The Jewish Thought Project

In this one-off episode we explore the Maharal's theology as it pertains to the natural order and that which is beyond.

We are continuing our series on Am Yisrael by investigating how we are meant to represent God in the world. It has been a difficult week for Am Yisrael. We sustained several attacks from Hezbola in Israeli territory. Our learning together should be for the Refuah of those who were injured in the attacks, Leilui Nishmat those we lost, and for continued Siyata Deshmaya for our soldiers fighting a two-front war.

Today marks the one year anniversary of the tragedies of October 7th. Our learning together is in honor of those we lost and in the merit of our hostages and our soldiers whom we pray return to us safely.

In the merit of our soldiers now down south and up north and for the safe return of our hostages, we will be learning about Am Yisrael and the biblical origins of Jewish Identity. In addition, I hope our learning about this topic will help strengthen us and our bonds as a nation.

The question of whether mercy has any place in war is a very sensitive one, and it has life and death implications. Mercy is a clear Torah value, but the precedent set by our forefathers in wartime paints a more complex picture.

One of the most difficult religious struggles to grapple with is unanswered tefilot. We can pour our hearts out to God for days or weeks, but when we aren't answered it's extremely difficult to keep going. And sometimes, when the answer comes it's not what we were hoping for. We're going to look at precedent in the Torah for unanswered prayers and how to handle them.

We spoke last week about the seeing wars as connected to the redemption. If this is part of the Geulah what we should we be expecting now? Where is Mashiach? Where is the Beit Hamikdash?

It's a frighting and uncertain time for Klal Yisrael. We are being threatened on multiple borders and are awaiting an imminent ground invasion. The Torah tells us very clearly not to be afraid in these circumstances. But Why? What is so bad about such a natural emotional response and what, if anything, can be done about it?

As Tzahal continues to eliminate the terrorists responsible for last week's attack, some complex questions arise regarding the appropriate response to death of our enemies.

We've all felt in the past week how in times of great difficulty Am Yisrael joins together in a way that knows no bounds. The roots of our interconnectivity run deep and are hinted to in the very first encounter that Hashem has with Avraham Avinu. Today we explore those roots in depth.

War is not a foreign concept in the Torah. We have countless stories of war on their heroes as well as Halachot that pertain specifically to wartime. Today we discuss the Hashkafa of war and its role in the context of Hashem larger plan.

My goal with these videos is to spread Torah to all of Klal Yisrael. I believe that learning Torah is the most powerful tool we have to impact the world around us. In this video we discuss how that works.

Today we discuss the Torah perspective on a practical vision for unity. I've heard several people over the past few days express the sentiment that perhaps the devastating situation we're in is in someway related to the recent growing fracture in our nation. I'm in no position to diagnose the situation neither from a practical-political perspective not from a divine-spiritual perspective. However, having been in Israel during Operation Protective Edge, I saw first hand how war has the power to bring us together.

Many of us have increased our Tefillot in the past couple days, but some of us may be grappling with the fundamental questions of Tefilla. Hashem Know what we need. If He wanted to the to change the circumstances he would, and if He doesn't want to why would asking make a difference? Today we'll take some time to discuss purpose and utility of prayer.

In the aftermath of the tragic events that have unfolded over the past couple days, we may be experience many difficult emotions and struggling with many difficult questions. I thought we should start our learning for the protection and well being of Israel and its occupants by addressing the appropriate religious response to tragedy.

Avraham- A revolutionary theological figure who altered the course of history with his unique relationship with God... Or so we were told. In this episode we jump into the Avraham stories without our preconceived notions and we find a different narrative. Then we bridge the gaps.

We're given almost no information about Avraham before he was chosen for perhaps the most important mission in History. This week we begin analyzing the rise of Avraham, his mysterious history, and how he revolutionized the way that we interact with God.

This week we examine the story of Noach --Noach is described as a completely righteous individual, as having found favor in God's eyes, and as someone who walks with God. Chazal insist on comparing him to Avraham, and, on every metric Noach falls short. This may seem harsh, and overly judgmental, but Chazal are hinting to us the main theme of Noach's story.

Today we explore the events of Gan Eden and illuminate how each detail gives us insight into the religious nature of human beings.

In this episode we begin a new series analyzing the major themes and main characters in Bereishit in a way which is both true to the text and consistent with the traditional interpretation of our Sages.

We explore the metaphysical significance of Israel and it’s ability to connect heaven and earth.

We explore the foundation of our national identity as well as the balance the Torah prescribes between the nation and the individual.

After detailing the development of Jewish Law we turn our attention to the development of Jewish Thought.

In this episode we explore the theological difficulties associated with debate around the word of God and the Torah perspective that there can be more than one correct answer.

After discussing the transmission of Torah from Moshe to Mishna we go on to discuss the next stage of our mesorah - the Talmud.

This is the first episode of a multipart series exploring the transmission and development of Torah from Sinai to today. We're focusing on the development of our tradition from Sinai until the Mishna. In order to a convey a complex topic in a clear and concise fashion some points of discussion are simplified. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

We explore the unique nature of the Torah and its irreplicable contribution to society

We've discussed the content of the Torah, the sefarim, the stories, and the halachot, but now we need to look deeper. What are the central ideas that the entire Torah is trying to get across?

We'll take a look at the word Torah and what the name may suggest about the book itself. In addition, we'll give a brief overview of Torah Shebichtav and Baal Peh as well as what it contains.

Having discussed the origins and parameters of Jewish ideas, today we'll discuss the process by which those ideas are integrated into our broader belief system. 

In this episode we examine the difference between philosophy and Jewish Thought, as well as where we learn authentic Jewish Ideas.

In this episode we explore the emphasis that the Torah places on learning Machshava (Jewish thought and ideas) —as well as the broader purpose that it serves.

We’re exploring the concepts of heaven and hell, The Garden of Eden, the Messianic Era, and the Afterlife in the thought of Nachmanides.

One of the pillars of our faith is that punishment and reward await us in the next world in accordance with our behavior in this world. It’s a fundamental believe, but it receives no mentioning in the Torah.

Seeing the commandments as a system for eternal spiritual satisfaction: Rav Kook on Mitzvot

Seeing the commandments as spiritually strengthening exercises- The Ramchal on Mitzvot

The commandments as a purification of the soul: Mitzvot in the eyes of The Maharal

The commandments as character refinement- performing the Mitzvot through the eyes of Nachmanides. 

We explore the Rambam's perspective on the objective of performing mitzvot.