JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED | A Guide for Today's Perplexed: Confronting the Challenges of This Generation

As a teenager, Bernd Wollschlaeger uncovered a very dark secret about his family: that his father was a decorated, high-ranking Nazi who was very proud of his role as a tank commander in Hitler’s army and played a part in the mass murder of innocent people, including children. This discovery, coupled with the murder of Jewish athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the Olympic games in Munich, led Bernd to study history and question everything he was taught. Dr. Wollschlaeger tells us what compelled him to connect to and work for holocaust survivors in Germany, convert to Judaism, make aliyah, join the IDF, marry a Jewish woman and eventually write a memoir, A German Life: Against All Odds Change Is Possible, and how he explained his journey to his own children. As a successful doctor, proud American citizen and Zionist, he dedicates his time to speaking about the dangers of antisemitism in the modern age and repenting for the sins of his father. His unlikely story is one of inspiration in a time when we really need to hear it. 

Rabbi David Rosen makes a passionate case for a new (yet old) approach to building a strong, sustainable Jewish identity, and how rallying around a flag or conjuring up the holocaust must not be the determining factors of who we are. Today we are seeing a major rise in antisemitism but now it has mutated into something entirely new. The latest iteration of this phenomenon is a bigotry that aims to strip us of our identity. Like when our haters say "antisemitism isn't exclusive to Jews since Arabs are semites too" or "Jew hatred isn't accurate since we are not even the real Jews." How do we respond to Kanye West and all the Jew hatred that is coming from both the far right and far left? Also, how important is interfaith and intrafaith dialogue? What are the benefits of engaging with Christians and Muslims but also with Reform and Conservative Jews? Should Modern Orthodoxy become self-governing and break away from the Haredi-led power structure? As Rabbi Sacks pointed out, the issues confronting contemporary halakha is not due to "lack of creativity but the sociological divorce between the centers of Pesak and the centers of congregational life." Lastly, is there hope for ending the Israeli/Palestinian conflict? If there's going to be an official peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, will that have a trickle-down effect on the conflict? The Rabbi gives his assessment of the Abraham Accords and more.

Gematria is one of the methods of Aggadic interpretation but unfortunately it has developed a bad reputation as something that can be easily manipulated to "prove" any idea. As a respected mathematician and a critical thinker, Rabbi Dr. Elie Feder initially did not find it to be compelling at all. That is until a particular gematria piqued his interest. In this episode, he discusses his journey from skeptic to believer. But what are we to make of Gematrias that are seemingly intellectually dishonest, which he refers to in his book 'Gematria Refigured' as "patchwork" or "almost the same" gematrias? The Rabbi presents us with the brilliance of Chazal and explains why they utilized a method of derash specifically focusing on quantity. His approach really blew us away, giving us a newfound appreciation for the Sages.

The Hakham returns and delivers yet another explosive interview. This time he makes a strong case for the practical reasons Jews should return to the classical Sepharadi tradition and explains why the alternative path has led many well-meaning people astray. The popularization of segulot, charlatanism, and the occult over the last few hundred years has left a deep impression on Jewish culture. Although many great rabbis and scholars are keenly aware of the dubious origins of all Kabbalistic literature, over the course of history it has become widely accepted as authoritative (but usually not in the realm of halakha). Hakham Mordehai pushes back against the argument from authority and establishes a clear path towards a society of critical thinkers over magical thinkers.

Dr. Susan Weissman delivers a thorough examination of particular areas of Sefer Hasidim by Rabbi Yehuda HaHasid. In her book titled 'Final Judgment and the Dead in Medieval Jewish Thought', she presents how influential this book was on Jewish culture, who was Rabbi Yehuda HaHasid, how accepted his book was at that time, and how it impacts Ashkenazi Jewry today. In her book, she compares and contrasts the Talmudic treatment of the dead and afterlife to its treatment in Sefer Hasidim, as well as the Christian influence on it. Chazal were no strangers to using the dead in their didactic tales and anecdotes, most famously with Eliyahu HaNavi appearing to numerous Sages. However, in Sefer Hasidim this phenomenon takes on a whole new meaning and dimension. What are the differences between the Talmud and Sefer Hasidim in their portrayal of the dead appearing to the living, and what are the reasons for these differences? We explore this in depth. Also, the idea that the "sinful dead" come back to earth as punishment for their sins is completely absent in Talmudic literature, yet in Sefer Hasidim this phenomenon is introduced to us in numerous passages which details their returning in earthly form and even posing a danger to the living. This phenomenon is completely absent in earlier Talmudic literature. Additionally, the Talmudic Sages viewed the cemetery as a place devoid of sanctity, and the living were forbidden from observing the commandments in the presence of the dead buried there. Sefer Hasidim, on the other hand, portrays Jewish burial sites in a way that reflects the notion of a cemetery as a holy space. Lastly, in regard to sin, penance and purgation, a very unique picture emerges in Sefer Hasidim. More than any other area in the book, it is in these matters in where it veered away from, if not contradicted Chazal in such a blatant fashion. What was the Rabbinical attitude towards sin and penance in contrast to Sefer Hasidim? And to go even more in depth, it seems that the cultural influence in these matters were highly specific. Dr. Weissman explains that it's not popular Christianity which fueled Rabbi Yehuda HaHassid’s ideas in these matters, but rather it was a very localized and specific influence of an early medieval pre-purgatorial penitent tradition that still persisted in Germano-Christian society of his day. If you thought vampires, werewolves, and zombies play no part in Judaism, think again. The relevance of this episode is that it alerts us that foreign, harmful ideas do in fact creep into our tradition (even from well-meaning people) and therefore we must be diligent in our studies and committed to returning to fundamentals.

Mitchell First Esq. examines pre-exilic acrostics that point to the Hebrew letter Pe preceding Ayin in the original order of the Hebrew alphabet (as in Eikhah chaps. 2-4, and based on recent archaeological findings) and the ramifications of this for the book of Tehillim (and for Eshet Hayil). He also makes a strong case for King Ahashverosh and Xerxes being one and the same. If this is true, how can we determine who Queen Esther is in the historical record? The answer may surprise you.

Rabbi Jonthan Livi, host of 3 Podcasts on Apple (The Parasha Podcast, The Navi Podcast, The Tehillim Podcast), carefully analyzes the nuances of the Garden of Eden narrative and uncovers some of its deepest lessons. The creation epic in the book of Genesis is arguably the most enigmatic, mysterious, and sophisticated text in the entire Torah, containing an endless stream of wisdom at every turn. Is the story of Adam & Hava literal, allegorical, or a mix of both? Rabbi Sacks zt'l eloquently taught that this is not Man's book about God, but rather God's book about Man. The description of Gan Eden, Man, Woman and the Snake, 2 Trees and 4 Rivers provides universal, timeless insights about the human condition. The Rabbi uncovers the secret to what our place is in the story of the origin of mankind.

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim makes a strong case to return to fundamentals by using sources and common sense. He explains how Judaism in the modern age has regressed into magical thinking and superstition. We discuss the following topics: reciting tehillim to heal the sick, treating the mezuzah as a protective amulet, what Chazal meant regarding ayin hara (evil eye) and demonology, reincarnation vs the classical belief of what happens to the soul after death, Mesora.org and 'The Religion of Reason.'

Dr. Goldish provides a detailed analysis on the history of messianic movements, with a specific focus on a relatively recent false messiah, Shabbetai Ẓevi. We discuss the influence on Zoharic and Lurianic Kabbalah on Ẓevi and his prophet, Nathan of Gaza. This story has been largely swept under the rug and if we don't learn our history, we're doomed to repeat it. What's troubling is that a large portion of the Jewish population believed he was the messiah, including respected Talmidei Hakhamim and Rabbis. How did they all fall for this, considering that he was openly breaking Halakha, including his eventual conversion to Islam? Find out how the after-effects of Sabbateanism still linger today via his remaining followers in Turkey and other unsuspecting Jewish sects its ideas crept into. And how can we have a healthier approach to awaiting Mashiach that isn't destructive and doesn't lead to extremism?

Rabbi Angel carefully presents the traditional Sepharadi approach to law and life. Do we take a more stringent or lenient approach than Ashkenazim? We live in an age where Judaism is highly fractured with sectarianism, including Ultra-Orthodox, Yeshivish, Haredi, Hassidic, Modern Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Secular Zionist, Anti-Zionist, Religious Zionist, etc. Very little (if any) progress has been made in unifying the denominations of Judaism. How are we to lead a path to a Judaism that will one day be able to unify these fractures? And what has been the Sepharadi approach that has allowed it to stay relatively uninfluenced by these movements? We also discuss what the term Modern Orthodox means, as it's a title that has been much maligned and misunderstood, as well as the Kollel crisis and the common treatment of the Gedolim.