Torah Cafe

One of the most esoteric parts of Tanach (the Hebrew Scriptures) is the description of the Merkava or G-d's chariot described twice in detail in the book of Ezekiel. Kabbalists have written extensively, explaining the meaning and significance of each detail described in the Merkava.A fascinating discussion about the Merkava and its meaning. 

Rav Saadia Gaon, was one of the most famous Geonim who led the great schools in Babylon during the geonic period (500-1000 CE). Rav Saadia, was known for his many works that he wrote on Jewish law and on Jewish beliefs. He also fought the Kaarites, a group that broke away from traditional Judaism.A fascinating discussion about Rav Saadia Gaon, his life story, teachings and his impact on Judaism today. 

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were two groups that fought for religious and political dominance of the Jewish people during the Second Temple period (350 BCE - 70 CE).  Who were they? What did they believe? How did they impact Judaism as we know it today?

Mules are perhaps the best known animal crossbreeds. They have been used extensively throughout history as work animals and are still used today. However, the Torah prohibits us from cross breeding animals or even making different animal species work together. A fascinating discussion about crossbreeding and mixing animals according to Jewish law. 

The Jewish community in Holland began after the country became a republic in 1581. It was the first country to offer freedom to Jews and many Jews flocked there especially Spanish and Portuguese conversos. For much of the 17th and 18th centuries, Amsterdam's Jewish community was the largest and most prominent in Europe. That came to a sudden end with the Holocaust that decimated Dutch Jewry. Yet, Jews and Judaism continue to thrive in Holland today. 

Perhaps the greatest Jewish scholar of all time was Rabbi Akiva. The Talmud tells us the Moses was in awe of the brilliance of Rabbi Akiva.Rabbi Akiva, who lived in the 2nd Century CE is also perhaps the most fascinating Jewish leader. A simple illiterate shepherd, he married, Rachel the daughter of the wealthiest man in Israel. At forty he went to school for the first time but quickly became Israel's greatest scholar. His life is full of twists and turns until it end under Roman torture. 

The sefirot are 10 tools that G-d used to create our world according to Jewish mystical teachings of Kabbalah, We each have 10 sefirot in our soul as well. We count the 49 days between the first day of Passover and the festival of Shavuot, known as the counting of the Omer. During these days, we can develop our own character by focusing each week on one of the seven emotional Sefirot.A discussion about the Sefirot and our self-development during the Omer period.  

The Seder has many unique parts to it. Many of the Seder's various parts have deep mystical significance. The Seder plate sits on the seder table in front of the person leasing the Seder. Each item on the Seder plate has a unique role at the Seder in addition to having deep mystical significance. A fascinating discussion about the Seder plate and its powerful mystical significance.

For many, killing animals for human consumption is wrong. For others, vegetarianism or veganism are misplaced virtue that overlooks the gulf between the value of human life and animal life.Judaism historically allowed for meat consumption and even required slaughter for sacrificial purposes. Is there room for vegetarianism in Jewish thought. Would Jewish traditions consider vegetarianism a value?

Over the past century, Jewish schools and communities began opening Kollels, schools for advanced jewish studies. Today there are hundreds of Kollels around the world where tens of thousands of students study daily. Why did the Kollels begin? What is unique about a Kollel? Why have Kollels been opened in so many communities around the world?

One of the unique features of a traditional synagogue is that men and women are separated for all prayers. In many older synagogues, women sat in a balcony above the main synagogue. In many synagogues today, there is a partition (mechitzah) separating the men and women. When did we start separating men and women in the synagogue? What is the reason for it? A fascinating discussion about separating  men and women in the synagogue

In a rare occurrence, Purim this year will be on Friday taking us straight from the festival of Purim into Shabbat. This creates some unusual customs in balancing Purim with the onset of Shabbat.In Jerusalem where Purim is observed a day later (Shushan Purim), Purim will be Shabbat. However, the Megillah cannot be read on Shabbat and therefore must be read on Friday while other laws of Purim are pushed to Sunday, creating a triple Purim.A fascinating discussion about the unique rules and customs this year when Purim is on a Friday.

Kabbalah the mystical teachings of Judaism have become very popular in recent years. With its popularity have come the many charlatans, frauds and quacks looking to cash in on unsuspecting students of Kabbalah. How do you know who is teaching real Kabbalah and who is a fraud? Often the fakes look very real and convincing. How can the uninitiated easily differentiate those teaching the real thing from the garbage?A presentation of some simple rules to know which Kabbalah teachers are real.

In 830 BCE, King Solomon completed building the First Temple in Jerusalem. At the time, during the Iron Age, it was the grandest and largest building to be built. The Temple would serve as the center of Jewish service for 410 years until it was destroyed by the Babylonians. A fascinating discussion about how the first Temple was built, what it looked like and its role in Jewish life.  

There are many medical treatments that are not part of conventional medicine. Many of these unconventional treatments are very popular. What does Judaism say about alternative medical treatments? Are we allowed or perhaps even encouraged to seek alternative medical treatments? May we use them instead of conventional medicine? May we use them to complement conventional medicine? Generally, we can violate most laws of the Torah to save a life. Could alternative medical treatment also be used in violation of Torah laws to save a life?A fascinating discussion about the Jewish approach to alternative medicine.  

G-d gave the Jewish people 613 Commandments that we committed to follow as part of our covenant with Him. What are the 613 Commandments? Where can we find a list? What do the Commandments include? For more than 1,000 years Jewish scholars have debated over how to define Commandments, what exactly the 613 Commandments are and how to count them. A fascinating discussion about the 613 Commandments and the debate over exactly what are the commandments.

Starting in the 1960's, the Rebbe started public Mitzvah campaigns as a call to encourage Jews to readopt many of the important Commandments in Judaism that they were not observing. Over the Years the Rebbe launched 10 Mitzvah campaigns raising awareness and increasing observance of some of the most central Commandments.  A fascinating discussion about the 10 Mitzvah Campaigns and how we can be part of them.

While the Torah bans us from eating all insects, the Torah makes an exception for locust. The Torah lists certain types of locust that we are allowed to eat. Why did the Torah allow us to eat locust? Which types of locust are kosher? Can we eat them today?  A fascinating discussion about the kosher status of locust.

Jews have lived in Tunisia since Roman times and built strong communities in Tunis, Djerba and other cities. While most Jews left after independence, there is still a Jewish community in Tunis and a close knit community on the Island of Djerba. 

The Torah and Tanach refer to G-d thousands of times but switches between many different names for G-d. Why does G-d have so many names, what do they each mean? How do we know which name of G-d to use? When do we pronounce and correctly spell G-d's name and when are they mispronounced and misspelled?  A fascinating discussion about G-d's various names, what they all mean and how they are used.   

One of the saddest and horrific moments in our history took place over 3,000 years ago when all the tribes joined forces to fight against the tribe of Benjamin. The horrific civil war and massacre that followed it almost led to the annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin. Learn the story of this civil war and its aftermath and its implications for us today. 

One of the traditions of Chanukah in Ashkenazic communities is playing with a dreidel, a spinning top that has 4 sides with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimmel, Hei and Shin. What is the origin of the dreidel? Does it contain mystical significance? What is the connection to Chanukah? A fascinating discussion about the Dreidel and its significance. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

For most people, their right arm is their dominant arm that they use for most activities. For some it is their left arm. In Judaism, there is a distinct role for the right arm (such as washing first, holding a kiddush cup) and for the left arm (wearing Tefillin). What happens when someone is left handed? Which arm do they use? A fascinating Chanukah themed discussion about right-handed and left-handed people in Judaism and the mystical significance behind each one.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

When a couple marries, Jewish law gives certain obligations and rights to each spouse. Those rights and obligations are written up in a document called a Ketubah which every married Jewish couple must have.  A fascinating discussion about the Ketubah, what it contains, how it is written and the various traditions and customs of the Ketubah that have developed over our long history. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Bonus Episode: Our biblical ancestors Abraham, Jacob, David and Solomon all had multiple wives. Is Polygamy moral? How can our great heroes have practiced it? Does Jewish law forbid polygamy? Should it be forbidden? A candid discussion about one of the most controversial questions in Jewish thought; how can our biblical figures have practiced polygamy? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Our ancestor Jacob was tricked by his uncle Laban into marrying Laban's 2 daughters Rachel and Leah. While the Torah allows for polygamy, it does not allow for marrying two sisters. How then was Jacob able to marry two sisters in violation of Jewish law? This classic question has been asked and addressed by countless commentaries over our long history.  A fascinating discussion addressing this classic question of how Jacob could have married two sisters.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

In a fascinating episode, the Torah tells us how Jacob dreamed about a ladder standing on the ground with its top reaching the heavens and he saw angels going up and down the ladder. The meaning of the dream remains cryptic with countless explanations offered by different Torah commentaries and Jewish thinkers. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Tehillim (Psalms) is one of the most read books of Tanach (the Scriptures) with 150 poems and songs covering historic events, prayers and inspiration. Jews throughout history have read Tehillim as the go-to book whenever they were in trouble or needed help. Who wrote the book of Tehillim? What do the poems speak about? Why has it become so central to Jewish prayer? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Happiness is important for us to function well and to succeed. Happiness makes us pleasant people and helps us build relationships. Happiness is a goal for most people. In Judaism, it's a mitzvah to be happy!  But how do we become happy? What can we do to make ourselves happier? A fascinating discussion about happiness, why it's so central to Judaism and the unique Jewish approach to finding true happiness! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Hospitality has always been a strong Jewish trait and a Mitzvah. Jewish communities have always had hospitality housing and food for travelers while Jewish families opened their homes to strangers.  Why is hospitality so important in Judaism? What should good hospitality include? Are there limits to hospitality?  A fascinating discussion about the Jewish value and Mitzvah of hospitality.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

After the Exodus from Egypt, Jews continued to go back to Egypt for most of our history. Jews lived in Egypt continuously from the time of the destruction of the First Temple around 421 BCE until the mid 20th century, making it possibly the longest continuous Jewish community in history.  A fascinating discussion about the history of the Jews of Egypt.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Since modern science developed, there has been a long-standing tension between religion and science as many scientific discoveries contradicted long-standing religious beliefs and many scientists believed that new scientific wisdom made religion unnecessary. What does Judaism say about modern science? Can Jewish beliefs be reconciled with modern science? Do we embrace science, reject it or tread carefully around it? Does science weaken or strengthen our faith?  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

The final 5 days of Sukkot and the middle 4 days of Passover are called Chol Hamo'ed - "Mundane Festival". They are part of the holiday but not holidays. They are regular days and holy days. We are allowed to work but not supposed to work if possible. What are these paradoxical days about? A fascinating discussion about Chol Hamo'ed, the middle days of the festivals. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

We are commanded to live in the Sukkah over the festival of Sukkot. Our sages say that living in the Sukkah includes both eating and sleeping in the Sukkah. In the middle ages, Ashkenazic Jews stopped sleeping in the Sukkah. Today, many Jews sleep in the Sukkah while many others do not.  A fascinating discussion about the debate over sleeping in the Sukkah.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

One of the saddest chapters in Jewish history was the assassination of Gedaliah, the first Governor of Judea as a Babylonian province. The story told in the book of Kings is the first recorded Jewish assassination. The assassination which led to the end of the Jewish community in Judea for a few decades, is marked each year with the Fast of Gedaliah. Learn about the tragic story of Gedaliah and why we still mark the day of his assassination today.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Rosh Hashanah marks the anniversary of the creation of Adama and Eve, the first people and the ancestors of all humans today. The creation of Adam and Eve is described in detail at the beginning of the Torah.  Why did G-d create Adam and Eve? How were they created? What did they do once they were created? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Torah study has been central to Jewish life throughout our long history. Yet historically, Torah was primarily studied by men, with women having limited opportunities to study Torah. Starting in the early 20th century, women have had increasingly more opportunities to study Torah and an increasing number of women have become Torah scholars. A fascinating discussion about women's role in Torah study and why the opportunities provided for women to study Torah changed so much in the 20th century. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Rabbi Yehudah Lowe of Prague, better known as Maharal was one of the greatest rabbis, scholars, philosophers, Kabbalists and statesmen in Jewish history. He served as the rabbi of Prague in the 16th Century but his influence spread far and wide and is still felt today.  Perhaps, the Maharal is best known for the controversial legend about his creation of a Golem, a humanoid made from clay that protected the Jews of Prague.  A fascinating discussion about the life and ideas of one of Judaism's most important personalities and whether he actually made a Golem.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

The Torah instructs us that when judging the actions of others, we should always judge them favorably assuming the best motive and intent. This can be difficult at times especially when the intent is clearly negative or the actions particularly harmful. How can we realistically follow the command to always judge others favorably? A fascinating class on the important Mitzvah of judging others favorably.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Central to Judaism is the belief that there will come a time when the world with its challenges and problems as we know it will end and we will enter a new era without evil, struggling and challenges. There will be an individual who will lead us to this period called Moshiach - the anointed one. A fascinating discussion about the Jewish belief in the coming of Moshiach and what we believe will happen at the end of times. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the holiest site in Judaism. However, on the Temple Mount sit the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, Muslim shrines, marking the sites importance to Islam. Since Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967, Jews have been able to go to the Temple Mount under limited conditions. Are Jews supposed to be going up to the Temple Mount? While it is the holiest spot in Judaism, is it too holy for us to be going there? Would Jewish law forbid us from exercising control over Judaism's holiest spot? A fascinating look at the debate over where Jews may go to the Temple Mount today.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

The Synagogue revolves around the Siddur, the prayer book, a book that can be quite think filled with readings and prayers. Who wrote it? How was it written? Why are there some many different prayer books?  A fascinating discussion about the history of the Siddur, the Jewish prayer book, how it developed over 2500 years and how it is structured today. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

One of the most persistent and dangerous anti-Semitic accusations against Jews has been the blood libel. While it came in various forms, it included the claim that Jews participated in slaughtering non-Jews for ritual purposes. Despite the absurdity and offensiveness of the claim, blood libels, led to countless arrests, torture, sham-trials and massacres against Jews over our long history.  A fascinating discussion about the history of blood libels and why despite the passage of time, these dangerous myths and similar anti-Semitic libels continue today.   --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

It is important to plan ahead and write a will while one is young and healthy to ensure their wishes are fulfilled after their death. For Jews, it's important that our wills not only conform with local laws that will ensure that the wishes of the deceased are carried out. We must also ensure that our wills conform with Jewish laws and values so that our estate is transferred to our heirs in a Jewish and Halachic ethical manner. A fascinating discussion about Jewish wills and estate planning. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

When Jews lived in the Land of Israel and our religious judicial system was in force, we had 6 cities of refuge for someone who killed a person unintentionally (manslaughter). The killer would flee to a city of refuge and be safe there from any relatives of the victim wanting to avenge the murder. A fascinating discussion about the Cities of Refuge.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) teaches that prior to creating our own universe, G-d creates a previous universe called Tohu (Chaos). The universe of Tohu could not survive and therefore crashed. Our universe called Tikkun was then created on top of the broken shards of Tohu leaving us humans with the job of cleaning up the shards of Tohu in our universe. A fascinating class explaining this esoteric concept of Tohu (the Universe of Chaos). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Jewish Aramaic was an ancient language spoken by most Jews for well over 1,000 years. Aramaic is used in Tanach (Jewish Scriptures) and many important Jewish works including the Babylonian Talmud, Jerusalem Talmud, Midrash Rabba and Zohar. A fascinating discussion about the forgotten language of Aramaic that is so central to our history and teachings. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Many people believe is paranormal forces that can be invoked or tapped into to discover otherwise unknown information and advise or to manipulate the forces of nature. Many people reject that paranormal forces exist and claim such beliefs to be primitive.  What does Judaism say about magic and paranormal forces? Do we believe they are true? Do they work? Are we allowed to practice any magic? Join us this week for a fascinating discussion about magic in our tradition. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Strife and divisiveness have challenged humans since the earliest of time. As long as we've had communities we've had divisiveness between people and as long as we've had nations we've had divisiveness between nations. What is the cause for this human tendency of fighting with each other? How can we counter it? A fascinating discussion about the human tendency towards divisiveness and how we can learn to get along. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

One of the worst tragedies that befell our people was the ant-Jewish pogroms during the Khmelnytsky uprising in Poland and Ukraine in 1648-1649. The Khmelnitsky Pogroms, known to Jews as Gzayrois Tach Vetat decimated Jewish communities across Eastern Europe and was one of the most cataclysmic events in the history of Eastern European Jewry. Learn the story of this horrific tragedy and understand its impact on Jews until today. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

According to our tradition, the Erev Rav (Mixed Multitude) were a group of non-Jews who accompanied Israel out of Egypt and caused problems for them during their travels through the desert.. Why were they? Why did they join Israel when they left Egypt? What happened to them? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support