Author Archives: admin

Vayakhel Pekudei – On Giants’ Shoulders feat. Akiva Wolbe

Bezalel was the architect of the most consequential building project of all time. He was tasked with the responsibility of building the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, the dwelling place for God on this earth. What special skills did Bezalel have that primed him to undertake this ambitious project? Why was Bezalel chosen for this task? When we examine his story and pedigree we find some interesting patterns.

This episode is guest hosted by my eldest son, Akiva, whose Bar Mitzvah is this week. The Parsha Podcast is a family, and I want to make sure that all the family that will not be able to be physically present in Houston for the Bar Mitzvah will still be able to partake in the festivities.

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Greedy When Others are Fearful (5:2-3)

Last chance to Support the TORCH Fundraiser

Please support The Ethics Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be DOUBLED

Show your support for TORCH and The Mitzvah Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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Ten generations elapsed both from Adam to Noah and from Noah to Abraham. The trend over those generations was away from God and into idolatry. At the end of each of these groups of ten generations came a great Tzadik. But Noah and Abraham were different classes of a Tzadik and the results are decidedly different. How does the Almighty treat generations of sinners? What opportunities are present for the righteous immersed in a sinful generation? We discover the answers and more in this special edition of The Ethics Podcast.

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Parshas Vayakhel & Pekudei (Rebroadcast)

Last chance to Support the TORCH Fundraiser

Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be DOUBLED

Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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After the Torah delineates the instructions to assemble the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle in Parshas Terumah and the creation of the vestments of the high priest in Parshas Tetzaveh, Parshas Vayakhel outlines the implementation those plans: The massive fundraising efforts, and the actual building of the Tabernacle and its vessels under the auspices of Bezalel, and Parshas Pekudei wraps up the account of the construction of the Tabernacle, and its vessels and vestments. Again and again we read the refrain that everything was done precisely how God commanded Moses.

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

TORCH Fundraiser: A Conversation with our Board President, Dan Kullman

Please support The TORCH Podcasts and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be TRIPLED

Show your support for TORCH and the TORCH Podcasts and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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In honor of the TORCH Fundraiser today at giveTORCH.org, I was interviewed by the TORCH Board President, Dan Kullman, of The Shema Podcast fame. In this special discussion, we talk about the history and development of the TORCH podcasts and make an appeal for your support of the fundraiser. Every donation is TRIPLED.

DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Ki Sisa – Hold Your Fire + TORCH Fundraiser

Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be TRIPLED

Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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Our nation commits the most grievous sin of our history in this week’s parsha. A mere 40 days after we experienced the national revelation at Sinai, the nation made the Golden Calf and began to worship it. How did such a catastrophe happen? When we examine the sin very carefully we find a pattern that repeats itself all over Jewish history and literature and that contains a timeless lesson that will change your life!

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Nuclear Football (5:1) + TORCH Fundraiser

Please support The Ethics Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be TRIPLED

Show your support for TORCH and The Mitzvah Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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How important are we? Do we even matter? What difference does it make if I live of die? What difference can one person make in the grand scope of existence? These are tough existential questions that thinking people grapple with. In this thought provoking podcast, we follow the Mishnah in exploring some these advanced questions.

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Tithes (#72, 395, 473-4, 507) + TORCH Fundraiser

Please support The Mitzvah Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be TRIPLED

Show your support for TORCH and The Mitzvah Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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When farmers in Israel produce a crop, they are subject to a series of tithes before that can consume the fruits of their labor. What are the various tithes and how are they disbursed?

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

#41: Immanent Proofs for the Divinity of the Torah + TORCH Fundraiser

Please support TORAH 101 Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be TRIPLED

Show your support for TORCH and TORAH 101 Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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Can we find evidence for the divinity of the Torah? Is there proof that the Torah is from God? That is the question that we are pondering on the TORAH 101 podcast recently. In the previous episodes we examined Torah as an outsider and asked the question, “can this be written by man?” In this life-changing episode we plunge deep into the heart of Torah and examine it from within. When immerged in the center of Torah, an entirely different picture emerges. From an immanent perspective, the divinity of the Torah stares at us in the face. Are we brave enough to look?

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Havdalah and its Secrets + TORCH Fundraiser

Please support This Jewish Life Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be TRIPLED

Show your support for TORCH and This Jewish Life Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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At the conclusion of Shabbat each week, Jewish families worldwide make the Havdalah ceremony. They take a cup of wine, some spices, and a fiery TORCH, and recite the four blessings of the Havdalah. What is the secret of this mysterious ceremony? What do we gaze at our fingernails in the fire? What is the connection between this ceremony and the aftermath of Adam and Eve’s Sin in the Garden? When we drill deeper into the Havdalah ceremony we discover all kinds of incredible insights and secrets!

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Parshas Ki Sisa (Rebroadcast) + Annual TORCH Fundraiser

Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

Every donation will be TRIPLED

Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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This week’s parsha contains several instructions related to the Tabernacle, but the majority of the parsha is dedicated to arguably the most shocking and troubling episode in the whole Torah, the Golden Calf. Forty days after the nation reached the pinnacle of human accomplishment – a national revelation at Sinai – the same nation committed what seems on the surface to be idolatry.

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

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Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Tetzaveh – The Great Collaboration

Besides being brothers, Moshe and Aaron were both leaders of the Jewish people: Moshe was the king and Aaron was the high priest. These brothers had different, but complimentary, skills and characteristics, that were each independently necessary for the nation. In this special edition of The Parsha Podcast, we do a very deep dive into the nation of Moshe’s leadership vs. Aaron’s, how they complimented and completed each other.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in the merit of a speedy and complete recovery of Yisrael Ben Aviva, the son of a dear friend and longtime member of the Parsha Podcast family who is going into a very serious heart surgery as this episode is released. If you have a few moments, please say a prayer for Yisrael Ben Aviva for a successful surgery and a complete and total recovery with no lingering effects

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Esther on an Allegorical Level

On Purim we read the Book of Esther, which tells the story of the Purim miracle. The Persian king Achashverosh conspires with his Amalekite viceroy Haman to eradicate the entire Jewish nation, but God refused to allow their plans to unfold. Queen Esther, together with her relative Mordechai, spearhead the effort to turn the plan on it’s head: Instead of Haman killing Mordechai and the Jews; the Jews were given free rein to destroy their enemies. Every year we commemorate this miracle on the holiday of Purim. But the story goes deeper. Every part of Torah can be understood on multiple dimensions. The Gaon of Vilna wrote a masterful commentary explaining the Book on an allegorical level, in which the characters and the storylines symbolize the various conflicts of our lives. What emerges is a stunning portrayal of central components of Jewish philosophy that also contains very incisive lessons for Purim itself.

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Sponsorship: 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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101