Torah Cafe

Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah) teaches that prior to creating our own universe, G-d creates a previous universe called Tohu (Chaos). The universe of Tohu could not survive and therefore crashed. Our universe called Tikkun was then created on top of the broken shards of Tohu leaving us humans with the job of cleaning up the shards of Tohu in our universe. A fascinating class explaining this esoteric concept of Tohu (the Universe of Chaos). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Jewish Aramaic was an ancient language spoken by most Jews for well over 1,000 years. Aramaic is used in Tanach (Jewish Scriptures) and many important Jewish works including the Babylonian Talmud, Jerusalem Talmud, Midrash Rabba and Zohar. A fascinating discussion about the forgotten language of Aramaic that is so central to our history and teachings. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Many people believe is paranormal forces that can be invoked or tapped into to discover otherwise unknown information and advise or to manipulate the forces of nature. Many people reject that paranormal forces exist and claim such beliefs to be primitive.  What does Judaism say about magic and paranormal forces? Do we believe they are true? Do they work? Are we allowed to practice any magic? Join us this week for a fascinating discussion about magic in our tradition. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Strife and divisiveness have challenged humans since the earliest of time. As long as we've had communities we've had divisiveness between people and as long as we've had nations we've had divisiveness between nations. What is the cause for this human tendency of fighting with each other? How can we counter it? A fascinating discussion about the human tendency towards divisiveness and how we can learn to get along. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

One of the worst tragedies that befell our people was the ant-Jewish pogroms during the Khmelnytsky uprising in Poland and Ukraine in 1648-1649. The Khmelnitsky Pogroms, known to Jews as Gzayrois Tach Vetat decimated Jewish communities across Eastern Europe and was one of the most cataclysmic events in the history of Eastern European Jewry. Learn the story of this horrific tragedy and understand its impact on Jews until today. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

According to our tradition, the Erev Rav (Mixed Multitude) were a group of non-Jews who accompanied Israel out of Egypt and caused problems for them during their travels through the desert.. Why were they? Why did they join Israel when they left Egypt? What happened to them? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

One of the most important works in Judaism is the Shulchan Aruch, often called the Code of Jewish Law. Since the Shulchan Aruch was printed in the 16th century it has become the primary source for Jewish law. What is unique about the Shulchan Aruch? Why is it so important to Jewish law?  A fascinating discussion about the Shulchan Aruch, how it was written and why it is so important to Jews. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

The Jewish family has been one of the key pillars of Judaism. Jews retained and valued the nuclear family unit along with the extended family even when many around them lost it. A fascinating discussion about the role of family in Judaism and particularly, the role of fathers.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

Jews have been persecuted for most of our 3,000 year history. Some Jews responded to anti-Jewish persecution by attempting to assimilate or follow the dictates of those who hate them. Most Jews have responded by displaying pride in their Judaism and in their identity. A fascinating discussion about Jewish pride and its importance as part of a response to antisemitism.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support

The Torah has various rules and laws for owning slaves. Throughout the early part of Jewish history, Jews owned slaves. Does Judaism allow for slavery? Is it ever okay for one human to own another? Since the Era of Enlightenment and particularly since the end of the Civil War in the United States, slavery has been viewed as a horrible institution and contrary to human rights and human dignity. How can we reconcile Judaism's approach to slavery with our modern understanding of the evil of slavery? A fascinating discussion about Judaism and slavery. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/zalman-gordon/support