Two Executives in a Surprising Initiative: A Book on Pirkei Avot

Anyone who meets Yaniv Fogel in the corridors of Wolfson Hospital sees a busy person before them. As the administrative manager of one of the largest hospitals in the central region, he is responsible for countless subjects, committees, and departments. Perhaps this is why it is surprising to hear that over the past year he has managed to find time to write a book, and not just any book, but one on Pirkei Avot.

"I was surprised myself," he admits candidly in a conversation we have after the first two editions sold out. "What is even more surprising is that my partner in writing the book, Ziv Elul, also found the time to meet with me again and again to work on the book's content. Ziv is a serial tech entrepreneur who recently established a company called 'Pari'. For him too, it seemed almost impossible to create such a book, but here it is, it happened."

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"Everything Moved and Progressed"

Yaniv Fogel and Ziv Elul have known each other since their military days (both are currently Lt. Colonels in reserve). But back then, at the start of their careers, they were very different from one another - Ziv had returned to religious observance while Fogel comes from a religious family.

"A special connection formed between us," recounts Ziv. "We first met due to a shared tragedy we experienced, as we both had a very close acquaintance with a childhood friend named Mor Yehuda Elraz, may he rest in peace, who was killed in the Kissufim route in Gaza to save others' lives. Through him, we met, and our paths crossed in the army. The fundamental difference between us helped us while writing the book, as while we both work as managers and have numerous employees under us, I mostly deal with the tech world, whereas Yaniv, as a hospital manager, deals with the public-governmental world, and these are significant differences."

"When we sat down to write the book together, each of us brought their own perspective," explains Fogel. "As we jokingly used to define it - 'profit' in the tech world versus 'welfare' in the social work of the hospital."

What leads two managers to write a book specifically on Pirkei Avot?

"The idea was born a few years ago," says Fogel, "during the period when we read Pirkei Avot, between Passover and Shavuot. While reading, I was struck by the thought that these Mishnayot contain so many important insights for managers. I happened to bring up examples of this to Ziv, and he complemented me by adding his own ideas, sparking a fruitful and fascinating discussion. We quickly decided to write a joint book, but both of us were then busy with projects that required all of our time and efforts, and we didn't get around to writing."

"But Ziv is not someone who gives up," Fogel adds with a smile. "After he sold his first startup to a public German company, he called me and asked: 'Remember we planned a book on Pirkei Avot?' From that moment, everything moved and progressed."

The book, which was released at the beginning of last summer, comprises seven dilemmas drawn from Pirkei Avot, which, according to Ziv and Fogel, no manager hasn't encountered and lived through. "For instance, we addressed the Mishnah that states 'the day is short, and the work is great, and the master is pushing...'" Fogel exemplifies. "We raised the question of whether it is better to be a master who pushes their employees, or to give employees freedom of action. Of course, each approach has its advantages and disadvantages, and we detail them all."

"In the book, we also provide management tips drawn from Pirkei Avot," Ziv adds, "such as 'know from where you came and where you are going,' meaning to live with a coherent plan for life, at every moment – for ourselves, our actions, and our goals. We also referred to the Mishnah 'Torah study is good with a worldly profession,' implying that to succeed in business and in life, it is not enough to be a genius. Alongside expertise and in-depth knowledge, social qualities and altruism are necessary, as well as many other similar ideas."

Inspiring the World

But the big surprise awaited them as they neared the book's completion. Ziv, as a member of the YPO group, a global organization for CEOs and chairpersons from around the world that discusses and talks about management issues, decided to approach several famous business people worldwide and interview each of them on a different chapter from the book, to bring a different, authentic, and global angle from various fields of content.

"Each time it was amazing to see their admiration for Pirkei Avot and what our ancestors wrote 3,000 years ago, which continues to be so relevant even today," he recounts. "Incidentally, during the book's writing, I met Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, may his memory be a blessing, in London, and presented to him a dilemma I had regarding the profile of managers to include. He ruled and said: 'There are many management books in the world, but people want to hear the Jewish perspective.' I needed nothing more; the path was clear."

Do you both feel that something in your management has changed as a result of writing the book?

Ziv: "Certainly. It is clear that you cannot write and advise people without the matters also affecting you. The Mishnayot from Pirkei Avot change worlds, and there isn't a day when I don't encounter a situation that reminds me of them and influences my decision-making."

"Since the ideas we present in the book are very practical, I naturally encounter them in my work almost daily," agrees Fogel. "It's not that I always succeed in implementing things as I believe they should be done, but at least it makes me think and reflect on the mission and role. I genuinely hope that because the book combines theory, globalization, Jewishness, publicity, high-tech, and practicality, it will reach as many managers and aspiring managers, as that is our goal."