I was in a band, which was actually pretty popular at the time.

Band was called Revel 8, and we got picked up by a manager.

John Greenberg had nickel back and other platinum bands.

And so we were really in a hot spot playing the hottest clubs.

And again, I just felt like what does it all mean if you can't find happiness?

I spent an entire month with a monk in the jungle in Thailand,

not speaking. No speaking, no reading, no writing, no listening to music. It was 18 hours a day of meditation.

What was interesting is that I was like I was carrying a Keepa at this point. I would like put it on. I had long dreadlocks.

I would stick it on top of the dreads. But then I would see somebody I knew. I put it in my pocket because I was embarrassed.

And it amazed me because I was like so cool in California. And then I felt like, why am I so afraid of my identity?

Like this is weird. They were each born Jewish. He didn't feel connected

in his from home, so he went exploring elsewhere. She grew up secular, but was desperate to find

the truth. She was a Buddhist monk in the mountains of Thailand. He was in a rock band playing

heavy metal music. Through their search for purpose, they found each other and fell in love. This is a story of how Hashem orchestrated two people together and how they together built a Jewish family. This episode is a loving memory of Shemdh Mdavim Yaku Shlema and Miriam Sarabas Yacob of Moshe. And thank you to this week's sponsors, Will Salis, Bipin, to live or to cry the book, and Orsameh's incredible program maybe for you here we go so i was

telling my brother ellie before uh as you guys walked in that i feel like this is seemingly maybe

the most made up story possible because it is so wild so i'm very excited i am very excited

there's so much to cover here.

But let's start with you, Rifchanan. Could you tell us about your childhood, where you grew up?

What was your connection to Hashem at that point, if there was, and take it from there?

I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. Went to the Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington.

For me, I always felt like Hashem was a part of my life.

My parents got divorced when I was young, and house was pretty chaotic.

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