The Kotzk Podcast Rabbi Gavin Michal

Examining an unknown manuscript of the Zohar (Kotzk Blog 469)

The implications of common textual layering within the Zohar (Kotzk Blog: 468)

Separating the text from the context: an early Chassidic approach to Torah study

Did R. Chaim of Volozhin intentionally alter the image of the Vilna Gaon?

Jews from Turkey and some Syrian communities have the unusual practice of waving to one another just prior to reciting the silent Amidah prayer. This ancient custom was first described in writing in the 17th century, and although many mystical and technical explanations have been advanced, its true origin remains unknown. In this episode, Gavin and Jordan explore the reasons for the custom and how it has been described -- and discouraged -- over the centuries.

Read the original blog post at https://www.kotzkblog.com/2021/01/308-turkish-jews-still-wave.html

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935) was a fiercely independent thinker, and one of the leading figures of the emerging Religious Zionist movement in pre-State Mandatory Palestine. He held "unorthodox" views that were condemned by the religious world in his era, and the study of his writings is discouraged in many communities even to this day. In this episode, Gavin and Jordan explore Rav Kook's radical views on the interface of spirituality and halacha, of rationalism and mysticism, of the religious world and the atheist world, Rembrandt, vegetarianism, and much more.

Read the original article at https://www.kotzkblog.com/2017/02/114-radical-kook-rembrandt-atheists-and.html