A program, hosted by a well-known writer
"Leil Shishi" — Thursday night — is the name of a program, and Yisroel Besser is its host. Besser is a widely read writer and biographer, known to many through his columns and books, with a gift for finding the human story inside the Torah world. Reading "Leil Shishi with Yisroel Besser" as a single person's name misses what it is: a recurring program built around his voice and his conversations.
The Thursday-night timing is deliberate. Leil Shishi is the threshold of Shabbos, the evening when a Jewish home begins to turn toward the day of rest. A program set at that hour aims to send listeners into Shabbos with something to think about — a story, a conversation, a piece of chizuk — matching the reflective mood of the night.
What the series offers
Besser's strength as a writer is portraiture: drawing out the character, struggles, and quiet greatness of the people he covers. A program in his hands leans naturally toward that same craft — conversation and storytelling that carry a Torah message without lecturing. It is inspiration delivered through people and their stories rather than through the structure of a formal shiur.
That approach reaches listeners who connect more readily with narrative than with abstract analysis. Hearing how a real person met a challenge, or what a life of Torah looked like up close, can land more deeply than a list of ideas. For a family, it offers the kind of content that naturally sparks conversation at the Shabbos table.
Who it's for
Leil Shishi suits listeners looking for weekly chizuk with a warm, human texture — people who enjoy the kind of storytelling world that Besser helped shape. It asks less prior background than a Gemara shiur and offers more heart than a headline, which makes it an easy fit for a broad audience across ages and backgrounds.
Because each installment stands largely on its own, a new listener can begin anywhere. The program's value builds less through a curriculum than through a steady weekly habit — an ongoing dose of perspective and inspiration arriving right as Shabbos comes into view. That rhythm is part of the appeal: a familiar voice returning at the same point in the week.
Finding kosher Torah video for your family
FilteredTube is a kosher video service built for Jewish families — every single video is approved against one written standard before it can appear, with no open feed, no comments, and no surprises. It is a calm, safe place to look for the Torah and Jewish music you love.
If your family enjoys teachers like Yisroel Besser, search FilteredTube for the speakers and topics that matter most to you. With a daf yomi shelf, a weekly parsha shelf, topic shelves, audio-only listening for the car, and a kids mode with a PIN, kosher Jewish video is easy to reach — and the approved catalog keeps growing every day.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- "Leil Shishi with Yisroel Besser" is a hosted program, not a person named Leil Shishi.
- Yisroel Besser is a well-known writer and biographer in the Torah world.
- "Leil Shishi" means Thursday night — the program is set on the threshold of Shabbos.
- The series works through story and conversation rather than formal shiur structure.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.