The Lie That Nearly Kept Them Apart Forever

DJ couple Eli and Aviva Vogel share the winding, faith-tested road that led them from a bus ride to seminary interviews to nearly six years of marriage. Aviva grew up in a tight-knit Lakewood family as the only girl among brothers, always hoping for a best friend and partner in a spouse. Eli grew up in Philadelphia, drifted away from religious observance, and found his way back through a chance encounter with a pamphlet on personal prayer and a life-changing stint learning in a yeshiva in Tzfat, funded by a stranger's generosity. They first crossed paths on that bus to seminary interviews, reconnected after Eli returned to Israel, and built a serious relationship through long, honest conversations about their values and their future together.But getting to the chuppah wasn't simple. Aviva's family pushed back hard against the match, a well-meaning rabbi warned her family away from Eli, and Eli was even advised at one point to date other girls just to prove he could move on. The couple held on through a 40-day prayer cycle, multiple rabbinical blessings, and the sudden passing of the rabbi who had first supported them, before a piece of decisive advice from Rav Shalom Kamenetsky pushed them to marry right away. Their story is a real look at what it costs, and what it's worth, to fight for a relationship the people around you don't yet understand.This week's episode is brought to you in part by:► PZ DealsDownload The PZ Deals app and never pay full price again.https://app.pz.deals/install/soh_________________► Colel Chabad Pushka AppThe easiest way to give Tzedaka.https://pushkapp.cc/soh_________________► Ness Vacation HomesEDEN GARDENS' LARGEST LUXURY HOME COLLECTION. Handpicked, high-end homes available exclusively through Ness.https://nessvacationhomes.com/_________________► Western Wall PrayersSubmit your name, and the names of your loved ones, to be prayed for at the Kotel.https://www.westernwallprayers.org?a_aid=689ea0c620351