Shmuel Herzfeld is the rabbi of Ohev SholomThe National Synagogue, the oldest Orthodox synagogue in Washington, DC. His communal responsibilities include teaching classes, attending to the elderly, the youth, and the sick, and ministering to the pastoral needs of the congregation, which currently includes more than 375 families. He received rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, an affiliate of Yeshiva University, and a masters degree in Jewish history from Bernard Revel Graduate School of Yeshiva University. From 1999 to 2004, Rabbi Herzfeld was associate rabbi at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, where he was mentored by Rabbi Avi Weiss. His first book was Fifty-Four Pick Up: Fifteen-Minute Inspirational Torah Lessons. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife, Dr. Rhanni Herzfeld (a neurologist), and children Lea, Roey, Elai, Max, Shia, Kolbi, and Bear.