chevron

An Inside Look at Rabbi Shmuley’s “Divine Intervention”

2016-02-25

bannerImage

Divine_Intervention_Show_1_600

This week, VisionTV premiered “Divine Intervention,” an original talk show hosted by “the most famous Rabbi in America,” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Episodes air daily at 3pm ET/Noon PT.

On each 30-minute program, Rabbi Shmuley participates in one-on-one conversations with individuals seeking advice that’ll help them improve their lives. No subject is off the table, as guests open up to Rabbi Shmuley about topics like sexuality, infidelity, divorce, abuse, platonic marriage and religion, to parenting, self worth, eating disorders, and gender-related issues.

“There’s people who have a lot of family issues, personal issues – they’re worried about collapsing marriages, they’re worried about kids who are out of control, they’re worried about kids who don’t want to have a relationship with them; a lot of [people] are facing depression,” says Rabbi Shmuley of ‘Divine Intervention’ during an interview with ZoomerRadio’s Libby Znaimer for the ‘Zoomer Week in Review.’ “We’re trying to intervene and lift them up and give them guidance to make better decisions and to repair their relationships.”

While Rabbi Shmuley provides helpful guidance and honest perspective to his guests on “Divine Intervention,” he’s quick to point out that he’s not conducting full-fledged counselling sessions designed to entirely rid someone of the issues they’re experiencing – he’s trying to figure out the root of someone’s problems.

Divine_Intervention_Show_3_600   Divine_Intervention_Show_2_600

“I don’t think the purpose of our show is to counsel,” points out Rabbi Shmuley later in his conversation with Znaimer. “Obviously, counselling is more rigorous, more intensive and more in-depth. I think our show is analytical. It’s about analyzing the problem, getting below the surface and trying to identify the root causes of the problem. That’s something that can be done faster than you might otherwise suppose. A lot of problems are repetitive. I’ve seen [certain] kinds of behaviour before, so I can often see patterns or see what people are masking. That’s not because I’m prophetic in any way – I am not – it’s because I have done this for a little bit of time.”

As for why Rabbi Shmuley finds it important to lend an ear and his assistance to those he encounters, he tells Canada A.M.’s Marci Ien that it’s all about turning his early life hardships into something positive for others.

“I’m a child of divorce and I cannot fix my own broken childhood,” confides Rabbi Shmuley. “But, I can fix other peoples’ broken childhoods. I can transform the darkness from my own experience, into light for others. I think in the Western world, we’re good at putting up tall buildings, building beautiful roads, but there are three things that we are terrible at. We don’t know how to be happy – we’re popping more anti-depressants and prescription drug medication than ever before; we don’t know how to stay married; and we don’t know how to raise inspired children. It’s almost like we’ve done some strange pact with the devil where we would succeed at big things, but fail at the little things – which are the big things.”

Helping others is what Rabbi Shmuley believes to be his “personal mission.” As a result, “Divine Intervention” proves to be a series that one can turn to and know that sincere guidance is being provided.

For more about “Divine Intervention,” visit its official VisionTV show page.

In addition to “Divine Intervention,” Rabbi Shmuley has authored 30 books, including “Kosher Lust”, “Kosher Sex” and “10 Conversations You Need To Have With Your Children.” You can learn more about those at Rabbi Shmuley’s official website.

-Adam Grant

Divine Intervention - Studio Shoot

Vision NewsLetter

Sign up to get the latest news on your favorite shows exclusive content and more.