Big Questions of Jewish Belief By cover art

Big Questions of Jewish Belief

By: Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • This is Big Questions of Jewish Belief, the podcast where we face up to the challenges of religious faith. We all have questions about our faith. Questions about the truth of the Torah, the morality of its laws and what it teaches about having a relationship with God. So each week during this miniseries I’ll be inviting rigorous thinkers to challenge me with their questions on Belief. My name is Raphael Zarum - I’m the Dean of LSJS - the London School of Jewish Studies, where I hold the Rabbi Sacks Chair in Modern Jewish Thought, established by the Zandan family. I’m a rabbi and I have degrees in Physics, Mathematics and Education, and I’m fascinated by the relationship between general and Jewish thought and ideas. I explore these ideas further in a book called ‘Questioning Belief’ which is available on Amazon worldwide (UK link: lsjs.ac.uk/amazonbelief). I don’t believe in quick responses that don’t stand up to scrutiny. I think we should take questions seriously as they reflect a real desire to understand our practices and beliefs in a deeper way. So you won’t get clever quips and cheap certainties from this podcast, what you’ll get is an honest and open discussion about challenging questions based on traditional sources and modern interpretations.
    ©2024
    Show more Show less
Episodes
  • (04) The Chosen People

    (04) The Chosen People
    Apr 9 2024

    Jews have long been proud to call themselves the Chosen People. But isn’t that a little bit racist? Rabbi Zarum is joined by Jonathan and Sophia who bring their own experiences and knowledge to the journey of discovering what exactly ‘chosen’ means and what exactly we’ve been chosen for.

    For further study, Rafi’s book Questioning Belief is now available on Amazon.

    Visit lsjs.ac.uk to continue learning with Rabbi Zarum and other LSJS educators.
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • (03) Collective Punishment

    (03) Collective Punishment
    Apr 2 2024

    Rafi takes Jonathan and Sophia along a fascinating route which takes in collective punishment in Sodom and Gomorrah, shooting Orcs in Star Wars, and the Israel Defence Force’s policy on terrorists.

    If that’s not enough for you, you’ll find a whole chapter on Collective Punishment and whether it’s fair, in the book Questioning Belief by Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum, available on Amazon.

    Visit lsjs.ac.uk to continue learning with Rabbi Zarum and other LSJS educators.
    Show more Show less
    31 mins
  • (02) Does the Flood Story Hold Water?

    (02) Does the Flood Story Hold Water?
    Mar 26 2024

    We’ve known the story of Noah and the Ark since we were babies. Do we as Jews believe it really happened? And if it didn’t, why is it in the Torah? Armed with studies in classics and science, Jonathan and Sophia join Rafi to challenge the veracity of the flood and discover a surprising message for today’s #climatecrisis era.

    For further study, Rafi’s book Questioning Belief contains a chapter dedicated to the story of the flood, as well as more chapters exploring the veracity of other Torah stories. It’s available on Amazon by Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum.

    Visit lsjs.ac.uk to continue learning with Rabbi Zarum and other LSJS educators.
    Show more Show less
    36 mins
Philosophy Social Sciences Judaism Spirituality
Show more Show less

What listeners say about Big Questions of Jewish Belief

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
No Reviews are Available