Orthodox Conundrum

When protestors attacked the United States Capitol based on the president's words, both Jewish law and Jewish values were torn to shreds. Many Orthodox Jews, while not supporting violence, refuse to recognize what has happened as a result of the Trump presidency. With two weeks left before Trump leaves office, Scott Kahn looks at what too many Orthodox Jews have lost as a direct consequence of Trump idolatry. Thanks to all of our new Patreon subscribers, who now have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy everything that you get! 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. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

As 2020 comes to a close, Scott takes a brief look back at the past year for Jewish Coffee House, and looks forward to even more in 2021 - and explains how you can help. Listen to the podcast, then go to https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse (and do it fast to get a cup of coffee on us!).

How do we teach faith and belief to our students and children, when so much of society is dismissive of faith and belief? Should intellectual acquiescence or intimate experience be our primary goal? What are the questions that bother kids the most, and what should parents and teachers do when they don't have satisfactory answers to these questions? To address these and other issues, Scott spoke to Rabbi Pesach Sommer, who has over twenty years of experience teaching in Jewish days schools. He is also involved with Project Makom, an organization for charedim who are looking to find a more comfortable way of expressing their religiosity, where he speaks and offers guidance. Pesach is a popular writer, blogger, and accomplished speaker, and a noted thinker in the area of hashkafa and Jewish thought. 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 our Patreon site for bonus episodes, merch, and more at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

It seems that a vaccine to prevent COVID-19 will be available as soon as next month. Yet many people are nervous about the vaccine, and suggested that they might not be interested in having it administered to them - at least not right away. There are concerns about the speed at which it was developed, the possibility of short and long term side effects that might not yet have been discovered, and more. And these questions persist within the Orthodox community, as much as anywhere else. To discuss the vaccine, both from a public health standpoint and from the perspective of Halacha, Scott Kahn interviewed Dr. Sharon Galper Grossman. Dr. Grossman is a radiation oncologist and former faculty member of Harvard Medical School, where she also obtained a Masters in Public Health. She is a graduate of the Morot L'Halakha program for women's advanced halakha learning at Matan Hasharon. She writes and lectures on women's health and halakha and teaches for Matan, Machon Puah and the Eden Center where she is the director of community health programming. 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 our Patreon site for bonus episodes, merch, and more at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

It's difficult to deny that the Trump administration was far more pro-Israel than its predecessor; for that reason, many Israelis and others who support Israel are very nervous about what to expect from a Biden administration. Will the gains of the past four years be reversed? Will Biden reenter the Iran deal? Will Israel receive a warm embrace from Washington, or the cold shoulder? To answer these questions, Scott Kahn spoke to Ambassador Michael Oren. Michael Oren served as the Israeli ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2013, and is a former Member of Knesset and deputy minister in charge of public diplomacy. As both an historian and someone who knows President Obama and Vice President Biden well, Ambassador Oren is uniquely equipped to provide insight into this pressing issue. 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 our Patreon site for bonus episodes, merch, and more at www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Should rabbis express their opinion regarding the candidate they think is better? Should they articulate "the Torah's viewpoint" when it comes to elections? What dangers could potentially result from doing so? Join Scott Kahn for a special editorial episode of the Orthodox Conundrum, where he tells you whom he voted for (surprise, not Trump), and why he respects those who voted differently... with one specific exception. 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 our Patreon site for bonus episodes, merch, and more at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

Many Jews have ambivalent feelings about Christian support for Israel. On the one hand, we're thrilled to have friends and supporters; but on the other hand, at what cost? Is Christian Zionism a ploy to support Israel and, in the process, convert unsuspecting Jews to Christianity? Is the missionizing impulse a key aspect of Christian Zionism? What, exactly, do Christian Zionists really want? To answer these questions, Scott Kahn spoke with John Enarson, a Christian who comes from an Evangelical background, and who is the Christian Relations Director at Cry For Zion. Also joining the conversation is Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, a leading media voice in the field of Jewish Christian relations, and an educator and consultant for the Outreach Department of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. 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 our Patreon site for bonus episodes, merch, and more at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

How can it be that wide swaths of the religious Jewish world have become enamored with conspiracy theories, do-it-yourself research in matters of life and death, and even violence, when they don't like a government's policies? This is becoming the public perception of Orthodoxy, both within and without the Jewish world - and the sad reality is that this perception is not baseless. What can we do? How can we reset everything that has gone wrong? Join Scott Kahn for a presentation of the problem. We may not have the answers; but allowing these weeds to grow in Orthodoxy's garden is no longer an option. 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 our Patreon site for bonus episodes, merch, and more at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS EXPLICIT MATERIAL. LISTENER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Intimacy and sexual experiences are so closely connected with a person's sense of identity, and so seldom discussed in many religious communities, that they often are the source of tremendous feelings of guilt. When are these feelings misplaced and when do they serve a constructive purpose? How should a religious individual manage his experience of guilt? Is there a way to reframe the experience of shame or guilt in order to create a sense of empowerment? Join Talli Rosenbaum and Rabbi Scott Kahn as they tackle these and other timely questions. (This episode also appears on the Intimate Judaism website - go to https://www.intimatejudaism.com/ for show notes and more.)

Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, Founding Dean of Yeshiva Darchei Noam of Monsey, is finding solutions to enable students to learn Gemara, and to enjoy it. His talk with Scott Kahn included insights into solutions for helping students enjoy Gemara learning, effective testing and evaluation methodologies, thoughts about when students should begin learning Talmud, whether strong students also require skill building, how Rabbi Horowitz got into teaching, and much more. If you would like to order a copy of Rabbi Scott Kahn's "The Laws of Tekiat Shofar" for just $3.00, write to scott@jewishcoffeehouse.com. 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 our Patreon site for bonus episodes, merch, and more at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse. Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com