If These Stones Could Speak

Episode 19: “Jerusalem in our Hearts: Near and Far”
What caused a small group of Jewish warriors in the Golan Heights, so far away from Jerusalem, to put their lives on the line and go to war against the mighty Roman army?

And what surprising message can each of us learn from their priorities today?

Episode 19: “Jerusalem in our Hearts: Near and Far”
What caused a small group of Jewish warriors in the Golan Heights, so far away from Jerusalem, to put their lives on the line and go to war against the mighty Roman army?

And what surprising message can each of us learn from their priorities today?

Episode 18: “What is God’s Role in the Halakhic Process”

An angel appears to you and teaches you Torah. Would you rule on matters of Jewish law in accordance to the revelation you received, or according to your own human interpretation? Rabbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch, had an unequivocal position: human interpretation. How did he dare to approach Jewish law that way?

Episode 17: “The Chamber of Silent Gifts”

How many of us think of the Beit HaMikdash as a place of chessed and acts of kindness?

In this week’s episode of Rabbi Kenneth Brander’s “If These Stones Could Speak,” a visit to an ancient site shows how the secret acts of kindness took place in the Holy Temple were replicated in the synagogues – and examines the implications for us today. 

Episode 16: “Visioning What Others Don’t See”

True Jewish leadership is leadership with a vision. Leadership that sees beyond the here and now.

What is the important message that Rabbi Akiva teaches us about today? And how can each of us see what has not yet happened?

Episode 15: “Why the Rabbi Wrote on Shabbat”

Why did Rabbi Kalonymus insist on being buried outside of the Jewish cemetery – and without a tombstone?

How is his request related to the legend of a terrible attempted massacre on the Jews of the city, after the bloodstained body of a Christian child was found in synagogue on Shabbat?

Episode 14: “Hiding in Plain Sight”

On the one hand, the Sages built the synagogue in the city so that it would not face Jerusalem to make it clear to the Romans that they had no national aspirations. But on the other hand, they planted secret clues to highlight Jerusalem.

Episode 13: “Survival Over Symbolism”

What is better: to fight to the death to be a free people in our country – or to surrender to a foreign conqueror in order to preserve the Torah and the spirit of Judaism?

Episode 12: “Unity or Destruction?”

As divisiveness in Israel elevates to alarming levels, what can we learn about harmony from the ancient inscription on an archaeological remnant in the Golan Heights city of Katzrin?

Episode 11: “Enduring Symbols of Faith”

After Elijah the Prophet himself came to complete a minyan for nine worshipers on Yom Kippur, they named the synagogue after him and await with great anticipation for his return.

A true story? Or a nice Jewish fable?

Episode 10: “Balancing Security with Morality”

What is more correct – to sacrifice morality for the sake of security, or to preserve our values at all cost?

This is the dilemma that was faced by King Chezkiyahu of Judah after Assyria destroyed the Kingdom of Israel. Chezkiyahu made a choice – and received harsh criticism for it from the prophet Isaiah.

Episode 9: “Late for an Important Date”

Why did the Temple contain more entrances than exits on its Southern Wall?

What contemporary message can we extrapolate for our synagogues from this engineering decision of the rabbis and the prophets?