Yep, you read the episode title right. Should this podcast even exist?? We here at Meaningful Judaism put our hearts into creating quality podcasts that probe the meanings behind the mitzvot… but what if this whole premise is misguided? What if there’s a fundamental flaw? Does God really want us to be demanding reasons for the mitzvot? If we were really pious, maybe we would be satisfied keeping the mitzvot simply “because the Torah says so”?? And if we’re trying to figure out the “real” reasons for the mitzvot… well, what if we get it wrong? How can we be so conceited as to think we can know God’s mind? 

And those aren’t even the most haunting questions. Could Orthodox Judaism afford to spend more time focusing on meaning? And why do the “Meaningful Judaism” reasons behind the mitzvot not seem to be reflected in mainstream Jewish life? Why aren’t our schools and synagogues teaching that keeping kosher is about source awareness and tzitzit are about self-esteem? Is Orthodox Judaism getting it wrong… or are we? 

And let’s say you can access the “reasons” behind the mitzvot… Will you find yourself magically rescued from the “roteness” of Jewish life? Such that you will suddenly perform every ritual with all-encompassing devotion, make every blessing with all-encompassing intention, and go about your days with an ever-present awareness of God? Or is that a pipe dream, and this project is unable to deliver on its promises, is doomed from the start?

If these questions itch or interest you, then this painfully honest conversation between Imu Shalev and his teacher, Aleph Beta Lead Scholar Rabbi David Fohrman, is not to be missed.

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Meaningful Judaism is a project of Aleph Beta Labs. Aleph Beta is a Torah media company dedicated to spreading the joy and love of meaningful Torah learning worldwide. For our full library of over 1,000 videos and podcasts, please visit www.alephbeta.org.