The Thinking Jewish Podcast

Don't ask why, ask why? We have seen Klal Yisroel come together as one people! Am Yisroel Echad! We are all soldiers in the army fighting this battle. Do we know our mission? our purpose? How are we pushing that 1% more?

Why was the first human being called Adam?

The גמרא says אמר רבא כל המעביר על מידותיו מעבירים לו על כל פשעיו שנאמר נושא עוון ועובר על פשע, למי נושא עוון למי שעובר על פשע: We have souls, and we have the ability to rise above our nature. Tomer Devorah – speaks about the middos of Hashem our job is to be similar to Hashem. (normally its dangerous to copy, be yourself, we don’t copy other light. We allow ourselves to shine). We say be the most...

Pre Yom Kippur - A Day of Love How is Yom Kippur a day of Love? Isn't it a day of fasting and davening? Furthermore - The Gemara tells us לא הוי ימים טובים לישראל כחמישה עשר באב וכיום הכיפורים - Yom Kippur was a joyous day. How could it be?

This year Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbos. What do we do as a zechus instead of blowing the Shofar?

What is the meaning behind blowing the Shofar? What the eternal message of the Shofar?

What does it mean for Hashem to remember something? An inspirational story ❤️ Every person needs to take pleasure that they have an individual role in the world 🌍 that no one else can complete

Parshas Ki Savo📖 Why does the Torah not mention more of the brochos?🙌 An inspirational story❤️ What does it mean to be ממליך ה' on Rosh Hashana? 👑

Rosh Hashona Part 4: What is the Judgement of Rosh Hashana all about? ⚖️ Story of The Scratched Luxury Car🚘 I included a one-minute audio from Rav Berkovits לעילוי נשמת הבחור יהודה זאב בן ישראל ז"ל

Elul 3: Living 🫵 Vs existing 🌍 & Story of Getzel Berger of London

Elul Day 2: 🔥A powerful question of the Baal Hatanya - Why isn't Elul one long Yom Tov? ✍️ A powerful story that brings out the idea of what it means to live with a relationship with Hashem.

What does Ani Lodi V'Dodi Li mean? How deep is our connection with Hashem?

Rabbi Yosef Shapiro counsels infertile couples in his community. He has the unique vantage point to offer practical tips to those who are struggling, as well as advice to friends and family supporting them. He shares some of the personal struggles that he and his wife went through on their path to parenthood. This is a powerful story that offers information, hope, and encouragement for those on si...

In this episode, we sat down with philosopher, thinker, and educator Rabbi Friedman to hear his journey from a traditional background to becoming an observant Jew. - What does it mean to believe in a God? - Where are the main proofs of a God and Torah?  - Can a rational person believe in a Creator?  Tune in to hear Rabbi Friedman discuss his views on God and Torah.  For Rav Moshe Yo...

Rabbi Jack Cohen is the North American Director of Education at Olami as well as the co-author of "nurture their nature" Today we live in a more populated and more connected world it's easy to get lost. People are looking for their place in a world of 7 billion people.  We discuss how to learn about ourselves and maintain individuality when often conformity is encouraged.  See this artic...

Did you ever wonder why doesn't the Torah mention the philosophical journey of Avrohom Avinu? Isn't it important to learn how he found Hashem in a polytheistic world?  Rav Berkovits explains the connection between the chessed of Avrohom and finding Hashem. 

In this episode we hear from Shira. Who has been working and volunteering at GIFT. She shares how valuable in life it is to not just see what change is needed in the world but also be part of the change in the world 🌍👐 Shira shares stories of how people were helped during lock down and what it means to be there for someone else. @giftcharity After taking her gap year in 2003-4 to study at Michla...

The origins of the Jewish nation starts with Avrohom Avinu. Yet his beginning we read in the Torah are full of challenges. Wouldn't it be nicer if the stories we read worked out better for Avrohom?  Rav Berkovits would say, "This is what we are here for. We have one purpose in this world, which is to earn eternity. To bring ourselves to be closer and closer to Hashem. Everything in this world...

If you were to ask yourself, "who am I"?  - Where do you point towards?  Rabbi Moshe Friedman explores this foundational Jewish idea of how the human mind works, and acts.  Rabbi Moshe Friedman grew up in Manhattan, New York, and received his B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied Jewish Thought and Talmudic Law for ten years in Isr...

How does one connect to the Simcha of Sukkos?  A great story of the Baal Shem Tov and Chaikel the water carrier (it's always a water carrier!) 

Yom Kippur can be and should be a serious yet happy and beautiful day. A day of closeness and love. How can we experience that? Listen to the episode and hear how you can connect in a very real way to Yom Kippur.   

There are certain stringencies that Jews take on between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. If we aren't going to take them on long term isn't that a show? Who are we fooling? 

Why would the Torah command someone to choose life? Doesn't everyone instinctively do that?  When we wish one another כתיבה וחתימה טובה – what does a good year look like? And finally - when we say Avinu Malkeinu - when we affirm our faith in Hashem - what exactly are we saying?  Plus inspiring story at the end!  Enjoy

How do you relate to Rosh Hashana? Been doing this for years unsure about what its all about? The type that is uneasy, perhaps even scared? Is there a better approach?