Category Archives: Podcasts

Ep. 7: Great Jewish Personalities: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

The life, writings and legacy of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai has seen a sensational resurgence in recent years. The annual pilgramage to his gravesite during the week of his hilula attracts more than 500,000 visitors. In this podcast we explore the remarkable and riveting life story of this great man.

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts – This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Parsha Podcast – a weekly analysis and exploration of the parsha.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Lech Lecha – A Covenant of Greatness

Telling the story of this week’s parsha while gleaning insights and lessons from it. The topics discussed in this episode:

Abraham, the Most Transformative Human of All Time – [0:00]
Abraham’s Ten Tests and the Test of Lech Lecha– [2:48]
The Souls that they made in Charan – [19:45]
Israel, Godly Promises and the Egypt Episode – [24:53]
Lot, Sand & Stars, Abraham’s Great Fear – [37:14]
Abraham Marries Hagar – [54:00]
Circumcision – [1:02:03]

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Contact:
Website: RabbiWolbe.com
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

#4: The Cognitive Dissonance to the Veracity of the Torah and why Sinai Denial is on Shakier Intellectual Grounds than Holocaust Denial

We face internal resistance to the notion of a God-given Torah because that can create a divide between our beliefs and behaviors. How do we respond to the tumult caused by this revelation?

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.
If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics; The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People; and The Parsha Podcast – a weekly analysis and exploration of the parsha.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Ep. 6: Great Jewish Personalities: Rabbi Akiva

Rabbi Akiva was one of the most legendary and heroic figures in Jewish history. His story and accomplishments continue to inspire. In this podcast we explore the remarkable and riveting life story of this great man.

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torchweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts – This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Parsha Podcast – a weekly analysis and exploration of the parsha.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Noach – Treating the Symptoms of Sin

A synopsis of the parsha and insights and lessons and themes from it. The topics discussed in this epsode:

The 120 Year Grace Period for Mankind – [0:00]
The Enigmatic Character of Noah – [4:35]
The Ark as Refuge; Ark’s Dimensions – [13:25]
Fiting everyone into the Ark – [18:45]
A Personal Flood And a Personal Ark for refuge – [26:35]
A Seeming Inconsistency in the Number of Kosher Animals – [30:00]
Separation of men and women in Ark – [35:07]
The lacking of Noah’s faith – [40:10]
Four Events that happened in Broad Daylight – [45:32]
The Legacy of the Dead, Life on the Ark, The Aftermath of the Flood – [50:48]
The Ham Debacle – [1:01:36]
Nimrod and The Tower of Babel – Rebellion With Willful Intent – [1:06:33]
Abraham’s Backstory and the Two Types of Miracles – [1:14:02]

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Contact:
Website: RabbiWolbe.com
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

#3: Implications of the Authorship of the Torah

Why it matters who wrote the Torah.
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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.
If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

The Secret of the Sukkah

We are instructed to sit in a Sukkah for the seven days of the holiday of Sukkos. What is the meaning behind this strange mitzvah? Why must we leave our climate-controlled homes and move into a sukkah that resembles huts in third world countries? Why is this mitzvah so powerful that it is used as a litmus test for rligibility to enter Olam Haba?

This podcast was recorded live in my home in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcast – The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

#2: The Fallacy of the Bible Critics

We continue our dissection of the various options regarding the authorship of the Torah.
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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.
If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Bereishis – The Ominous Beginnings of Man

This is the first of a series on the entire Torah. Every week will feature a new episode that begins with a synopsis of the parsha and insights and lessons and themes from it. The topics discussed in this epsode:

Parsha Overview – [0:00]
The World Was Created with Ten Utterances – [6:46]
Hell Created on Day Two – [11:36]
The Demotion of the Moon – [15:43]
Why Adam was Created on Day Six –  [20:20]
Why no “And behold it was good” for Adam? – [25:32]
Adam and Eve: Model Marriage? – [28:46]
The Test and the Sin – [32:27]
Adam was Created Circumcised – [39:00]
“The Torah Begins and Ends with Kindness”/Adam to Moses Continuum – [41:48]
The Punishment and Repurcussions of the Sin – [48:07]
Cain and Abel: Impact of Actions – [01:00:29]
Deterioration of Mankind – [01:09:46]

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If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Contact:
Website: RabbiWolbe.com
Twitter: @RabbiWolbe
Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

The Greatest Day (Yom Kippur)

Yom Kippur is a challenging day. It is associated with prayer and liturgy that we may not understand, very long services and, of course, fasting. As a result, most people are unaware of the power, meaning and opportunity of the day. In this podcast we go back to the very first Yom Kippur. What happened on that day and how is it represented in the holiday? Why is Yom Kippur both a day of the sealing of judgement and the day of atonement? What is the meaning behing the fasting? Listen and familiarize yourself with the true essence and opportunity of the day and learn how to maximize it!

This podcast was recorded live in my home in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcast – The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

#1: Who Wrote the Torah

The authorship of the Torah is a highly consequential matter to clarify. If it is – as Jews have traditionally believed –  the word of God, then it holds eternal absolute value for all. If it is not the word of God then it is no different than any other ancient document. What are the positions on the matter and what does the evidence show?

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This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation.

If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: This Jewish Life – long form deep dives into critical Torah topics and The Jewish History Podcast – telling the remarkable story of the Jewish People.

Website: RabbiWolbe.com

Twitter: @RabbiWolbe

Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

Ep. 5: Chaos, Cataclysm and Consolidation: Jewish History in The Modern Era

The Modern Era was a whirlwind of activity for the Jewish people, not all of it positive. The story takes us to Tzfat in northern Israel where a unique community of Torah giants shape the future of our nation. It moves to Poland and the Ukraine where bands of cossacks slaughter and pillage the Jewish communities. After that we move on to Turkey where we meet one of the villains of Jewish history who destroyed the lives and the spirit of his generation. We learn about the many different movements of this time: the Chassidic movement, the modern Yeshiva movement, Zionism, Reform among others, and the great national accomplishment of the modern State of Israel. It is a story of hope; a story of yearnings; a story of great impacts and grave errors; it is a story that our nation continues to create.

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

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