JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED | A Guide for Today's Perplexed: Torah Foundations, Reason, and Tradition

Dr. Goldish provides a detailed analysis on the history of messianic movements, with a specific focus on a relatively recent false messiah, Shabbetai Ẓevi. We discuss the influence on Zoharic and Lurianic Kabbalah on Ẓevi and his prophet, Nathan of Gaza. This story has been largely swept under the rug and if we don't learn our history, we're doomed to repeat it. What's troubling is that a large portion of the Jewish population believed he was the messiah, including respected Talmidei Hakhamim and Rabbis. How did they all fall for this, considering that he was openly breaking Halakha, including his eventual conversion to Islam? Find out how the after-effects of Sabbateanism still linger today via his remaining followers in Turkey and other unsuspecting Jewish sects its ideas crept into. And how can we have a healthier approach to awaiting Mashiach that isn't destructive and doesn't lead to extremism?

Rabbi Angel carefully presents the traditional Sepharadi approach to law and life. Do we take a more stringent or lenient approach than Ashkenazim? We live in an age where Judaism is highly fractured with sectarianism, including Ultra-Orthodox, Yeshivish, Haredi, Hassidic, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Secular Zionist, Anti-Zionist, Religious Zionist, etc. Very little (if any) progress has been made in unifying the denominations of Judaism. How are we to lead a path to a Judaism that will one day be able to unify these fractures? And what has been the Sepharadi approach that has allowed it to stay relatively uninfluenced by these movements? We also discuss what the term Modern Orthodox means, as it's a title that has been much maligned and misunderstood, as well as the Kollel crisis and the common treatment of the Gedolim.

Rabbi Schneeweiss discusses his conversion to Judaism in 11th grade, identifying as Shomer Torah U'Mitzvot (and not a "rationalist"), using Bruce Lee's philosophy for teaching, what it means to be a Stoic Jew, the methodology of Mishlei (Proverbs), Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), and Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs), why it's important to learn Tehillim (Psalms) instead of reading it as an incantation, why we pray if we can't change God's mind, his "Pivot Point" system, and the best resources to learn about the Ethics of Stoicism and the great Stoics.

Rabbi Wieder explains the concept of Q're (what is read) and Ketib (what is written) and how our Sages approached textual variants in all ancient Torah scrolls (Masoretic, Dead Sea, etc.). In doing so, he clarifies and corrects some of the biggest misconceptions about the integrity and unity of the text, something Bible critics in academia often point to as evidence against the Torah's authenticity. In the second half of the discussion, the Rabbi addresses a very polarizing topic today: abortion. In light of the recent Roe v Wade ruling, Jews from both sides of the political aisle seem to claim that the Torah or Rabbinic view supports their respective positions on abortion. Find out if Rabbinic tradition supports the pro or anti-abortion side of the argument. Like most complex halakhic issues in Judaism, it's not so simple.

Dr. England shares origin story, how he connected to his Jewish roots, his famous moniker as "the next Darwin", and what it's like to have a character in Dan Brown's book based off of him. He addressed the following topics: Do most scientists understand what science is? What does this have to do with the perceived conflict between biblical religion and science? Should we be trying to figure out if the Torah agrees with or “knows about” the discoveries of modern cosmology or paleontology? Did Chazal understand quantum mechanics? And what are the seven "days" of Ma'aseh Bereshit talking about?

Rabbi Breitowitz shares his insights on the ethics of separating the art from the artist (as in the most recent case with Chaim Walder), the miraculous existence and success of modern-day Israel (the Haredi argument against Zionism vs the argument for post-facto religious Zionism), the purpose of prayer since we can't change God's mind (and the superstitious elements that some Jews use to close the gap e.g. saying a "mystical" formulation for 40 days by the Kotel, etc.), the recent dogmatic "Daas Torah" rejection of metaphoric readings of certain parts in the Torah (e.g. Rambam, Sforno, Radaq, and Ralbag interpreted some or all of the Genesis narrative to be allegorical, Ibn Casspi said the entire book of Yonah was a vision, Rambam said any story mentioning angels is a vision, Chazal believing Iyyov wasn't a real person, etc.), and the hottest topic of late, the Torah view of abortion.

Rabbi Bashevkin explains why stories of tzaddikim are inspiring and beneficial, especially for children. But is this ideal considering that the Torah seems to not hide or sugarcoat the mistakes of our ancestors, while actually making their failures integral to their narratives. If the Torah did not find it beneficial to gloss over the mistakes or flaws of our greatest heroes, why should we employ such thinking today? His answer may surprise you. He also discusses the controversial beliefs of Ishbitz Hassidut. Antinomianism is a very dangerous and paradoxical doctrine which seems to go against the most intuitive notions of free will and personal responsibility. Why didn't this fact negatively affect the Ishbitz community in terms of their approach to Judaism, as some might have expected it to, such as with the Sabbateans? We also talked about a polarizing idea among Orthodox Jews: Zionism. The approach that many Haredim have taken is to reject it as heresy, citing the Aggadah of "The 3 Oaths" as support for their argument. To counter that, religious zionists easily see the modern state of Israel as a clear fulfillment of biblical prophecy. Putting politics aside and just strictly focusing on the miraculous existence of Israel, is either side missing the point and can this divide ever be resolved? Lastly, being that the Rabbi wrote a book on sin, we asked him to give us his take on "separating the art from the artist", a recent example being the Chaim Walder case. We've noticed that some people were torn about what to do with his popular children's books after all the allegations of sexual abuse came to light. Our opinion is to dispose of these books, but we want to know where the line is. For example, one might make the case against singing Carlebach niggunim because his alleged inappropriate behavior, etc. Some might say "why not watch The Cosby Show for its lessons since the rest of the cast didn't deserve to be cancelled", or that Michael Jackson's or R.Kelly's music can still be enjoyed since the studio is a separate domain from domestic life. We asked what he thinks is the proper approach to this issue in general.

Dr. Goodman brilliantly compares and contrasts Rambam and Nietzche regarding the nature of values and value judgments, presents his understanding of the 'Guide for the Perplexed' in reference to God’s Knowledge (with the point of emphasis on the problem of God’s Knowledge of the particulars and Divine Providence, breaks down the problem of evil and the Rambam’s approach to it, and provides a summary of his attitude towards prophecy as well as what it means that Moses spoke to God "face to face."

Shannon tells the story of her life growing up as the daughter of a pastor (now a Noahide). She was raised as a missionary, part of a community that mimicked Jewish traditions and symbols in order to blur the lines in order to make conversion to Christianity more palatable for Jewish targets. Her story is about having the courage to live according to truth, that which goes against everything she was taught. Find out what her advice is to others who are in a similar situation, managing family dynamics and all. Discover what made her turn to Judaism and abandon the cult she was raised in, with the help of Rabbi Tovia Singer. Now as a Jew living in Israel, she has dedicated her life to protecting Jews from the aggressive missionizing that is growing at an alarming rate across the country. Well-funded evangelical groups are a double-edged sword for Jews, since they support Jewish survival in Israel but often work to convert us. John Hagee is one famous example. Shannon raises awareness about Jewish evangelism, its danger to the Jewish people, and encourages safe and consistent boundaries in the interfaith relationships of Jewish communities. How do we enforce those boundaries, while maintaining strong relationships with our Christian friends? A lot of Jewish blood was spilled over centuries at the hands of our Christian oppressors, so naturally Jews have welcomed this new iteration of a Jew-friendly Christianity, which makes this so complicated. Her organization, Beyneynu, was responsible for exposing undercover missionaries who infiltrate and live outwardly as Haredi Jews, such as the Elk family, and explains how she helped shut down 24/7 televangelist missionizing on the biggest cable TV provider in Israel. To say her story is breathtaking and inspiring is an understatement.

Rabbi Israel discusses the distinctions between the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, and what our approach should be towards understanding these seemingly contradictory accounts. Find out how these factors into the story of Rehoboam. In the opening chapter of Kings, he offers two approaches for understanding the Avishag story. Discover the perplexities in the opening narrative of Kings, the two approaches the Rabbi utilizes to make better sense of all the details and peculiarities of these chapters. Additionally, the initial positive assessment of King Solomon in chapters 3, 4, and 5 make it hard to process his eventual descent into sin in chapter 11. How are we to appraise his positive persona in the earlier chapters with the knowledge of his downward spiral into sin? The Sages argued about what the sin was — how do we read these Aggadot and Midrashim? Lastly, Elijah the Prophet has become a symbol in Jewish life. According to our tradition, he "visits" each and every circumcision ceremony, is felt at the Seder table, and heralds the coming of the Messiah. His biblical persona, however, is rather different. Elijah is a zealot — demanding, agitated, passionate, and impatient. In Rabbi Israel's book, he outlines the different approaches of how to understand his fiery persona. Is Elijah a mouthpiece for God or are his actions of his own accord — or dare we say, even in protest to God? Why does Elijah fall into despair after the successful display on Mount Carmel, and how are we to understand God’s cryptic words to try lift Elijah back up? After Elijah fails to internalize God's call to change his ways, God effectively retires Elijah as a Prophet, but not before having him take on young Elisha as a protege. In his book, the Rav provides a brilliant POV regarding that first meeting between Elijah and Elisha. What are the nuances in that first encounter that clue us in to Elisha’s character, and why did God want Elisha to assume Elijah’s role? We explore Elijah’s famous end scene when he goes up in a whirlwind, with the narrative coming full circle, and how the Elijah in TaNaKh evolved into the Elijah in the later traditions.