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

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.

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)