The first of our three part series on the Yamim Nora'im. We look at the concept of Teshuvah, how to do it, and how it connects to the main prayers, symbols, and ideas of Rosh haShanah and Yom Kippur

A very brief and very rapid look at 2000+ years of antisemitism, anti-Judaism and antizionism

I. Holy Hades - She’ol, or, The Underworld

Genesis 37:35

(35) And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said: ‘I will go down to She’ol, to my son mourning.’ And his father wept for him.

Numbers 16:32-34

(32) [...] and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all Korah’s people and all their possessions. (33) They went down alive into She’ol, with all that belonged to them; the earth closed over them and they vanished from the midst of the congregation. (34) All Israel around them fled at their shrieks, for they said, “The earth might swallow us!”

Isaiah 38:18

(18) For Sh’eol cannot praise You, death cannot celebrate You; They that go down into the pit cannot hope for Your truth.

Job 7:9

As a cloud fades away, so one that goes down to She’ol shall not come up.

 

 

II. Back from the Dead - Resurrection

Ezekiel 37:11-12

(11) Then God said unto me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off. (12) Therefore prophesy, and say unto them: Thus says the Lord, God: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.

Isaiah 26:19

(19) Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise— Awake and sing, you that dwell in the dust— For your dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the spirits.

Daniel 12:2

(2) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches and to everlasting abhorrence.

Sifrei Devarim 306:35 [2nd-3rd Century CE]

R. Simai [said]: There is no section in the Torah that does not deal with the resurrection, but we lack the strength to expound it.

Talmud Bavli Ketubot 111a:1-27 [4th-6th Century CE]

Rabbi El’azar said: The dead of the lands outside of Eretz Yisrael will not come alive and be resurrected in the future, as it is stated: “And I will set glory [tzvi] in the land of the living” (Ezekiel 26:20). This teaches that with regard to a land which contains ‘My desire’ [tzivyoni], its dead will come alive; however, with regard to a land which does not contain Tziyyon, i.e., outside of Eretz Yisrael, its dead will not come alive. [...] The Gemara asks: And according to the opinion of Rabbi El’azar, will the righteous outside of Eretz Yisrael not come alive at the time of the resurrection of the dead? Rabbi Ile’a said: They will be resurrected by means of rolling, i.e., they will roll until they reach Eretz Yisrael, where they will be brought back to life. Rabbi Abba Salla Rava strongly objects to this: Rolling is an ordeal that entails suffering for the righteous! Abayé said: Tunnels are prepared for them in the ground, through which they pass to Eretz Yisrael.

 

 

III. Gan Eden / Gei Hinnom - Heaven & Hell

Tosefta Sanhedrin 13:3 [1st-2nd Century CE]

Beit Shammai taught: There are three groups– one is destined for eternal life, another consigned to eternal ignominy and eternal abhorrence, while those whose deeds are balanced will go down to Gei Hinnom, but when they scream they will ascend from there and be healed.

Talmud Bavli Berakhot 57b:10 [4th-6th Century CE]

Three things are microcosms of the World-that-Is-Coming, and they are: Shabbat, a sunny day, and sexual intercourse

Talmud Bavli Berakhot 17a:12 [4th-6th Century CE]

Rav was wont to say: The World-that-Is-Coming is not like this world. In the World-that-Is-Coming there is no eating, no drinking, no procreation, no business negotiations, no jealousy, no hatred, and no competition. Rather, the righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads, enjoying the splendor of the Divine Presence.

Talmud Bavli Shabbat 152b:8 [4th-6th Century CE]

Rabba said to Rav Naḥman: What happens to the souls of mediocre people, who are neither righteous nor wicked? Rav Naḥman said to him: It is good that you asked me this question, for even if I were dead I would not have been able to tell you that! Sh’muel said as follows: These and those, the souls of the wicked and of the mediocre people, are handed over to Dumah, the angel in charge of spirits. But these, the souls of the mediocre people, have rest, and these, the souls of the wicked, do not have rest.

 

 

IV. Soul (Re)Cycling - Reincarnation

R’ Sa’adiah Gaon, Book of Beliefs and Opinions, vi. 8 [9th Century CE]

I have found certain people, who call themselves Jews, professing the doctrine of ... ‘transmigration of souls.’ Many of them would even go so far as to assert that the spirit of a human being might enter into the body of a beast or that of a beast into the body of a human being, and other such nonsense and stupidities!

Zohar I:186b [11th-12th Century CE]

As long as a person is unsuccessful in their purpose in this world, the Holy One, blessed be God, uproots them and replants them over and over again.

Zohar III:99b [11th-12th Century CE]

Truly, all souls, must undergo transmigration; but humanity does not perceive the ways of the Holy One, how the revolving scale is set up and people are judged every day at all time, and how they are brought up before the Tribunal, before they enter into this world and after they leave it. They do not even perceive the many transmigrations and the many mysterious works which the Holy One accomplishes with many naked souls, and how many naked spirits roam about, in the other world, without being able to enter within the veil of the King's Palace 

R' Hayyim Vital, Sha'ar HaGilgulim, 8 [16th Century CE]

Regarding reincarnation of souls, why do souls reincarnate? There are various reasons why souls reincarnate: a) they have transgressed on a particular commandment of the Torah; b) To correct a commandment that was neglected and is lacking by them; and c) For the sake of others, to guide them and help them to correct. 

R' Moshe Hayyim Luzzato, Derekh Hashem, 2:10 [18th Century CE]

There is a core principle which guides all the ways of the world - and this is that which the highest wisdom has arranged in order to increase [the chance of] success, as I have explained. For a single soul will come to this world many different times in many different bodies. Through this one is able to repair at one point that which was corrupted at another point - or to complete that which was left unfinished. And only at the end of all these transmigrations will the future judgement occur, and thus the soul will be judged on all that which transpired during all the incarnations in which it was transmigrated and all the circumstances of each.

This week we look at the phenomenon of Nevu'ah. Often called 'prophecy' but more often misunderstood as a result, what does it mean to be a Spokesperson for and to God? Who are the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and what were their messages? Is 'prophecy' in our own time possible?

And we're back! Starting 2024 off with a bang, we're looking at the question of the Torah's 'authorship'. Who wrote it? God? Moses? Some blokes named J.E. and P.D.? Join us for a whirlwind tour of the Torah, a consideration of its composition, and a fiercely anti-fundamentalist polemic on the question of Torah min haShamayim.

This week we look at a broad survey of the histories and themes of Jewish mysticism, AKA Kabbalah

This week we look at Jewish Ethics, how that fits into ideas of Halakhah, what Musar is – and why we should all care very much about our behaviour even outside the bounds of the Torah's laws.

A look at Kashrut - from the Torah to today - with its complexities and contradictions.

A brief and incomplete history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from 1923-2023. Following the events of 7 October, we tried to give some context to the role of Hamas, the difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

Join us as we review the second half of the year - from Tishrei through Adar!

Aaaand, we're back! With the Summer break behind us, we're looking at the calendar, starting with the Hebrew month of Nisan and going through Elul – roughly corresponding to the seasons of Spring (Nisan-Iyyar-Sivan) and Summer (Tammuz-Av-Elul).

*Summer Special* During our break from Jewniversity (we return in September), there will be a few one-off guest appearances on this podcast. First up, I was privileged to be invited to deliver the R' Dr. Louis Jacobs memorial lecture in London, where the topic was 'The Fallacy of Orthodoxy'

A whirlwind look at some of the ethical and halakhic issues surrounding sex and gender – from egalitarianism, to LGBT+ identities, Gittin, Shutafut, Niddah and Milah.

Attempting the impossible task of covering the last millennium of Jewish history, we survey major events, figures and developments in Jewish communities around the world through the mediaeval, early modern, and modern periods.

This week we look at 1500 (!) years of history, from the building of the Second Temple to its destruction and the aftermath that resulted in the development of Rabbinic Judaism.

Slides with notes, dates, and maps can be found here. 

This week we take a look at the 613 Mitzvot ('duties', 'commandments') which are in the Torah, their categories and divisions, their significance, and a brief look at jurisprudence and the development of Halakhah.

This week we take a semi-serious and semi-comprehensive approach to Shabbat observance through the lens of Halakhah and rabbinic innovation, exploring the 39 Melakhot (categories of labour), and the rabbinic concepts of Shevut (rest), Muktseh (weekday/Shabbat objects), and Oneg Shabbat (restful pleasure).

A fresh look at the Jewish notions of time on every scale of being – considering the basis of Shabbat not just as a function of recalling an ongoing and ever-dynamic Creation, but also as a representation of cosmological cycles and calendrical values. Shabbat, it turns out, is an awful lot more than just the 'day of rest.'

In this follow-up to last week's survey of Genesis, we look at the Book of Exodus and the significance of the model of covenant found therein.

Our third session of Jewniversity takes us into the Torah itself as we attempt (in an hour) to sum up the key characters and plots of the book of Genesis (Beréshit) and the idea of Berit (Covenant) found therein.

Click here for a PDF of the theodicy rubric we discussed 

Click here an image of the TheolOmega model we drew on the board

In our first lecture we try and define what 'Judaism' even is. Is there such a thing as Judaism? What makes someone Jewish? Are we a people, a race, a culture, a religion, an ethnicity? Before we can do much else we've got to start by looking at what Judaism(s) is.

Join us on a sloppy and slightly sarcastic 'Tour de Siddur' - all about prayer. Does prayer exist? Do we do it in Judaism? Is it obligatory? Why is the siddur so chonky?!

We refer to the JPS Commentator's Bible (an English Mikra'ot Gedolot), a sample excerpt of which can be found here. 

Join us for a tour of the Who, What, Where, When and Why of the Zohar

This week we look at the cycle of creativity and consolidation, the development of Halakhah, and the two major codes - Rambam's Mishneh Torah and R' Yosef Karo's Shulḥan Arukh.

A look at the concept, methodology and texts of Midrash.

Join us this week as we dive into the six orders and sixty-three tractate of the Mishnah! How did the Mishnah make Judaism and who are the Rabbis (capital R) who made the Mishnah?

We start our series on the Jewish Library by looking in-depth at the 24 books and 969 chapters of the Tana"kh (AKA 'Hebrew Bible')

A look at the symbols, customs, laws, and practices of Rosh haShanah - from why its in Tishrei to why the Rabbis hate Tashlich.

In our last episode for this High Holy Day series (and our last of both 5784 and 2024), we explore Yom Kippur.

We consider the discipline of Jewish theology and philosophy and look at several of the main thinkers in this tradition, from Philo to Maimonides

Following up on our last session, we look at the project of Jewish theology and the personalities of Jewish theologians from the Renaissance period until today

All things Pesach: what it is, how we observe it, its history, procedures, practices and frustrations. From Kitniyot to the Haggadah, from Ḥaroset to Ḥazeret

A slightly out-of-the-box look at the magic of the number 7 – from the Menorah to the Omer to Shemittah, Shabbat and more, join us to explore this most sacred of numerals.

A brief and incomplete survey of modern Israel, from the first Zionist Congress (1897) until the 39th, coming up later this year.

A rapid-fire tour of the Jewish conceptions of death, dying, burial and mourning.

In our 40th episode (!) we deal with the thorny questions of the Messiah (who it is and why) and Messianism

We look at Jewish laws, custom and practices around dating, engagement, sex and marriage

In a follow up to last week's episode, we review laws of marriage (Kiddushin), explore some aspects of sexuality in Jewish practice (Onah, Niddah), and consider the laws of divorce (Gittin)

In honour of Pride and in our final session before the Summer break, we look at LGBT+ life and law in Judaism

What makes a Jewish house a Jewish home? We explore the concept of Mikdash Ma'at and the practices, objects, and experiences inherent in building a Bayit Neeman beYisrael.

An introductory look at supernatural beings in Jewish tradition - the good, the bad, and the toilet demons.

In honour of Mitzvah Day and Interfaith Week, a look at how Judaism sees other religions and how they see us.

All about Hanukkah – its history, myth, and modern practice

Two documents are referenced in this podcast: the diagram of a page of the Vilna Shas, which is here, and the text of Massekhet Berakhot 12b-13a (the last sugya of the first chapter of Berakhot) is here

So many labels exist for Jews - from ancient to modern, theological to geographical! We try (and fail) to categorise and organise all the many ways to be Jewish in this (rather poor, admittedly) attempt at a Jewish taxonomy

In our 50th episode (!) we investigate the question of full and equal participation in Jewish life for women (egalitarianism) – its basis, its development, and its challenges today

A quick and colourful look at Purim – the story of Megillat Ester, the rituals and mitzvot of the holiday, and its minhagim and myths