Lawrence Kelemen studied at UCLA, Harvard, Yeshiva University of Los Angeles, the David Shapell College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, and Kollel Meshech Chochmo in Jerusalem. He was ordained in 1993 by the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and the Chief Rabbi of Israel, before taking a position as a Senior Lecturer at the Neve Yerushalayim College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, where he also served as Professor of Education for the University of North Texas Israel-based program.

He is the author of many books, among them: Permission to Believe: Four Rational Approaches to God’s Existence; Permission to Receive: Four Rational Approaches to the Torah’s Divine Origin; and To Kindle a Soul: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Parents and Teachers. He is also the translator (from the original Hebrew) of the classic text on Jewish pedagogy: Planting and Building: Raising A Jewish Child, by Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, and the author of dozens of journal articles. Since 2006, Rabbi Kelemen has served as director of the International Organization of Mussar Vaadim, a large network of character-development programs spread across the United States and Canada.

His online courses on parenting, teaching, and self-development are viewed around the world as well, and his audio recordings on topics ranging from self-development to leadership and relationships have been heard by thousands. Rabbi Kelemen’s lectures each year at universities, synagogues, and communal organizations throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and elsewhere.