The Wisdom of Rabbi Block

In 1935, Germany — one of the most educated, culturally sophisticated nations on Earth — passed laws stripping an entire people of their citizenship.

Not because those people had done anything wrong.

Not because they were a military threat.

Because they were Jews.

And here's what should keep you up at night:

It wasn't new. It wasn't German. And it wasn't over.

Antisemitism is the world's oldest continuously active hatred. We're talking 2,500 years. Babylon. Rome. The Crusades. The Inquisition. Pogroms. The Holocaust. And on university campuses, social media, and the pres...

We have all taken classes in history yet the history we remember we learned from the media. Unfortunately we think that what we see in videos or movies is accurate and historical. And it isn’t, it’s entertainment! Enjoy the entertainment, real life is too much a drag not to be entertained if only for a short time. So enjoy being entertained while learning what really happened.

Now most people think *The Wizard of Oz* is a cute children's story. A girl. Some ruby slippers. A tornado. "Follow the yellow brick road."

The central political debate then and now was and is this: Who controls money? **What IS money?** And who does the system really serve?

The system is rigged. The wealthy few are pulling the strings. And the rest of us are following a road that leads nowhere good.

It is time to get off The Yellow Brick Road!

“You Can Prove Almost Anything with Bible Verses”

Tonight I want to demonstrate something dangerous:

with enough isolated Bible verses, you can prove almost anything.

Not because the Bible is worthless.

Not because religion is fake.

But because context matters.

If you ignore:

you can manufacture almost any theology you want

Part 2 Focused Quotes

You Can Prove Almost Anything with Bible Verses

Tonight is not about mocking the Bible. It’s about demonstrating how selective quoting without context can manufacture almost any theology. I’m going to show three giant tensions inside the New Testament itself: Jesus vs. Paul, Justice vs. Mercy, and Law vs. Grace.

We need honest argument, commentary, and debate — because the text itself demands interpretation.

Part 1 Random Quotes

With enough selective quoting, you can ‘prove’ almost anything from the Bible.

The point is not that the Bible is meaningless, but that context, genre, translation, audience, and interpretation matter.

Anyone can win an argument with isolated verses.

Serious study begins when the proof-texting stops

The Talmud has a concept that says we live in a world of falsehoods! The Rabbis weren’t being pessimistic. They were being realistic. In this world the surface and the truth are rarely the same thing. They are teaching that our job is to dig.

We need to be alert about what we see and hear. Often what we hear or see is not communication. It is really positioning. It’s about creating a feeling not conveying a meaning.

Let’s play the game “Its Always Something Else”

Hints, hacks, and tricks you can use to avoid being drawn into hating. Pundits and influencers use subtle and not so subtle ways to lure us into joining their campaign of hate. Here is my vaccine to inoculate you so that you won’t be infected with hate.

Jesus was a first-century Jewish teacher living under Roman military occupation. When he spoke about war and violence, he wasn’t speaking in a vacuum — he was in deep conversation with the Jewish tradition that formed him. Tonight we’ll look at his words and their Jewish roots.

Jesus’s Teachings on War with Jewish Parallels

The Holocaust serves as a reminder of happens when the government scapegoats a group and uses masks police to prevent dissent. Six million Jews and millions of other people were murdered by Hitler. The Nazi government legitimacy executed not only Jews but anyone who dissented or protested.

Remember

Can you change what actually happened just by saying something different happened?

The answer, of course, is no. You can’t. And yet — people try. All the time. And when it comes to Jewish history and the history of Israel, the effort to rewrite the past is not just persistent. It’s organized.

Palestine is not an ancient Arab name for an Arab homeland!

Historically and colloquially we refer to the Korean “War” and the Vietnam “war” as “wars”. They were not, Korea was a “police action” and Vietnam was a Presidential decision based on The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Only the Congress can declare war.

WWIII has started, just undeclared!

Most religions have someone that can make official statements about the religion. They can be someone with global authority like The Pope or the leader of a small flock. Regardless of the size of the group their statements are binding on members. in Judaism no such person exists. The Rabbi is a teacher and their authority rests on their ability to teach.

Teacher, teacher, preacher, preacher a Rabbi

The war continues to expand. We no longer can question Iran’s motives or intentions. Iran wanted to dominate the Middle East and then became a player on the world stage. For those of us not engaged in the war how do we keep our balance and our spiritual connection with the universe? These are the questions that dominate the discussion.

Iran, Israel, the United States, and War!

#Iran#Israel#War

Do not equate Zionism with Judaism. Zionism is a political movement that advocated for a Jewish homeland. Israel is now a country which means that Zionism has accomplished its goal. I disagree with much of Israel’s political decisions. Judaism is a religion not a political movement.

Zionism is political, Judaism is a religion.

Israel is one step away from Annexing the West Bank. Not a good idea. The Talmud is not a book of Jewish Law, it is Rabbinic commentary on the Mishnah. Let’s stop putting down other religions in the goal to elevate our own. Scared Literature is Truth and it is not true. These are some of topics on this show.

No one has a monopoly on the truth!

The questions this week focused on Talmud and Jewish practices. One viewer continued to ask me to stop talking about politics and talk about religion. Actually this was exactly what I was doing. Religion is about doing and acting, turning prayer into action, and living your beliefs. The sermon on the Mount, the teachings of the Hebrew Prophets, the teachings of Muhammad, the 8 fold path, the Red Road, etc are all about doing the right thing.

We Will Listen and We Will Do!

The questions during this show are more about Judaism than Israeli politics. A few antisemitic remarks and a few foolish comments and they were far and in between. There were some repeat questions, however most were new. This week’s audience was interested in the spiritual side of Judaism and how Jews view other religions.

Questions asked were about Rabbi Block’s views on Jesus, afterlife, Gentles, Palestine, and more. Over 500 individuals asked 193 questions and watched for 5 minutes or more and gave the program 2.6K likes! Listen for yourself.

Why don’t you believe in Jesus!

Welcome to my new format. I discuss the current issues of my listeners. The media is flooded with antisemitism and listeners bring up the latest versions of the old charges. Add in question about the Jewish view of current events and you have the show.

The old Antisemitism is popular again!

An analysis of the events happening and how they affect our spirituality.

I started using TikTok Live Studio last night and did not use it effectively. So I decided to use it today to practice how to make it work for me. I had great participation for going live at a random time.

Good Questions Answered

St. Paul in his letter to the people of Galicia (Galatians 6:7)

states so eloquently “as ye sow, so shall ye reap”. Actions have consequences. Politicians from local governments to the President have sown the seeds of hate. The massacres and killings we are experiencing are the harvest.

Plant hate harvest hate!

There is no war on Christmas, there is no war on saying “Merry Christmas”. Many companies and individuals want to be courteous and so they ask their employees to say “happy holidays”! And there are many Christian denominations that don’t celebrate Christmas.

I am not insulted if you wish me a Merry Christmas!

According to the influencers on social media everything you do is wrong! Just ignore this nonsense. Unless We are doing something dangerous we are just hanging our clothes, making our beds or not, storing whatever in a way that works for us.

No likes for anyone who is telling me my religion is wrong.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has rewarded me with all of the goodness in my life and I will share my gratitude with others. 

To be Grateful Means to Share Your Bounty

Let’s put aside the history of how the Judeo-Christian developed and changed and realize that it is time for a change. “There is a time for everything under the heavens” and now is the time to recognize that there are as many ways to unite with God as there are blades of grass on the fairway. We are all God’s children and no one religion has a monopoly.

We all don’t need to have the same religion to make America Great!

People need to be taught to hate otherwise we might hate the wrong people! Hate has become mainstream and is a guaranteed way to get votes, make money, or get viewers.

We frequently spend so much time and effort trying to prove that the events in the Torah actually happened that we miss the truth! The Torah is a vehicle to teach Truth. It is not a factual diary of events.

The Truth is taught through stories, parables, and metaphors.

Colonialism is alive and well. After Israel and Hamas signed the agreement a meeting was held chaired by the United States and Egypt. Three of the most necessary, important, and significant groups were not included. The representatives of the people most affected were not present.

Recognizing the right of the State of Israel to exist goes hand in hand with a free and independent Palestine.

I will not be on TikTok live tonight at 8. The fast on Yom Kippur  reminds us to have prayer and action. In Judaism faith, prayer, and ritual are there to guide us to proper action. Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by good deeds and action is hollow and a mockery of God’s teachings. 

The Chief Rabbi of Western Fairfax Virginia, Rabbi Block, talks live about Israel, Gaza, & Palestine. As usual The Rabbi is bombarded with inane comments and questions.

Genicide, Epstein, and free speech!

May 5786 be a year of joy, good health, success, fulfillment, and blessings for all. May this new year bring with it the cessation of war, the return of the hostages held in Gaza and in Sudan and the coming of true peace.

Judaism uses Midrash to understand and explain Jewish teachings. It consists of parables, allegories, and stories none of them are true in the sense that they actually happened. They are literary devices to help us understand the teachings. Midrash is not unique to Judaism all religions use “stories “ to teach. Jesus is one of the most famous individuals who used parables to teach.

Do not rejoice in the death of Charlie Kirk

Politicians do it, advertisers do it, clergy do it, blame others and never state your solution. You will go to Hell if you are any religion but mine. Their product is no good but mine is better.

When you don’t do anything blame the Jews!

Making your views known verbally is a good start, don’t stop there. Support your views with action.

Badgering Rabbi Block will not create Palestine!

When do we look at each other and say: “Dayenu, it is sufficient, I have enough to be satisfied and happy”.  How many men, women, children have to die before I say Dayenu, enough is enough. How many material things do I need to have before I say Dayenu, it is enough for me!

Enough death and destruction Everywhere, דינו Dayenu!

Let’s shift our focus from world problems that we cannot solve to the things we see locally that we can solve. Israel is a country making decisions that I don’t agree with nor condone. Russia is a country that invaded a sovereign nation. Genicide is currently occurring in Sudan, specifically targeting the Masalit people in the Darfur region. Make your views known about what is going on internationally and then act locally.

Israel is making poor choices for Gaza

There is not a Jewish God, a Muslim God, a Hindu God, etc there is only the One. It is unfortunate that many use religion as a tool for power and control. Politicians and clergy want to divide us by teaching that they have the true religion and the keys to heaven while the rest of us are going to hell! This is just not true.

There are many paths to The One

The US is ranked 24th in the 2025 World Happiness Report, its lowest ranking ever. This marks a continued decline from previous years, with the US falling out of the top 20 for the first time since the report's inception.

Finland continues to top the list as the happiest country for the eighth consecutive year.

Come on America we can be happier than Finland!