A teacher of ideas and meaning
Rabbi Mordechai Kraft's shiurim sit at the intersection of Jewish philosophy, the holidays, and personal growth. Rather than line-by-line text study, his classes tend to take a big question — why we were created, what the Hebrew language really is, how to make sense of suffering — and work through it using Torah sources and hashkafa. A title in his library like "The Hebrew Language - The DNA of Creation" captures that reach for the meaning beneath the surface.
That orientation makes his material especially useful for someone asking not just what the Torah says but why it matters. His topics span the foundational — the Ten Commandments, the opening chapters of Bereishis — and the difficult, including a frank shiur titled "The Holocaust - Why Didn't We Fight Back?" The common thread is a search for the ideas that give Jewish practice its depth.
The chagim as a yearly message
A recurring focus in Rabbi Kraft's teaching is the meaning of the Jewish calendar. In shiurim such as "Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: The Message of the Holidays in Our Year," he treats the Yamim Noraim not as isolated dates but as a message meant to shape the twelve months that follow. The holidays become a lens for the whole year rather than a few intense days.
He is also drawn to reframing familiar ideas. "Rosh Hashanah: When Judging is Loving" turns the theme of divine judgment on its head, presenting the Day of Judgment as an act of care rather than fear. This willingness to challenge a listener's assumptions — gently, and from within the tradition — is a hallmark of how he approaches the chagim.
Mystical depth, made accessible
Several of Rabbi Kraft's shiurim reach into the more mystical side of Torah while keeping the presentation clear. "Parashat Bereishit: Mystical Secrets in the Garden of Eden" and "Secrets of the Ten Commandments" open up ideas often left to advanced study, and present them so a motivated beginner can follow. He treats Kabbalistic and philosophical themes as something to be understood, not merely admired from a distance.
For a learner, that combination — depth without gatekeeping — is the draw. His classes on philosophy and self-improvement connect abstract concepts to the actual work of becoming a better person, so a shiur about creation or the Aleph-Beis ends up saying something about how to live. It is Torah aimed at both the mind and the day-to-day.
Finding kosher Torah video for your family
FilteredTube is a kosher video service built for Jewish families — every single video is approved against one written standard before it can appear, with no open feed, no comments, and no surprises. It is a calm, safe place to look for the Torah and Jewish music you love.
If your family enjoys teachers like Rabbi Mordechai Kraft, search FilteredTube for the speakers and topics that matter most to you. With a daf yomi shelf, a weekly parsha shelf, topic shelves, audio-only listening for the car, and a kids mode with a PIN, kosher Jewish video is easy to reach — and the approved catalog keeps growing every day.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Rabbi Mordechai Kraft teaches Jewish philosophy, the chagim, and personal growth rather than line-by-line text.
- His shiurim tackle big questions — creation, the Hebrew language, and even hard topics like the Holocaust.
- He reframes the Yamim Noraim as a message for the whole year, as in "Rosh Hashanah: When Judging is Loving."
- He makes mystical ideas, like the "secrets" of Bereishis and the Ten Commandments, accessible to beginners.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.