(05) Does Prayer Work?
Big Questions of Jewish Belief
Visit to continue learning with Rabbi Zarum and other LSJS educators. Does God actually change reality in response to prayer - and if so, why does prayer so frequently seem to fail? What does it mean for God to answer our prayers? In what ways does prayer help us? Why is it meaningful to pray for others? These are questions which people of faith have confronted for millenia, and continue to struggle with today. Join Rafi and his good friend Adrian Weller as they dive deeply into this essential and powerful issue. For further study, Rafi’s book Questioning Belief is now available...
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(04) The Chosen People
Big Questions of Jewish Belief
Visit to continue learning with Rabbi Zarum and other LSJS educators. 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 .
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(03) Collective Punishment
Big Questions of Jewish Belief
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 . Visit to continue learning with Rabbi Zarum and other LSJS educators.
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(02) Does the Flood Story Hold Water?
Big Questions of Jewish Belief
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 by Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum. Visit to continue learning with...
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(01) What does it mean to believe in God?
Big Questions of Jewish Belief
Two rigorous thinkers, Jonathan Gibson - Politics and International Relations student at the London School of Economics, and Sophia Bor – Cambridge Theology graduate and law student, challenge Rabbi Zarum in this episode on belief in God. Does Judaism require belief in God? Is God the same for everyone? Can we ‘prove’ He exists, and how? Both practising modern orthodox Jews, Sophia is unconvinced and Jonathan is still searching. Exploring nature, philosophy and modern and ancient Jewish literature, Rafi leads them and us through a fascinating tapestry of God theories in our own and other...
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(00) Welcome to Big Questions of Jewish Belief
Big Questions of Jewish Belief
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 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,...
info_outlineRafi 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.