Simcha as an avodah
Joy runs through Rabbi Yehuda Shmidman's teaching as something to be worked at, not merely felt. Shiurim like "Simchat Purim At Its Best!" and "The Greatest Most Glorious Joy" treat simcha as an avodah - a state a person builds through effort and perspective, especially around the yamim tovim. He speaks to how a listener can enter a holiday genuinely uplifted rather than just going through the motions.
That focus makes his holiday material practical in an unusual way. Instead of explaining the laws or history of a Yom Tov, he asks how to actually feel its joy, and offers a way in. For families who reach a holiday exhausted rather than elevated, this is teaching aimed exactly at that gap between the day's potential and how it often plays out.
Emuna, personal and real
A second pillar of his library is emuna. "Emuna: Personal and Real!" - the title itself is the thesis - pushes faith out of the realm of the theoretical and into something a person can hold onto in their own life. He is interested in emuna that shows up in ordinary days and hard moments, not as a slogan but as a lived relationship with Hashem.
He pairs that with a forward-looking hope, teaching on "Feeling the Exaltedness of Geulah" and on lifting up a fellow Jew. The combination - real faith, real joy, and concern for one another - gives the collection a warm, encouraging character. It is chizuk in the true sense: strengthening a listener to keep going with more heart than they had before.
The Tisha B'Av burst of inspiration
Rabbi Shmidman is known for an annual "Exclusive Tisha B'Av Burst of Inspiration," a shiur made for the fast day itself. Tisha B'Av can feel heavy and hard to hold onto for a full day, and a focused burst of inspiration meets that need directly - giving a listener something to carry through the hours rather than simply enduring them.
Turning the saddest day of the year into a moment of real reflection and even hope is characteristic of his whole approach. Even in mourning, he points toward growth and geulah. That is why the Tisha B'Av series has become a fixture for listeners who want the day to move them rather than just pass, and it fits naturally alongside his teaching on joy and emuna.
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At a glance
Key takeaways
- Rabbi Yehuda Shmidman teaches simcha as an avodah, with shiurim like "Simchat Purim At Its Best!"
- His emuna teaching, such as "Emuna: Personal and Real!", aims at faith a person can actually live.
- He is known for an annual "Exclusive Tisha B'Av Burst of Inspiration" made for the fast day itself.
- Across the library, the focus is chizuk - real joy, real faith, and lifting up a fellow Jew.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.