Torah Cafe

The Jewish people in ancient times were split into 12 tribes descending from the 12 sons of Jacob. Each tribe has unique features and roles in Jewish history. A discussion about the 12 tribes, their histories, uniqueness and if we can know which of the tribes we come from today.

When the majority of Jews in the world were mostly assimilated by the mid 20th century, many observant Jews worked to build their own enclaves where they could build traditional observant Jewish communities. The Rebbe who led the Chabad movement, took a different approach. He encouraged his followers to build communities for unaffiliated Jews and slowly bring each of them back to their Jewish heri...

Jews pray three times each day with additional prayer for special occasions. Some of the prayers are quite long and can be confusing to follow. An overview of the structure of our daily prayers and how they work.

One of the most challenging stories in the Torah is the Akeida when G-d commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. This story raises some strong ethical questions. How could G-d ask for human sacrifice? How can Abraham agree to do it without questioning? A fascinating discussion of the story of the Akeida and the ethical lessons we learn from it.

The story of our people began when G-d made a covenant with Abraham telling him that his descendants will be slaves but with then leave with great wealth. He promised to give his descendants the Land of Canaan. This covenant is known as the Brit Bein Habetarim - Covenant Between the Pieces. A fascinating discussion about the original covenant between Abraham and G-d.

The Torah gives us ages for many Biblical figures. In the first few chapters, people live over 900 years. For the rest of the Torah it's common for people to live well over 100 years. Are those ages really true? Could people really live that long? If they did, what changed? Why do we not live as long today?

Every day of sukkot we march around the Bima (podium) in the center of the synagogue with our Lulav. On Simchat Torah, we dance around the Bima with the Torah scrolls. What is the significance of circling the Bima and why do we circle the Bima on Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Join us this Sunday for a delicious breakfast in the JCC Sukkah and a fascinating discussion about the customs of circling the...

In ancient Israel, every seven years, the entire nation of Israel would gather in the Temple where the Torah was read by the king or leader in an event called Hakhel - gathering. Today, with the Temple no longer standing, the original event no longer takes place, yet we gather together to recommit together to the Torah. A class about this ancient event and how it is still relevant today.

One of the most notable prayers on Yom Kippur is the Yizkor Memorial Prayer where we mention the names of our parents and relatives who have died. Why is the Yizkor prayer so important? What does it signify? A fascinating class about the origins, meaning and impact of the Yizkor Memorial Prayer.

The Torah commands us that every seven years at the end of the Shemitah (Sabbatical) year, all loans must be absolved and the creditor is forbidden from collecting those loans. More than a thousand years later, the sage Hillel found a legal loophole called Pruzbul to allow creditors to collect their loan after the Shemitah year had passed. What is the Pruzbul and how does it work? What is the...

Books have always been a central part of Judaism starting from our first book, the Torah. While many Torah books were written over our long history, the real growth of Jewish books came with the invention of printing in the 15th Century. Printing allowed for Jewish books to be spread quickly and cheaply across the Jewish world. A fascinating discussion about the history of Jewish printing and Jewi...

Why does G-d allow for good people to suffer? Is he able to stop suffering? Do people who suffer deserve what is happening to them? The question of "Why do bad things happen" has been asked by people in every culture and every time in history. What is the Jewish response to this age old question?

One of the most curious rules of the Torah is the Yibum and Chalitzah. When a married man dies without children, the widow must either marry his brother in through the Yibum process or perform a Chalitzah ceremony with the brother. A fascinating discussion about these unusual commandments.

Sir Moses Montefiore was probably the most prominent and most impactful Jew in the 19th Century. His legacy lives on in the hundreds of synagogues, schools, Jewish hospitals, nursing homes and cemeteries and other Jewish organizations that bear his name more than a hundred years after his death. Who was Sir Moses Montefiore? What was his impact? Why was he so venerated by Jews around the...

Prayer is central to Judaism. We pray 3 times a day with special prayers for special occasions and lots of other prayers to be said at various times. Does G-d really need our prayers? Doesn't he know what we want without us telling him? Can't he just give us everything we need to start with? What is the purpose of prayer? A fascinating discussion about the deeper meaning of prayer in Judaism.

One of the great tragedies to befall our people is the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. It marked the end of over 1,000 years of the Jewish community there and the beginning of many trials and challenges for the exiles.

We believe that we all have an obligation to not only do good ourselves but also to ensure that others do good. We are expected to make a positive impact on those around us. How can we effectively influence people? Learn about the Torah's teachings on how to effectively influence people.

Our people first entered the land of Israel over 3,300 years ago. Yet over the years they were expelled or persecuted and forced to leave. As long as we have been away from the Land of Israel, our people have always yearned and attempted to return. The current Yishuv - Jewish settlement can be traced to a number of major Aliyot - Group Immigrations over the past 500 years. A fascinating discu...

The Kotel, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the holiest place Jews are allowed to go to today. People come from around the world to the plaza in front of the Kotel to pray and talk to G-d. Learn about the history of the Kotel and what it means for Jews today.

One of the biggest cultural differences between Jewish traditions and our modern western culture is the interaction between men and women. Jewish traditions put strong limits on interactions and physical touch between men and women. A discussion about the Jewish traditions on interactions between men and women.

Racism, has been a feature of our culture and world for the past 200 years, Particular groups or races believed themselves to be superior to others while they believed other races to be inferior. Races led to horrible tragedies from the Holocaust to the Rwandan genocide as well as to to pervasive persecution and inequality from Aparteid in South Africa to Jim Crom in the South....

A minyan made up of ten Jewish adult men is necessary for many of the synagogue prayers such as the Kaddish, repetition of the amida and to read the Torah. What is a Minyan? Why does it require 10 Jewish adult men and why is it necessary for certain parts of the synagogue prayer?

The Menorah has long been one of the most central symbols of Judaism. The original Menorah was a pure gold, 7 branched candelabra that stood in the Holy Temple. A discussion about what the original Menorah looked like, how it was made, what happened to it and the big debate over the shape of its branches.

Historically, Jews would make brisket to eat on the Jewish festivals. Why brisket? Surprisingly, it is not only a great choice for a holiday dinner, there is an important history behind it.

The Midrash is a central part of Judaism and Jewish teachings but what exactly is the Midrash? Is the midrash a single book, collection of books or genre of scholarship? Is the Midrash stories or law? Are all its stories true? Who wrote the Midrash? How did it develop? A fascinating class all about the Midrash!