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Vaeira – Pharaoh’s Education (5781)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 44:33 — 20.4MB)

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The Jewish people undergo a stunning transformation in our Parsha: It begins with the nation walling in misery; when Moshe offers a plan for salvation, they cannot even hear his comforting message. Yet very quickly they merit a miraculous Exodus, and only fifty days later they experience national prophecy at Sinai. How did this happen? How did the nation learn the lessons and absorb the teachings needed to become the nation of God? In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast we lay out a framework for understanding the importance and significance of the Ten Plagues.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored by my dear friend Jeff Yarus in honor of his wife Beth on the occasion of her birthday

On behalf of the entire Parsha Podcast family, we wish her a hearty happy birthday and wish her many happy returns

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

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#65: The Objective of Messiah

Podcast (torah101): Download (Duration: 47:32 — 21.8MB)

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The subject of the Messiah is notoriously confusing. What is Messiah? How will Messiah change our lives? What will be different in the Messianic era? The answers to these questions are not ubiquitously known. In this podcast we proceed in our studies of the Twelfth Principle of Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith by addressing the core essence of Messiah: What is the goal of Messiah? How does Messiah fit into the context of the objective of Creation? We ground our discussion with two citations: A comment from Rambam’s Treatise on Reward and Punishment, and one from Ramchal’s Maamar HaIkarim. We conclude the podcast with an observation that thoroughly transforms the subject.

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

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Parshas Vaeira (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:00:59 — 27.9MB)

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Our Parsha begins in the middle of the dialogue between Moses and God. Moses’ initial foray into saving the nation has gone horribly awry. Instead of alleviating the pain of the Jewish nation; his intervention exacerbated it, and he returned to the Almighty asking for an explanation. In His response, God tells Moses that he will yet see the tremendous miracles and signs of the pending Exodus. In our parsha, that plan begins to unfold, and we read about the first seven of the eventual Ten Plagues.

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

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Shemos – Panache in King

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:06:11 — 30.3MB)

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The story of the Jewish people in the book of Exodus gets off to a difficult start. The nation is firmly ensconced in Egypt, but their experience there is decidedly unpleasant. They are enslaved, tormented, and systematically oppressed. Things go from bad to worse when Pharaoh decrees that all Jewish baby boys be killed. When Moshe first petitions Pharaoh to have them released, he intensifies their servitude. The Parsha ends with the nation reeling from the exacerbation of their servitude. When we read the Parsha in the Torah, we can appreciate a different angle of what happened. From the very first chapter, the seeds of redemption are planted. The Parsha mostly follows Moshe as he begins his journey to save the nation. In this podcast we study and explore the concurrent story lines of our Parsha, and discover two interrelated themes that define Moshe as a person and as a leader.

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

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Leaven and Honey in Offerings (#117)

Podcast (mitzvah): Download (Duration: 24:30 — 11.2MB)

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Meal offerings brought in the Temple must not include – with some exceptions – leaven or honey.

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This Mitzvah Podcast is sponsored by my dear friend and study partner Shaya Gamzon in honor of Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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

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Shemos – Grooming Greatness (5781)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 49:17 — 22.6MB)

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Moses is the greatest leader of our history and the archetype of a great, transformative leader. Why was he chosen for the role? What was his training to become the leader he became? What are the Torah’s guidelines for leaders and people of influence. In this podcast we examine the Torah’s retelling of the protracted dialogue between God and Moses. Moses is resisting accepting the mantle of leadership. He objects for a bevy of different reasons before he ultimately accedes to accepting the role. Each objection posed by Moses and each rebuttal offered by the Almighty contain the keys to becoming a great leader.

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

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48 Ways to Wisdom – #10: Apprenticeship (6:6:10)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 33:00 — 15.1MB)

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Our glorious tradition was perpetuated from generation to generation, from teacher to student, from parent to child, for thousands of years. One of the ways to acquire wisdom is by studying under the tutelage of a great Sage.

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

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Parshas Shemos (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 59:45 — 27.4MB)

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The Book of Exodus begins with the Egyptians cunningly enslaving their Hebrew subjects: mandating that they work in backbreaking labor, killing their male sons, and trying to stamp out their spirit and curb their population. But God heard their cries and saw their suffering and dispatched the greatest of all men, Moses, a reluctant leader, to lobby Pharaoh to release the people.

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

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Vayechi – Anti-Oxidance

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:17:18 — 35.4MB)

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Immediately prior to his passing, Jacob gathered his sons with the intention of revealing to them what will happen at the end of days. With his 12 sons coalesced around him, Jacob was forced to pivot: the Almighty withdrew His Shechinah from him, and he was no longer able to be able to convey to them what would happen at the end of days. Instead, he began saying other things. Going through his sons one at a time, he highlighted their qualities, flaws, and destinies. When Jacob concluded these deathbed blessings, he passed. In this podcast we explore the nature of these blessings and the profound and indispensable lessons that they provide for us.

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

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Vayechi – The Five Stages of Transformation (5781)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 39:14 — 18.0MB)

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The Book of Genesis is replete with interesting stories. We follow the narrative about Adam and Noah and their families, Abraham and his odyssey and trials, Isaac and his family’s challenges and triumphs, and of course Jacob and Joseph and their stories capture our imagination and curiosity. “Torah” means instruction. As part of the Torah, Genesis must be instructive. Where are the instructions of Genesis? Stories are great, but what are the lessons? In this Parsha Podcast we suggest several answers to this important question.

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

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The Secret of the Month of Teves with Rabbi Shmuly Botnick

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:04:05 — 29.3MB)

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The Month of Teves doesn’t have many memorable days. The only days of note are the last couple of days of Chanukah, and the fast of the 10th of Teves, which commemorates The siege of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians, an event which culminated in the destruction of the First Temple and the end of the First Commonwealth. But as we have come to learn, the Jewish months are laden with secrets and mysteries. To help us decrypt and unravel the mysteries of Teves, we once again invited the legendary Rabbi Shmuly Botnick to make sense of this month and to reveal its mysteries. In keeping with his past performance, he did not disappoint.

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

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Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

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