Parallel Judaism

There's a famous disagreement between the schools of Hillel and Shammai about how to light Chanukah candles. Beit Hillel says to start with one and increase each night, and that's how we do it. In our world. In this special Chanukah edition of Parallel Judaism we hear from a version of music ritual leader, Naomi Less from a world where Chanukah candles are lit in accordance with the opinion of Beit Shammai - starting with eight and decreasing each night. Source: https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.21b.5 About our guest: Naomi Less is a Brooklyn-based, internationally celebrated singer/songwriter, ritualist and educator. Beloved for her warm smile and inviting presence, communities celebrate her imagination and innovation, tenderness and pizzazz!  Her original music is sung in worship communities worldwide.  Naomi serves as Co-Founder, Ritual Leader and Associate Director of Lab/Shul, and is involved in the Jewish musical community through Rising Song Institute and Songleader Boot Camp. She amplifies the voices of women on her Jewish Women Rock show on Jewish Rock Radio. Naomi advocates for people struggling with fertility journeys as a performance artist and speaker for Uprooted: A Jewish Response to Fertility Challenges. You can find Naomi on instagram at @naomiless1 and her music anywhere you stream. 

According to the Talmud, Rabbi Yosei HaGelili ruled that there's no prohibition against eating bird meat with dairy. But Rabbi Akiva disagreed and that's the Halacha. In our world. But on Earth #92 the halacha went the other way. In this episode, an alternate version of my friend Simcha Levenberg shares what it's like to live in a world where mixing chicken and milk is kosher. To explore some of the sources for this topic, check out this source sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/609048.3?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

In one of the most famous stories in the Talmud, Rabbi Eliezer attempts to illustrate the correctness of his opinion through a series of miraculous events, but ultimately loses the argument when Rabbi Yehoshua quotes a verse that says “Torah is not in the heavens.”   But in Earth #78 the story ended differently.  In this episode, writer Dovber Naiditch shares his experience living in a world where Jewish Law is decided based on demonstrations of G-d’s will, rather than debate. The story as it appears in the Talmud in our world can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.59b.1?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

Around 500 years ago Jews were introduced to turkeys and, after a lot of debate among Rabbis, the vast majority of the Jewish world eventually agreed we can eat them. That’s where Earth #157 diverged from our world. In this episode, Dovid Taub interviews an alternate version of his sister, writer Rachel Klein, who shares what it’s like to live in a world where turkeys aren’t kosher. For more information on the kosher status of turkeys in our world, check out this article: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4647767/jewish/Is-Turkey-Kosher.htm

What if turkeys weren't kosher? What if chicken parmesan was? What if a Torah scroll could be printed instead of hand-written? How would these relatively small differences change the course of history? Come with us on a journey through the Jewish multiverse!