona to run a recording studio. I played in large-scale performances, sometimes before thousands."

"During those days, after spiritual instances I experienced, I became very strengthened in the commandments and started a process of returning to faith. It wasn't simple but rather gradual; however, looking back, I think that thanks to what I went through, I developed tools that helped me at that time. But the real moment of change in my life came when I started learning at Yeshivat 'Torat Chaim.' Since then, blessed be Hashem, my life became different, and I reached the clear conclusion that everything is written in the Torah."

Eyal's life not only changed but took a 180-degree turn. He got married and is now a father of three, involved in several fields, with a primary focus on professional real estate marketing. Additionally, he specializes in comprehensive content production and digital marketing, which includes video shooting and editing, sound editing and production, graphic design, animation, branding, as well as business strategic consulting, and personal development coaching.

"In my past, unfortunately, I sometimes led people astray through my work, but in recent years I became a guide for many, producing hundreds of strengthening videos that have inspired hundreds of thousands. Also, seeing the huge thirst for empowering content, I started filming myself in short strengthening and motivational videos. I was amazed to see how much people benefited from them and how they spoke directly to each person from their particular situation."

This was the stage where Eyal decided he wanted to compile all the content he had created into a book filled with empowering, educational, and meaningful life tips.

A Book with Insights

In his new book 'SHIFT – To Be Number 1,' published last year, Eyal provides insights for high-performance living, addressing readers in a practical and concrete manner, clarifying: "Most of us wander around feeling, even if not consciously, as if we will live a thousand years and as if we have all the time in the world; we aren’t stopping to think about the most important matters."

He emphasizes: "I talk a lot in the book about our ability to achieve things in life, because it's important for me to convey the message that there are no limits to our abilities and achievements, except for the limits we place on ourselves. The only way to achieve good things is simply by doing, and here lies the problem. To succeed, we must act, and to deteriorate requires doing nothing. In order for beautiful flowers to grow in our garden, we must plant them, provide them with water and sunlight, and take care of them, but to ruin the garden, we need do nothing. Weeds will grow by themselves."

Eyal also gives advice to those who feel unsuccessful in their business or personal life. "The first thing to check in such situations is whether they are truly doing what they should, or if they tend to give up. We are allowed to rest and recharge, but laziness directly causes failure and instability. In reality, we are the only creatures afflicted by a disease called 'laziness,' and also 'procrastination.' There's no such thing as a lion needing to eat or feed its cubs saying to itself, 'I'll get up in a quarter of an hour,' and no animal in the world sets a snooze button on an alarm."

"Do you know how long our brain needs to convince us not to act?" Eyal throws out a question, quickly answering: "No more than five seconds. The brain is quick to persuade, and if we only knew how to make it make the right decisions, we could advance ourselves in life in almost every field. By the way, one tip I give to people I coach is regarding decision making – 'If you've already made a decision, don't tempt yourself into negotiations with yourself. Just be content with your decision and move quickly forward.'"

Eyal is also convinced that one thing that will propel any of us forward and help boost self-confidence is taking action. "Moreover," he notes, "there are people who sometimes fear acting or doing. They feel as though they are not worthy enough. But the true way to boost self-confidence is to realize that we all have something to offer and to contribute; we just need to be ourselves, exactly where we are. True, sometimes it's hard, but that is precisely the cure."

It All Starts with Torah

Let's talk practically: What would you say to someone not succeeding in life, lacking a good job, money, or a purpose?

"It's true that most of us feel lacking in certain areas of life to progress," Eyal agrees, "Many of us feel we haven't received enough gifts like money, wisdom, skills, motivation, etc. But exactly in this place, I recommend everyone to step momentarily out of this feeling of stagnation and look at external factors. If we examine closely what we lack in life, we'll see that the stagnation doesn't result from what's missing, but from what we think we need to progress, succeed, and be happy. What we think is missing is what holds us back the most, and note the emphasis on the word 'think,' because it all begins with thought."

And what can be done practically?

"It's important just to have a conversation with ourselves to understand that we're not truly missing tools for success. None of us lack ability, strength, or a supportive environment. We're all perfectly fine, and everything starts and ends with our desires. If we only desire, we can do almost anything, as long as we change our mindset. I can say from the experience of coaching hundreds of people – we all have all the information needed for success, even if it sometimes seems like we're not suited, the capability always exists within us. All that's required is to acknowledge and understand it."

Who do you intend your book for?

"This is a book truly intended for everyone. There are top-notch business owners and renowned busy individuals who took it and experienced a real upheaval. There are also young people who reviewed it and told me it helped them resolve many life conflicts. It's a very pleasant book to read, written in a light and engaging manner, offering many important insights. But the main thing is that everything is intertwined with words of Torah, because our Torah has it all; it is a Torah of life."