Revelation and the Written Torah Part 1 (Repost)

 This is a re-post of a previous episode for the purpose of getting this on Apple Podcast. It was originally published on 2/15/18. For the download and Youtube links, please see the original post. 

This week we bring you Part 1 of a discussion about the Oral Torah. We begin by discussing the name, "Back of the Beis". Then we begin by explaining exactly how the Oral Torah was given over (2:30), the concept of a 'living Torah (7 minutes), the structure of the Oral Torah (13 minutes), exactly what it means when we say it was "oral" (24 minutes), the concept of a 'halacha l'moshe m'sinai' (34 minutes), references within the Written Torah (39 minutes), proofs to the validity of the Oral Torah (44 minutes), the reality of the criminal justice system in classical Judaism (48 minutes), and how we can be assured of an accurate transmission (58 minutes).
If it sounds like a lot, it is! With even more coming next week in Part 2! In the meantime, email us at backofthebeis@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or topic suggestions.

Emunah & Bitachon Part 2

Hey prophets! Welcome back to the Beis for part 2 of our discussion on Emunah & Bitachon. Click here to download this week's episode or watch the YouTube video below.
Click here for part 1 of our discussion.

Continuing our discussion from last episode, we begin with living your life in the context of being Jewish, showing a lack of emunah and bitachon (5 minutes), the ideal level of emunah and bitachon (11), another definition of E & B (17), what do you do without experiencing God (26), what makes something beautiful (30), and the freedom afforded by bitachon (34).

As always, please contact us at backofthebeis@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or to sponsor an episode. We are available on Twitter (@Kumzitzguy) and Facebook, and all episodes are available on YouTube. Until next time, keep us on in the Back of the Beis!

Emunah & Bitachon Part 1

Hello Prophets! Welcome back! We hope you've enjoyed your summer and we hope you are prepared for some more great discussions in the back of the beis.
Please click here to download and listen to this week's episode.
We are back and putting together some great episodes for season 2. But before we get into that, we had a great conversation on the concepts of Emunah and Bitachon we wanted to share with you.
In this episode we discuss the movie Dunkirk along with other movies with little dialogue (4 minutes), the definition of Emunah and Bitachon (11), has God lost our trust (18), examining our relationship with God (19), developing E & B in stages (24), learning from God how to have a relationship with Him and people (29), and how the definition of humanity is work (42).
Stay tuned next week for part 2!

Contact us at backofthebeis@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or to sponsor an episode. We are also on twitter (@kumzitzguy) and Facebook, and all our episodes are available on Youtube. Until next time, see you in the back of the beis!

Truth & Whiskey #2- Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan & The Need for Content

Hey Prophets! Click here to listen and download to this week's episode or click the video at the bottom of the page.
BOTB is back after an early spring break and getting ready for season 2. But before that happens, we'd like to share our second Truth & Whiskey episode, the monthly episode where we talk about less intense topics and shoot the breeze a but more in our conversation. This conversation wasn't intended to be this way, but when we turn on the recorder, who knows where we end up!
We ended up discussing a figure in modern history who has made a big impact on our way of thought, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. We hope you enjoy our perspective, and as always, maybe you'll learn something too.
We discuss: the need for content (2 minutes), Aryeh Kaplan (5), the style of the Me'am Lo'ez (28), a little bit on meditation (38), believing in science but not in God (48), the respect you must feel while studying Torah (57), an advanced definition of Free Will (1:01), a little intro to our next topic- bitachon and emunah (1:09).

Contact us at backofthebeis@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or to sponsor an episode. We are also on twitter (@kumzitzguy) and Facebook, and all our episodes are available on Youtube. Until next time, see you in the back of the beis!

BOTB Update

Hey Prophets!
Thank you for all your support over our first two months. The response to our first seven episodes has been outstanding and we can't wait to share more from the back of the beis with you.
We will be on hiatus until after Pesach, and then dive right back in to the topics that you think you already know, but we guarantee you've never heard this way before! In the meantime, make sure to contact us at backofthebeis@gmail.com with questions, comments, suggestions for future episodes, or just  to say hi! We want to hear from you. We are both available on Facebook (just search for our names), and Yosef is available on twitter (@kumzitzguy).

Here's wishing you a great Chag, and we look forward to seeing you soon in the Back of the Beis!

Click here to visit our YouTube page, or click the links to the right to listen to all of our episodes.

Truth & Whiskey- Star Wars Episode 1: The Torah Perspective

Welcome to our first episode of Truth & Whiskey! Click here to download and/or listen to this week's episode. Or click the YouTube link below.

Once a month we will have a lighter, looser, but just as in-depth, discussion on something outside of our usual topics. It may lean towards Jewish ideas and thought, secular culture and lifestyle, or a combination of both.

This week we get in the weeds on one of Jude's favorite topics, Star Wars! Enjoy as we discuss the franchise from a POV you've never heard before. A few other topics are on the table as well, so make sure to listen to the whole thing!

As always, we want to hear from you! Contact us at BACKOFTHEBEIS@GMAIL.COM with any question, comments, or suggestions. Visit the blog at backofthebeis.blogspot.com, check us out on Facebook and Twitter (@Kumzitzguy), and be sure to check out our entire archive of episodes here on our Youtube channel.

Also, BOTB is now accepting advertising and sponsorships. Want to sponsor an episode in honor of a relative? Get the word out on your new business venture? Or how about sponsoring the whiskey for our next Truth & Whiskey episode? Contact us at backofthebeis@gmail.com for details.

Enjoy! Thanks for joining us in the Back of the Beis.

Amalek Part 2

We are back in the Back of the Beis! This week we have part 2 of our Amalek episode. Click here to download and listen to this week's episode. Or, click the video link at the bottom of the page.
Click here for part 1. BOTB is looking for sponsorships. If you would like to dedicate an episode in honor or in memory of a loved one, or if you are looking for a great advertising opportunity, please contact us! This week we start off with what is an Amalek (2 minutes), why we have to kill them (25 minutes), how it connects to purim (32 minutes), why bnei Rachel have more of an obligation to kill Amalek (40 minutes), and also some bonus content: some talk of middle brain functionality (56 minutes) and some technical talk about american football (1 hour). Contact us at backofthebeis@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or to sponsor an episode. We are also on twitter (@kumzitzguy) and Facebook. See you next time, prophets!