Torah Cafe

For more than 70 years, the Soviet Union outlawed most Jewish practice in the Soviet Union. Yet throughout that time, a vibrant Jewish Underground existed with synagogues, schools, yeshivas, kosher slaughter, Jewish circumcision, Torah classes and more. The punishment for being caught committing any of the above 'transgressions' was hard labor in the Gulags of Siberia or death. Thousands o...

The Ohel, the burial place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in Queens NY is the most widely visited Jewish shrine in the United States. Since the Rebbe's passing in 1994, more than one million people visit the Ohel each year to pray and be inspired. A fascinating discussion about the Ohel and why so many people visit the Ohel. 

One of the most consequential early leaders of Israel was the prophet Samuel. He succeeded in uniting Israel under his leadership and ending the federal system of Judges. He appointed the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  A fascinating discussion about the prophet Samuel.

Jewish law has a number of rules limiting the involvement of non-Jews in the kosher kitchen, including limits on cooking, baking, milking and making wine. Each of these limits have exceptions and work-arounds allowing non-Jews to people involved in most Kosher food preparation.  A fascinating discussion about the rules concerning non-Jews in a Kosher kitchen. 

Jewish observance has evolved significantly over our long history and varies from community to community. While the commandments and laws have not changed over our history and are practically identical in every community, the variations are in Jewish customs which have evolved significantly over the generations.   Where do Jewish customs come from? How do customs become part of Jewish practice? Ca...

In Judaism, we believe that the Torah was written cryptically in code form. To derive commandments and laws from the Torah we need to decipher that code. What is the code that is used to decipher the Torah? How is it employed? Has the Torah's code been fully deciphered in the past 3,000 years our people have studied it?

One of the most esoteric parts of Tanach (the Hebrew Scriptures) is the description of the Merkava or G-d's chariot described twice in detail in the book of Ezekiel. Kabbalists have written extensively, explaining the meaning and significance of each detail described in the Merkava. A fascinating discussion about the Merkava and its meaning. 

Rav Saadia Gaon, was one of the most famous Geonim who led the great schools in Babylon during the geonic period (500-1000 CE). Rav Saadia, was known for his many works that he wrote on Jewish law and on Jewish beliefs. He also fought the Kaarites, a group that broke away from traditional Judaism. A fascinating discussion about Rav Saadia Gaon, his life story, teachings and his impact on Judaism t...

The Pharisees and the Sadducees were two groups that fought for religious and political dominance of the Jewish people during the Second Temple period (350 BCE - 70 CE).  Who were they? What did they believe? How did they impact Judaism as we know it today?

Mules are perhaps the best known animal crossbreeds. They have been used extensively throughout history as work animals and are still used today. However, the Torah prohibits us from cross breeding animals or even making different animal species work together.  A fascinating discussion about crossbreeding and mixing animals according to Jewish law. 

The Jewish community in Holland began after the country became a republic in 1581. It was the first country to offer freedom to Jews and many Jews flocked there especially Spanish and Portuguese conversos. For much of the 17th and 18th centuries, Amsterdam's Jewish community was the largest and most prominent in Europe. That came to a sudden end with the Holocaust that decimated Dutch Jewry. Y...

Perhaps the greatest Jewish scholar of all time was Rabbi Akiva. The Talmud tells us the Moses was in awe of the brilliance of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva, who lived in the 2nd Century CE is also perhaps the most fascinating Jewish leader. A simple illiterate shepherd, he married, Rachel the daughter of the wealthiest man in Israel. At forty he went to school for the first time but quickly became Isr...

The sefirot are 10 tools that G-d used to create our world according to Jewish mystical teachings of Kabbalah, We each have 10 sefirot in our soul as well. We count the 49 days between the first day of Passover and the festival of Shavuot, known as the counting of the Omer. During these days, we can develop our own character by focusing each week on one of the seven emotional Sefirot. A discussion...

The Seder has many unique parts to it. Many of the Seder's various parts have deep mystical significance. The Seder plate sits on the seder table in front of the person leasing the Seder. Each item on the Seder plate has a unique role at the Seder in addition to having deep mystical significance. A fascinating discussion about the Seder plate and its powerful mystical significance.

For many, killing animals for human consumption is wrong. For others, vegetarianism or veganism are misplaced virtue that overlooks the gulf between the value of human life and animal life. Judaism historically allowed for meat consumption and even required slaughter for sacrificial purposes. Is there room for vegetarianism in Jewish thought. Would Jewish traditions consider vegetarianism a value?

Over the past century, Jewish schools and communities began opening Kollels, schools for advanced jewish studies. Today there are hundreds of Kollels around the world where tens of thousands of students study daily.  Why did the Kollels begin? What is unique about a Kollel? Why have Kollels been opened in so many communities around the world?

One of the unique features of a traditional synagogue is that men and women are separated for all prayers. In many older synagogues, women sat in a balcony above the main synagogue. In many synagogues today, there is a partition (mechitzah) separating the men and women.  When did we start separating men and women in the synagogue? What is the reason for it?  A fascinating discussion about separati...

In a rare occurrence, Purim this year will be on Friday taking us straight from the festival of Purim into Shabbat. This creates some unusual customs in balancing Purim with the onset of Shabbat. In Jerusalem where Purim is observed a day later (Shushan Purim), Purim will be Shabbat. However, the Megillah cannot be read on Shabbat and therefore must be read on Friday while other laws of Purim are...

Kabbalah the mystical teachings of Judaism have become very popular in recent years. With its popularity have come the many charlatans, frauds and quacks looking to cash in on unsuspecting students of Kabbalah.  How do you know who is teaching real Kabbalah and who is a fraud? Often the fakes look very real and convincing. How can the uninitiated easily differentiate those teaching the real thing...

In 830 BCE, King Solomon completed building the First Temple in Jerusalem. At the time, during the Iron Age, it was the grandest and largest building to be built. The Temple would serve as the center of Jewish service for 410 years until it was destroyed by the Babylonians.  A fascinating discussion about how the first Temple was built, what it looked like and its role in Jewish life.  

There are many medical treatments that are not part of conventional medicine. Many of these unconventional treatments are very popular. What does Judaism say about alternative medical treatments? Are we allowed or perhaps even encouraged to seek alternative medical treatments? May we use them instead of conventional medicine? May we use them to complement conventional medicine?  Generally, we can...

G-d gave the Jewish people 613 Commandments that we committed to follow as part of our covenant with Him. What are the 613 Commandments? Where can we find a list? What do the Commandments include?  For more than 1,000 years Jewish scholars have debated over how to define Commandments, what exactly the 613 Commandments are and how to count them.  A fascinating discussion about the 613 Commandments...

Starting in the 1960's, the Rebbe started public Mitzvah campaigns as a call to encourage Jews to readopt many of the important Commandments in Judaism that they were not observing. Over the Years the Rebbe launched 10 Mitzvah campaigns raising awareness and increasing observance of some of the most central Commandments.  A fascinating discussion about the 10 Mitzvah Campaigns and how we can b...

While the Torah bans us from eating all insects, the Torah makes an exception for locust. The Torah lists certain types of locust that we are allowed to eat. Why did the Torah allow us to eat locust? Which types of locust are kosher? Can we eat them today?  A fascinating discussion about the kosher status of locust.

Jews have lived in Tunisia since Roman times and built strong communities in Tunis, Djerba and other cities. While most Jews left after independence, there is still a Jewish community in Tunis and a close knit community on the Island of Djerba.