Torah Cafe

There is an old custom to stay awake and study Torah all night on the eve of Shavuot. Many recite the Tikkun, a collection of readings from the written and oral Torahs. Where did this custom originate, and what is the reason for it? A fascinating discussion about the custom of staying awake on Shavuot Night

Pirkei Avot is one of the earliest classic Jewish works of ethics. Pirkei Avot is a collection of inspirational teachings and life-lessons from the sages of the Mishnah (0-200 CE). It was written as part of the Mishna over 1,800 years ago.  There is a widespread custom to study Pirkei Avot on Shabbat afternoon of the weeks between Passover and Shavuot. A fascinating discussion about Pirkei Avot. w...

The Zohar has been a difficult and elusive book throughout our history. A large tome, written in Western Aramaic and cryptic in its meaning the Zohar has mystified scholars and layman alike. The history of the Zohar, who wrote it and who studied it remain debated among scholars.  A discussion about the Zohar's author Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and the book itself. (This class was originally taugh...

Are the Torah's words meant to be taken at face value? If the Torah says something, should we accept it as written? It may come as a surprise to many that one of the central belief in Judaism is that the Torah was never meant to be taken at face value. Rather the Torah was written in code and we can only understand it if we know how to decipher the code.  A fascinating discussion about the Tor...

The Torah forbids us from eating fruit of a tree that has been planted within the past 3 years. This prohibition is called Orla. When the Temple stood in Jerusalem, the fruit of the 4th year was brought to Jerusalem and eaten there.  What is the reason for the law of Orla? How is it observed today? A fascinating discussion about Orla, fruit in the first 3 years. 

Sometimes, fulfilling one Torah commandment requires violating another. For example, if a baby is born on Shabbat, then the eighth day will be the following Shabbat. Circumcising the child violates the prohibition against drawing blood on Shabbat. What should you do? A fascinating discussion about what the Halacha (Torah law) tells us to do when fulfilling one commandment violates another. 

The Torah prohibits us from eating or even owning Chametz, leavened grain products on Passover. However Ashkenazic Jews are careful not to eat any beans or legumes on the holiday. How did this custom begin? What is the reason for it? Why do many Saphardic Jews not keep it? A discussion about the laws of Passover and the development of the Kitniyot prohibition. (Please note, this was recorded over...

As people age, they tend to slow down. In today's culture, people work for decades towards retirement when they can stop working altogether and just relax.  The Rebbe, took a very different approach. He believed that as long as we are alive and have the capacity to work, we must continue working, never retiring or even slowing down.  A fascinating discussion about the Rebbe's views on reti...

Salt is a crucial mineral for human health and for nature. Salt also plays a prominent role in Judaism. We salt meat with salt. Salt was widely used in sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem. We dip our bread in salt. And the priestly covenant with G-d is described as a covenant of salt.  A fascinating discussion about salt and the unique role it plays in Judaism.

Jewish traditions teach that 10 of the 12 tribes were exiled from the Land of Israel more than 2,500 years ago and many think that they have since disappeared. For much of Jewish history, Jews and non-Jews have searched for the 10 Lost Tribes in various places, making amazing discoveries that lead to a fascinating story about the search for the lost tribes.  A fascinating discussion about the hist...

Over our 3,300 year long history, we have lost more Jews to assimilation than to violence and persecution. Assimilation, rather than persecution, is then the biggest threat to the continuation of Judaism and the Jewish people.  How can we counter assimilation and ensure the continuation of our people? 

Six days a week we work, eat, sleep, exercise and go about our daily lives. When Shabbat arrives, we pause to reconnect with the Creator. On Friday afternoon as the sun sets and Shabbat begins, we have a special mystical prayer called Kabbalat Shabbat, which includes Psalms, poems and study to greet the Shabbat Queen. What is the meaning of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayers? When did they start? And wh...

Before the Holy Temple was built in Jerusalem, there was a Jewish Temple stood at Shilo for 369 years. The Temple at Shilo served Israel at the very beginning of our history in a period know as The Judges (Shoftim), a period we know little about. A fascinating discussion of what we know about the ancient Temple in Shilo.

Dogs are mentioned twice in the torah, both times positively. However, they are not Kosher animals and there are also negative references to dogs in Jewish sources. Historically, Jews rarely owned dogs; however, some Jews throughout history did have dogs (mostly for protection) and today, many Jews have dogs as pets.  What does the Torah and Jewish teachings say about dogs? Should Jews have dogs a...

Kabbalah teaches that G-d uses various expressions to impact creation. These expressions sometimes come as Names of G-d. One of G-d's lesser known names, is a 72 word name that was invoked at the Splitting of the Sea and can be found alluded to in the Torah's description of the event. A fascinating discussion about the secrets of the  72-word name of G-d. Here is a link to the handout http...

When adults convert to Judaism, they must convert on their own volition with a commitment to fulfill all of the Torah's commandments that are applicable to them. However, children do not have the agency to choose to convert on their own nor can they be held to a commitment that they make. How then can we convert children to Judaism? A fascinating discussion about how children convert to Judais...

We hear a lot about antisemitism, the irrational, obsessive hatred of Jews. Yet is an important flipside to antisemitism - philosemitism, the irrational, obsessive love for Jews. We all know philosemitism - they are all around us and are a huge part of our country. There have been philosemites as long as there have been antisemites. Still, for some reason, philosemitism doesn't get the same ac...

One of the most cryptic stories in the Torah is when he is attacked by an angel on the way to Egypt to confront Pharaoh. Moses' wife Tziporah circumcised her son and the angel let go. A fascinating dive into the story of the angel attacking Moses. 

The most important Jewish find in recent history was the Cairo Geniza, a massive trove of hundreds of thousands of ancient documents and books that entirely rewrote medieval Jewish and Middle Eastern history.  A fascinating discussion about the exciting find and some of the amazing things we learned from it. 

On Jewish festivals, we have a Mitzvah to recite 6 chapters of Psalms expressing our thanks to G-d for the miracles He has performed for us. Reciting these Chapters is called Hallel - praise.  A Chanukah related discussion about the Mitzvah of reciting Hallel.  

Bet Shamai and Bet Hillel were two major Jewish schools in Jerusalem that lasted about 100 years from about 10 BCE to 70 CE. The schools were founded by two great Jewish leaders Hillel and Shamai. There were hundreds of debates of Jewish law between the two prominent schools.  A fascinating discussion about Beit Shamai and Beit Hillel and their important contributions to Judaism and Jewish History...

Jews have a tendency that whenever they speak, they regularly mention G-d or the common Hebrew word Hashem. Where does this come from? Why do we mention G-d so regularly and casually in our conversations? A fascinating conversation about the Jewish custom of regularly mentioning G-d.

In a cryptic story, the Torah tells us how Jacob found himself alone at night and found himself wrestling with a man who dislocated his thigh. Jacob refused to let the man go without a blessing and the man told him that his name will be changed from Jacob to Israel. Clearly this man was no ordinary man and the story has deeper meaning. Most commentaries assume this man was an angel. Who was this a...

The Roman Empire in its different forms lasted for 1,000 years and had a big impact on Jews in our long history. At times the Romans were tolerant and even supportive of Jews at other times they were ruthless including in destroying the second Temple and ending Jewish independence in the land of Israel. Jewish tradition traces Romans back to Jacob's brother Esau who attempted to kill him. A fa...

In one of the most perplexing stories in the Torah, Isaac wanted to bless his older son Esau before his death. However, his younger son Jacob tricked his father into believing that he was Esau and blessing him instead.  How was Jacob allowed to trick his father? Was it ethical for him to take the blessings meant for his brother? A fascinating class about how Jacob was able to trick his father.