Rabbi Yossi Groner is senior rabbi and spiritual leader of Congregation Ohr Ha Torah, a Jewish Orthodox congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the founder and director of the Charlotte Chabad House, a Jewish educational resource and outreach center whose offerings include weekly lectures on the Bible, Talmud and Kabbalah. The Chabad House is an affiliate of the International Chabad-Lubavitch movement, with its headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. Rabbi Groner is co-founder of Charlotte Jewish Day School and The Jewish Preschool. He is a visiting rabbi at several correctional institutes, including the Mecklenburg County and Guilford County jails. Rabbi Groner leads the highly acclaimed Charlotte Jewish Learning Institute which provides professional courses on Jewish law, ethics and mysticism. Rabbi Groner was ordained with his rabbinic degree in Talmudic studies at the Central Lubavitch Yeshiva in New York.
This episode is perfect for anyone interested in Orthodox Judaism, the coming of the Messiah, the Inner Torah, ethics and mysticism, and what God wants for us.
IN THIS EPISODE
- Rabbi Groner explains what different branches of Judaism have in common.
- He answers what makes someone a Jew.
- He discusses the founding of Hasidic Judaism by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov in the 18th century.
- He talks about the origin and foundation of Chabad-Lubavitch Judaism.
- Rabbi Groner explains who is a rebbe and the role a rebbe plays in Chabad.
- He remembers the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneersen.
- He addresses whether there is a rebbe in Chabad today.
- He discusses the Jewish belief in the coming of a Messiah and whether the Rebbe was a messianic figure.
- Rabbi Groner tells a story about consensus among the Jews.
- He shares why he believes Chabad is the most dynamic force within Judaism today.
- He talks about the concept of Immanence, the nature of God, the inner Torah, and how humans are made in the image of God.
- He describes his childhood in Crown Heights in Brooklyn.
- Rabbi Groner talks about his parents and what was expected of him as a child.
- He shares when he knew he wanted to be a rabbi and how he found his way to Charlotte.
- He describes his work teaching Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) courses on Jewish ethics, law, philosophy and history.
- He addresses the connection between ethics and mysticism.
- Rabbi Groner reveals what God wants for us.