Big Questions of Jewish Belief

Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum
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This is Big Questions of Jewish Belief, the podcast where we face up to the challenges of religious faith. We all have questions about our faith. Questions about the truth of the Torah, the morality of its laws and what it teaches about having a relationship with God. So each week during this miniseries I'll be inviting rigorous thinkers to challenge me with their questions on Belief. My name is Raphael Zarum - I'm the Dean of LSJS - the London School of Jewish Studies, where I hold the Rabbi Sacks Chair in Modern Jewish Thought, established by the Zandan family. I'm a rabbi and I have degrees in Physics, Mathematics and Education, and I'm fascinated by the relationship between general and Jewish thought and ideas. I explore these ideas further in a book called 'Questioning Belief' which is available on Amazon worldwide (UK link: lsjs.ac.uk/amazonbelief). I don't believe in quick responses that don't stand up to scrutiny. I think we should take questions seriously as they reflect a real desire to understand our practices and beliefs in a deeper way. So you won't get clever quips and cheap certainties from this podcast, what you'll get is an honest and open discussion about challenging questions based on traditional sources and modern interpretations.

  1. Oct 8

    (14) Why is Genesis so unscientific?

    This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to hear about our Jewish learning events, courses and immersive tours online and in person.   Questions for Rabbi Zarum? Email bigquestions@lsjs.ac.uk and we'll be in touch.   Looking to go deeper on Creation? Watch Rabbi Zarum's introductory class of The Genesis Course: Creation as you've never read it before, free on YouTube at https://youtu.be/3qDFM3Ho7tg.   Join us LIVE IN PERSON for the first time at Covenant & Continuity Live in commemoration of Rabbi Sacks' 6th yahrzeit. Gila Sacks and Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum will hold a unique conversation entitled 'Am I My Brother's Keeper? The birth of morality in Genesis'. Covenant & Continuity, in memory of David Gallick z'l, is our popular weekly parasha class bringing to life the teachings of Rabbi Sacks through classes taught by his students. Wed 28th Oct, 7pm UK time. Book at lsjs.ac.uk/covenant. Does modern science contradict the Torah's account of creation? If the universe is billions of years old, life developed through evolution, and dinosaurs walked the earth long before human beings appeared, what are we supposed to make of the opening chapters of Genesis? Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum argues that these questions begin with a mistaken assumption: that the Torah is trying to give us a scientific chronology in the first place. In conversation with Sara Kalmus, he explores the Big Bang, evolution, fossils, the six days of creation, and the striking parallels between Genesis and three of science's deepest unanswered questions: What is matter? What is life? And what is consciousness? But the discussion ultimately leads somewhere deeper. Why does the Torah begin with creation at all? Why did God create a universe, and what does our ability to understand it demand of us? This episode of Big Questions of Jewish Belief asks what Genesis is really trying to teach us about science, faith, and our place in the world.

  2. Sep 24

    (13) What is a Sukkah? (Hovering Between Heaven and Earth)

    SPECIAL EDITION: What exactly is a sukkah? A temporary hut, a reminder of the Clouds of Glory, or something more? In this special Sukkot episode, Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum traces the sukkah from the Exodus to the Mishkan, uncovering the surprising ideas behind its laws and dimensions. Along the way, he reveals the sukkah as a unique space where the physical and spiritual meet, inviting us to spend seven days hovering between heaven and earth. For this Sukkot episode we've teamed up with one of LSJS's most popular Lifelong Learning programmes - Covenant & Continuity, in memory of David Gallick. Coventant & Continuity asks one simple question: What does the Torah have to say about NOW? This was Rabbi Sacks' question as he wrote each week on the Parasha, the weekly Torah portion - and it's now ours, as leading teachers from around the world - all students of Rabbi Sacks - share relevant, engaging and meaningful Jewish ideas that speak to the world we live in today. Find more Covenant & Continuity at lsjs.ac.uk/covenant.

  3. Sep 14

    (12) How does teshuva work? Making Yom Kippur Real

    What are we actually trying to accomplish on Yom Kippur? And how does saying the same prayers, confessing the same sins, and fasting for 25 hours help us genuinely change? Sara Kalmus once again turns the tables on Big Questions of Jewish Belief host Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum, this time asking him to explain what teshuva and forgiveness really mean, and how we can make Yom Kippur feel real rather than simply going through the motions. Their conversation explores why the Vidui is poetry rather than a checklist, what to do when the prayers don't speak to us, why community matters, how fasting can actually help us focus, and what forgiveness means in the first place. Rabbi Zarum offers a striking understanding of God "carrying" our sins: allowing us to put down the weight of what we have done so that our mistakes no longer define who we are, and giving us the freedom to change. From Jonah's journey into the depths to the closing gates of Ne'ilah, this is a conversation about taking Yom Kippur seriously without getting trapped by its words and rituals. How can we move beyond simply saying the prayers and instead use them to become more honest about who we are, who we want to be, and what we need to change? How does teshuva work? Perhaps the first step is making Yom Kippur real.

  4. Sep 2

    (11) God and You: The Rosh Hashanah of Relationship

    What does it actually mean to have a relationship with God, especially when we're not even sure what we believe? In the season three premiere of Big Questions of Jewish Belief, the tables are turned as Sara Kalmus interviews regular host Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum about his own understanding of God, faith, prayer, and the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rabbi Zarum challenges the familiar picture of God as a distant Being who rewards, punishes, and intervenes from "out there." Instead, he proposes a radically different way of thinking about God: through relationship, consciousness, and our connection with the people and world around us. That perspective transforms the way he understands some of the most powerful ideas of the High Holy Days, from Unetaneh Tokef and divine judgment to teshuva, prayer, the shofar, and even the simple act of breathing. What happens when we stop treating Rosh Hashanah as a test of whether we've been good or bad, and instead see it as an opportunity to wake up to who we are, who we could become, and where we are heading? A thoughtful, challenging, and deeply personal conversation that may change the way you approach God, prayer, and the High Holy Days this year.

  5. Mar 8

    (10) How real is God? Freud & faith with Prof. Stephen Frosh

    This week on Big Questions of Jewish Belief, Rabbi Raphael Zarum is joined by Stephen Frosh, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Birkbeck and author of How to Be Real, for a searching conversation about prayer, psychoanalysis, and the limits of certainty. Stephen explores what it means for the intellectual chatter to fall silent — and whether that silence opens a space for faith. Is religion an illusion? A creative act? A dangerous certainty? Or a humble recognition of our limits? A rich, nuanced discussion about faith, doubt, memory, and the fragile space between imagination and transcendence. How to Be Real can be purchased from Amazon UK or from Amazon in the US.

  6. Feb 22

    (9) Do human rights clash with God? Making a difference with Adam Wagner KC

    Rabbi Zarum sits down with leading human rights barrister Adam Wagner KC to explore the foundations of morality, law, and Jewish identity. Adam has dedicated his career to defending human rights and is an active and dedicated member of the Jewish community, yet personally wrestles with belief, skepticism, and the role of God in his life. They discuss his Orthodox upbringing in Manchester, his journey back into Jewish learning as an adult, and why community, tradition, and responsibility still matter profoundly to him—even without certainty of faith. We also explore the fascinating relationship between Jewish law and modern human rights: are universal rights grounded in God, human reason, or something else entirely? This conversation raises one of the biggest questions of all: do we need God to be good—or is our shared humanity enough? As always, Rabbi Zarum's aim is not to persuade, but to understand how thoughtful people make sense of belief, doubt, and what it means to live a meaningful Jewish life today. This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you, or email bigquestions@lsjs.ac.uk with comments or questions.

  7. Feb 15

    (8) What do unbelievers believe in? Practicing & arguing with Naomi Alderman

    This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you, or email bigquestions@lsjs.ac.uk with comments or questions. Naomi Alderman is an English novelist, game writer, and television executive producer. She is best known for her speculative science fiction novel The Power, which won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2017 and has been adapted into a television series for Amazon Studios. Her first novel, Disobedience, explores faith, identity, and forbidden love within a strict Orthodox Jewish community. It was published in ten languages and has recently been adapted into a feature-length film. Naomi and I enjoy discussing our relationships with a God Who we can argue with, as well as the pitfalls of arguing with people as a way of taking them seriously. We question whether it's possible to be religious without actually thinking about God very much, as well as the God-like aspect of being the 'Creator' of novels and the insight this can give authors into the love God has for us, in spite of having to put us through hard things. It was a fascinating, fun conversation which I hope you'll enjoy.

  8. Feb 8

    (7) Can we speak to the dead? Unusual relationships with Anthony Julius

    This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you, or email bigquestions@lsjs.ac.uk with comments or questions. Anthony Julius is a highly-regarded litigation lawyer. Best-known for being Diana, Princess of Wales' divorce lawyer and for his successful defence of Penguin Books and historian Deborah Lipstadt in the libel case brought by David Irving, Anthony continues to be a consultant and senior solicitor-advocate at the London law firm Mishcon de Reya. He is chairman of the London Consortium, and vice-president of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, and has published a number of books including the recent Abraham: The First Jew. We discuss atypical relationships - those we have with people no longer alive, or those we never met, and compare them to the relationships we can have with God. We speak about prayer as intergenerational conversation, as a communal shared activity, and as a spiritual, personal experience, and we consider the balance of time spent praying and studying in a relationship with God. You can order Abraham: The First Jew here.

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This is Big Questions of Jewish Belief, the podcast where we face up to the challenges of religious faith. We all have questions about our faith. Questions about the truth of the Torah, the morality of its laws and what it teaches about having a relationship with God. So each week during this miniseries I'll be inviting rigorous thinkers to challenge me with their questions on Belief. My name is Raphael Zarum - I'm the Dean of LSJS - the London School of Jewish Studies, where I hold the Rabbi Sacks Chair in Modern Jewish Thought, established by the Zandan family. I'm a rabbi and I have degrees in Physics, Mathematics and Education, and I'm fascinated by the relationship between general and Jewish thought and ideas. I explore these ideas further in a book called 'Questioning Belief' which is available on Amazon worldwide (UK link: lsjs.ac.uk/amazonbelief). I don't believe in quick responses that don't stand up to scrutiny. I think we should take questions seriously as they reflect a real desire to understand our practices and beliefs in a deeper way. So you won't get clever quips and cheap certainties from this podcast, what you'll get is an honest and open discussion about challenging questions based on traditional sources and modern interpretations.

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