Torah Cafe

One of the hallmarks of the Jewish dress code is that men cover their heads, usually with a Kippah or Yarmulke. Why do Jewish men cover their heads? Why do we use a Kippah? Must it be worn all the time or just in the synagogue? Why don't women wear a Kippah too. A fascinating discussion about the Kippah and Yarmulke.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, possibly the greatest discovery in Jewish history, were largely preserved scrolls from the late Second Temples period (2000 years ago) that were discovered near the Dead Sea about 80 years ago. The Dead Sea scrolls describe the lives of the people who wrote them and lived with them as well as a number of parts of the Tanach (Jewish Scriptures)

For the first 1,000 years of Judaism, the Torah was only available in Hebrew. However, in the thousands of years since, the Torah was translated into Greek, Aramaic, Latin and eventually hundreds of other languages. Some translations were done by Jews, many were done by non-Jews. Some translations were accurate while others corrupted the text. Some translations were seen by Jews as a major accompl...

The Star of David is widely recognized as the symbol of Judaism and the Jewish people. Where did the Star of David come from? What is its significance? When did it become a Jewish symbol? Does it hold mystical powers? A fascinating discussion about the mystery of the Star of David!

Two of the greatest ancient civilizations were the Jews and the Greeks. After the Greek conquest of the Persian Empire, Jews and Greeks lived together all around the Middle East and beyond. The two great civilizations with their respective beliefs, traditions and wisdom influenced each other greatly but also clashed. The most notable clash was the banning of Judaism in the Seleucid Greek...

One of the most important books of Jewish mysticism is called the Tanya. The primary theme of the Tanya is that every person has two souls inside them that battle each other constantly. A fascinating discussion about the Tanya's teachings of the battle of the two souls inside every person.

One of the greatest riddles in history is the strange contradiction between Jewish and Greek sources over the length of the Persian Empire. While Jewish biblical and rabbinic sources speak of a short empire that lasted about 50 years, Greek sources put the Persian Empire as lasting over 200 years. This riddle has troubled historians for hundreds of years with various theories put fo...

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...