Torah Cafe

Mar 09 2025 344 ep. 47 mins 35

Torah Cafe Podcast artwork

A discussion on a topic from the week's Parsha covering many important parts of Judaism that are not regularly addressed.

Religion & Spirituality

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The Triple Purim

Mar 09 2025 19 mins

In a rare occurrence, Purim this year will be on Friday taking us straight from the festival of Purim into Shabbat. This creates some unusual customs in balancing Purim with the onset of Shabbat.In Jerusalem where Purim is observed a day later (Shushan Purim), Purim will be Shabbat. However, the Megillah cannot be read on Shabbat and therefore must be read on Friday while other law

How to Study Kabbalah

Mar 05 2025 46 mins

Kabbalah the mystical teachings of Judaism have become very popular in recent years. With its popularity have come the many charlatans, frauds and quacks looking to cash in on unsuspecting students of Kabbalah. How do you know who is teaching real Kabbalah and who is a fraud? Often the fakes look very real and convincing. How can the uninitiated easily differentiate those teaching

Building the First Temple

Feb 23 2025 49 mins

In 830 BCE, King Solomon completed building the First Temple in Jerusalem. At the time, during the Iron Age, it was the grandest and largest building to be built. The Temple would serve as the center of Jewish service for 410 years until it was destroyed by the Babylonians. A fascinating discussion about how the first Temple was built, what it looked like and its role in Jewish lif

Do Jews Believe in Alternative Medicine?

Feb 17 2025 41 mins

There are many medical treatments that are not part of conventional medicine. Many of these unconventional treatments are very popular. What does Judaism say about alternative medical treatments? Are we allowed or perhaps even encouraged to seek alternative medical treatments? May we use them instead of conventional medicine? May we use them to complement conventional medicine? Gen

What are the 613 Commandments?

Feb 09 2025 56 mins

G-d gave the Jewish people 613 Commandments that we committed to follow as part of our covenant with Him. What are the 613 Commandments? Where can we find a list? What do the Commandments include? For more than 1,000 years Jewish scholars have debated over how to define Commandments, what exactly the 613 Commandments are and how to count them. A fascinating discussion about the 613

The 10 Mitzvah Campaigns

Feb 02 2025 50 mins

Starting in the 1960's, the Rebbe started public Mitzvah campaigns as a call to encourage Jews to readopt many of the important Commandments in Judaism that they were not observing. Over the Years the Rebbe launched 10 Mitzvah campaigns raising awareness and increasing observance of some of the most central Commandments. A fascinating discussion about the 10 Mitzvah Campaigns

Are Locust Kosher

Jan 26 2025 35 mins

While the Torah bans us from eating all insects, the Torah makes an exception for locust. The Torah lists certain types of locust that we are allowed to eat. Why did the Torah allow us to eat locust? Which types of locust are kosher? Can we eat them today? A fascinating discussion about the kosher status of locust.

The Jews of Tunisia

Jan 19 2025 46 mins

Jews have lived in Tunisia since Roman times and built strong communities in Tunis, Djerba and other cities. While most Jews left after independence, there is still a Jewish community in Tunis and a close knit community on the Island of Djerba.

Why does G-d have so many names?

Jan 12 2025 54 mins

The Torah and Tanach refer to G-d thousands of times but switches between many different names for G-d. Why does G-d have so many names, what do they each mean? How do we know which name of G-d to use? When do we pronounce and correctly spell G-d's name and when are they mispronounced and misspelled? A fascinating discussion about G-d's various names, what they all mean and how th

Pilegesh Begivah - The Jewish Civil War

Jan 05 2025 55 mins

One of the saddest and horrific moments in our history took place over 3,000 years ago when all the tribes joined forces to fight against the tribe of Benjamin. The horrific civil war and massacre that followed it almost led to the annihilation of the tribe of Benjamin. Learn the story of this civil war and its aftermath and its implications for us today.