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We take ambiguous moral situations in popular fictional movies and TV shows and analyze them from a Torah lens. We explore a range of issues that come up and examine them from a Jewish point of view. For example, can someone be so evil that there’s a point of no return? Do the ends justify the means, either on a personal or societal level? Are we allowed to take revenge? How about pranking someone? Are we allowed to steal from the rich to give to the poor? The analysis will cover the dilemma ...
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In this episode, join Rabbi Rick Fox in figuring out what the Torah would advise Neo: blue pill or red pill? Do we choose to live an illusory life of comfort, or engage harsh reality head on? And why? Neo is a computer programmer puzzled by repeated online encounters with the phrase “the Matrix”. This leads Neo to a meeting with Trinity and Morpheu…
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In this episode, Rabbi Chaim Willis joins us in investigating what makes someone a good person. This dilemma presents itself in the depiction of Don Vito Corleone, a.k.a. "the Godfather", in The Godfather. As background, Don Corleone is the head of a mafia family in New York. He is respected and feared in the world of organized crime. He is most we…
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In this episode, Rabbi Mordechai Becher joins us in investigating whether the intent to cause harm, but with no ill effect is considered more morally culpable than a lack of intent to harm, but with yes ill effect. This dilemma presents itself in the way Miguel and Robby fought each other on two separate occasions. As background, Cobra Kai is a TV …
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In this episode, Rabbi Daniel Sentell joins us in working through various possible justifications for murder. The analysis centers around whether the Torah agrees with the justifications provided for Snape's murder of Dumbledore. Severus Snape is a professor at Hogwarts. He is a suspicious character who is constantly, over the course of the series,…
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In this episode, Rabbi Avi Honigsfeld joins us in analyzing that age-old conundrum, particularly as popularized through a timeless childhood hero, Robin Hood: can you steal from the rich to give to the poor? Robin Hood is a legendary figure in English folklore, renowned as an outlaw who "robbed from the rich to give to the poor." His tales have bee…
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In this episode, Rabbi Yoni Ganger joins us in working through a question Tolkien was asked repeatedly, a dilemma Tolkien himself wrestled with: did Frodo fail his quest on a moral level? Putting aside the fact that Frodo did not throw the Ring in, which may objectively be considered a failure - but was it subjectively? In other words, how far does…
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In this episode, join Rabbi Jack Cohen in an incredible exploration, a question that probably hovers at our consciousness: does your life belong to you? Life is a gift, I didn't earn it, it was given to me for free. Am I making good on this gift? To ground this analysis, we take apart an old favorite, Good Will Hunting, and how Will see-saws betwee…
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In this episode, Rabbi Josh Livingstone joins us and humorously works through Darth Vader's final act of redemption. But was it enough? Did Anakin go too far in his transformation to the Dark Side, and his subsequent acts over the years? How does Judaism view redemption? What do we have to do, and is there ever a point of no return? Anakin Skywalke…
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If you've ever watched a movie with a legitimate moral dilemma and wondered, "Honestly, I don't really know what the right thing to do is here" - so have we. We take those questions and dive into Judaism's perspective on those questions. What does the Torah have to see? Is it totally black-and-white? What circumstances might mitigate the dilemma? J…
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In this episode, Rabbi Moshe Friedman, or "Rav Mo", joins us in confronting how Harry should feel towards the Dursleys, and the breadth of, and some limits to, the need to feel gratitude to someone who has done you a kindness. The analysis centers around whether Harry does need to feel a sense of gratitude to them - despite their abuse of Harry, an…
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