Mendel Feferkorn never set out to enter the world of financial awareness. But a series of “coincidences”—what Yidden recognize as hashgachah pratis—set it in motion, and today he is a highly sought-after lecturer on the topic throughout the chasidishe world.
“Anyone who is observant and pays attention to what happens around him will notice the siyata dishmaya guiding him toward a particular tafkid,” Feferkorn says. “I’ve always tried to be aware of that, and I’ve seen tremendous hashgachah directing me toward this path.”
It all began with the education he received from his parents.
“My parents were part of a generation that arrived in the United States from Europe and had to build themselves up from scratch. There was no piggybacking on anyone—no tatty, no mommy, no zeidy, no bubby,” he says.
Despite the challenges, the members of that generation managed to pull themselves together and succeed. “Most of klal Yisrael had houses, many owned businesses, and they made a parnasah. When it came time for weddings, most didn’t need help from hachnasas kallah organizations.”
Feferkorn’s father ran a commercial printing business, producing stationery for companies that didn’t have their own printers or copy machines. He recalls his father coming home with his hands stained black from the printing machines after a long day of work.
“I once commented about his dirty hands, and he replied, ‘These are clean hands. Neki kapayim u’var leivav. Hands that never took a penny from anyone and only earned money through hard work,’” he recalls.
“My father took lunch from home every day. On Shabbos, my mother didn’t buy the more expensive whitefish. We had a slice of gefilte fish with yoich (broth). People lived differently; they lived within their means. And these Yidden had mutual funds and chasunah plans. My father married off all his children without borrowing a penny.”
The next step in his financial journey came when a friend encouraged him to start investing for his children. The advice was simple—open an account for each child and deposit $100 a month.
For the next decade, the money left his account automatically each month. The statements arrived by mail, but he rarely looked at them; they simply piled up at home. Eventually, as the stack grew too large, his wife suggested they throw some away. That’s when he opened one—and was shocked to discover that his accounts had grown to over $200,000.
“I said, wow, this is magic. It actually works. And I began talking about it privately to people, encouraging them to invest,” Feferkorn recalls.
Then came the public speaking.
“I never knew I had the koach to speak. I never even spoke at my own children’s simchos,” he says. One time, almost as a joke, he was asked to deliver a shiur on Pirkei Avos and saw the crowd completely captivated. Sometime later, he spoke for a group of Israelis in Europe, and once again, they sat glued to their seats. “I realized that the Eibershter had given me this talent, this ability.”
He soon took his message of financial responsibility and foresight on the road. After a nephew interviewed him—primarily about another topic, though he also touched on his financial ideas—the phone started ringing. Kehillos across the spectrum began inviting him to speak.
“I’ve since spoken in Belz, Pupa, Vizhnitz, Skver and many other kehillos. In Satmar, I headlined a large gathering on financial responsibility, with 2,000 people attending in person and another 3,000 listening on the phone,” he says.
This is not a high-priced financial guru profiting off others who are looking to save money. He earns a living printing Kol Yaakov siddurim and producing yarmulkes for weddings and bar mitzvahs. He takes no payment for his lectures—perhaps one of the reasons for his widespread popularity.
What motivates Feferkorn is seeing that klal Yisrael is approaching a breaking point, where basic living expenses are beyond what most families can afford. And that’s even before marrying off children.
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