This week we look at the cycle of creativity and consolidation, the development of Halakhah, and the two major codes - Rambam's Mishneh Torah and R' Yosef Karo's Shulḥan Arukh.

Jewish Library - Midrash

Mar 28th, 2024 50m 52s

A look at the concept, methodology and texts of Midrash.

Jewish Library - the Mishnah

Mar 14th, 2024 59m 4s

Join us this week as we dive into the six orders and sixty-three tractate of the Mishnah! How did the Mishnah make Judaism and who are the Rabbis (capital R) who made the Mishnah?

Jewish Library - Tana"kh

Feb 29th, 2024 59m 53s

We start our series on the Jewish Library by looking in-depth at the 24 books and 969 chapters of the Tana"kh (AKA 'Hebrew Bible')

Choose Your Own Afterlife

Feb 15th, 2024 1h 2m

I. Holy Hades - She’ol, or, The UnderworldGenesis 37:35(35) And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said: ‘I will go down to She’ol, to my son mourning.’ And his father wept for him.

The Path of Prophecy

Feb 1st, 2024 49m 14s

This week we look at the phenomenon of Nevu'ah. Often called 'prophecy' but more often misunderstood as a result, what does it mean to be a Spokesperson for and to God? Who are the Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and what were their messages? Is '

Who Wrote the Torah?

Jan 18th, 2024 43m 54s

And we're back! Starting 2024 off with a bang, we're looking at the question of the Torah's 'authorship'. Who wrote it? God? Moses? Some blokes named J.E. and P.D.? Join us for a whirlwind tour of the Torah, a consideration of its composition,

What Is Kabbalah?

Dec 7th, 2023 52m 42s

This week we look at a broad survey of the histories and themes of Jewish mysticism, AKA Kabbalah

Jewish Ethics - Mitsvot and Middot

Nov 9th, 2023 1h 1m

This week we look at Jewish Ethics, how that fits into ideas of Halakhah, what Musar is – and why we should all care very much about our behaviour even outside the bounds of the Torah's laws.

Kashrut

Nov 2nd, 2023 1h 11m

A look at Kashrut - from the Torah to today - with its complexities and contradictions.

Special Episode – A Brief Intro to Israel/Palestine

Oct 20th, 2023 1h 3m

A brief and incomplete history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from 1923-2023. Following the events of 7 October, we tried to give some context to the role of Hamas, the difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and the confli

The Calendar - Pt. 2

Sep 21st, 2023 1h 1m

Join us as we review the second half of the year - from Tishrei through Adar!

The Calendar - Pt. 1

Sep 7th, 2023 1h 11m

Aaaand, we're back! With the Summer break behind us, we're looking at the calendar, starting with the Hebrew month of Nisan and going through Elul – roughly corresponding to the seasons of Spring (Nisan-Iyyar-Sivan) and Summer (Tammuz-Av-Elul).

*Summer Special* - The Fallacy of Orthodoxy (R' Louis Jacobs Memorial Lecture)

Jul 18th, 2023 39m 9s

*Summer Special* During our break from Jewniversity (we return in September), there will be a few one-off guest appearances on this podcast. First up, I was privileged to be invited to deliver the R' Dr. Louis Jacobs memorial lecture in Londo

History Pt. 3 - 1000 CE - Today

Jun 15th, 2023 1h 7m

Attempting the impossible task of covering the last millennium of Jewish history, we survey major events, figures and developments in Jewish communities around the world through the mediaeval, early modern, and modern periods.

History Pt. 2 - 500 BCE - 1000 CE

Jun 1st, 2023 1h 3m

This week we look at 1500 (!) years of history, from the building of the Second Temple to its destruction and the aftermath that resulted in the development of Rabbinic Judaism.

History Pt. 1 - 1500-500 BCE

May 12th, 2023 1h

Slides with notes, dates, and maps can be found here.

The 613 Duties of a Jew - Mitzvot

Apr 20th, 2023 1h 9m

This week we take a look at the 613 Mitzvot ('duties', 'commandments') which are in the Torah, their categories and divisions, their significance, and a brief look at jurisprudence and the development of Halakhah.

Shabbat Pt. 2 - Eat, Pray, Rest

Mar 24th, 2023 1h 20m

This week we take a semi-serious and semi-comprehensive approach to Shabbat observance through the lens of Halakhah and rabbinic innovation, exploring the 39 Melakhot (categories of labour), and the rabbinic concepts of Shevut (rest), Muktseh (

Shabbat Pt. 1 - Creation, Cosmos, and the Calendar

Mar 9th, 2023 57m 48s

A fresh look at the Jewish notions of time on every scale of being – considering the basis of Shabbat not just as a function of recalling an ongoing and ever-dynamic Creation, but also as a representation of cosmological cycles and calendrical

Striking A Deal - Covenant Part. 2 (Exodus)

Feb 20th, 2023 1h 9m

In this follow-up to last week's survey of Genesis, we look at the Book of Exodus and the significance of the model of covenant found therein.

Striking A Deal - Covenant Pt. 1 (Avraham)

Feb 11th, 2023 1h 15m

Our third session of Jewniversity takes us into the Torah itself as we attempt (in an hour) to sum up the key characters and plots of the book of Genesis (Beréshit) and the idea of Berit (Covenant) found therein.