The Tisch Jcast Network

In his first “Essentials of Judaism” class, Rabbi Knopf explores the story of the Torah.

A panel in honor of Rabbi Knopf’s Installation as Rabbi of Temple Beth-El in Richmond VA, Rabbi Knopf is joined by Rabbis Gary Creditor, Neal Rose, and Abe Friedman in discussing the challenges and opportunities of the rabbinate and American Judaism in our time.

Rabbi Knopf tackles questions from congregants on Torah honors, rising anti-Semitism, the difference between Conservative and Orthodox Judaism, and more!    

Join Rabbi Knopf in preparing your heart for Yom Kippur, the holiday that reveals who we really are, and invites us to return to our most fundamental reality.    

Join Rabbi Knopf in a spiritual exploration of the meaning of the shofar, in order to prepare your heart for the High Holy Days.    

What are we doing when we pray? Why does prayer matter? Join Rabbi Knopf as he explores this question through a close study of Psalm 27, the Psalm for the Days of Awe.  

What God wants from us is not always so clear. In Deuteronomy chapter 10, Moses tries to break it down. Join Rabbi Knopf as he unpacks this powerful text.    

Rabbi Michael Knopf explains how lessons from the Torah and Jewish law can help us eat better and live longer, healthier lives.    

Moses is a complex man, an imperfect leader, and someone who stumbles into relationship with God. In this session with Rabbi Knopf, we study the story of Moses’ encounter with God at the Burning Bush, and unlock the lessons that experience has for our lives.

The patriarch Jacob is one of the most relatable psychologically complex characters in the Bible. In this session with Rabbi Knopf, we study two dark nights of Jacob’s life, and unlock the lessons those experiences have for our lives.  

We Jews don’t usually study the opening chapter of Genesis in depth, but when we do, as in this session with Rabbi Knopf, we can find a text with significant moral demands and that is surprisingly harmonious with modern biology and physics.

Join the conversation, as Rabbi Knopf’s students ask him their most burning Jewish questions, ranging from Rabbi Knopf’s journey to the rabbinate to the future of the conservative movement and beyond.    

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every […]

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every […]

The erstwhile Sage Elisha ben Abuyah rejected Judaism and was shunned by his fellow rabbis. They refused even to acknowledge his name, calling him “The Other” instead. What might this ancient heretic have to teach us today? Join Rabbi Knopf to study Elisha’s saga in the Babylonian Talmud, which yields timeless and crucial lessons about […]

For centuries, we have been taught that God is unchanging, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and simultaneously good. That God turns out to be philosophically impossible and distinctly un-Jewish, at least from the Bible’s and Rabbis’ points of view. But there is no need to despair, because most of us don’t really believe in that God, anyway, […]

Most nice Jewish boys and girls are told that anything Christian is treif, and that we shouldn’t have anything to do with Jesus. But in actuality, there is a lot that is Jewish about Jesus and Christianity, and a lot that Jews can learn from our sister faith. Join Rabbi Knopf to explore what is […]

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It: What Banned Books of the Bible teach about the Apocalypse, Heaven, and Hell. Most nice Jewish boys and girls are told that we don’t believe in things like hell and the apocalypse. Turns out, we do. Kind of. Join Rabbi Knopf and explore what was […]

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every […]

“What’s the point of Judaism?” How many of us have asked this question? Turns out, Jews have been asking them for a long time. Join Rabbi Knopf as he and his students study and discuss “Sefer Ha-Hinukh / The Book of Education.” Written anonymously in the mid-13th century, this radical book offers rationales for every […]