Fifty Four short Films based on the stories of the Old Testament.
Back in 2012, I was approached by Rabbi Mario Rojzman an offered to produce A Journey Through the Torah, fifty-four short films, each based on one of the Hebrew Torah portions (parashiyot). Each film would be a teaching aid, helping explain a section of the Torah read in synagogues each week.
I didn’t know much about the Torah. Honestly, I didn’t know much about any religious texts. I was raised in a household where my Jewish mother and Christian father made sure I stayed out of the religious spotlight. I wasn’t raised with a strong religious identity, and when this project came up, I realized I had a lot to learn. It was the perfect opportunity (a match made in Heaven). I was coming off the financial struggles brought on by the 2008 crisis, and I needed work that would not only pay the bills but also challenge me. This felt like both an exciting chance to grow and a way to get back on my feet.
The project was a big deal—not just in terms of the amount of work, but because it pushed me to learn something I hadn’t given much thought to before. I had to immerse myself in the Torah, studying its stories, lessons, and context, all while juggling a regular job and living in Virginia. That meant commuting almost weekly between Charlottesville and Fort Lauderdale, which was no small feat. But strangely, the more I worked on it, the more I felt like I was taking part in something bigger than just making films. It was like going through my own kind of spiritual rite of passage—learning not just the Torah, but lessons that would stick with me in ways I didn’t expect.
Each Torah portion has a name—Acharei, Balak, Chukat, Ekev and so on—and each one told a story that was both ancient and relevant. Moving forward I found myself seeing connections between the texts and my own life. Some of the lessons felt universal, while others gave me a new lens to view the world around me. It was fascinating to adapt these age-old stories into something modern and relatable.
Looking back, I realize that A Journey Through the Torah was even more collaborative than I first thought. While Rabbi Rojzman was my main point of contact, I later discovered that another rabbi, Rabbi Farber, had played a role in shaping many of the chapters. His insights added depth to the films in ways I hadn’t fully appreciated at the time.
The entire process was a huge undertaking, and I’m still amazed by how much went into it—especially when I think about the fact that I was living in Virginia while working on a project based in Florida. The commuting alone was a logistical nightmare, but I had no choice but to dive in. In the end, though, the hard work paid off—not just financially, but personally. The Torah taught me lessons I didn’t even know I needed to learn.
When I came across the old files of the series, more than a decade later, I was struck by how much effort had gone into these films—and how much I had grown through the process. What started as a job turned into something far more meaningful: a chance to learn, to grow, and to connect with something much bigger than myself.
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