Does the Torah mean everything it says?

Does the Torah mean everything it says?

From Torah Cafe by Zalman Gordon

April 26, 2026 · 42 min

About this episode

The episode discusses whether the Torah's words should be taken literally or if they contain deeper meanings that require interpretation.

Are the Torah's words meant to be taken at face value? If the Torah says something, should we accept it as written? It may come as a surprise to many that one of the central belief in Judaism is that the Torah was never meant to be taken at face value. Rather the Torah was written in code and we can only understand it if we know how to decipher the code. A fascinating discussion about the Torah, its meaning, and an exploration of examples where we believe the Torah meant something other than what is written.

People in this episode

Host: Zalman Gordon

Topics covered

  • Torah interpretation
  • Judaism
  • spirituality
  • religious texts
  • meaning of scripture

Keywords

  • Torah
  • Judaism
  • interpretation
  • spirituality
  • religious texts

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Torah

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