Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper, the Maggid of Melbourne, invites us to join him on an exploration of a wide array of Jewish ideas and their relevance in our contemporary Jewish lives.
The Maggid of Melbourne features both written and podcast series, each taking an in-depth look at a different Jewish topic. Whether you are interested in the laws of government according to halakha or learning about the spiritual practices of the Hasidic masters, you are sure to find inspiration with the Maggid of Melbourne, Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper.
As the Jewish world waits and prays for news of the over 200 hostages held by Hamas, the Maggid of Melbourne takes an in-depth look into the mitzvah of pidyon shvuyim, redeeming captives, in a new podcast series.
In the 1973 Yom Kippur war, many IDF soldiers were taken captive. Do the same pidyon shvuyim guidelines apply, or are there unique considerations when we are dealing with soldiers?
More episodes:
If terrorists demand the release of other terrorists in order to free hostages, is this a case of pidyon shvuyim? Perhaps this scenario should be considered under a different legal rubric?
More episodes:
In this episode, we recap remarkable the story of the 1970 Dawson’s Field hijackings and explore the reactions of American rabbis.
More episodes:
Israel requested that the International Committee of the Red Cross visits our brothers and sisters who are held hostage in Gaza. Do we have precedents in the annals of Jewish history for visiting captives?
More episodes:
Was there ever a time that our people left a hostage in captivity? For this episode, we travel to 13th century Germany.
More episodes:
How did the 16th century Cairo Jewish community react to kidnap situations? And how did rabbinic leaders explain the community’s conduct?
More episodes:
Should we be willing to pay any price to secure the release of captives? Surely, paying overpriced ransoms incentivizes terrorists?
More episodes:
The Maggid of Melbourne opens this new series with a look at the centrality of securing the release of hostages. Why is this considered such an important mitzvah?
More episodes:
On October 7, as Jews around the world were celebrating Simchat Torah, terrorists crossed into Israel attacking communities across southern Israel. While left reeling from the pain of this tragedy, many of us are wondering, how do we pray during a time such as this? What guidance does the Torah have for us during such tough times?
Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper discusses the issue of doomscrolling and addressing the horrific images that have been circulating the internet since the attacks.
More episodes:
Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper explore what prayers could be said for those southern communities affected by this tragedy.
More episodes:
In the first episode of this 3-part series, Rabbi Dr. Levi Cooper examines the question of whether we should be saying Hallel on Rosh Chodesh during a time of war.
More episodes:
Originally from Australia, Levi currently teaches Hasidut, Maimonides, Midrash, and Halakhic History at Pardes. Levi holds an LL.B, LL.M. and Ph.D from the Law Faculty of Bar-Ilan University and has been awarded numerous post-doctoral research grants from universities across Israel and abroad.
Levi is also the spiritual leader of Kehillat HaTzur VeHaTzohar in Zur Hadassa, a mixed religious and secular neighborhood out of Jerusalem. In addition, he is a Teaching Fellow in the Law Faculty of Tel Aviv University. He served as a commander of an infantry unit in the IDF Reserves, and has a long history of communal work with organizations such as the National Library of Israel, Tzohar, and the Jewish Community of Istanbul.
Levi is the author of the two-part book series Relics for the Present, and his newest publication, Hasidic Relics.
