Category Archives: Torah 101

#40: The Case for the Divinity of Torah

The most important question we must ask is, “who wrote the Torah?” The consequences of this question are vast: If the Torah is divine, then its laws are obligatory and immutable; if the Torah is a hoax, then studying it and obeying its laws are ultimately a waste of time. If the Torah is legit, then we can be comforted that our efforts are not in vain; if its a fabrication then we have all been duped. In this podcast we approach the subject from various angles and demonstrate the overwhelming evidence pointing to the Torah being the handiwork of the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth.

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#39: What is Kabbalah?

Kabbalah, the hidden, mystical parts of the Torah, is arguably the most misunderstood area of Torah. It is a subject rife with misconceptions and misinterpretations; it is also a subject that is bursting with charlatans seeking to take advantage of the gullible masses. In this sweeping episode, we try to understand what, exactly, Kabbalah is, what is its role in Torah, what are the rules and prerequisites to study Kabbalah, and we talk about its quite interesting history. This episode is a must listen if you want an understanding of what Kabbalah is.

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This TORAH 101 podcast is dedicated in honor of a dear friend of mine and of TORCH from Dallas, TX, who wishes to remain anonymous. Thank you so much for your support and friendship!

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

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#38: What is Halacha?

With all the development and codification of Oral Torah that went into the Talmud, one areas was still incomplete: Halacha. Halacha refers to the practical application of Torah law, and despite the tremendous efforts invested in the Talmud in clarifying all the Torah laws, only an accomplished scholar would be able to extract the practical halacha from the Talmud. It is too confusing, it is too cumbersome, it is too vast, it is written in a terse, intricate way, the language is foreign; distilling the practical halacha from the Talmud is monstrously difficult. But thankfully, some of the greatest minds in history dedicated their lives to doing that for all of us. This podcast is the story of the writing and codification of Halacha.

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This TORAH 101 podcast is sponsored in honor of Dina Bat Esther by her family. We thank them for their support of TORCH and the TORCH Podcasts.

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

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#37: What is Aggadah?

The Talmud is comprised of two general formats: The Halachic portions (known in Talmudic parlance as, “shemaytza“), and the non-Halachic portions which are called “Aggadah”, or “Aggadata” or “Hagada”. These two parts of the Talmud cannot be more different: whereas in the Halachic portions the objective of the authors was to reveal their true meaning, in the Aggadic portions the objective was to conceal the true meaning. What is included in the Aggadah? Why was it written in this cryptic way? What are some examples of Aggadic teachings? How, indeed, must it be studied? In this comprehensive introduction to Aggadah we learn the answers to these and other questions.

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#36: What is Talmud?

The Talmud, or how it is often called, “Gemara”, is an ancient set of books written as commentary and elaboration of Mishnah. Despite being 1500 years old, the Talmud is still studied today by millions of people worldwide. In this podcast we get educated in what exactly the Talmud is? Why are there two versions of Talmud, the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud? What are the differences between the two? What role does it play in the development and canonization of Oral Torah? How exactly does the Talmud elaborate upon the Mishnah?

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#35: What is Mishnah?

For 1500 years, Oral Torah was just that: Oral. It was not committed to canonized writing. Circa 200 CE, that changed. Under the leadership of Rabbi Judah the Prince, the Nasi of the Sanhedrin, and the greatest Sage of his day, the laws of Oral Torah were codified and canonized in a series of 63 books called “Mishnah”. What was this process like? Under what authority was this decision made? How was the final work shaped to maintain the style and flavor of Oral Torah?

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!

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#34: Torah Under Siege: The Grounds for Codification of Oral Torah

The final century of the Second Temple and the one that followed its destruction were pivotal ones of Jewish history. It was an era replete with absolute Torah giants – Hillel the Elder, Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai, Rabban Gamliel of Yavneh and his colleagues, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Akiva and his students, among many other giants – but it was also a time of unprecedented challenges. Several times over these centuries, the Nation was hanging on a thread. The great Rabbis were targeted, the Great Sanhedrin was threatened, the Nation was attacked and dispersed. Over the course of this time, the conditions of the Nation deteriorated to the point that it was clear to our leaders that unless something drastic was done, the Nation as we know it would cease to exist. In this podcast we talk about the conditions that led to the fateful decision to write down the Mishna and to codify the Oral Torah.

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#33: Torah in the Second Temple Era

The Second Temple Era was an eventful time for the Jewish People and the perpetuation of Torah. Over the course of the Second Commonwealth our nation was blessed with great legends, such as Ezra, Shimon Ben Shetach, and Hillel, but the Nation faced unprecedented tests too: We were forced to contend with hostile foreign nations; internally, we suffered from discord and sectarianism; and at various times the Rabbis were targeted with assassinations and purges. To understand the imperative for the codification of Oral Torah, we must study the treacherous and perilous conditions of Torah in the Second Temple Era.

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#32: From Moses to the Men of the Great Assembly: Development, Systematization, and Perpetuation of Torah

Although the process to formally codify the Oral Torah did not begin for more than 1500 years after Sinai, there were many advancements in organizing and systematizing Oral Torah that began in earnest soon after Moses’ passing. In this special edition of the TORAH 101 podcast, we discuss the various developments in Oral Torah from Moses until the end of prophecy at the beginning of the Second Commonwealth. Among the many critical subjects discussed is the three different ways that Rabbinic ordinances can be rescinded.

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#31: Innovation and Dynamism in Oral Torah

In the narrow sense, Oral Torah refers to the interpretation and understanding of the Written Torah. The Written Torah is written cryptically, and the Oral Torah demystifies and explains it. But the truth is that Oral Torah includes much more than that. Oral Torah includes all of Torah that is not included in the Written text. In our next installment on Rambam’s Thirteen Principles, we discuss the concept of Rabbinic Law, its roots, and how the corpus of Oral Torah was expanded.

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#30: What is Oral Torah?

When Rambam lays out the Eighth Principle of his Thirteen Principles of Faith, that the Torah is divine, he includes believing in not only the Written Torah but also the Oral Torah as a necessary belief for Jews. But what exactly is Oral Torah? What is the relationship between the Written and Oral Torahs? In this podcast, the first of several on the important subject of Oral Torah, we get an important introduction to Oral Torah by studying Rambam’s Introduction to Mishnah and studying relevant Talmudic teachings.

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#29: The Comprehensiveness of Torah

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Ramban, Nachmanides (1194-1269), arguably the most impactful and significant Jewish personality of the 13th Century, was a towering, titanic figure, who wrote voluminously on all Torah and Talmud subjects. Perhaps his magnum opus is his magisterial commentary on the Torah. This podcast follows his fascinating introduction that he writes to his commentary on the Torah that deals with very fundamental questions relating to the authorship, nature, and dimensions of Torah. Studying this introduction will be a fitting continuation to some of the subjects we touched upon last time, and truly deepen our understanding of what we mean when we say that the Torah is divine.

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This TORAH 101 podcast is dedicated leilui nishmas Zev/Wolf Schiffman by his Jakobovits and Rubenstein grandchildren. May his soul be elevated in Heaven.

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Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;
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The Parsha Podcast  – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;
TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher;
Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple PodcastsAndroidStitcher.
The Mitzvah Podcast – Surveying the 613 Mitzvos of the Torah with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple Podcasts