Climb Sinai: The Big Ideas of Judaism

By Rabbi Jack Cohen EdM

This podcast is for people who want access to timeless Torah wisdom that will improve their 21st century lives. Rabbi Jack Cohen (rabbijackcohen.com) makes the Torah relatable by sharing deep principl... more

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Climb Sinai: The Big Ideas of Judaism:

How many episodes does Climb Sinai: The Big Ideas of Judaism have?

The podcast currently has 26 episodes available.

Climb Sinai: The Big Ideas of Judaism episodes:

June 02, 2023#25 - Idolatry as a Cognitive Mistake
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Strange Worship, Ch. 1
Is there any relevence to the Torah's emphatic prohibition of idolatry to our lives today?

How might we be able to think about the cognitive error at the root of idolatry?

If you want to read some of my writing, check out my Substack: theexpressionoflife.com
...more
3min
May 30, 2023#24 - Strategic Excommunication
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Learning/Teaching Torah, Ch. 7
Is excommunication ever allowed?

Why is it hard for us to grasp this concept in our modern, Western society?

If you want to read some of my writing, check out my Substack: theexpressionoflife.com
...more
3min
May 30, 2023#23 - Honor and Respect for All Torah Educators
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Torah Learning/Teaching, Ch. 6
Do we need to afford honor and respect to all Torah teachers or just our own?

Is reverence just a formality? How might practicing reverence towards the people who deserve it impact us as people?

Every society is shaped by its relationship to its teachers. Reverence produces an receptivity to the wisdom a society seeks to transmit to the next generation, and a general irreverence nurtures an instability that is untenable.

If you want to read some of my writing, check out my Substack: theexpressionoflife.com
...more
4min
May 30, 2023#22 - Honor & Reverence for Parents and Teachers
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Learning/Teaching Torah, Ch. 5
Should we relate to our parents and teachers in the same way we relate to everyone else? Or should they receive special treatment since we wouldn't exist, either physically or spiritually, without them?

Honor is a bit easier to grasp precisely because it is more concrete. Reverence is hard to come by in a world flattened by secularism.

If you want to read some of my writing, check out my Substack: theexpressionoflife.com
...more
4min
May 25, 2023#21 - The Interplay Between Torah & Character
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Torah Study, Ch. 4
Can you teach Torah to anyone? Should you teach someone who is a jerk? Maybe the Torah will make them better people?

Should you learn from anyone who knows Torah?
...more
3min
May 25, 2023#20 - Torah as a Meritocracy
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Torah Study, Ch. 3
What takes priority? Study or Practice?

What form of leadership is most important? The King? The High Priest? The Rabbi?
...more
6min
May 23, 2023#19 - Putting Our Money Where Our Mouths Are On Jewish Education
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Torah Study, Ch. 2
What happens if a Jewish community just doesn't set up a Jewish school for some reason?

Is Jewish education just about "checking the box" or is there some standard of quality?

Like all priorities and values, the devil is in the details, and ideals have to make it into practice. Jewish education, among our highest of values, is certainly no different.

If you want to read some of my writing, check out my Substack: theexpressionoflife.com
...more
4min
May 22, 2023#18 - The Mitzvah of Learning/Teaching Torah
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Torah Study, Ch. 1
Why is there a separate mitzvah to study Torah? Isn't it assumed that we'll know the law to keep the law?

To what extent do we have to teach Torah to others?

Torah study is the heart and soul of Judaism, but why? In the words of Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld zt"l: "Religious observance is personal, but ignorance is treason." Not knowing is tantamount to not teaching or mis-teaching. We're letting ourselves down, and we're letting down everyone who depends on us for guidance.

If you want to read some of my writing, check out my Substack: theexpressionoflife.com
...more
5min
May 22, 2023#17 - Slander, Libel and Something Far Worse
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Character Traits, Ch. 7
Spreading false rumors about other people is obviously horrible, but what can be so bad about reporting the truth about what someone else did?

One can only understand the gravity of death by appreciating life. Only if we grasp that a human being is meant to be learning, growing, and becoming more than who they were yesterday, can we fathom the tragedy that it is it condemn them to be the mistake that they made in one instant.

The golden words of the Rambam:

A person who collects gossip about a colleague violates a prohibition as [Leviticus 19:16] states: "Do not go around gossiping among your people."
Even though this transgression is not punished by lashes, it is a severe sin and can cause the death of many Jews. Therefore, [the warning]: "Do not stand still over your neighbor's blood" is placed next to it in the Torah [ibid.]. See what happened [because of] Doeg, the Edomite.
Who is a gossiper? One who collects information and [then] goes from person to person, saying: "This is what so and so said;" "This is what I heard about so and so." Even if the statements are true, they bring about the destruction of the world.
There is a much more serious sin than [gossip], which is also included in this prohibition: lashon horah, i.e., relating deprecating facts about a colleague, even if they are true.
[Lashon horah does not refer to the invention of lies;] that is referred to as defamation of character. Rather, one who speaks lashon horah is someone who sits and relates: "This is what so and so has done;" "His parents were such and such;" "This is what I have heard about him," telling uncomplimentary things. Concerning this [transgression], the verse [Psalms 12:4] states: "May God cut off all guileful lips, the tongues which speak proud things..."
א2
If you want to read some of my writing, check out my Substack: theexpressionoflife.com
...more
4min
May 22, 2023#16 - Laws of Interpersonal Relationships
Based on Mishnah Torah I: Book of Knowledge, the Laws of Character Traits, Ch. 6
Aren't we all products of our environments? How, then, are we to blame for our bad habits and behaviors?

How am I supposed to love others if...I just don't??

Does the Torah encourage people to tell others off who are misbehaving?

This episode is a bit different because I couldn't choose a single insight to share on these life-changing halachot (Torah laws). Feel free to send in questions through the app and I'll make little micro-pods as answers.
...more
5min

FAQs about Climb Sinai: The Big Ideas of Judaism:

How many episodes does Climb Sinai: The Big Ideas of Judaism have?

The podcast currently has 26 episodes available.