Yedidya Meir: Faith, Family, and Finding Meaning in Everyday Life

Yedidya Meir is a journalist, radio host, and public speaker. He is married to Sivan Rahav-Meir, and together they have five children. The family lives in Jerusalem. Yedidya grew up in Moshav Gimzo, the son of Rabbi Eliav Meir, rabbi of the Hevel Modiin Regional Council, and Ziva Meir, a parenting counselor. He is one of eleven siblings.

A Childhood Memory I’ll Never Forget

“I was blessed to grow up in a family of rabbis and Torah scholars. Rabbi Simcha Kook, the chief rabbi of Rehovot, was my grandfather’s brother. That means I grew up surrounded by greatness — people who truly seemed a bit above this world. Rabbi Simcha always radiated majesty, dignity, care, and refinement, and as a little boy, that left a huge impression on me. I remember walking behind him, always struggling to keep up. Even at eighty, he ran ahead from synagogue to synagogue, from community to community. I remember Passover Seders, Sukkot, and so many holy flashbacks. He passed away this year, and my wife and I are now collecting stories about him for a book, God willing.”

A Life Principle I Never Forget

“To pay attention to the weaker students. I wasn’t a good student. I remember when they needed a class representative for the school newspaper — of course, they chose the best student, who’s a professor today. I remember thinking, ‘What about me?’ True, I wasn’t good at homework or tests, but I could write, I was creative — why not me? Since then, I’ve tried to give attention to those on the sidelines, not just the top achievers. There are hidden treasures there that the system often overlooks.”

A Meeting I’ll Never Forget

“Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. I was in Safed with my friend Yochanan Slater during the Klezmer Festival. Suddenly someone shouted from a car: ‘Do you have a guitar? Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach is here and needs one!’ We said, ‘We have one, but we’re coming with it.’ We found him performing a small concert at a nursing home in Safed, playing Yochanan’s guitar and singing songs of faith and hope. He told the elderly residents not to feel broken — that they were precious and the world needed them. ‘The Mashiach is coming soon,’ he said, ‘and he’ll need to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah: “Old men and women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem.” How can that happen without you? You must stay strong!’ It was one of his last performances before he passed away. I learned that day how a simple melody and a few kind words can revive souls.”

A Moment of Joy I’ll Never Forget

“The births of my children. That joy is beyond words — there’s nothing like it. Our youngest, Yehudit, was born on Shabbat. It was incredible: walking on foot to share the good news. No one knew yet — no photos, no messages — just me walking from Shaarei Tzedek Hospital to our home in Jerusalem, about forty minutes, where my parents were babysitting. Step by step, I drew closer to telling them the news in person. No emojis, no exclamation marks — just a real ‘Mazel Tov’ of Shabbat. There was something magical about that.”

A Torah Learning I’ll Never Forget

“The Daf Yomi (daily Talmud study). For years, I couldn’t learn Gemara the way I wanted. I had painful memories from yeshiva, where I was a weak student. Back then, there weren’t clear, user-friendly editions like there are today that organize the Gemara beautifully, with questions, answers, and explanations.

I started about ten years ago with my study partner, Rabbi Moti Rotenberg, and we kept going day after day. We completed the entire Shas. That’s an unbelievable sentence for me to say, so I’ll say it again: I, who once couldn’t learn Gemara, completed Shas. I owe it to Rabbi Meir Shapiro, who created the Daf Yomi, and to my parents and wife — their prayers must have brought me here.”

A Song I’ll Never Forget

“All the songs of Rabbi Hillel Palai. I met him when I was young and started selling his melodies to singers — that’s how songs like Shiru LaMelech, Torah HaKedosha, and Ochilah were born. And of course, the songs of Rabbi Yosef Karduner and Bini Landau. I don’t have one favorite song — I live music; it’s part of my divine service. Each period of life has its own playlist.”

A Book That Changed Me

“Ligdol (‘To Grow’), by Sivan Rahav-Meir. I’m not joking — and yes, it’s a kind of advertisement, but an ideological one. My wife Sivan began collecting inspirational stories for children, and we realized adults also crave uplifting, faith-based stories. That’s how the series was born. It recently reached first place in the Steimatzky book charts, showing that people of all backgrounds are hungry for stories from our heritage that strengthen and inspire. We work together, so I read every draft — the book truly strengthened me personally.”

A Difficult Time I’ll Never Forget

“The Oslo Accords and the Gaza Disengagement. What’s happening today reminds me of those times — when most of the nation felt unrepresented, that their vote didn’t count the same. You watch misguided policies unfold before your eyes, knowing they’ll cost lives, and can’t stop them. The media was fully aligned to one side. It’s discouraging, because I thought things had changed — but the rhetoric remains the same: ‘You’re extremists and wrong, while we on the left are rational.’ It’s the complete opposite.”

A Holiday I’ll Never Forget

“Of course, the Passover Seder during COVID. I think that year clarified something for many people. We realized we’re not dependent on external things — not on shopping, new clothes, or fancy meals. It was just us, God, and the mitzvot of the night — our nuclear family alone. A global pandemic raged outside, and we retold the story of the Exodus with whatever we had in that strange situation. We had just returned from our mission in the U.S. and found ourselves in quarantine, cleaning a rented house that wasn’t ours, borrowing disposable cups, potatoes, and grape juice from my sisters. It was a pure, simple Exodus from Egypt, stripped of everything external. Very special.”

A Prayer I’ll Never Forget

“First and foremost, the holiday prayers led by our family rabbi, Rabbi Yaakov Katz. Since childhood, I’ve been privileged to hear him lead the prayers during the High Holidays in the Old City. My parents took me there as a boy, and now I take my own children. In recent years, I also merited attending the first Selichot with Yehuda Green in Manhattan — prayers so moving they carry you through the entire year. But the real challenge,” he smiles, “is Mincha and Maariv at the neighborhood shul — and that’s exactly where I’m heading once I finish this interview.”