It was a full house Thursday night (Oct. 3) at Boro Park’s Anshei Sfard Hall, as hundreds of mostly Chasidic Jews came out to receive divrei chizuk (words of inspiration), coupled with practical career advice and information on the programs offered by Testing and Training International (TTI), an organization that helps Chareidi men and women pursue certifications and college degrees that fit both their busy schedules and the rigorous demands of the Orthodox Jewish lifestyle.

Headlining the event was internationally-renowned consultant and success coach Maurice Stein, whose weekly column in Ami Magazine, titled “Parnoosa,” offers a treasure trove of practical business advice. In addition to Stein, Rabbi Dovid Levine of TTI shared insights into the process of obtaining a college degree, tailored for a heimishe audience. Rounding out the evening’s lineup were Kevin Frisch—President of Banquest Payment Systems, and Michael Gross, owner and CEO of AJ Madison, a Brooklyn-based appliance dealer, both of whom shared the secrets of their success with the audience. Serving as emcee for the evening’s proceedings was noted local askan Chaim Kompel.

Mr. Stein, who today is known for authoring the critically-acclaimed “Turn Around Your Business by 5 PM” and “10 Days to a Career You Love,” shared the story of his rise to prominence in the business world. He spoke of how he began his working life as a teaching assistant for children with special needs. But perhaps more poignant, more jarring, was the heavy dose of tough love that Stein shared with those gathered. He discussed the importance of hishtadlus (personal effort) in pursuing a livelihood, while denouncing the fatalistic attitudes of those in the frum community who perhaps make a perfunctory effort, but who are not truly doing their utmost to advance their careers, dismissing unfavorable results as “bashert,” (destiny) and mistaking their own passivity for “emunah” (i.e. – faith).

“There’s no shortage of jobs. Everyone in this room is capable of getting a good job,” said Stein. “So the question is: If that’s the case, why aren’t you getting it? And the answer is that you’re not doing what you have to do in order to get the job.” He identified a lack of pertinent knowledge as a key obstacle to gainful employment among the religious community, an indirect but nonetheless compelling endorsement of the programs offered by TTI.

Also on the topic of hishtadlus, Mr. Stein emphasized the importance of approaching matters of parnasah with an appropriate attitude, by way of personal anecdote. He described  a prospective client, who wished to schedule a meeting with him so that he (Stein) could help him establish some sort of career plans. “I told him I have an available appointment at 8:00 in the morning. … And they told me, ‘How about 11?’ And I ask ‘Why eleven?’ And they say, ‘That’s the time that I’m ready.’ ”

The disbelief still etched into his expression, Stein recalls: “I didn’t know what to respond. And I was so frustrated I just told him ‘I’m sorry, I can’t see you.’ [This has] happened a few times already, and I just don’t get it. You’re unemployed, you want to discuss with somebody the potential for employment. You want to make a good impression on that person regardless of whether I’m the employer, or the person who is going to talk to the employer and try to help you—it doesn’t matter. If somebody tells you 8:00 in the morning, you’re there at 8:00 in the morning. If someone tells you 2:00 at night, you go there at 2:00 at night!

“Sometimes people will walk into an interview and say ‘How many vacation days do you have?’ as their first question to an employer. That’s not a good question to start with. It shows that you don’t care about a job, you just care about yourself.”

After deconstructing the various ways in which he has observed members of his own community sabotage their own professional efforts in his work as a career coach, Stein offered his formula for success, predicated on the idea of a maintaining a long-term career plan, assessing what education may be required, and determining the most feasible way to pursue that education. Stressing the virtue of perseverance, he gave one piece of rather unorthodox advice to his heavily Orthodox audience: Offer to work for free!

If one finds a company or organization for which he finds himself particularly well suited, explains Stein, one needn’t find a specific job vacancy to declare one’s candidacy. Mr. Stein suggested the prospective employees introduce themselves to their soon-to-be employer, explaining who they are, and what they feel they can contribute to the company’s operation. “[Say to them] ‘You don’t have to trust me that I can do it. Would you be okay if I come in and do it for four weeks, at no cost to you, and then we decide together if I can do it?’

“Most entrepreneurs,” says Stein, “will tell you: ‘No problem, let’s do it!’ Some people will not, but most will. Why? Because entrepreneurs by nature are risk-takers; they’re always looking for opportunities. If you feel you can help them, and you’re willing to take the risk, they’re willing to give you a chance.”

Continuing in the area of practical advice, Rabbi Dovid Levine of Testing and Training International gave the evening’s attendees and inside look at the process of obtaining a college degree through TTI and the various colleges with whom they have formed partnerships.  Tailoring his remarks for a community largely unfamiliar with the ins-and-outs of the secular university system, Rabbi Levine explained the differences between certification programs, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees. He also explained how TTI helps yeshiva-educated Orthodox Jews obtain equivalency credits for their religious knowledge, and how they take advantage of distance learning, allowing their clients to obtain their degrees on a schedule that is Shabbos and Yom Tov-compliant, and that doesn’t expose them to the halachically problematic aspects of campus life.

Discussing the fairness of allowing secular college credit for limudei kodesh (Torah studies), Rabbi Levine offered a tongue-in-cheek comparison to the real life electives available at some major colleges: “You went to yeshiva, you learned double what everyone else learned … you put in more hours than anyone else put in, you spent time in beis midrash, and kollel, and seminary. You’d think that your learning is at least as valuable as studying—and these are real courses; I’m not making it up—The Theory and History of Video Games, How to Watch Television, or, The American Vacation.” Putting Torah knowledge in a secular context, he added: “You know foreign languages, you know a foreign legal system, you know Jewish history.” Levine explained that credit for this specialized knowledge was available by way of proficiency exams, sparing frum students a great deal of the time, effort, and expense that are normally part and parcel of the college experience—an important detail, considering that the vast majority of his listeners were not only frum, but were also well over what is traditionally considered “college age” in the U.S. university system.

Levine extolled the benefits of TTI, noting how his organization makes the college process “kosher” by ensuring that courses are delivered in a way that is compatible with the Jewish way of life, that professors are given some level of cultural sensitivity training in how to work with students from the Chareidi community, and that the course materials themselves are thoroughly vetted, receiving the approbation of numerous rabbinic authorities.

Even though the majority of his pitch was dedicated to showing how TTI tailors college to the needs of “heimishe Yidden,” Rabbi Levine’s speech also contained a hint of the “tough love” that made Maurice Stein’s comments so memorable. Recognizing the necessity of English proficiency to the attainment of a college degree, he assured everyone in the room that this too was within their grasp. “You’ll learn English, you’ll know how to do it,” declared Levine, “and the truth is, let’s face it, that to get a decent job at any company, you’re going to have to know English anyway. You’re going to have to read and write English like a mensch. You might as well earn a degree while you’re doing that.” He went on to add that TTI boasts specially-trained teachers who can help frum students polish their English, and even obtain their high school GED if needed.

Speaking words of encouragement, Rabbi Levine tenaciously promoted the idea that a career-oriented secular education is a worthwhile goal for even the most religiously devout Jew, and that organizations like TTI could make this goal a reality.

“Lemaiseh, does a heimishe Yid like you go to college? The answer is ‘Yes.’ … Can you, with no secular education, get a college degree? The answer is ‘Yes,’ if you go to a program that’s designed for people just like you, with your background, and they lay everything out for you.”

Praising both the flexibility and greatly reduced expense of a degree through TTI, Rabbi Levine made it clear that a college degree was within the reach of anyone willing to work for it.

Rounding out the evening’s program were two prominent local businessmen who had been called upon to share the benefit of their experience with the community. Kevin Frisch, President of the Lakewood, NJ-based Banquest Payment Systems shared the inspiring story of how he built his own business from scratch, starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder as a telemarketer. He told of how he committed to the job for two years. Removing the option of resigning motivated Frisch to give the job his all and learn as much as he could about the business, which in turn earned him rapid promotion within the company, from which he was able to strike out on his own.

Recalling his own early experiences, Frisch also spoke of the importance of finding a mentor, as he had. Developing such a relationship, Frisch explained, can provide an alternative perspective, backed by practical experience. He went on to tell the audience that many successful entrepreneurs, approached by those seeking the benefit of their wisdom, would be honored, and all too happy to oblige.

Motti (Michael) Gross, founder of AJ Madison, echoed Frisch’s sentiments, emphasizing how easy and beneficial it is to seek out a mentor. He also spoke of his experience, starting with a small shop selling TVs and ultimately becoming a major dealer of household appliances.

Dovetailing nicely with Frisch’s presentation, Mr. Gross spoke of work ethic as the key to success. Denouncing sloth and exhorting his listeners to reach for greater levels of professionalism, Gross explained that “It’s important to know that when you work, you have to work without cheshbonos,” (lit. “accounts,” i.e. without predetermining one’s maximum level of effort).

“An employee who measures how much his employer is entitled to or owed from him, is typically not going to make it.”

Given the ability to “work harder” or “work smarter,” and not doing so, said Gross, is “simply bal tashchis” (a squandering of one’s resources, which Judaism deems sinful), “and you’re going to pay for it the rest of your life.”

Daniel Perez is a freelance writer, editor and consultant, and a former editor both at the Jewish Voice and Yeshiva World News. He can be reached at: [email protected]