Shemini: Why Keep Kosher? - TJS 034

In this "Ask Me Anything" session - recorded LIVE - we talk about Jewish funerals, how to buy your first set of tefillin, Kabbalah books for beginners, and more. Plus I share my favorite Hebrew song and my two favorite arguments in the whole Talmud.

In this live studio recording, Jewcurious people ask questions they have about Passover, including what to do if you hate horseradish, the difference between round matzah and square matzah, and whether Christians should should have seders.

Metzora - this week's Torah portion - starts with a bizarre ritual for changing someones ritual status, using two birds, some water, hyssop, cedar, and a red thread. Given the oddity of some commandments, why might we want to do them anyway?

In last Monday's AMA (Ask Me Anything) we discussed keeping kosher, the Jewish view of cremation, Christian use of Jewish ritual items, and much more. Recorded with a live audience.

Parashat Shemini, the third weekly Torah portion in the Book of Leviticus, gives us a menu: If you eat meat, here's the types of animals you can eat, and the types you can't. The big question is: Why bother following these rules today?

In today's "Ask a Rabbi Anything" we talk about Olam HaBa (the World to Come), reaffirming you Jewish ancestry, what siddur (prayer book) to start with, and much more. Recorded with a LIVE studio audience.

Vayikra - the first Torah portion of the Book of Leviticus - not only teaches us something about how to observe Purim (the drinking part) but also teaches us that each of us has enough and IS enough to join the holy community.

Elad Nehorai aka @PopChassid, founder of the creative community Hevria and leader in the politically progressive Orthodox movement Torah Trumps Hate, shares with us what it's like to be religious without surrendering your identity and values.

How do you find a rabbi who's right for you? Listen and learn what a rabbi is, why you need one, and where to find one - online and IRL - and overcome any fear you have talking to one.

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg - author, teacher, and Twitter maven - talks about her latest book on the spirituality of parenting, and how teaching Torah in spaces of open disagreement is really kind of the point.