The Thinking Jew Podcast

With the fast of the 10th of Teves approaching this week, I'm rebroadcasting episode 55 which contains such a powerful idea behind the spiritual power of this meaningful day. 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 A

If you ask most people what the miracle of Chanuka was, they'll most likely respond with the story of a small jug of pure oil burning in the Temple for 8 nights.  After all, we light our menorahs for 8 nights to commemorate that miracle! But, was that really the greatest miracle?  Did a tiny small untrained Jewish army led by rabbis not defeat the mighty Greek Empire? So

The Torah is broken up into many different sections and parts. The primary two being the written law (Torah She'bichsav) and the oral law (Torah She'ba'al Peh).   In today's episode I lay out the general structure of the Torah and show how all the sections are interconnected.   I also cover topics such as: 1) How could the oral law have been written down? 2) Was every p

This past week I asked close to 50 people to think of something that they want to improve at over this coming year. A whopping 100% (!!!) thought of something that they're really bad at and is extremely difficult for them.  This is often how we think.  We know what we're bad at and want to change it, but when we approach it head on, we often fail and remain in the exact s

Do you find yourself approaching the High Holidays the same way every year?  Thinking about the same things you want to improve on that you said last year?  With so much busyness in life, how can we make a real change?  Join me as we look to our forefather Abraham, and his journey of finding God in a pagan culture, to help guide ourselves in 2022 and beyond! Happy L

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Brittany Maynard moved to Oregon, then (2014) one of only four states with legalized physician assisted suicide.  She was a big activist for legalizing suicide for terminal patients, allowing them to "die on their own terms". In this class, we take a deep dive into the traditional sources on suicide and physician assisted suicide acr

Wouldn't life be simpler if we could just walk into a building and experience God? Would it not answer so many questions and doubts?  Would it not provide such clarity of purpose and mission? A long time ago, when the Temple stood in Jerusalem it provided just that.  Entering the temple was a transcendent experience - as if you were now experiencing life on a higher dimen

The first words a Jew says when he or she wakes up is 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘩 𝘈𝘯𝘪, a prayer expressing thanks to God for another day.  Jewish law desires one to say this prayer so immediately upon waking that the prayer doesn't contain the name of God in it, so one can say it even before they wash their hands (𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘮). W

This coming weekend begins the saddest part of the Jewish calendar.  Occurring across a three week period, between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av, this time period has held the most terrible tragedies for the Jewish nation. What were those tragedies?  What's the history behind these ominous days?  What's the message for us nowadays?  What are the practical

In this episode we look into the concept of genetics in Torah law.  When are we developing the world and using the resources God gave us and when are we playing God?   Is it ethical to pick the gender of a child?  What about their height/eye color?  What if it impacts their health? Does that make it better? In addition to these general questions, we discuss the