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

Dr. Sarna discusses the American Jewish Experience, the impact the Torah had on the Founding Fathers of America, the sanitization of slavery, Ulysses S. Grant's complicated relationship with the Jews, the remarkable connection between the Jews and Abraham Lincoln, and the legacy of his father, the great scholar, Dr. Nahum Sarna a'h.

In the recently published book 'Strauss, Spinoza, & Sinai' (Kodesh Press), it is said that both the Enlightenment and Orthodoxy rest on axioms that neither side can fully prove or fully refute (as Leo Strauss presented). Much of modern thought tries to square the circle of how to live in a world without belief. The better question is whether it is possible to recover authentic religious belief in the modern world. Rabbi Joshua Maroof puts forth a riveting "Maimonidean" response to Spinoza and makes a brilliant case for the future of Judaism in the modern age. It's only fitting that a subject of this magnitude is approached with the classical Sepharadi perspective it deserves. The Rav also touches on Rambam's Negative Theology, as ascribing an emotion to God like "He Cares" is an anthropomorphic description that is a false notion. Instead we must say He's "Not Uncaring". If that's the case, then doesn't that mean no actual relationship is possible? How does an infinite God relate to people? Furthermore, granting that He could, why would He create us in the first place if He has no Will or Need? Additionally, the Rav explains why God is NOT a mind and how Spinoza erred in his understanding, while Dr. Micah Goodman and others continue to make this mistake. We discuss if it's possible to understand the meaning or purpose behind the mitzvot? If yes, how would we go about discovering it? Lastly, are modern atheists and skeptics like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris rejecting the same false notion of God that we too reject? What are the best arguments for the existence of God? Please share this episode with anyone you feel can benefit from it. Enjoy the show!

Hakham Mordehai provides a brave and unsafe space to explore the legacy, ideology, and principles of the Torah according to Maimonides. He makes an impassioned plea for the return to classical Judaism, explains the difference between pure Monotheism (Divine Transcendence) and Panentheism (Transcendence + Immanence), and how the latter shares similarities to paganism. He asserts that there's an irreconcilable difference between the Maimonidean and Kabbalistic (Franco-German & Lurianic) worldviews and explains how Kabbalah changed the face of Judaism forever. His podcast “Fostat” (available on Spotify and Apple) - as well as his YouTube Channel “Guerrilla Judaism” - provides a brave and unsafe space to explore the legacy, ideology, and principles of the Torah according to Maimonides in history and contemporary times.

Nachliel "The Museum Guy" takes us on a virtual exploration of Ancient Egypt (via Google Earth) and provides us with new perspectives on the Biblical accounts in light of these discoveries. What does the Torah mean when it says Pharaoh has a "heavy" heart? What polemical devices does the Torah utilize to defeat the pagan gods of Egypt? Find out why "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" is not a strong enough argument, how there are many other methods to proving the Exodus actually occurred, and more fascinating ideas to discuss at the Passover Seder. (It's ideal to watch this episode in particular on our YouTube channel because of all the slideshow visuals he provided. Go to YouTube and type in Judaism.Demystified in the search bar - please like, subscribe, and share while you're at it.)

Mr. Edward reveals secrets of the trade and takes us on a journey through the world of illusion. Although he is agnostic, he is doing God's work. We share our different views on faith but there is quite a lot of common ground. In this episode, the Mentalist reveals what differentiates mentalists, magicians, and clairvoyants. He tells stories of his friend, the late great skeptic and magician James Randi (The Amazing Randi), who dedicated his life to exposing fraudsters, whether it be Faith Healers, Mediums, or Psychics. Two famous examples that come to mind are Peter Popoff and Uri Geller. Also, Necromancy is an evil, phony practice that dates back to early civilization, and is explicitly forbidden in the bible. When people are most vulnerable, in pain and desperate they often try anything to get answers. Sadly, there are still those who pose as Mediums today, pretending to have the ability to communicate with the dead. Over the last few years, TV personalities such as the Hollywood Medium, Sylvia Brown, and Theresa Caputo have gained popularity by utilizing Cold, Warm, and Hot Readings on their unsuspecting audiences. In this episode, the Mentalist reveals some of their techniques and even does a reading on us. Are these tactics the same ones used by the FBI or CIA when they interrogate suspects? This episode was not only eye-opening, but it was a lot of fun too. (Warning: Adult Language)

This particular episode is more personal for the hosts of the podcast, as Mr. Ebrahimoff speaks to Ben about their shared roots as descendants of Iranian crypto-Jews. He gives a brief overview of the Mashhadi story then and now, the Allahdad pogrom of 1839, the uniqueness of Persian cuisine, the dual marriage contracts of Jewish "New Muslims", the aftermath of leaving Iran, and his personal family tree.

Rabbi Phillips provides an in-depth analysis of Judaism's most complex concepts such as Resurrection of the Dead, the Afterlife, Esotericism, the pursuit of human perfection, Rabbinic innovation, and the concept of Sacred Space. He takes issue with some of the bold claims made by Rabbi Dr. Marc Shapiro and Rabbi Binyamin Lau, which have major religious implications. Find out more about the book at www.JudaismReclaimed.com and buy it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1946351784/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_HJK1PR7QEF3WWCAXCWZ1

Dr. Abramson brilliantly breaks down how historians process data to determine what sources are reliable, the respective approaches of historians and archaeologists in interpretating events, the difference between biblical minimalists and maximalists, what shaped Judaism after its continuous encounters with outside cultures (namely Greek and Zoroastrian), and some fascinating anecdotes about Queen Esther in the story of Purim. 

Dr. Rubenstein explains the difference between midrash and aggadah, the methodology in deciphering aggadot, how to go about navigating through the different versions of aggadot (specifically between Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi), the relationship between aggadot and the modern reader, how to understand these fantastical stories about our Sages of blessed memory, and he takes us on a journey into his incredible book 'The Land of Truth: Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings'.

Rabbi Singer (www.outreachjudaism.org) presents an eye-opening historical account of Jesus, and discusses how Paul of Tarsus invented antisemitism, why the Jews rejected Jesus, how the gospels paganized Judaism to form a new religion, what exactly Isaiah 53 actually proves, and more.