Torah Cafe

One of the central commandments in Judaism is to place a Mezuzah on our doorposts. A detailed discussion all about the Mezuzah, how it is made, where it is placed and why we Jews consider the Mezuzah part of our home security system.

Finding the 'right one' can be very challenging and daunting. Some find them immediately while others struggle waiting many years to find the right one or cycle through many partners whom they thought was the right one.

What does Judaism say about finding your spouse? Is your spouse, your soulmate? Is finding a spouse our own choice or is it destined by G-d? Is there only one person out there for each one of us?

Whether you have happily found your soulmate or you are still searching learn the Jewish perspective on marriage and finding your soulmate.

For 1600 years, Judaism was controlled by the Sanhedrin or Supreme Council until it was disbanded about 1700 years ago. What was the Sanhedrin? How did they function? Why did it disband? And why don't we recreate the Sanhedrin?

Learn about the ancient Sanhedrin and its role in Judaism.

King Solomon was one of the most unique leaders of our people and full of contradictions. The wisest of all men who make grave mistakes, the most powerful king who could not control his own home, celebrated for his righteousness yet struggled to do the right thing.

Discover the fascinating and strange story of King Solomon.

For more than 2,000 years, there has been constant hatred directed at the Jewish people. At times that hatred was religious (hatred of Judaism), at times it was cultural (hatred of Jewish culture) and sometimes nationalistic (hatred of the Jewish people). The hatred transcends time and place and was expressed by ancient Greeks, Romans and Persians, Christians, Muslims, Europeans, Arabs and even Japanese.

What is the cause of this hatred? How can we combat it? Will we ever be able to end the near universal hatred of Jews?

A discussion about the history of anti-Jewish hatred and what we believe is the cause for it.

Jerusalem is the most important city in Judaism. It was the capital of Israel for close to 3,000 years, the home to the Holy Temple and we face Jerusalem when we pray

Learn about Jerusalem: its history, spiritual significance and place in Judaism.

The Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are a collection of thirteen words or phrases that God taught Moses to invoke God's mercy whenever we are in need.

Learn about the Thirteen attributes of Mercy, what they mean and what they represent.

Synagogues as we know them did not exist in the days of Moses. How did they begin? Why did Jews start building synagogues to pray in?

A discussion about the history and development of the synagogue and its role as a Jewish place for prayer.

The Temple Mount, the site of the two ancient Temple in Jerusalem is Judaism's holiest site. How was the Temple Mount chosen as G-d's special spot on earth? What is the history behind it?

Our Temple was destroyed almost 2,000 years ago yet we still consider the spot very holy. What is it's current status in Judaism? Do we allow or encourage Jews to go up  on the mountain today? Should we allow non Jews to go up? And should we make any attempt to rebuild our holy Temple?

Learn about the history of the Temple mount, its status today and the Jewish quest to rebuild the Temple.

One of the greatest Jewish tragedies of all times was the Jewish-Roman War in 66-70CE. In that brutal war, one million Jews were killed, Jerusalem was leveled and the Holy Temple was destroyed. The war led to the exile of our people when most of us were forced out of Israel to wonder from land to land.

While there are many accounts of this war, figuring out what actually happened is difficult given the contradictions and the knowledge that the most important account was largely falsified.  Listen to the fascinating story of this important historical event.