Author Archives: admin

Ep. 8: Great Jewish Personalities: Rabbi Meir

Podcast (history): Download (Duration: 45:19 — 23.7MB)

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Rabbi Meir was a foundational scholar of the Mishnaic era. In fact, an unattributed mishna are his teachings and he is the third most oft-cited rabbi in the Talmud. In this podcast we explore the remarkable and tragic life story of this great man.

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts – This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Parsha Podcast – a weekly analysis and exploration of the parsha.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Vayeira – Reconciling Kindness and Child-Sacrifice

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:20:04 — 43.1MB)

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Telling the story of this week’s parsha while gleaning insights and lessons from it. The topics discussed in this episode:

Kindness Superseding Prophecy – [0:00]
Deconstructing Abraham’s Kindness with the Three Strangers – [9:57]
Abraham’s Intercession on Behalf of Sodom – [25:23]
Abraham’s Unsuccessful Kindnesses: How Kindness and Faith are Correlated and How Lot’s Kindness differed from Abraham’s – [34:48]
Sodom’s Perversion and Lot’s Warped Kindness – [41:56]
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and its Aftermath, the Pillar of Salt and Lot’s Merit– [51:47]
Birth of Isaac, Banishment of Ishmael and Binding of Isaac – [1:02:39]
Understanding the Binding of Isaac and Abraham’s Apparent Cruelty – [1:08:22]

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Contact:

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Ep. 7: Great Jewish Personalities: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

Podcast (history): Download (Duration: 45:04 — 22.9MB)

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The life, writings and legacy of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai has seen a sensational resurgence in recent years. The annual pilgramage to his gravesite during the week of his hilula attracts more than 500,000 visitors. In this podcast we explore the remarkable and riveting life story of this great man.

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts – This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Parsha Podcast – a weekly analysis and exploration of the parsha.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Lech Lecha – A Covenant of Greatness

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:11:25 — 38.0MB)

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Telling the story of this week’s parsha while gleaning insights and lessons from it. The topics discussed in this episode:

Abraham, the Most Transformative Human of All Time – [0:00]
Abraham’s Ten Tests and the Test of Lech Lecha– [2:48]
The Souls that they made in Charan – [19:45]
Israel, Godly Promises and the Egypt Episode – [24:53]
Lot, Sand & Stars, Abraham’s Great Fear – [37:14]
Abraham Marries Hagar – [54:00]
Circumcision – [1:02:03]

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

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

#4: The Cognitive Dissonance to the Veracity of the Torah and why Sinai Denial is on Shakier Intellectual Grounds than Holocaust Denial

Podcast (torah101): Download (Duration: 44:15 — 22.9MB)

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We face internal resistance to the notion of a God-given Torah because that can create a divide between our beliefs and behaviors. How do we respond to the tumult caused by this revelation?

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.
If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics; The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People; and The Parsha Podcast – a weekly analysis and exploration of the parsha.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Ep. 6: Great Jewish Personalities: Rabbi Akiva

Podcast (history): Download (Duration: 51:02 — 27.0MB)

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Rabbi Akiva was one of the most legendary and heroic figures in Jewish history. His story and accomplishments continue to inspire. In this podcast we explore the remarkable and riveting life story of this great man.

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torchweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts – This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Parsha Podcast – a weekly analysis and exploration of the parsha.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Noach – Treating the Symptoms of Sin

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:19:49 — 42.2MB)

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A synopsis of the parsha and insights and lessons and themes from it. The topics discussed in this epsode:

The 120 Year Grace Period for Mankind – [0:00]
The Enigmatic Character of Noah – [4:35]
The Ark as Refuge; Ark’s Dimensions – [13:25]
Fiting everyone into the Ark – [18:45]
A Personal Flood And a Personal Ark for refuge – [26:35]
A Seeming Inconsistency in the Number of Kosher Animals – [30:00]
Separation of men and women in Ark – [35:07]
The lacking of Noah’s faith – [40:10]
Four Events that happened in Broad Daylight – [45:32]
The Legacy of the Dead, Life on the Ark, The Aftermath of the Flood – [50:48]
The Ham Debacle – [1:01:36]
Nimrod and The Tower of Babel – Rebellion With Willful Intent – [1:06:33]
Abraham’s Backstory and the Two Types of Miracles – [1:14:02]

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

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

#3: Implications of the Authorship of the Torah

Podcast (torah101): Download (Duration: 46:28 — 23.9MB)

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Why it matters who wrote the Torah.
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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.
If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

The Secret of the Sukkah

Podcast: Download (Duration: 42:57 — 19.7MB)

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We are instructed to sit in a Sukkah for the seven days of the holiday of Sukkos. What is the meaning behind this strange mitzvah? Why must we leave our climate-controlled homes and move into a sukkah that resembles huts in third world countries? Why is this mitzvah so powerful that it is used as a litmus test for rligibility to enter Olam Haba?

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This podcast was recorded live in my home in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcast – The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

#2: The Fallacy of the Bible Critics

Podcast (torah101): Download (Duration: 45:12 — 23.5MB)

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We continue our dissection of the various options regarding the authorship of the Torah.
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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.
If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Bereishis – The Ominous Beginnings of Man

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:11:17 — 37.7MB)

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This is the first of a series on the entire Torah. Every week will feature a new episode that begins with a synopsis of the parsha and insights and lessons and themes from it. The topics discussed in this epsode:

Parsha Overview – [0:00]
The World Was Created with Ten Utterances – [6:46]
Hell Created on Day Two – [11:36]
The Demotion of the Moon – [15:43]
Why Adam was Created on Day Six –  [20:20]
Why no “And behold it was good” for Adam? – [25:32]
Adam and Eve: Model Marriage? – [28:46]
The Test and the Sin – [32:27]
Adam was Created Circumcised – [39:00]
“The Torah Begins and Ends with Kindness”/Adam to Moses Continuum – [41:48]
The Punishment and Repurcussions of the Sin – [48:07]
Cain and Abel: Impact of Actions – [01:00:29]
Deterioration of Mankind – [01:09:46]

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If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

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