Does Belief in Torah Judaism Require a Leap of Faith? (128)

Is belief in Judaism self-evident? Are our principles of faith wholly rational and perhaps even obvious to any thinking person? Or is faith in G-d and Torah more complicated and suffused with questions than many would like to assume? Do we have faith? Do we possess authentic trust in G-d? Deep down, what do we really think about the tenets of Torah Judaism? Do we accept them, doubt them, or maybe both simultaneously? Do we affirm them verbally but question them intellectually? In short, how much do we really believe - and why? In order to address questions of emunah, and to get a better sense of whether belief is logically compelling or whether it requires the proverbial leap of faith, Scott spoke with Jeffrey Bloom and Alec Goldstein, two of the editors of the recent book, Strauss, Spinoza, and Sinai: Orthodox Judaism and Modern Questions of Faith. The book, however, was just a starting point; the main focus of the conversation was around why Jews can believe the things that we believe - and why some people don't. Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108). Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com