Category Archives: Ethics of the Fathers 2025

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The Seven Keys to Wisdom (5:9)

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What separates a wise person from someone who has to potential to be a wise person but has not actualized it? In the words of our Sages, such a person who has not cultivated their wisdom is a “Golem”, and there are seven key differences between a Golem and a wise person. In this very valuable Mishnah, we learn about how to debate productively, how to think productively, how to deconstruct positions, and how to develop and hone our analytical and intellectual capabilities.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jun 28, 2021

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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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Defanged Demons (5:8)

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In the final installment of the series of Tens, our Mishnah reveals to us the ten things that were created at twilight of Friday during the week of Genesis. What is the deeper meaning of twilight? What is unique about these seemingly random mix of things that were created then? In this very interesting Mishnah we learn about an ironclad principle of what people today call, “The law of conservation of mass.”

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jun 23, 2021

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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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Concentric Realms of Holiness (5:7)

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For 800+ years our nation had a Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was a special place. It contained the vessels described in Scripture, it was the site of annual, national pilgrimages, it is where the high priest did the Yom Kippur service each year, it was the epicenter of the nation and it’s rebuilding has been the national yearning of our people for the last 1950 years. The Mishnah tells us that the Temple was grounds for ever-present, ongoing miracles. 10 miracles to be precise. Why was the Temple the place where miracles happened? What is the lesson for us who have never seen the temple? In this Ethics podcast we ponder the essence of the Temple, what it stood for, and how it’s miracles pertain to us.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jun 7, 2021

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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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Faith and Fear (5:6)

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Fear of God and Faith in God are both laudable qualities worthy of great people. Both, of course, are mitzvos as well. Which one is loftier? At first glance, fear of God can only be built upon an edifice of faith and thus it would be a loftier level. But when we examine the issue critically, we find something very surprising.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jun 1, 2021

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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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Miracles at the Sea (5:5)

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Ten is a very significant number in Jewish numerology and philosophy. The previous teachings in this chapter revolve around tens and the present Mishnah teaches that the Exodus was marked by a series of ten miracles for the Jews and ten plagues for the Egyptians whilst in Egypt and ten additional miracles for the Jews and ten additional plagues for the Egyptians at the splitting of the sea. What are these miracles and what is the significance of them happening twice?

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Apr 26, 2021

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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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Spiritual Epigenetics (5:4)

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The story of our forefather Abraham is told in great detail in the Torah. We read about his challenges and triumphs, travails, and travels. The Mishnah calculates that Abraham underwent ten distinct divine tests and succeeded in all of them. What are the nature of these ten tests and what do they portend to us? The answers are surprising and enlightening.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Apr 11, 2021

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

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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.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Mar 8, 2021

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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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Nuclear Football (5:1)

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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.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Mar 2, 2021

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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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Life, Afterlife, and Judgment (4:29)

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What happens after we die? That is a question that fascinates and terrifies us. The future is unknown. It is a mystery, shrouded in uncertainty and dread. Naturally, the human tendency is to try to avoid thinking about those questions too much. In this Mishnah, the subject is ripped open and we learn some very valuable and penetrating insights that can forever shape our live.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jan 17, 2021

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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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Envy, Lust, and Honor (4:28)

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This Mishnah is perhaps the most famous one in the entire Book of Pirkei Avos. We are told that there are three characteristics that remove a person from the world: Envy, Lust, and Honor. What is not specified is which world is being referenced, or why, exactly, these characteristics are so destructive. In this transformational Ethics podcast, we probe many central questions of Jewish faith and eschatology.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Nov 2, 2020

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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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Aged Wisdom (4:26-7)

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How do children learn? How does intelligence and wisdom develop? How do people undergo intellectual and spiritual maturation? In this very powerful set of Mishnayos, we learn why young people why young people are not always ready for prime time, and how ruminating over wisdom transforms a person.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Oct 26, 2020

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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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