Menny Vakshtok: From Yeshiva Comedy to Faith, Family, and Gratitude

Meni Vakshtok is married and a father. He lives in Bnei Brak and works as a director, cameraman, producer, editor, and actor — a video creator and one of the founders of Israeli comedy Bardak.”

A Mitzvah I’ll Never Forget

“There’s one mitzvah I make sure to fulfill precisely, and it amazes me every single time — the mitzvah of ma’aser (tithing). I’m very careful to give a full tenth of my income, and I even ‘round up’ when I can. What continually amazes me is the immediate and tangible effect it has on my business. Whenever things slow down, I look back and check how my giving has been lately — and without fail, every time I distribute the ma’aser, the very next day, or even the same day, things move. New clients call, projects close — it’s incredible.”

A Distant Memory I’ll Never Forget

“About fifteen years ago, a few friends from yeshiva asked me to help them make a funny film for the summer camp. At that time, I wasn’t involved in video or filmmaking — it hadn’t even crossed my mind. But I loved computers, music, and humor, and people must have sensed that. A few years earlier, I had helped direct and write some improvised plays, so maybe that’s why they approached me.

“Baruch Hashem, the film turned out great — funny and full of talented people who wrote, acted, and edited, and I got to direct it. During camp, the film was screened for the entire yeshiva — students, married men, even part of the staff — and it was a huge success. I remember sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by an audience roaring with laughter, knowing I had a big part in bringing them joy. That memory is engraved in me deeply.

“Today, as part of Bardak — with my talented partner, Effie Skakowski — I get to make people laugh and bring happiness to others. I receive wonderful feedback, but it’s rare to experience 300 people laughing together like that again.”

A Jewish Figure I’ll Never Forget

“I often seek advice and blessings from the Tolna Rebbe in Jerusalem. I’m blessed to occasionally enter his room and receive his holy blessings, as well as guidance in major life decisions. There were times when I didn’t understand why he gave me a particular piece of advice, or I doubted it would work — but later, I saw how completely right he was. I followed his words out of faith in Torah sages, and everything worked out exactly as he said. I feel incredibly privileged to know him and be connected to him.”

A Longing I’ll Never Forget

“I miss my grandfather, Rabbi Shimon Vakshtok, of blessed memory. My eldest son is named after him. To this day, my grandfather is a huge source of inspiration for me. He was a truly God-fearing Jew — a chasid who, despite managing a factory for years, never stopped learning Torah. The day he retired, he went straight back to full-time Torah study as if he had never left.

“Even though he survived the Holocaust as a child, he never lost his sense of humor. In the book he wrote about his experiences, he even wove in humor and joy. The sentences and lessons he shared with me still guide me every single day.”

A Meeting I’ll Never Forget

“My first meeting with my wife. It’s been ten years, but I remember every second — every line, every joke, every moment. I immediately noticed something different about her: a rare kindness, a quiet strength hidden inside a shy, soft-spoken woman — something I had never seen before. I guess I can’t forget it because that same strength continues to push me, help me, and drive everything in our home, our work, and our success.”

A Funny Moment I’ll Never Forget

“One night after a shoot in Jerusalem, not long after our wedding, I was driving an old car whose windshield wipers had broken a few days earlier. At first the sky was clear, but as soon as I got onto Route 443, the heavens opened — a massive downpour. I had two friends with me, but we couldn’t see anything through the windshield. We pulled over to wait it out, but it was one of the heaviest storms of the decade.

“After an hour, freezing cold with no heater, we were stuck — we couldn’t drive, and couldn’t leave. Then, out of nowhere, an idea came to me. I joked about it first, but then thought, ‘Why not try?’ I took out the shoelaces from my shoes, tied one to each wiper, and threaded them through the side window. I pulled left, my friend pulled right — and together we worked the wipers manually: left-right, left-right. It actually worked! I drove slowly, one hand on the wheel and the other pulling a shoelace through the window. We drove like that for half an hour until the rain stopped. Crazy, hilarious, but 100% true.”

A Song I’ll Never Forget

“The song ‘Thank You Hashem’ by Joey Newcomb and Moshe Storch. My wife and I waited eight and a half years after our wedding to have a child. Everyone handles such things differently, but we never called ourselves ‘childless.’ I’d always tell myself — I don’t have a Lamborghini either, but I don’t feel ‘childless’ for that. What’s meant for us will come when God decides.

“After eight and a half years, our first son, Shimon Michael, was born. The birth was incredibly emotional. We stayed a day and a half in the hospital, exhausted but overjoyed. Friday afternoon we finally went home — just in time for Shabbat. For the first time, it was just the three of us: my wife, our baby in his car seat, and me. I turned on the stereo, and the song ‘Thank You Hashem’ started playing.

“Suddenly, all the emotions flooded in — happiness, gratitude, awe, tears, relief, everything at once. I sang through my tears with all my heart: ‘Thank You, Hashem.’ Our son is only a year and a half old now, but he’s already heard that song hundreds of times and knows it by heart.”