Torah Cafe

For more than 150 years society has debated over two economic structures "socialism" where the government manages the economy to ensure every gets an equitable part and "capitalism" where individual citizens manage the economy in a free market with only general regulatory oversight by the government. Which of the two systems does the Torah prefer? What would the ideal Jewish economic str...

One of the most complex and controversial commandments regarding food (kosher) is not to eat Chadash (new grain) and to only eat Yashan (old Grain) What exactly is the commandment and is it relevant for us today? Learn about the mitzvah of Chadash and the big controversy over whether we should be concerned about it today.

Yechezkel was one of our great prophets from the late Biblical Period and author of the Book of Ezekiel, one of the books of Tanach. The visions of Yechezkel were full of esoteric experiences, warnings about the destruction of the Temple and descriptions of redemption.

The Torah commands us to protect ourselves, guard our health and avoid doing anything that will harm us. A discussion about the Torah's rules for health and safety.

G-d inflicted Ten Plagues on the Egyptians so that they will let his people go. Kabbalah teaches that the plagues were not random but each had a very particular purpose and goal.  A discussion about the mystical meaning of the Ten Plagues

In addition to the reading from the Torah in the synagogue every Shabbat and holiday, we also read a Haftorah from one of the books of our Prophets. When did the Haftorah start? Why do we do it? How do we choose the Haftorah each week? A fascinating discussion about the Haftorah.

We all love watching sunset, but when exactly is the sunset, the moment when day switches to night? This question is very relevant in Judaism since Shabbat and Jewish holidays begin at sunset. Time is a central pillar in Judaism. Shabbat and Jewish holidays begin and end at certain times. Many commandments must be fulfilled on specific days, at specific times or during the day or night. Jewish sch...

Jews have lived in Ukraine for over 2,000 years making it one of the oldest continuous Jewish communities in the word . For the past 500 years, Ukraine had one of the largest Jewish communities in the world and remains so today. Ukraine has also seen some of the worst anti-Semitic atrocities in our history.

Hamantash is a delicious pastry with filling that we eat on Purim. Not only is the Hamantash delicious, it has a unique mystical significance that ties in with a lesser known Purim food, the Krepel. A talk about the Purim holiday with a fascinating discussion about the mystical significance of the Hamantash.

Through the Torah and Jewish prayers we use human terminology when referring to G-d including gender (usually male), body parts (hands, eye, ears, nose, feet), feelings (angry, happy, sad, merciful, kind) and actions (speaking, smelling, hitting, touching). Yet Judaism believes that G-d is beyond any human description. How can we use human terminology for G-d while believing he is beyond...

Hillel the Elder who lived just over 2,000 years ago was one of the most influential Jewish scholars and leaders in history. Hillel was President of the Sanhedrin Supreme Council of Judaism) during the reign of Herod and founder of Beit Hillel, one of two prominent academies in Jerusalem during late Temple period

Jewish law places limits on how far we can travel on Shabbat even when walking by foot. We are also given ways to extend those limits. A discussion about travelling on Shabbat.

Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman of Girona, Spain, known as Ramban or Nachmaines was one of the greatest Jewish leaders, scholars and thinkers in our history. In the 13th century, he served as the chief rabbi of Girona as well as the most important rabbi of Aragon and the Iberian Peninsula. Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman wrote extensively making a major impact on Jewish thought, commentary, law and mysticism...

The Choshen - Breastplate was a special garment worn by the High Priest when the Holy Temple stood with 12 precious stones engraved with the names of Israel. The Choshen had miraculous powers. The Jews would use the Choshen to ask G-d questions that they had. A fascinating discussion about the amazing Choshen and its miraculous powers.

We know we should be giving charity but how much should we give? Are we giving enough? Perhaps we are giving too much! Can we really help everyone who needs it? A discussion about the parameters of giving in Judaism where we will talk about whom we should give and how much we should give.

In addition to the birthdays that most people celebrate, we also have Jewish birthdays. What is a Jewish birthday? What does it mean? How do we celebrate? A discussion about the significance of our Jewish birthday.

Philosophers and physicists have always wondered if there are other realities beyond our own that we are unaware of and cannot reach. People have imagined and fantasize about what such parallel universes would look like. A discussion about the Jewish belief in parallel universes and what we believe they are like.

While most of the world is starting their new year in the Gregorian Calendar, we Jews use an entirely different Jewish calendar whose dates only sync with the Gregorian calendar periodically. Where does the Jewish calendar come from? How is it calculated? How does it work? When does the Jewish calendar sync with the Gregorian Calendar?

Napoleon introduced French revolutionary values to all of Europe as his armies marched across the continent. Among those was his treatment of the Jews. To many Jews, Napoleon was a savior to others he was a villain. A fascinating discussion about Napoleon's complex relationship with the Jews of Europe and his impact that is still felt today.

Much of the Torah is stories about our early history. Many of the stories are very down to earth and relatable but some of them seem unrealistic with the events unnatural. Do Jews believe that all the stories of the Torah are true? Could some stories be metaphors?

Ezra was a Jewish leader who lived over 2300 years ago yet made a greater impact on Judaism than anyone other than Moses. A discussion about Ezra, the great Jewish leader who transformed Judaism

Oil is central to the Chanukah celebration. We are celebrating how the oil of the Menorah in the Temple was only enough to last one day but miraculously lasted eight days. Many light their Menorah with oil candles while we eat oily foods such as latkes and donuts. Why is oil so important to the Chanukah story? A fascinating discussion about oil, its unique role in Judaism and lessons we can t...

For thousands of years, Jews have been exiled from their land and forced to wander from land to land living under the rule of other people who were often hostile to them. A discussion about the story of the Jewish exile, why we have wandered for so long and what we have achieved during our exile.

In early medieval times a kingdom emerged in Southern Ukraine where the royal family and many aristocrats converted to Judaism. While this Jewish led kingdom of Khazaria was short lived, its existence has fascinated Jews from the time the kingdom came into existence until today. It even gave birth to the notorious Khazar conspiracy theory claiming Ashkenazic Jewry descends from Khazars.

Most Jewish families have unique Jewish sounding family names. Where do those family names come from? When did we start using Jewish family names? Can we tell from our family name where we came from or who our ancestors are?