Rabbi Daniel Rowe

Rabbi Daniel Rowe responds to questions about Jewish belief and Jewish philosophy in a weekly Q&A with students in the Aish Jerusalem foundations program. Today's topics include:

00:00 A recap of the Questions asked

01:30 Does the improbability of intelligent life prove God?

14:20 Could there be intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? If so would that impact Torah or make our lives less significant? 16:51 If aliens exist wh...

This class was given at the Aish HaTorah Jerusalem Women's seminary, 'Aspire' program, as a question and answer session. The topics raised include:

What are the 6000 years of history and the 7th millennium?

Moshiach (Messiah) son of Yosef and Moshiach son of David?

What is the World to Come?

Who does and does not make it to the World to Come?

Is it just for Jews? or Non-Jews as well?

What is the Resurrection of the Dead? and how do...

the Torah reading of Vayigash starts mid sentence, following the cliff-hanger anding of last week's Torah reading Miketz. With Binyomin (Benjamin) framed by the Egyptain viceroy Tzafnas Pa'aneach (Yosef/Joseph) thre brothers face the looming catastrophe of the loss of the last reminaing child of Yaakov (Jacob)'s favoured wife Rachel. 

This week begins with Yehuda (Judah) stepping forth to confront the Egyptian leader and do all he ...

In this mini-series, Rabbi Daniel Rowe explains the deeper meaning and understanding of the Jewish festival of Chanukah and how it applies to our lives. This episode brings out the essence of the ideological clash between the Seleucid oppressors and the Jews of the Chanuka story.

It addresses the curious selection of 4 areas of observance that were banned: Circumcision, Shabbat, Forcing us to use a calendar instead of witnesses for...

In this mini-series, Rabbi Daniel Rowe explains the deeper meaning and understanding of the Jewish festival of Chanukah and how it applies to our lives.

Previous episodes showed how Chazal (Rabbis of Talmud and Midrash) locate the deep spiritual roots of the Chanuka story to the divisions within the Jewish nation and family going all the way back to Torah (Hebrew Bible) with the sons of Jacob.

This episode locates the solution to n...

In this mini-series, Rabbi Daniel Rowe explains the deeper meaning and understanding of the Jewish festival of Chanukah and how it applies to our lives.

This episode examines the two aspects of the Jewish people as manifest in the Biblical ancestors Yehuda (Judah) and Yosef (Joseph). The schism in the first family that becomes national division in the First Temple period and the Greek era can and must be reconciled in order to surv...

In this mini-series, Rabbi Daniel Rowe explains the deeper meaning and understanding of the Jewish festival of Chanukah and how it applies to our lives.

In the previous episode we traced the roots of Chanuka (Hanukkah) back to the sale of Yosef (Joseph) in the Torah (Hebrew Bible). Rather than a mate rof simplistic jealousy, we discovered the dangers inherent in the charm, charisma and beauty of Yosef (Joseph). Time and again the i...

In this mini-series, Rabbi Daniel Rowe explains the deeper meaning and understanding of the Jewish festival of Chanukah and how it applies to our lives.

This episode explores the fraternal tension in the first family of Israel. The Torah (Hebrew Bible) recounts the story of the brothers who sell Joseph. In this video we discover the fear they had that his beauty and charm could lead to narcissim and self worshp, and even lead to pa...

In this mini-series, Rabbi Daniel Rowe explains the deeper meaning and understanding of the Jewish festival of Chanukah and how it applies to our lives.

This first episode discusses the Rabbinic insight that traces the roots of Chanuka right back to the darkness and light of the first day of creation.

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Rabbi Daniel Rowe is a popular Rabbi, philosopher and educa...

Vayeshev opens with apparent  jealousy and hatred that results in his sons selling their brother Yoseph (Joseph) into slavery.

The sidra (weekly Torah reading) follows the twists and turns of Yoseph's saga as he rises up to seniority in the household of an Egyptian official Potiphar, only to be framed and thrown in jail. There too his attempt to help Pharoah's imprisoned servants through dream interpretation, ends up with him being...

In this Question and Answer session on areas of Judaism and Jewish thought with Rabbi Daniel Rowe at Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, the following questions are raised and discussed:

00:00 How does prayer fit into our other service of Hashem? Why do we pray?

14:35 Can we feel or experience spirituality?

23:30 How do we motivate ourselves to bring God's light into the world?

28:20 Nefesh Hachaim vs Chassidus

37:30 When and how does hashkafah ...

The section of the Torah called 'Toldos' (literally 'offspring' or 'generations') begins the critical process of the creation of the nation Yisrael (Israel). The drama takes place in four acts, the birth of the rival twins Yaakov (Jacob) and Esav (Esau), the displacement of the family and their struggles in the land of Gerar, Rivak (Rebecca) switching Yaakov (Jacob) for Esav when it came to their blind father Yitzchak (Isaac) wanti...

What is Moshiach supposed to do? Can we really expect him at any moment? What is meant by the 'World to Come'? is it physical? spiritual? DO people come back as an old person? What if someone was reincarnated? Could they come back as their own granchild? In multiple marriages? And why are these concepts so fundamental to Judaism? Are they even discussed in the Torah?

All these and more are questions discussed in this class.

This ep...

00:00 What is the difference between soul mind brain and body?

08:28 Is the 'yetzer hora' (negative inclination) an angel? our body? something else? 13:35 What does the Torah mean when it says 'God came down'? (Prophecy etc)

18:39 Are generations getting spiritually weaker? and how do we compensate?

21:55 Why do we want the Temple? (part 1) (Stages of Messianic era)

22:28 Why we don't like miracles, returning to the yeridas hodoros...

In this Q&A on Jewish Philosophy, Rabbi Rowe is asked about the following topics that cover different schools of thought in Jewish Philosophy Kabbalah, Rationalists and so on:

00:00 Philosophical arguments for Jewish beliefs vs 'Emunah Peshuta', 'straightforward faith'

15:08 What are 'angels'? do they have freewill?

27:56 Why does the Torah not give us a scientific account of creation?

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Sukkot is described in the Torah (Hebrew Bible) as the 'time of our rejoicing'. Yet its commandments to move out of a house into a temporary structure (Sukka) and the waving of rht 'four species' (lulav, etrog fruit etc) do not at first seem obviously linked to either joy or holiness.

Rabbi Rowe explores the Talmudic teachings and shows how Chazal (the ancient Rabbis) reveal in the Sukkah deep philosophical and psychological teachi...

Through the first 3 chapters, Rambam (Maimonidies) analysed the nature of Teshuvah ('repentance') in Jewish philosophy, moving from the 'tikun' undoing damage, to the healing of relationships, to a rediscovery of our place in the world. In the 3rd chapter Rambam introduced the 'book of life' and the way in which our lives are not individuated distinct moments but part of a singular organic whole.

This section works through the list...

In the 3rd chapter Rambam (Maimonides) offers a third dimension to the nature of Teshuva (repentence), Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, by exploring the notion that life is not merely distinct persons, choices and moments, but also has totalities. People places and the world as a whole can be defined as tzadik (righteous) rasha (anti-righteous) or benoni (undetermined). Whilst the default may be that things are underdetermined, eventua...

In the continuation of the 2nd chapter Rambam (Maimonides), topics familiar from the first chapter re-emerge in a radically new light.

There is a new meaning to repentance, to confession, and to the Day of Yom Kippur (Day of atonement). In place of metaphysical cleansing, there is an unmissable opportunity to reconnect to Hashem as Source of creation. the chapter clearly sees 'Teshuvah' as far more than repenting and changing behav...