The Tisch with Rabbi Michael Knopf

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh/The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every commandment in the Torah.

This week – what’s the deal with ma’aser, the command to give one-tenth of our crops to the Levites, the clan who officiated in the ancient Temple, a command that is still operative today in Israel?

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every commandment in the Torah.

This week – what’s the deal with tzitzit, the command to attach fringes on the corners of our garments?

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every commandment in the Torah.

This week – what’s the deal with the The Ritual of the First Fruits, giving the first yield of our land as a gift to the Temple on the Shavuot holiday?

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every commandment in the Torah.

This week – what’s the deal with the Jubilee Year?

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every commandment in the Torah.

This week – what’s the deal with counting the Omer?

“What’s the point of Judaism? Does God really care if I eat this cheeseburger?” How many of us have asked these questions? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every commandment in the Torah. We’ll take them one by one, pick them apart, and see if they work.

This week – why did God give us the Torah in the first place?

“What’s the point of Judaism? Does God really care if I eat this cheeseburger?” How many of us have asked these questions? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every commandment in the Torah.

We’ll take them one by one, pick them apart, and see if they work.

Join Rabbi Knopf as he presents the exciting new publication, “Slavery, Freedom, and Everything Between,” edited by Rabbi Menachem Creditor and Rabbi Aaron Alexander. This collection explores the themes and lessons of Passover. Rabbi Knopf reads from and discusses the book and presents his own essay, “On Redemption.”

You can order your copy here. All proceeds from the sale of this book support the sacred work of MAZON: A Jewish Response To Hunger.

Join Rabbi Knopf as he answers his students most pressing Jewish questions about Passover, Kashrut, and Jewish life!

Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students discuss Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s monumental collection of essays on Jewish prayer, “Man’s Quest for God.”

This week, we discuss “The Doctrine of Religious Solipsism,” in which Heschel claims that we suffer from too much egocentricity, and that the goal of prayer is self-surrender. Can prayer save us from our narcissistic culture?