On this episode of Behind the Bima, Rabbi Efrem Goldberg is joined by Rav Nissan Kaplan for a conversation that goes to the heart of chinuch today: what it means to be a Rebbi, and what talmidim are actually looking for.
As expectations shift and access to information becomes limitless, Rav Kaplan offers a grounded perspective on what hasn’t changed… and what has. The conversation explores the role of connection in Torah transmission, what defines real success in yeshiva, and how a Rebbi shapes not just how a student learns, but who he becomes.
Rav Kaplan also speaks candidly about personal loss and the way emunah is lived, not theorized, through tefillah, honesty, and continuing forward without simplifying the complexity of pain.
This season of Behind the Bima is sponsored by Julie Charlestein & Darryl Benjamin in honor of their grandparents, Morton & Malvina Charlestein, and their children, Ruby and Maccabi Benjamin.
This conversation explores:
The evolving role of a Rebbi in today’s generation
Why connection has become central to chinuch
Defining success in yeshiva beyond learning
The relationship between Torah learning and personal growth
Living with loss, tefillah, and emunah
Why growth happens through consistency, not moments