Torah Cafe

Judaism's Message to Humanity

We believe that Judaism is not only about Jews. We Jews have a message to share with the world around us. A universal code of morality and values that we should encourage

Overpopulation

Many people are afraid to have more children. They add to a already too large population competing for scarce resources. They increase the pollution and add to the CO2 de

The Extraordinary Story of the Etrog

Each year on Sukkot for over 3,000 years, we have taken an Etrog along with three other plants to shake together on the festival. The Etrog is a very unusual fruit and ob

Yom Kippur in the Ancient Temple

Today, Yom Kippur is marked by fasting and all-day prayer in the synagogue. when the Holy Temple stood in Jerusalem, Yom Kippur was marked by a unique service performed b

The Kol Nidrei Controversy

Kol Nidrei is for many the most important prayer of the year. However the prayer itself was once extremely controversial. Many Jewish scholars and rabbis called for remov

Is G-d also a King?

We believe that G-d is our Creator and in our prayers often refer to Him as our father. However, on Rosh Hashanah, we mostly refer to G-d as our King.  What does it mean

Piyyut - How Jews Invented Poetry

Poetry has always played a central role in Judaism. Jewish poetry began in the Tanach (the Hebrew scriptures), which contain the earliest known poetry. Later in the early

Freeing Hostages

It is a great Mitzvah to do everything we can to free our fellow Jews who have been captured. Many Jewish communities maintained special funds for freeing captives and ho

Get - The Jewish Divorce Ceremony

Judaism allows for couple to go separate ways once their marriage reached an end. The process of Jewish divorce - Get in Hebrew - is among the most detailed and complex r

Are we reaching the end-of-times?

From the beginning of time, people have been predicting the end-of-times, when the world as we know it will come to an end. Today, there are countless people who claim to

Is it Kosher to eat fish and meat together?

The Torah forbids us from eating milk and meat together. What about fish and meat, fish and fowl, or even fish and milk?  A fascinating discussion about the rules of eat

When Chopping Wood is a Mitzvah

An important part of the Temple service was the chopping and donating wood to the Temple for the fire on the Altar. This Mitzvah came with great celebrations and many fam

Josephus: Historian, Traitor or Propagandist?

Josephus is our single most important source for the final decades of the Second Temple period. He was a former Jewish commander who surrendered to the Romans and later b

Good vs. Evil: Who Wins?

In our personal lives and our world in general, there is an epic battle between good and evil. Each side is constantly battling to gain the upper hand. Who wins this batt

The Great American Jewish Experiment

While historically, Jewish communities were organized and structured, the freedoms in the United States have made Jewish communities fractured and fragile. This created a

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Scheerson, Sacrificing for Judaism

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the sixth Chabad Rebbe, was one of the most fascinating and impactful Jewish leaders of the early 20th century. The Rebbe began his leade

Balaam's Talking Donkey

One of the strangest stories in the Torah is when Balaam decided to go and curse Israel but G-d sent obstacles to disuade him from going. One such event was when Balaam h

The Split in Hungarian Jewry

One of the most important Jewish events in modern Jewish history, was the split in Hungarian Jewry in 1870. It marked the first time Jewish communities officially split o

The Danger of Words

One of the central values in Judaism is not speaking bad about others, Lashon Hara in Hebrew. While gossip has become a staple in our society today, our Jewish traditions

Playing Music During Prayer

Music played a central role in the service at the Temple in Jerusalem. While sacrifices were offered, the Levites played a variety of music and sang songs of praise to G-