Torah Studies Aid Busy Professionals : Outreach: Orthodox group sends rabbis to the homes and offices of executives, free of charge and at virtually any time.

At 42, Louis Rudolph was surrounded by all the trappings of success--as a major television producer he had an expensive car and a big office with a view of the Hollywood sign and of the handprints of generations of celebrities at Mann’s Chinese Theater.

Still, he couldn’t help asking himself: “What am I living for?”

“Down there all along somewhere was that question, but I had figured out a way not to deal with it,” Rudolph said.

It wasn’t until Rudolph, now 48, joined a friend one day during a lunchtime study class with a local rabbi that he realized what he had been missing. He has been learning Torah (the first five books of the Bible) ever since, and says it has changed his life.

“Therapy helped me to free myself of past shackles--but the question is, free to do what?” asked Rudolph, who lives in Sherman Oaks. “Therapy doesn’t exactly tell you what to do. But Torah got me focused to ask the right questions--the questions people hide from or are too lazy or afraid to face.”

Rudolph is one of a growing number of high-powered Jewish executives who are finding that success, at least as defined by secular society, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Aish HaTorah, an Orthodox Jewish outreach group that is devoted to educating Jews of all ages and stages of life, is working hard to cater to busy professional men and women such as Rudolph.

As part of its executive learning program, Aish, which is based in Jerusalem and has offices around the United States, sends rabbis to the homes and offices of executives, free of charge and at virtually any time.

“Some of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in the city learn with us,” said Rabbi Irwin Katsof, executive director of Aish. “Most of the people have attained a very successful point in their lives, they have accomplished a tremendous amount, but at a certain point they look up and say: ‘What’s it all about, what’s it all worth? Life is passing very quickly, I got all this success and I still feel a certain lack in life.’ ”

Aish does not limit itself to classes and one-on-one sessions. The organization has launched programs with catchy titles and 1990s themes to attract Jews who might be successful in business but who yearn for something more.

“Network and Nosh” is a monthly, early morning meeting in which 40 to 60 professionals gather to exchange business cards, eat bagels, lox and cream cheese, and hear words of wisdom from a rabbi.

For those seeking a brief and insightful thought for the week but who don’t have the time or inclination to take a class, Aish offers its “Fax of Life,” a one-page discussion of the weekly Torah portion and its relevance to life, which it faxes to subscribers.

“To stay in business in today’s world and keep and stay moral and honest is very difficult,” Katsof said. “We work with business people to get them more insights to life.”

Other Jewish groups that are beginning to cater to the needs of professionals find that many people who are successful in their business lives lack the skills to lead successful personal lives.

Bracha Zaret, educational director of Ashreinu, a Jewish adult education program in Los Angeles, has worked with judges, producers, physicians and attorneys, most of them women. She has found that they commonly have difficulty in their interpersonal relationships.

“These women are hungry for guidance in these areas,” Zaret said. “They may be successful in a lot of areas, but in core areas that matter so much they are not successful. In school they don’t have training about how to make relationships work--it’s a whole other skill. It’s easier to be successful in your profession than in living.”

David Wilstein, a real estate developer who owns buildings across Los Angeles, including the Century City Medical Plaza, has been learning Torah with Aish for nine years and said it has affected all aspects of his life.

When Wilstein began, a rabbi visited his penthouse suite in Century City at 6:30 a.m. two or three mornings a week. Now the 65-year-old executive, who regularly works 19-hour days, meets with a rabbi once a week.

“It’s been invigorating and nourishing,” said Wilstein, who studies interpretations of Rabbinic scholars along with Torah. “I’m disappointed I got to it so late in life--the Rabbinical studies are fascinating, and touch on every part of an individual’s life, from life and death to business. I can’t wait for it every week; there’s so much to learn.”

Wilstein said his learning has changed his approach to business and has helped him become a better father and husband.

“I have a different perspective than I did previously,” he said. “I never allow myself to get angry or upset or hostile in the business environment. I enjoy doing business more, and people appreciate it more when I’m nice.”

Rudolph, who runs his own production company, was involved in the production of “Roots” and “Rich Man, Poor Man.” He said studying Torah has changed the kinds of movies he produces.

“I think of myself as a storyteller,” Rudolph said. “After I began learning Torah, I began to take themes such as Judaism’s idea that there really aren’t a lot of victims in life, there are accomplices, and there is the free will to change life. In my stories, I have thematically depicted that point of view about human beings and life.”

Although much of the teaching Aish offers is free, Katsof said people usually make donations when they see the difference it makes in their lives.

“We ask people to learn with us, and we are prepared to invest as much time as it takes to see if it is enhancing their life and relationships,” he said. “They get involved when they believe in our work and support it--they become contributors when they see its effectiveness.”