Author Archives: admin

Inspiration to Perspiration: Simple Instructions to Change the World

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Every person who has ever changed the world, from the great Sage Rabbi Akiva to Travis Kalanick the founder of UBER, has been guided by two core life skills. These two learnable qualities are the underpinnings of every transformational change and improvement that humanity achieved. They are what separates the people who are inspired to change and actually implement grand ideas from the common folk who do not influence the world for the better. What are these qualities and how do we harness their power? In this podcast, Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe outlines the process and methodologies needed for any change and issues a clarion call for pursuit of greatness.

A Biographical Sketch and A Character Analysis of Abraham and Sarah

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Abraham and Sarah are the biological, theological and ideological forebears of our nation. The story of their lives and accomplishments is the story of the Jewish people and, more broadly, the story of human progress and morality throughout history. What propelled them to greatness? What methods did they employ to disseminate their message? What is their eternal legacies? Join Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe as we ponder the story of these intellectual, spiritual and behavioral giants, and draw from it lessons for living.

Is Believing in the Supernatural Irrational? How to Build a Rational Life Philosophy

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This part 6 of the Proofs of Torah series, and Part 17 of the Torah Series overall. In this podcast we analyze and investigate select Torah verses and ponder the feasibility of human authorship.

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 17

Three Avenues to Eternity

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Performance of Mitzvahs earns a person a portion in Olam Haba. How does that work? In this podcast we examine various Jewish sources that establish the three distinct ways someone can achieve Olam Haba via mitzvahs.

Overwhelming Evidence to the Divinity of the Torah and its Ramifications

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The reality of the Torah being divine and immutable can be agitating and frankly a bit terrifying. As the word of God, every word of the Torah is true and obligatory, and that may trigger cognitive dissonance if we do not behave in a way that reflects that reality. It is vital to recognize that only two possibilities exist: the Torah as a divine document or the product of humans. While the Torah being true can be frightening, the alternative is implausible, even more terrifying and, in a sense, exceedingly cruel. In this podcast we continue our exploration of the subject by looking at the Torah’s Revelation narrative and several select predictions.

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 16

Why Shavuos is The Holiday of the Giving of the Torah

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Shavous is the date when the Jews stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and heard the Ten Commandments. Ten mitzvahs out of the 613 that they would ultimately receive is only 3% of the total. Why would this day be enshrined as the day of receiving the Torah when they actually received only a small fraction of the Torah? In this lecture we initially clarify what we mean by Torah, and examine four possible answers to this question.

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 15

Spiritual Shortcuts to Greatness: How to Change the World in One Hour

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The Talmud records three episodes where individuals acquired Olam Haba in one instant. In these stories we learn a formula for accomplishing the work of a lifetime in one day.  Let us be prepared to seize the once in a lifetime opportunities to dramatically transform our world with one act of selfless dedication and commitment!
וולבה

This photograph is my grandfather, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, teaching Chumash to girls in the school that he founded for refugees in Lidingö, Sweden.

Innovating the Torah Nation: Why Some Changes to Jewish Life and Practice Succeed while Others Fail

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Torah, in its Oral and Written formats, has and always will be the national pastime of the Jewish nation. Traditionally, it has been the yearnings of young Jews and chief determinant of greatness of Jewish Leaders. Over the course of Jewish history there have been several movements that challenged that belief and attempted to alter the traditional view of Torah; or to supplant its primacy in favor of other ideals; or to emphasize certain elements of Jewish living. Some were wild successes that continue to define Jewish life until today and others were disasters that caused needless sectarianism and strife. In this lecture we examine some of the schisms/innovations throughout Jewish history including the Sadducees, Essenes, Karaites, the Shabtai Tzvi debacle, Chassidim and it’s great dynasties, Reform, Chabadism and its Messianic ambitions, disappointments and disillusionments.

The Millions of Eyewitness Testimonies to The Veracity, Accuracy and Historicity of the Torah

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The binary question of the authorship of the Torah is the most critical question that every Jew must encounter in their lives. The answer to that question governs every action and decision that we will be making afterwards. Unfortunately, most people do not ever investigate and ponder that question properly. In Part 3 of our deep dive into this topic we examine and explore some of the classic and incontrovertible evidence that the Torah is indeed what it purports to be – the word of the Living God.

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 14

A Traditional Jewish Response to Higher Bible Criticism Part 2

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We continue in our efforts to expose the fallacies of the claims of the Bible Critics. It indeed is preposterous to be intellectually honest and well informed on the issues and believe that their conclusions hold water.

Part One: http://rabbiwolbe.com/the-torah-as-a-divine-document-an-analysis-of-higher-bible-criticism-and-why-the-authorship-of-the-torah-matters/

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 13