R' Shmuel Diamond | The Rabbi Who Didn't Believe in G-d
6/13/20261 hr 18 min
In this episode of the Meaningful People Podcast, Nachi Gordon sits down with Rabbi Shmuel Diamond for an unforgettable conversation about one of the most dramatic transformations you'll ever hear. Rabbi Diamond grew up completely secular in North London, in a world where the very idea of God was treated as ridiculous, and didn't learn the Aleph Beis until he was 21. He takes us back through his years of searching, traveling through India, chasing photography, and sinking deeper and deeper into drugs, until he hit a point so low he knew something had to change. Then came the small, almost absurd moment in a Manchester shop that he still points to as the night his teshuva truly began.
From there, the conversation follows his climb back, his move to Israel, and his journey to becoming religious. Rabbi Diamond shares how discovering Rabbi Manis Friedman's teachings on Tanya completely changed his approach to Yiddishkeit, taking him from a Yid who looked the part to someone who finally felt genuinely connected.
He also shares the story behind his "Journey to a Blessed Life" course, which is helping thousands rebuild their relationship with themselves, with others, and with Hashem.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsShmuel Diamond· Guest0:00
Where I grew up, the concept of God was stupid.
Nachi Gordon· Host0:02
If you saw a picture of yourself now when you were seven years old, would you believe, "Oh, that's me?"
Shmuel Diamond· Guest0:06
No. For sure not.
Nachi Gordon· Host0:07
What was your family like?
Shmuel Diamond· Guest0:08
We- Judaism in the picture at all? We knew we were Jewish. Friday night was grape juice or coffee on a glass of lemonade, a challah, and then back to the TV. It was 1998. I was 19. I went to India for five months. I wanted to experiment with every drug there was. Drugs was a big part of our lives.
Nachi Gordon· Host0:24
Same here.
Shmuel Diamond· Guest0:25
The lowest point that I hit when I was 21, my best friend, I'm sitting there in a room with him, I'm looking at him and I'm thinking, "What's your name? What's your name?" [laughs] Your mind is in such a mess because you smoked so much that you can't remember his name.
Nachi Gordon· Host0:39
Kids, they shouldn't do drugs.
Shmuel Diamond· Guest0:41
[laughs] No, you shouldn't do drugs.
Nachi Gordon· Host0:42
Look at this camera and say, "No to drugs."
Shmuel Diamond· Guest0:44
[laughs] Yeah, don't, don't do drugs. No, not a good thing. [laughs] Weed turns you into a loser. I'd bumped into a rabbi about five years earlier called Rabbi Shmuel Miller. We just used to argue. When I was 16, he was like the first Jew that I had met who was connected to something real. He would say, "Listen, there's this book, it's written in Hebrew. This is the answer to all your questions." I always had his voice in my head after I saw that I was in such a low place with drugs and with alcohol, and I knew that university wasn't what it was about. There was nothing left to do. In my mind, I had no other option.
Nachi Gordon· Host1:12
This episode is sponsored by PZ Deals. Never pay full price again, and June 23rd is Amazon Prime Day. That is exciting. That is exciting, and the app that you need on your phone to make the most of that day is the PZ Deals app. You could find me in the street