Episode description
Join me as I sit down with my good friend Rabbi Shmuel Skaist.
Rabbi Shmuel Skaist studied at Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv, enjoying a close relationship with Rabbi Shlomo Friefeld z”tl. For the last 35 years, he has taught Torah and been involved in Kiruv across the US and Israel. Rabbi Skaist is also a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and has performed regularly in Greenwich Village, college campuses, and top venues from NY to LA for many years. He was the founder of Shabbat Tent, an effort dedicated to strengthening Jewish identity at Music Festivals across the USA. An energetic and inspiring speaker, Rabbi Skaist taught at several Yeshivas in Israel and as an adjunct professor at Bar Ilan University before returning to the US. For the last 20 years, he has been the Rosh Yeshiva at The Yeshiva of Newark at IDT. After many years of providing Pastoral counseling to people seeking advice on hashkafic and personal issues, Rabbi Skaist returned to school, earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling, and expects to finish his Ph.D. in 2026. Meanwhile, he is a therapist dealing primarily with couple counseling at Jewish Family Services in Passaic, NJ.