Rabbi Joe’s Torat Tel Aviv
Experience Rabbi Joe Wolfson’s popular THINK class from wherever you are. This podcast brings you recordings of the weekly Monday night sessions in Tel Aviv, where Rabbi Wolfson explores the intersection of Jewish thought, contemporary issues, and timeless wisdom. Through careful textual analysis and lively discussion, Rabbi Wolfson guides participants in examining classical Jewish sources while grappling with modern ethical dilemmas and philosophical questions. Whether you’re a seasoned learner or new to Jewish studies, THINK offers an accessible yet intellectually rigorous space to deepen your understanding and challenge your perspectives. Now available as a podcast, you can join the hundreds of weekly attendees who gather to explore what Judaism has to say about the pressing issues of our time.
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Episodes
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Hostage Deals In Halacha & Jewish History Part III: What bracha should be said upon the release of hostages?
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Given at the Vine Ventures Sarona Unity Center, Feb 4th 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Last week we looked at the obligation to redeem captives but also the limitations that the mishnah puts on the prices that can be paid.
Today we look at the rise of piracy in the Black Sea and Mediterranean in the 16th century which saw Turkish Jewish communities frequently ransoming Jews from other communities, and two great rabbis of the period - the Maharshal and the Ridbaz - who both sought to explain and justify the practice of Jewish communities to pay exhorbitant costs to redeem Jewish captives, seemingly beyond the price which the mishnah had permitted.
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Given at the Vine Ventures Sarona Unity Center, January 28th 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
In this week's THINK we explore the meaning and significance of Moshe's claim that he cannot lead Israel free from slavery due to his challenges with speech
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Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
The first instalment in a series on Hostage Deals In Halacha & Jewish History at the Vine Ventures Sarona Unity Center (on the third day of the deal to release hostages from Hamas Captivity).
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Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
A short lunch and learn given at Vine Venture's Unity Bet Midrash considering Moshe and Aharon's relationship as a model and Tikkun for sibling relationships in Tanakh
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Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Shemot 4:24-26 are arguably some of the strangest verses in the whole of the Bible. So strange in fact that many people skip right over it. After Mosheh has finally agreed to return to Egypt to redeem Israel and has gotten on the way with his family, God tries to kill him! Things only get stranger when Tziporah saves him by circumcising their son. With the help of Rabbis Yoel bin Nun and Shmuel Klitsner, we argue that actually the story, understood properly, is extremely straightforward and gets to the heart of the drama surrounding Mosheh's personality and leadership.
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Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
THINK Vayehi: Thoughts on סיבתיות הכפולה / Double Causation In Bereishit, In The Story Of Yosef And His Brothers, In Our Lives We are blown forward into history facing backwards
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