Author Archives: admin

Vayigash – The Chariot of God

This week’s parsha recounts the tale of how after decades of separation, Jacob is finally reunited with Joseph. But when they finally meet something odd happens. While Joseph responds to the moment emotionally, by falling on his father’s shoulder and weeping, Jacob is stoic. Our sages tell us that he was reciting the Shema prayer at that time. Why was only Jacob reciting the Shema and what does it tell us about him and about the Shema?

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Vayigash – A Family Descends (Rebroadcast)

Parshas Vayigash begins with Joseph’s dramatic revelation to his brothers and ends with the descent of Jacob and his descendents to Egypt, where they will spend the next several hundred years burgeoning into a great nation.

The topics discussed in this episode:
Joseph reveals his True Identity – [0:00];
The Brothers Silence in the Face of Truth – [5:30];
Jacob is Rejuvenated with the Knowledge that Joseph is still Alive; Has Nighttime Prophecy– [16:31];
70 Descendents; Remedy Precedes Wound – [24:05];
Jacob and Joseph Reunite – [32:36];
Jacob and Pharaoh’s Conversation; Joseph’s Dedication to Task – [38:24];

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Hesped (Eulogy) on the Gadol Hador (Greatest of the Generation), Rav Ahron Leib Shteinman zt”l

This week, the Gadol Hador, Rav Ahron Leib Shteinman zt”l, passed away at the age of 104. In this eulogy, we try to capture a brief portrait of this remarkable and inspirational leader.

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Chanukah – Small Miracles

When reading about the story and the miracles of Chanukah, the most prominent and memorable one seems to be the military victory of a small ragtag guerrilla army over the mighty Greeks. Yet the mitzvah commemorating the events revolves around the miracle of the oil, a seemingly insignificant miracle in comparison. In this podcast, we offer 3 explanations as to why that is the case, and use them to deepen our understanding of the holiday and its meaning.

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Ep. 43: The History of Chanukah: Hellenism, Heroism and Hasmoneans

The holiday of Chanukah commemorates the triumph of the Maccabean Revolt over the oppressive regime of Antiochus IV and the Seleucid Empire. In this podcast we tell the story of this miraculous victory of the weak over the mighty; the few over the many; the pure over the impure; and the righteous over the wicked.

NEW PODCAST – Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Ethical Judicial Conduct (1:8-1:9)

In the Second Century before the Common Era, the Jewish world was in an upheaval due largely to various splinter sects, such as the Sadducees and Boethusians, causing internal conflict and confusion among the nation. The two great leaders of the Jews at the time had many challenges on their hands. In this podcast we tell some of the stories about R’ Yehudah Ben Tabbai and R’ Shimon Ben Shetach and speculate how their experiences informed their teachings in Pirkei Avos.

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

The Eternal Consequences of Actions

In the span of one parsha, Reuben makes a grave blunder while Joseph avoids one. In their analysis of these two episodes, our Sages provide us with a powerful tool to ensure that our own actions are righteous and just and as accurate as possible.

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Mikeitz – From Prisoner to Viceroy (Rebroadcast)

Parshas Mikeitz tells the dramatic transformation of Joseph from lowly prisoner to exalted viceroy of Egypt, his oversight of Egyptian preparation for famine and how he related to his brothers who sought grain.

The topics discussed in this episode:
Joseph’s Ascension to grandeur – [0:00];
Joseph’s Suggestion: Seek a wise person – [10:08];
Joseph enshrined as viceroy, implements his plan and has a family– [19:55];
Joseph as Leader; Forced Circumcisions – [29:06];
Jacob Sends Sons to Procure Provisions; Brothers dont Recognize him; Joseph plays games with them – [33:13];
Joseph’s Ruses – [43:12];

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Vayeishev – Death by Unnatural Means

In Parshas Vayeishev, the conflict between Joseph and his brothers reaches the tipping point when they plot to kill him. In the end, Reuben saves Joseph by successfully lobbying that he be thrown into a pit full of dangerous animals. Why did the brothers want to kill Joseph, how did Reuben convince them not to, and what can we learn from this imbroglio?

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Avoiding Bad Neighbors (1:7)

In the previous mishna we are instructed how to choose positive influences, in this one we are warned of the perils of bad friends and bad neighbors.

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Vayeishev – Strange Paths to Redemption (Rebroadcast)

Parshas Vayeishev marks the dramatic descent of Joseph, from Jacob’s favorite son to alleged attempted rapist languishing in an Egyptian prison. In retrospect, this Parsha tells the beginning of the founding of the Jewish nation and the back story to the nation’s most prestigious family.

The topics discussed in this episode:
Jacob’s Favoritism towards Joseph – [0:00];
Joseph’s Dreams of Grandeur and the Prophecy in Dreams – [6:09];
Jacob’s Response to Joseph’s dreams – [16:55];
The Brothers Betray Joseph – [18:52];
Reuben and Judah try to save Joseph – [27:20];
Joseph’s Descent into Egypt; Judah is Demoted; the Episode of Judah and Tamar – [31:00];
Joseph in Egypt; His Resistance to Sin – [49:42];
Joseph is Framed and Imprisoned – [55:33];
Joseph Relies on the Cupbearer  – [1:01:22].

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.

Vayishlach – Your Money or Your Life

In our parsha, Jacob was stranded alone and partook in a fight to the death with the angel of Esau for an entire night. Quoting the Talmud, Rashi reveals that the reason why Jacob was alone was that he went to retrieve a few small jugs. The Talmud continues that from this episode we see that the righteous value their money more than their bodies because they don’t steal. In this podcast we address the three obvious questions about this Talmud:

  1. What does it mean that they love their money? Is not money a material thing that distracts from the spiritual goals in life?
  2. Also, is it possible that he loved it more than his body?
  3. And what does it mean that they do so because they don’t steal?

חולין צא א – ויותר יעקב לבדו אמר רבי אלעזר שנשתייר על פכין קטנים מכאן לצדיקים שחביב עליהם ממונם יותר מגופם וכל כך למה לפי שאין פושטין ידיהן בגזל

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Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com;
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe;
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe;
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher:

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;

Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast : Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.