Knowledge on the Deeper Side

Compassionate Condemnation

Love, Love, and Love Some More. Then Criticize.

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on April 3, 2019)

It can feel pretty good to call someone out for their faults and wrongdoings. As you sit atop your moral high horse, it’s nice to know that you can see evil for what it is. But a curious law in the obscure topic of lepers in the Torah teaches us a radically different approach. An approach grounded in profound compassion and a deep sense of love.

Compassionate Condemnation

Love, Love, and Love Some More. Then Criticize.

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on April 3, 2019)

It can feel pretty good to call someone out for their faults and wrongdoings. As you sit atop your moral high horse, it’s nice to know that you can see evil for what it is. But a curious law in the obscure topic of lepers in the Torah teaches us a radically different approach. An approach grounded in profound compassion and a deep sense of love.

Decoding the Universe - Part 20

"Unchanging"

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 31, 2019)

There is a foundational principle regarding G-d that is shared throughout Jewish literature: G-d doesn't change. In the words of the prophet Malachi -- "I, Havaya, have not changed." This idea is expressed in scripture, Talmud, Jewish philosophy, and even our daily prayer liturgy.

But what does it mean that G-d doesn't change? And how can it be that G-d doesn't change, given all the change that's happening around G-d, and the fact that G-d is essentially present in all?

Maimonides gives us a deep and brilliant answer to these questions. But his answer is challenged by other great Jewish philosophers. Ultimately, the Kabbalists come along and reconcile everything.

In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee we jump into the topic of Divine stability and discover why G-d is, indeed, Unchanging.

Decoding the Universe - Part 20

"Unchanging"

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 31, 2019)

There is a foundational principle regarding G-d that is shared throughout Jewish literature: G-d doesn't change. In the words of the prophet Malachi -- "I, Havaya, have not changed." This idea is expressed in scripture, Talmud, Jewish philosophy, and even our daily prayer liturgy.

But what does it mean that G-d doesn't change? And how can it be that G-d doesn't change, given all the change that's happening around G-d, and the fact that G-d is essentially present in all?

Maimonides gives us a deep and brilliant answer to these questions. But his answer is challenged by other great Jewish philosophers. Ultimately, the Kabbalists come along and reconcile everything.

In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee we jump into the topic of Divine stability and discover why G-d is, indeed, Unchanging.

Decoding the Universe - Part 19

"The Origins of Time & Space"

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 24, 2019)

There are certain things we take for granted. Certain existential parameters that are essential to life as we know it. Like, for example, time and space.

We assign a rigidity to time and space, and we operate based on the assumption that they will not collapse. Time will march forward and will not rewind. A moment is ever fleeting, gone a moment later. We can only be in one place at one time. And if I'm occupying this space, you can't be doing the same.

These are some of the rules of our realm of existence. But they didn't have to be. Nor were they always.

In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee we take a deep dive into the origins and identity of time and space. We discover how they came to be, and how even as they are, they are not as they appear.

Decoding the Universe - Part 19

"The Origins of Time & Space"

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 24, 2019)

There are certain things we take for granted. Certain existential parameters that are essential to life as we know it. Like, for example, time and space.

We assign a rigidity to time and space, and we operate based on the assumption that they will not collapse. Time will march forward and will not rewind. A moment is ever fleeting, gone a moment later. We can only be in one place at one time. And if I'm occupying this space, you can't be doing the same.

These are some of the rules of our realm of existence. But they didn't have to be. Nor were they always.

In this session of Kabbalah & Coffee we take a deep dive into the origins and identity of time and space. We discover how they came to be, and how even as they are, they are not as they appear.

Moving Forward

Reacceptance and the Criminal Background Check

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 26, 2019)

“All of your deeds are recorded in a book.” So declares the Rosh Hashanah liturgy, and so it is within the contemporary criminal justice system. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are released from prison and seek to rejoin society, but many are stymied by the public availability of their criminal records. Is it possible to find a balance between the needs of society, prospective employers, and ex-offenders? After surveying the contemporary situation, this class looks for answers in the paradigms of Jewish law.

Moving Forward

Reacceptance and the Criminal Background Check

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 26, 2019)

“All of your deeds are recorded in a book.” So declares the Rosh Hashanah liturgy, and so it is within the contemporary criminal justice system. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are released from prison and seek to rejoin society, but many are stymied by the public availability of their criminal records. Is it possible to find a balance between the needs of society, prospective employers, and ex-offenders? After surveying the contemporary situation, this class looks for answers in the paradigms of Jewish law.

Do It Because You Care

Personal Touch Is All the Difference

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 18, 2019)

Getting a birthday card with no personal message is just a wee bit disappointing. Have you ever done something like that? Have you ever “gotten it done” but without any personal feeling? Join the Jews in the perilous times of Shushanic Purim, and find the tools to inject passion and personality into your otherwise banal behavior.

Do It Because You Care

Personal Touch Is All the Difference

With Rabbi Ari Sollish

(Recorded live at the Intown Jewish Academy on March 18, 2019)

Getting a birthday card with no personal message is just a wee bit disappointing. Have you ever done something like that? Have you ever “gotten it done” but without any personal feeling? Join the Jews in the perilous times of Shushanic Purim, and find the tools to inject passion and personality into your otherwise banal behavior.