This article is featured in the 2025 Homecoming Special Issue.
Rabbi Moshe Leib Gray is a cornerstone of Jewish life at Dartmouth. Gray and his wife Chani founded the Dartmouth chapter of Chabad in 2003 and have lived in Hanover since. Chabad at Dartmouth has grown to include hundreds of active members and alumni who attend weekly events and campus services. In addition to his love for Judaism and his family, Gray finds time for his other love: CrossFit. After nearly 13 years, Gray has taken many lessons from his time in the gym. Gray sat down with The Dartmouth to discuss his CrossFit journey and what it has taught him about life and faith.
How did your passion for CrossFit begin?
MG: My passion for CrossFit did not start as a passion for CrossFit. I lived a pretty sedentary lifestyle once I moved to Hanover. At 32, I went to the doctor, and it came back with really high cholesterol. At the time, I weighed like 150 pounds. I was rail thin. I started with this trainer, Lochrane Gary. And he’s like, “We’re gonna do CrossFit.” One day I walk in and he says, “We’re going to do this thing called the burpee challenge. You’re going to do 12 burpees a minute, every minute for eight minutes.” I did a grand total of 27 burpees. I looked up at him, and I looked back down at the ground, and Family Guy style projectile-vomited all over the floor. I never felt as bad in my life. The thought process was, “I need fitness more than I even imagined.” At that moment, I’m all in. I need this more than anybody else.
How have you dealt with other challenges you’ve faced on your CrossFit journey?
MG: I heard this line from a friend of mine years ago, and I’ve stolen the line. “The gym is the laboratory for life.” Everything that I do falls into one of two buckets: the things that I need to do and the things that I want to do. The idea is that the good days carry you through the bad days. The good movements carry you through the bad movements. And that’s the beauty of CrossFit. I still don’t love doing burpees, but I appreciate them. I understand them. I know why they’re important, and I do them.
What lessons have you learned from CrossFit that you have applied to your time as a rabbi and to your faith?
MG: If you ask any of the students that spend time with me they’ll tell you, “His number one analogy is the gym.” It really works as an analogy. When you do the snatch, you have to be hyper focused. It is the most purposeful of movements. When we think about Judaism, when we think about the actions that we take, the mitzvot that we do, everything is meant to be purposeful. When I shake the lulav — right now, it’s Sukkot — for those 30 seconds, I’m focused. A lot of kids say, “What's the difference if I say a blessing, I don’t say a blessing? I keep Shabbat, I don't keep Shabbat?” Details matter.
Have you found a community through Crossfit?
MG: Yes, it’s given me a community of friends. These guys that I’ve known for 10, 11, 12 years, have become really good friends and an outlet for me. With the chaos of life, it’s like an hour a day where I can refocus my energies on something else. My kids do it. My daughter’s an exceptional weightlifter. I have friends that do it, siblings that have taken it on, fellow rabbis who have been inspired, who have taken it on. The ripple effect of doing this has been enormous.
Looking back at yourself 13 years ago, what would you say to that person?
MG: It's funny. If I was about six months, eight months in, I would be like, “Damn, I should have started this 10 years ago.” And my coaches were always like, “Yeah, you should have.” If I had not found fitness, where would I be today, with everything that's going on in the world? All the stresses of my job, all the stresses of my life, a growing family, big kids, COVID, October 7, everything that’s gone on, I don’t know. I shudder. I shudder. Now, I don’t really think back to “I should have started 10 years before.” That thought is long gone. I’m 46 now. I’m done trying to chase those insane numbers. I’m in maintenance mode. Now, I want to stay strong. I want to, you know, be fit. I don’t go heavy most days, or really that often. It’s very much a part of me. It’s who I am.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
