Torah Cafe

In modern times Human Rights is the foundation of our morality and ethics. We have enshrined many rights into our Constitution with the Bill of Rights. The concept of human rights is thought to have originated with 17th century philosophers like John Locke. Judaism has been around for thousands of years before the concept of Human Rights became widespread. Do Jewish teachings agree with...

What do our Jewish traditions say about using mind-altering drugs such as marijuana for recreational purposes. What about heavier drugs like cocaine or heroin ? Does Judaism forbid using mind-altering drugs? Is it encouraged? How do mind altering drugs differ from alcohol which plays a central role in Jewish rituals such as Kiddush? Learn about the Jewish view on recreational drug use.

While we often complain about rain, we also know that rain is essential for our survival, without it we have a drought. Rain has had an important place in Judaism not just for its importance for survival but in its unique religious significance and relationship with the Land of Israel. Learn about the significance of rain in Judaism.

The seven day festival of Sukkot is the festival of joy! What does it mean to be happy? How can we make ourselves happier even when we have so many reasons to be unhappy? Why is Sukkot the festival for joy? Learn about happiness and its importance in Judaism,

The central theme of Yom Kippur is a Day of Atonement and Forgiveness. On Yom Kippur, our sages say we must do Teshuvah (usually translated as repentance) to obtain forgiveness. What is Teshuvah? How is Teshuvah done? Why is Teshuvah necessary to obtain forgiveness? What if we have nothing in particular that we regret over the past year, do we still need forgiveness? Learn about Teshuvah and...

Every year on Yom Kippur we read the book of Jonah about the prophet Jonah who tried to escape God by fleeing to Tarshish rather than fulfill his mission to warn the city of Ninveh that they would be destroyed. Listen to the fascinating story of Jonah, why he tried to escape and what Jonah's story means to each of us.

Rosh Hashanah is celebrated as the Jewish New Year but though it is a New Year, we do not make any wild parties or celebrate. It's not that Jews don't celebrate, we have other holidays when we party like Simchat Torah and Purim. Why then don't we party on Rosh Hashanah? Instead we spend much of the day praying in the synagogue. A discussion about the Jewish New Year, what it means and why it is so...

Tashlich is the little understood but widely observed ceremony we do near water on Rosh Hashanah. Learn about the Tashlich ceremony, what it actual is about, as well as its history and customs.

On a Saturday night a week or so before Rosh Hashanah, we go to the synagogue at midnight to recite the special prayers of Selichot. Every morning after that until Rosh Hashanah, we get up early to recite the Selichot. What are Selichot? What is unique about the prayers? Who wrote them? Why are they recited at unusual times?

One of the most influential Jeiwsh leaders in history was Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (b. 1745), known best as the founder of the Chabad movement and author of the mystical classic Tanya. Rabbi Shneur Zalman was one of the wisest Jewish scholars of all time and a charismatic leader whose movement changed the face of Jewish life in Europe in his day despite ongoing challenges he faced fr...

How do you measure things? Feet, gallons & pounds? Meters, liters and kilograms? Judaism has its own measurement system. Many rules in Judaism require specific weights, lengths or volumes. Torah includes a full system of measurements for all of Jewish law.  Many of those measurements are based on the human body similar to the 'foot' that we use in the 'US customary system'. To accurately...

AI (artificial intelligence) has greatly advanced in recent years. Today, robots can perform many human functions even better than people can. While robots are still not indistinguishable in all ways, that day is not too far off. Could an AI-powered robot might someday be considered a human according to Jewish law? Could it be counted for a minyan? Learn about the history of robots and other...

One of the central commandments in Judaism is to place a Mezuzah on our doorposts. A detailed discussion all about the Mezuzah, how it is made, where it is placed and why we Jews consider the Mezuzah part of our home security system.

Finding the 'right one' can be very challenging and daunting. Some find them immediately while others struggle waiting many years to find the right one or cycle through many partners whom they thought was the right one. What does Judaism say about finding your spouse? Is your spouse, your soulmate? Is finding a spouse our own choice or is it destined by G-d? Is there only one person out...

For 1600 years, Judaism was controlled by the Sanhedrin or Supreme Council until it was disbanded about 1700 years ago. What was the Sanhedrin? How did they function? Why did it disband? And why don't we recreate the Sanhedrin? Learn about the ancient Sanhedrin and its role in Judaism.

King Solomon was one of the most unique leaders of our people and full of contradictions. The wisest of all men who make grave mistakes, the most powerful king who could not control his own home, celebrated for his righteousness yet struggled to do the right thing. Discover the fascinating and strange story of King Solomon.

For more than 2,000 years, there has been constant hatred directed at the Jewish people. At times that hatred was religious (hatred of Judaism), at times it was cultural (hatred of Jewish culture) and sometimes nationalistic (hatred of the Jewish people). The hatred transcends time and place and was expressed by ancient Greeks, Romans and Persians, Christians, Muslims, Europeans, Arabs and even Ja...

Jerusalem is the most important city in Judaism. It was the capital of Israel for close to 3,000 years, the home to the Holy Temple and we face Jerusalem when we pray Learn about Jerusalem: its history, spiritual significance and place in Judaism.

The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are a collection of thirteen words or phrases that God taught Moses to invoke God's mercy whenever we are in need. Learn about the Thirteen attributes of Mercy, what they mean and what they represent.

Synagogues as we know them did not exist in the days of Moses. How did they begin? Why did Jews start building synagogues to pray in? A discussion about the history and development of the synagogue and its role as a Jewish place for prayer.

The Temple Mount, the site of the two ancient Temple in Jerusalem is Judaism's holiest site. How was the Temple Mount chosen as G-d's special spot on earth? What is the history behind it? Our Temple was destroyed almost 2,000 years ago yet we still consider the spot very holy. What is it's current status in Judaism? Do we allow or encourage Jews to go up  on the mountain today? Should we allo...

One of the greatest Jewish tragedies of all times was the Jewish-Roman War in 66-70CE. In that brutal war, one million Jews were killed, Jerusalem was leveled and the Holy Temple was destroyed. The war led to the exile of our people when most of us were forced out of Israel to wonder from land to land. While there are many accounts of this war, figuring out what actually happened is difficult give...

The Shema Yisrael is a section of the Torah that is the most important prayer in Judaism, and includes the most important beliefs in Jewish faith and many of our central commandments. We recite the prayer twice daily.  Shema has become so central to the Jewish people that it is the climax of the final Ne’ilah prayer of Yom Kippur, and is traditionally a Jew’s last words on earth. A talk about...

Often our society has a negative look on age, seeing youth as an asset. Judaism sees youth as a liability and age as an asset. Learn why Judaism and the Torah put a premium on age.

People often use the English word Bible where referring to our Torah. But is the Torah really the same as the Bible? While there are parts of the Christian Bible that are clearly not part of our Torah, what about the "Old Testament"? Learn about the differences between the Torah and the Bible.