
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
More episodes of Torah Cafe
- The Danger of Words · June 7, 2026 · 39 min
- Playing Music During Prayer · May 31, 2026 · 1h 8m
- What does "Amen" mean? · May 24, 2026 · 46 min
- Staying Awake on Shavuot Night · May 17, 2026 · 40 min
- Pirkei Avot - The Jewish Ethical Code · May 10, 2026 · 50 min
- Zohar: Judaism's secret book · May 3, 2026 · 43 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Torah Cafe podcast page.