A primary message of the event was the importance of frum business people looking out for one another

Photo: Jeremy Melnick

HAPPENING IN…Toronto

The H3 Summit is a business-halachah conference that originated in Chicago but has since snowballed into an international movement. Most recently, the Jewish community of Toronto gathered en masse for what many considered to be the most successful networking event they’ve ever attended. Multiple speeches were given by leading rabbanim, including a question-and-answer session with Rav Shlomo Miller shlita.

One of the primary messages of the event was the importance of frum business people looking out for one another. Helping a fellow Jew find a job is the foremost method of giving tzedakah, and this concept was the overarching theme of the evening. Several attendees even reported landing jobs, or significant contracts, on the spot. The environment pulsated with a sense of spirited inspiration, injecting a force of kedushah into a mundane reality.

Rav Yosef Kushner, one of the guest speakers, connected this idea with a famous maamar Chazal. “We all know the term ‘Torah u’gedulah b’makom echad,’ ” he said. “The Gemara doesn’t say ‘b’adam echad.’ It says ‘b’makom echad.’ This means that there can never be a divide between Torah and business. The direction and clarity of Torah must always be present, even in the workplace. They must coexist in the same ‘makom.’ ”

The streets of downtown Toronto felt different last week. Overnight, hundreds of offices lining Canada’s largest city transformed into oases of Torah u’gedulah b’makom echad.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 947)