Judah: A Perplexing Character? Part

How are we supposed to make sense of loss? In this deep dive Premium course, Rabbi Fohrman shares how he has come to understand mourning and loss in the larger context of life, death and living a purposeful life.

Join Rabbi Fohrman has he further expounds on the ideas discussed in “Eicha: Could the Key to Understanding Tisha B’Av Lie in Eden?” with a deep dive into the mysteries of the Garden of Eden and its echoes throughout Megillat Eicha. This webinar was originally broadcast on Facebook Live. Join the Aleph Beta premium group here.

Why does God let us suffer? Why does God let bad things happen? To truly find peace with loss and suffering, we need to face this difficult question.  In this course, Rabbi Fohrman grapples with the unsatisfying answers often given to the problem of evil -- and offers a new approach based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah. This fresh approach to an age-old question will deepen your Tisha B’Av experience, and may just hold the key to accepting loss as part and parcel of living a full and good life. Discover other great Tisha B’Av videos at Aleph Beta, including ‘Shir Hamaalot”, “Sinat Chinam: What is Baseless Hatred ” , “Shabbat Nachamu” and other Tisha Ba’v videos here! A personal note from Rabbi Fohrman about this course: A word of caution -- although this is a video about loss, and how, to some extent, we might find peace in the face of it – this isn’t designed as something to be watched during shiva, or when one is wrestling with the searing pain of fresh grief. That pain, unfortunately, probably needs to be felt in an untrammelled way, I think, until we somehow re-emerge and feel ready to face the world again. This video, by contrast, is probably something to be watched after the passage of some time, when we are more at a distance from grief – but still confronting an aching sense of disquiet and unfinished business. For people who are there, I hope this video might provide a path to some peace or solace. So, please, bear that in mind, when choosing to watch this or engage with it. Loss, of course, is among the most personal of things any of us experience. I don’t know that my own reflections on it will resonate with your own – but I hope that in some way, they will.

In episode two, Rabbi Fohrman explored the prophet Isaiah’s mysterious reference to God as the maker of light and creator of dark. In this episode, Rabbi Fohrman goes back to the creation story in Genesis to see if a look at the actual creation of light and darkness can help us understand what Isaiah has in mind. Once here, however, it becomes clear that the first few verses of Genesis are full of esoteric mysteries that need to be understood in their own right. A personal note from Rabbi Fohrman about this course: A word of caution -- although this is a video about loss, and how, to some extent, we might find peace in the face of it – this isn’t designed as something to be watched during shiva, or when one is wrestling with the searing pain of fresh grief. That pain, unfortunately, probably needs to be felt in an untrammelled way, I think, until we somehow re-emerge and feel ready to face the world again. This video, by contrast, is probably something to be watched after the passage of some time, when we are more at a distance from grief – but still confronting an aching sense of disquiet and unfinished business. For people who are there, I hope this video might provide a path to some peace or solace. So, please, bear that in mind, when choosing to watch this or engage with it. Loss, of course, is among the most personal of things any of us experience. I don’t know that my own reflections on it will resonate with your own – but I hope that in some way, they will.

In this epilogue conversation, Rabbi Fohrman is joined by Daniel Loewenstein, where they discuss how to balance the pain and suffering of Tisha B'Av with Rabbi Fohrman's ideas of comfort and understanding the fullness of life. A personal note from Rabbi Fohrman about this course: A word of caution -- although this is a video about loss, and how, to some extent, we might find peace in the face of it – this isn’t designed as something to be watched during shiva, or when one is wrestling with the searing pain of fresh grief. That pain, unfortunately, probably needs to be felt in an untrammelled way, I think, until we somehow re-emerge and feel ready to face the world again. This video, by contrast, is probably something to be watched after the passage of some time, when we are more at a distance from grief – but still confronting an aching sense of disquiet and unfinished business. For people who are there, I hope this video might provide a path to some peace or solace. So, please, bear that in mind, when choosing to watch this or engage with it. Loss, of course, is among the most personal of things any of us experience. I don’t know that my own reflections on it will resonate with your own – but I hope that in some way, they will.

Shattered Tablets and the Calf of Gold Part XII

Please note that there is a problem with the audio in the video from about 21:00 through 27:00 Jacob: Man of truth? is the fourth of four sets of lecture series that span the entire book of Genesis! Be sure to listen to it all! The proceeding lectures are found in the series titled: A Brief History Of The World: From Adam To Abraham, Abraham's Journey 1, and Abraham's Journey 2.

Judah: A Perplexing Character? Part 16

Is there such a thing as purposeful mourning? How do we channel our pain and anguish productively, without allowing it to consume us or others? This video series, originally created for Tisha B’av, has a new, heartbreaking relevance in our post-October 7 world. Join Rabbi Fohrman as he explores these pivotal questions through the lens of Rachel, the mother of our people. Watch to discover what Rachel’s story can teach us about the power of mourning as a catalyst for growth — on Tisha B’Av and every day of the year.  Discover other great Tisha B’Av videos at Aleph Beta, including ‘Emunah”, “Sinat Chinam: What is Baseless Hatred ”. And “What Is Megillat Eicha Really About?”

Judah: A Perplexing Character? Part 18

Why did God destroy the world with a flood and wipe out humankind? Sure, we all know the story of the flood: People were up to no good, so God decided to destroy them all. But what about repentance? What about making improvements? Why did God all of a sudden decide that this project called Creation was a lost cause and He had to start it all over again? In this video, Rabbi Fohrman finds an answer in – of all places – the naming of Noah. It turns out that in order to understand why the state of humanity was so problematic that God chose to bring the Flood, we need to understand the meaning of Noah’s name. When Noah is named, his father Lemech claims that this child will provide relief for humankind – and less than ten verses later, God regrets making humans and decides to destroy the world. By comparing textual parallels in the two events, Rabbi Fohrman helps us understand Lemech's mistake. Beneath the surface of this text lies a surprising story about how we deal with loss, and about the pitfalls of seeking easy comfort in the wrong ways.