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The Thinking Jew Podcast discusses thought provoking insights on topics of Judaism and Torah. Join Rabbi Moshe as he explores the parsha, holidays, Jewish law and philosophy and you’re sure to gain a deeper Torah perspective for the modern world.
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Anyone who has read the Bible knows that G-d famously decimated the Egyptian nation with 10 plagues, enabling the Jews to leave and gain their freedom. But why did G-d need 10 plagues? G-d is all-powerful! He could've just marched the Jews right out! What was the purpose of these ten plagues?
Join me as we discover a fascinating connection between three groups of ten; the ten utterances through which G-d created the physical world, the 10 plagues in which G-d destroyed Egypt and freed the Jews and the ten commandments, when G-d gave the Jews the Torah on Mount Sinai. Through understanding all these parallels, we'll gain a whole new appreciation of what the ten plagues really accomplished!
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me with any questions or feedback, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
All sources quoted in this podcast can be viewed on this source sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/373672?lang=bi
Many have the custom to give their children a blessing before they sit down to the Friday night Shabbos meal. We place our hands on our children's head and wish our daughters to be like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah and our sons to be like Ephraim and Menashe and conclude with the Priestly blessings.
Why do we give this blessing on Friday night? Why do we compare compare our daughters to the Mothers of the Jewish nation but our sons to Ephraim and Menashe (Joseph's sons) and not to the forefathers? Why do we add the priestly blessing? How can a non-priest say the priestly blessings?
For an answer to all these questions and a deeper understanding of birchas habonim, the blessing of our children, check out episode 57.
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
All the sources quoted in this podcast can be viewed on this source sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/372250?lang=bi
When people think of their relationship with God, they sometimes feel unworthy. God is so great, is it possible that he really cares about me individually? Does he really want to hear my prayer? Does he really care if I get stuck in traffic?
Or perhaps, God did a personal miracle for them and they wonder why did God spare me from a potential tragedy? What did I do to deserve this? I'm not really so great!
What's the Jewish perspective on this? Don't we believe that God IS the greatest most perfect being? Why would he care about little me?!
Join me as we take a deeper look into God and into the Jewish soul to uncover just how much God really does care about you! YOU ARE WORTHY!
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me with any questions or feedback, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
All the sources quoted in this podcast can be viewed on this source sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/370071?lang=bi
There are 6 public fast days on the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur, Tisha B'Av (the 9th of Av), Tzom Gedalia (the 3rd of Tishrei), Asarah Biteves (the 10th of Teves), Taanis Esther (the 13th of Adar) and Shiva Asar Bi'Tammuz (the 17th of Tammuz). And while Yom Kippur and the fast of Esther each have their own independent reason for fasting, the remaining four are much more interconnected.
In this episode, you'll discover the historical connection between the fateful days of 10 Teves, 17 Tammus, 9 Av and 3 Tishrei, and how they're all part of one story of exile and destruction. We'll see how the tenth of Teves (which is coming up next on December 14th, 2021) kickstarted this process and we'll then discover a deeper Kabbalistic understanding from the Chasam Sofer that sheds a whole new light on why the 10th of Teves plays such a uniquely important role in this process.
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me with any questions or feedback, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
All the sources quoted in this podcast can be viewed on this source sheet: www.sefaria.org/sheets/367412
Chanukah is often viewed as the holiday of lights in which we light the Menorah, eat oily foods and get presents, but is that all there is to Chanukah?
In this episode, we uncover the ideological underpinning of the Maccabean revolt against the great Greek army. What did Ancient Greece stand for? What was the Jewish response? How did the Maccabees win the spiritual war?
Join me as we take a Kabbalistic perspective to discover the deeper meaning behind Chanukah!
Thank you to David and Erica Bashover for sponsoring this episode in honor of the birth of their son, Benjamin Eric Bashover! May the Torah learning be a merit for him to grow up to be a holy Jew, full of kindness and Torah. May he bring you and the world much joy and nachas!
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me with any questions or feedback, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
Sources:
Many concepts in this podcast are from the Maharal, Ner Mitzvah, Part II - https://www.sefaria.org/Ner_Mitzvah%2C_Volume_II.8?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=he
In this episode, we go through the basic laws and customs of Chanukah. We discuss the menorah, the fuel, time of lighting, placement of the menorah, the game of dreidel, Chanukah gifts and much more.
If you want a quick 15 minute primer to either learn for the first time or remind yourself from last year of all the various laws and customs, you won't want to miss this episode.
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me with any questions or feedback, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
NCSY created a beautiful Blessing card here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ncsy-education/Chanukah%20blessings%20card.jpg
Video of how to properly set up the candles (right to left) and then light the candles (left to right) - https://youtu.be/EwcdCo_csh8
Examples of Kosher and not kosher Menorahs - https://libhobn.tumblr.com/post/180843658342/kosher-vs-non-kosher-chanukiyot-aka-menorahs
The name we generally identify with as a religion and a nation is the "Jew". We consider ourselves Jewish and practice Judaism, but have you ever wondered where this name comes from? In the Torah, God refers to the nation as the "sons of Israel" or the "Israelites" but no mention of Jews or Judaism, so where did that come from?
Join me as we take both a historical and philosophical deep dive into the history of our national name uncovering a deeper meaning of what it really means to be "Jewish".
Thank you to my parents, Rabbi David and Marcy Segal, for sponsoring this episode in memory of my grandfather, Zoltan Weiss z'l, Gedalia ben Shraga Feivel z’l, whose 6th yahrtzeit was this week on the 11th of Kislev. May all the Torah learning that comes from this episode serve as a great merit for his soul.
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me with any questions or feedback, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
Source sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/363253?lang=bi
The Torah is a legal guide to help us maximize our time in this world. The word Torah itself means instruction or teachings. Why would a book of laws begin with stories? Imagine if the constitution began with stories of George Washington, Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, it'd be ridiculous! The place for stories is in the history books, not the law books. So why did God include the stories of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the 12 tribes in a legal script?
Join me as we discover through the lens of the Midrash what the role of Genesis is, and how in reality our entire connection to Torah even nowadays only exists BECAUSE we study the stories of Genesis.
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
To contact me with any questions or feedback, please email thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com
All the sources quoted in this episode can be found on the episode source sheet located at www.sefaria.org/sheets/359309
Often when one thinks of a deep spiritual experience, they think of a transcendent meditation, or maybe about accessing deeper levels of consciousness or the like. They don't generally think of hanging a parchment outside their front door (mezuzah) or sitting in a wooden hut (Sukka), separating a piece of bread for the priest (Challah), yet when we look at the Torah, we find that almost all the mitzvahs (biblical commandments) are physical actions. How can that be? How can a physical action connect us to an extremely non-physical God?
Additionally, the Torah commands us to cling to God. What does that even mean? How can we become "close" to God? What does being close even mean when discussing God who exists outside of time and space. What is spiritual closeness?
Join me as we discover a deeper perspectives behind mitzvahs and how specifically because they're physical actions, they uniquely bridge the gap between our human experience and the spiritual worlds.
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson go to: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
Feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback at thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com or at thethinkingjew.com
All the sources quoted in this episode can be found on the episode source sheet located at www.sefaria.org/sheets/357672
The Mikvah is one of the most powerful tools in Judaism. The Mikvah has the ability to transform a ritually impure (tamei) person into a pure one (tahor), as well as to transform a gentile into Jew. How does entering a pool of water accomplish such a magnificent transformation? Where does the Mikvah draw this amazing power from?
This episode begins with the basics of what a mikvah is and how its used, and then continues to develop that to uncover the deeper Kabbalistic meaning behind the Mikvah. We'll learn the earliest source in the Torah of the power of Mikvah and how it reconnects us to a realm untainted by sin and impervious to ritual impurity.
Happy Listening!
Rabbi Moshe
To sponsor a podcast or make a tax-deductible donation to support this podcast and DATA of Richardson: https://thethinkingjew.com/support-us/
Contact me with any feedback at thethinkingjewpodcast@gmail.com or thethinkingjew.com
Sources:
Complete source sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/414328?lang=bi
Exodus 29:4, 40:12, Leviticus 15:5-10, 16, 16:24, 26, 28, 17:15, 19:21-22, Numbers 19:7-8, 19, examples requiring one to wash their body in water to purify themselves
Maimonides, Laws of Mikvahs, 1:1-2, all purification requires entering a mikvah - https://tinyurl.com/rambammikvah
Babylonian Talmud, Chagiga 11a, calculation of water for Mikvah - https://www.sefaria.org/Chagigah.11a.12?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
Sifra, Parsha Shemini, Ch. 9:1, Mikvah must be natural without human involvement - https://www.sefaria.org/Sifra%2C_Shemini%2C_Section_9?lang=bi
Babylonian Talmud, Eruvin 4b, requirement to have no separation between immerser and water - https://www.sefaria.org/Eruvin.4b.6?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's anthology vol. 2 including "Waters of Eden: the Mystery of the Mikvah" - https://zbermanbooks.com/aryeh-kaplan-anthology-volume-ii
Genesis 2:17, death enters the world as a consequence of the sin - https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.2.17?lang=bi&aliyot=0
Likutei Halachos, Yoreh Dei'ah, laws of Mikvah 1:1, there was no impurity in the world before Adam sinned (Hebrew only) - https://tinyurl.com/likuteimikvah
Derech HaShem, Part II, before Adam sinned there was no "Jew" and "non-Jew" - https://tinyurl.com/derechh2
Genesis 2:7-15, creation of Adam, the garden and the rivers flowing out of Eden - https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.2.7?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
Babylonian Talmud, Bechoros 55a, all natural waters in the world are sourced by these rivers - https://www.sefaria.org/Bekhorot.55a.22?lang=bi
Pirkei DiRebbi Eliezer, ch. 20:9, after Adam leaves the garden he sits in the Gichon river to repent - https://tinyurl.com/gichon
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