I've recently listened to a lot of podcasts in order to give my eyes some screen break. I found some wonderful podcasts that cover Judaism in one way or another and maybe they could be of interest for some of you, too. All of them are on spotify, so you can listen to them on the road, if you have that. If not, they are all accessible via the respective websites, too!

Judaism unbound - their self-description: 
"Judaism Unbound values the ways that you choose to connect to Judaism, whether through rituals steeped in millennia-old traditions or through entirely new paradigms that ancient Jewish texts never dreamed of; whether your Judaism includes participation in Jewish communal organizations or not; whether you live and breathe Jewishly 24/7 or you just want to connect once or twice a year; whether you think of yourself as Jewish, half-Jewish, Jewish-and-X, partly-Jewish, not-Jewish, or Jew-ish. "

Episodes I particularly enjoyed so far: 
E82 - The Happiness Prayer - Evan Moffic
E 70 - After Ultra- Orthodoxy - Shulem Deen (whose book, All who go do not return, I also recommend if you are interested in the story of someone who left Ultra-Orthodoxy)
E 57 - Becoming Jewish on the Web - Juan Meija 
E99 - Regular Jews (this is on the role of contributions "regular" jewish people who are not trained rabbis to religious discourse and communities)

But I could go on and recommend every episode I've heard. So far, every one has been eye opening in one way or another.

Hashivenu - A jewish podcast on resilience and reconstructing judaism, by Rabbi Deborah Waxman. They cover topics such as resilience, gratitude, meditation and prayer, equality and so on. Definitely a very positive ressource!

Hello, I live in a city that is nearing naming a new High School. We are in Texas. As I pondered names I learned that this year Texas is expanding it's curriculum to require a Remembrance Week for the Holocaust during the school year. Best I can tell there is no High School in America named "Remembrance High School".  I did my best research and wasn't sure if there was a better term to use, but I did come across "Unity" as well, and there are a few "Unity High School" named campuses in the US. 

Do you believe this is a good name to ask the naming committee to consider? How can I best present this? Is there a better name to ask for?

Best regards.

Jesus was not of the line of David, and therefore was not the messiah. I am going to use the Christian Bible and genetics to prove it.

Jesus’ adopted father Joseph never impregnated Mary, since Mary was somehow impregnated by G-d (Matthew 1:18). Therefore Joseph’s Israelite y-chromosome (a feature that can only be passed down from a human father to a human son through sperm) could have never been passed down to Jesus. Because of this, Jesus was not an Israelite, nor did he carry the root of Jesse. Instead, Jesus was just a demigod. Therefore, Jesus would have supposedly carried the y-chromosome of G-d, suggesting that G-d is a man… and G-d is not a man (Numbers 23:19). G-d does not have a y-chromsome because G-d is spirit.

The purpose of this post is to primarily for me to get a feel on how interested people are on singularitarian thought. If you are unfamiliar with this subject, I suggest read this article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularitarianism

Better yet, if you really want a better source of information, read Ray Kurzweil's book, "The Singularity is Near." I have read it, and it has changed the way I view life.

Ray Kurzweil is a secular Jew of great importance. Though he probably doesn't follow the Torah, he still has Jewish intelligence and wisdom.

Towards the end of his book, he stated, "The universe is not conscious--yet." That sentence baffled me, and naturally I looked in the Tanak to see if our ancestors have prophesied about this. I may have found a verse that backs up Dr. Kurzweil's claim:


"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?"
Isaiah 51:9

The word arm comes from the Hebrew word זְרוֹעַ. Perhaps Isaiah was using זְרוֹעַ as a metaphor for the universe?

Thoughts?

Here are the reasons why I love Judaism:

1. Epic quests (i.e. finding the mummy of Israel, relocating the remnants of Jacob, finding the messiah, initiating the Olam HaBa, building the mesillah/maslul, etc...)
   
2. The promise of the Covenant of Peace (Isaiah 54:10, Ezekiel 34:25) and the resurrection.
   
3. A final epic battle (Isaiah 28:6). HASHEM is gonna kick some butt.
   
4. Motherfricken Israel (the country) maaaaan
   

Where in the tanach does it say that you are a Jew based on your mother?

Thank you.

Please--fellow servants of HASHEM--help me understand these verses.

"Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever."
Psalm 44:23

"They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold. Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah."
Psalm 59:4-5

"As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image."
Psalm 73:20

"Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine."
Psalm 78:65

"If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous."
Job 8:5-6

"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?"
Isaiah 51:9

"Upon this I awaked, and beheld; and my sleep was sweet unto me."
Jeremiah 31:26

"Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is awakened (nê·‘ō·wr ) out of his holy habitation."
Zechariah 2:13

Does this mean that HASHEM is asleep or at least capable of sleep?

Thank you, O servants of HASHEM.

Not sure if you have seen this, but this is a great series on Jesus and Judaism by Rabbi Michael Skobac, and refutes point by point each real claim of prophecies fulfilled.  Well worth the time and should be required viewing for all Jews and missionaries. Also very entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL...2817D81B0D

Hello all, I am a fairly young Jew who is returning to Judaism. Looking forward to talking about Jewish stuff here!

What Do Tzitzit Represent? is a rather lovely article which offers a ... wait for it ... a many-stranded answer, many woven together by one of my favorite commentators, Jacob Milgrom.

Under the heading "Shaatnez in Tzitzit: A Priestly Mix of Wool and Linen", the article notes:

Quote:Milgrom argues that shaatnez is forbidden to Israelite commoners as it is reserved for the priestly class in Judaism, some of whose clothes are, according to the instructions in Exodus 28, made of a combination of wool and linen.  Only on their tzitzit may Israelite commoners have shaatnez.

Quote:It is a conscious attempt by the Torah to encourage all Israelites to aspire to a degree of holiness comparable to that of the priests. . . . The fact that the cord is woolen and blue marks it as a symbol of both priesthood and royalty, thereby epitomizing the divine imperative that Israel become ‘a priestly royalty and a holy nation’ (Exod 19:36).

Milgrom concludes that tzitzit is the epitome of the democratic thrust within Judaism, which equalizes not by leveling but by elevating: all of Israel is enjoined to become a nation of priests.