“The Essenes & The Dead Sea Scrolls” – Filip HOLM | Let’s Talk Religion

In this episode, we explore the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Qumran community and ask the question whether or not this group can be identified as the Essenes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIxxpesgY_I Sources/Recomended Reading: Klawans, Jonathan (2016). "The Essene Hypothesis: Insights from Religion 101". Brill. Magness, Jodi (2021). "The Archaeology of Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls". Second Edition.…

“Do you feel like a war is happening inside you?” – Rabbi Simon JACOBSON

What seems to be singularly human is not consciousness or free will but inner conflict – the contending impulses that divide us from ourselves. No other animal seeks the satisfaction of its desires and at the same time curses them as evil; spends its life terrified of death while being ready to die in order…

“Common dreams you should never ignore when you wake up” – Simon JACOBSON

We all have dreams, we all have nightmares, but do they mean anything? There are many stories in the Bible of dreams carrying vital messages (Joseph, Pharaoh, Jacob, Nebuchadnezzar, and others), and experts of human psychology from Sigmund Freud to Carl Jung explored this very question. In this video, Rabbi Jacobson reveals what Judaism and…

The Warsaw Ghetto | DW Documentary

A Polish businessman risked his life to film everyday life in the Warsaw Ghetto. These harrowing 8 mm movies were stored for decades in archives, and are shown publicly for the first time in this documentary. The original title of the film is "Warsaw: A City Divided", directed by Eric Bednarski. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8QmqHfy-EI The Warsaw Ghetto…

“A Journey into the Intellectual World of the Romanian Jew Mihail Sebastian: Works, Testimony, Identity” – Yehoshafat Christian POP

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Department of Jewish History, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, under the supervision of prof. Tuvia Friling, november 2013 [PDF] Abstract: Both historiography and history of the Romanian Shoah are a matter which could be…

The Mysterious Origins of the Angel Metatron from the 3rd Book of Enoch | ESOTERICA

Metatron is probably the most powerful and mysterious Angel in Jewish lore. But what are the origins of this being known as the "Lesser Yahweh (יהוה הקתן)" ? In the 5/6th century ce Sefer Hekhalot (Book of Palaces or 3 Enoch), we go on a heavenly journey to the Throne (merkavah) of God with Rabbi…

Soviet Jewish History (Essential Lectures in Jewish History) – Dr. Henry ABRAMSON

Brief overview of Soviet Jewish History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wwS6J9WdhE Henry Abramson (born 1963) is the dean of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences in Flatbush, New York. Before that, he served as the Dean for Academic Affairs and Student Services at Touro College's Miami branch (Touro College South). He is notable for his teachings on Jewish…

“Mihail Sebastian’s Journal: The Fascist Years (1935-1944)” – Radu IOANID

On 29 May 1945, as he rushed to cross a street in downtown Bucharest, thirty-eight-year-old Mihail Sebastian, a press officer at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was hit and killed by a truck. As it happened, Sebastian was late to an appointment at Dalles Hall where he was to teach a class about Honoré…

The Exodus Of Soviet Jews Fleeing Persecution And Anti-Semitism | Our Life

This documentary looks at the plight of Russian Jews attempting to emigrate to America, who are denied visas and find themselves stranded in Italy without money or accommodation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNz1sYhpFi8 This film was first broadcast: 05 Dec 1989

“The Jewish-Sufi Mystics of Medieval Egypt” – Filip HOLM | Let’s Talk Religion

As part of a three-part collaboration with Esoterica & Seekers of Unity, this episode explores the life, teachings and movement of Abraham Maimonides, the son of the much more famous Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides (d. 1204). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lowYbUsUlKw Sources/Suggested Reading: Idel, Moshe (1987). The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia. State University of New York Press Kraemer,…