Rabbi Lazer Brody | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | Eliezer Raphael Ludwick May 13, 1949 |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater | University of Maryland |
| Occupation | Rabbi, Health Coach, Fitness Trainer, Speaker, Author |
| Residence | Ashdod, Israel |
| Semikhah | Rabbi Noach Weinberg of Aish Hatorah Rabbi Yitzchak Kolitz Dayan Natan Kupschitz Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg |
Lazer Brody is an Israeli Breslov rabbi. Brody is a spiritual guide, certified health coach and fitness trainer, motivational and inspirational speaker, and author. He has traveled across the world giving lectures on Judaism, spirituality, and emunah.
Early life
editRabbi Lazer Brody was born in Washington, D.C. in 1949. His father, Yaacov (ben Yitzchak) Ludwick (1921-2000), was born in Winnipeg, Canada.[1] His mother, Annette (Chasia bas Gamaliel Halevia) Brody Ludwick (1927-July, 5 2019) was 12 years old when she came to the United States on the last boat from Poland before the Holocaust. Brody uses his mother's maiden name to honor her family which was destroyed in the Holocaust.[2] Brody is one of six siblings, including Zev Zalman "Z.Z." Ludwick, a luthier in Silver Spring, Maryland.[3]
He attended The University of Maryland between 1967-1970 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in agriculture, specializing in horticulture and deciduous orchards.[4] He then made Aliyah to Israel where he joined the Israel Defense Forces (I.D.F.) and served in one of the elite special-forces units. Brody is a combat veteran of two wars and dozens of counter-insurgence and anti-terrorist missions both inside and outside of Israel's borders.[5] Brody served for 19 years in regular and reserve-army combat service. He then became a military chaplain, a position he held until his discharge from the IDF after 29 years of service.[6] Brody won two citations of honor during his military service and has been referred to as "Rabbi Rambo" partially for his part in a near suicidal mission which led to the destruction of four deadly Russian-assisted terrorist rocket batteries in 1982 in West Beirut.[7]
Brody did extensive post-graduate work in the fields of food and agriculture-products technology in addition to being a farmer in Israel for over ten years.[4]
After surviving a mission to Beirut during the First Lebanon War in 1982, Brody decided to become a Ba'al Teshuva. He then left his farm on the Samarian Ridge and moved to Jerusalem to study Torah.[5][7]
After nine years of Talmudic and Jewish legal studies, Brody received his Rabbinic Ordination in 1992 from Rabbi Noach Weinberg when he graduated from Aish Hatorah in Jerusalem. He followed that up with two years of postgraduate study in family and personal counseling. Brody also holds rabbinical ordinations from Rabbi Yitzchak Kolitz, then Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Dayan (rabbinic judge) Natan Kupschitz of Jerusalem, and Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg of Jerusalem.[4][5]
Rabbi Avraham Weitzhandler, the head of Meshech Hanachal, was instrumental in introducing Brody to Rebbe Nachman's teachings. Thereafter, Brody devoted two years to studying Breslev Chassidus at the Breslever Kollel in Mea Shearim.[8]
Brody holds personal fitness trainer and health coach certifications from ACTION and ExpertRating. He holds specific specialized certifications in Holistic Nutrition, Senior Fitness, as well as Pilates and Kettle bells. Brody practices, teaches, counsels and advises strictly in line with traditional Jewish teachings, particularly Rambam, with an emphasis on Emuna as the central part of spiritual and emotional health and wellness.[4]
Career
editBrody is a two-decade combat veteran of the I.D.F. who also served as a military chaplain. He served in regular and reserve service for over 29 years. After his discharge, he served voluntarily as an inspirational and motivational speaker for combat soldiers.[4]
Between 1994 and 1996, Brody acted as rabbi and rehabilitation director in a major Israeli prison. There, he developed and implemented a successful program of spiritual rehabilitation for prisoners based on Teshuva.
In 1996, after Brody moved to Ashdod, he became the understudy of Rabbi Naftali Asher Yeshayahu Moscowitz, The Melitzer Rebbe of Ashdod.
In 1998, Rabbi Shalom Arush (Hebrew: שלום ארוש) opened a branch of his Breslov Yeshiva Chut Shel Chessed in Ashdod, and Brody was appointed as the Dean or "Rosh Kollel" of the program.[5]
In November 2004, Brody created the "Lazer Beams" website. The site would remain active until March 2019.[9]
In 2006 the Ashdod branch of Chut Shel Chessed merged with the main Jerusalem yeshiva and Brody became the mashpia (spiritual guide) for Arush's students.
In 2015, Brody founded "Emuna Fitness" whose goal was to enhance personal fitness among the Orthodox Jewish population.[4]
On March 24, 2019, after being hospitalized for six days with pneumonia and a pericardial infection, Brody officially left Breslev Israel and the Chut Shel Chesed Institutions. Brody retired as the Spiritual Dean and English-language editor Beslev Israel, a title he held for nearly 15 years. During that time, he translated into English many of Arush's books, including "The Garden of Emuna" & "The Garden of Gratitude" while also devoting extensive time to motivational and inspirational speaking to audiences of all backgrounds in English-speaking countries throughout the world.[4][9]
Works
editBooks
edit- Pi Habe'er (2001) Published in Hebrew
- Naphshi Tidom (2002) Published in Hebrew
- Chassidic Pearls (2010)
- Lazer Beams - Rays of Inspiration (2010)
- The Worry Worm (2010)
- Six Days to the Top (2014)
- The Trail to Tranquility (2015)
- The Path to Your Peak (2019)
- Three Words of Emuna: A Time-tested Secret to Inner Peace (2020)
Music
editAlbums
edit- Calming Waters (2010)
Collaborations
edit- Menachem Herman (former member of The Diaspora Yeshiva Band) "Sweet Home Jerusalem" (2010) - lyrics[10][11]
References
edit- ^ "My Pop, of Blessed Memory". Good Reads. 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ Margie Pendak (2017-02-01). "An Empty Vessel Makes the Best Sound". Mishpacha. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ David Holzel (2016-07-13). "The musical odyssey of Z.Z. Ludwick". Washington Jewish Week. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g "About Rabbi Lazer". Brody Health. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ a b c d "Lazer Brody". Retrieved 2020-02-17.
- ^ "Meet Lazer Brody".
- ^ a b Susan Silverman. "Rabbi Rambo". Jewish Mag. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "Rabbi Eliezer Raphoel Brody". Breslov.com. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ a b Lazer Brody (2019-03-23). "End of an Era, New Beginning". Good Reads. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ "Menachem Herman "Sweet Home Jerusalem" [Music Video]". The Jewish Insight. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
- ^ John DeLancey (2016-10-20). "Sweet Home Jerusalem". Biblical Israel Tours. Retrieved 2020-02-18.
External links
edit
Category:Breslov rabbis Category:Israeli Hasidic rabbis Category:Baalei teshuva Category:20th-century rabbis Category:People from Ashdod Category:1949 births Category:Living people