Rabbi Ari Kahn graduated Yeshiva University with a BA in psychology and an MS degree in Talmud. A renowned speaker, he has lectured worldwide. Currently Rabbi Kahn is a Senior lecturer at Aishs Essentials, Fellowships and Executive Learning Center pragrams as well as the Director of the Foreign Student Program for Bar Ilan University. Rabbi Kahn is the author of the recently published book, Explorations, an in-depth analysis of the weekly Torah reading.
How much responsibility do people have for improving the society they live in? Rabbi Kahn begins by comparing the standards of different societies on both the physical and spiritual levels. An interesting discussion on evaluating ethical and moral standards.
There are historical, theological, and textual differences between how Judaism sees things versus how Christianity believes things to be. Rabbi Kahn uses this class to deal with difficult texts that are used by Christians to prove the truth of their religion. The discussion spans to seeming discussions of the New Testament and mentions of virgin birth within Jewish sources, and how a careful reading of the verses show their meaning to be far from Christian claims.
It used to be unheard of to marry a non-Jew, but during the last decade this has drastically changed. Rabbi Kahn explores a number of complications that usually arise from intermarrying, and proceeds to describe the unseen pitfalls along the way that most people aren't aware of - until it's too late.
Tying together the logic of science, the principles of philosophy and the mysticism of Kabbalah, Rabbi Ari Kahn leads a fascinating discussion on the nature of infinity and the self-limitations a human being has to fully understanding God. He ends off by showing how Shabbos is a synthesis of them all.
The laws of mourning that people follow after the passing of a close relative shows the Torah's fine sensitivity during that trying time. Rabbi Kahn details a few of them, and draws a powerful correlation between them and the practices we follow during this period of mourning for the Temple we lost.
Is it really possible for God to have been the designer of this crazy upside-down world we live in? Well the truth is - He's not. His intention was for us to live in the Garden of Eden, but it was 'man' who dragged the world down to its current pitiful state. Rabbi Kahn traces the steps of mankind's decline from Adam and Eve until the times of Noah and Abraham, and explains what our potential is to put ourselves and the entire world back on its feet.
A few authorities say that Joseph and his brothers left a legacy of hatred which culminated in the destruction of the Second Temple - and sadly continues even today to hinder our final destiny. If so, is there anything we can do to rectify this cycle of hatred we find ourselves trapped in? Rabbi Kahn suggests a viable first step.
Why do we have a written Torah and an Oral Torah? Did Moses receive both at Mount Sinai? Did he know that years later, there would be a man who knew more than he did? Find out for yourself about how the two men are connected. The question of why it is necessary to have both the written and oral law becomes quite clear.
The Holocaust defies logic when contemplating the inhumane treatment meted out by men towards their fellowman. How does this translate into a 'churban' - a great destruction - as God is running His world with mercy? Rabbi Kahn makes some unusual points about good and evil, and the direction European society was headed before this horrendous nightmare..
Many Jews continue to wonder 'How could God allow the Holocaust to happen to His Chosen people?' Rabbi Kahn asks the following question: 'Was the Holocaust a punishment because so many Jews were assimilating or because of the apathy that prevailed?' Explore some of the more plausible responses to this inexplicable event.