Category Archives: Q&A and Contemporary Issues

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Assault on Dina: A Deep Exploration of a Third Rail Topic

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Some subjects are way too dicey address publicly – electrified third rail subjects which zap anyone who approaches it. But Blake Cohen is not afraid of third rails. In fact, he recently launched a podcast that is dedicated exclusively to the untouchable “Third Rails” of Judaism. Fittingly, his show was called “Third Rail Judaism”, where he explores and ponders some of the forbidden subjects that others are too scared to tackle. I was honored when Blake asked me to be interviewed for the first episode, an exploration of the kidnapping and assault of Dina, daughter of Jacob.

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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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Demystifying Chareidi Opposition to IDF Enlistment

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Perhaps the most controversial and divisive subject that dominates Israeli society today is the question of the blanket army exemption given to Yeshiva students. Someone whose Torah is their profession is entitled to defer and ultimately bypass mandatory constriction to the IDF. What is the rationale for this exemption? Why are the ultra-orthodox (Chareidi) communities so adamantly opposed to serving in the army? Don’t they know the imperative to help contribute towards the safety and protection of the nation? Don’t they know the chastisement that Moshe levied on the tribes of Reuben and Gad when they asked to stay on the East Bank of the Jordan? What are the ways by which these seemingly intractable gaps can be bridged? In this podcast we attempt to demystify the subject of Chareidi refusal to enlist in the IDF.

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This special podcast is dedicated in loving memory of R’ Shlomo Ben Avigdor Moshe and R’ Yitzchak Yaakov ben Eliyahu. And it should be a merit for all their descendants.

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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 Dina Dilemma

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Not all twins are identical in every way. Jacob and Esau were as different from each other as two humans can possibly get. When Rebecca got wind of Esau’s plans to murder Jacob, she sent them away. After being apart from his twin for more than 30 years, Jacob and Esau had a fateful reunion. Jacob had a dilemma: what to do with his very desirable daughter Dina? He was worried that Esau would lay his eyes on her and take her for a wife. Jacob was not interested in being Esau’s father-in-law and having his daughter be taken by this monster, so he made a decision. This in this podcast we explore Jacob’s dilemma and his decision and the many cascading consequences thereof.

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DONATE to TORCH: 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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Ask the Rabbi: Modest Prayer; Teenage Girl Advice; Youthful Skills; and Religious Difficulties

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Today’s podcast is a wild card. This past Shabbos I was invited to join a panel of rabbis to answer a series of interesting questions submitted by high school students from the all-girls high school in Houston. In this special episode I share some of the fascinating questions and some of what I said – and some of what I I was unable to say – at that panel.

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DONATE to TORCH: 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 Root Cause of Anti-Semitism and How to Solve it: The Torah’s Surprising View

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Jew hatred is not a new phenomenon. Ever since our people were founded — and truthfully even beforehand — we have been the recipients of unprecedented, enmity and hostility. Why are God’s chosen people uniquely targeted? What is the underlying reason for anti-Semitism? Why are we not more accepted into and tolerated by the general society? This is a question often pondered by scholars and pundits. With the global increase of anti-Semitism following the October 7th massacres and the war that ensued, this question is top of mind for many. In this podcast we share the Torah’s surprising and counterintuitive perspective.

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DONATE to TORCH: 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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On Elevator Pitches for God with Bruce Licht and Ron Kardos

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Many (most?) people believe in God. Believers accept the reality that the world, the universe, finite existence is the handiwork of an infinite God. Why do people believe? What evidence do believers have? These are some of the questions that my dear friends, Ron Kardos and Bruce Licht, sought to have answered. They conceived of an incredibly powerful and novel concept: what if people were given the opportunity to hear an elevator pitch for God? What if we asked a large collection of talented, accomplished, and famous people to share their elevator pitch for God? What resulted was a masterpiece of a book: Elevator Pitches for God. In this podcast, Ron and Bruce share their story.

Buy the Book

Amazon Link

Support EP4G

Visit their website ep4g.com to see what else Ron and Bruce are doing

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DONATE to TORCH: 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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On Visiting Wartime Israel with Dr. Alan Kritz

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Our nation is at war. Our brothers and sisters are in combat in Gaza, displaced from their homes in the north and the south of Israel, traumatized from the atrocities of October 7th, and of course there are 100 plus hostages still in Gaza. Our nation is experiencing pain and challenge the likes of which we have not seen for a very long time. Although we may be far away in the Diaspora, it is imperative that we not forget the plight of our brethren in Israel. We must each do what we can to help their righteous cause. And this very special podcast. I speak with my dear friend Dr. Alan Kritz. Dr. Kritz and I have had the great pleasure of studying together in an ongoing fashion for the past couple of years, and he undertook the sacred initiative to go to Israel and to lend a helping hand — to hear the stories, to see the sights, and to provide a modicum of empathy and comfort for a grieving nation. In this podcast, Dr. Kritz shares with us what he learned, what he observed, and where to go from here.

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DONATE to TORCH: 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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On the Spiritual Awakening in Israel with Rabbi Eliezer and Malky Wolbe

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When our nation experiences tragedy, we gravitate back to God. That is how we process pain and suffering. The Jewish people – especially our brothers and sisters in Israel – are exhibiting this response with resplendent nobility and strength of character. During the ongoing war, the Jewish spirit is being awakened. Jewish faith is being ignited and amplified. Are these rumblings of a Messianic time? That is a question that I am ill equipped to answer, but something is definitely happening. In this episode I have the great privilege of speaking with my eldest brother Rabbi Eliezer Wolbe and his amazing wife Malky about the spiritual transformations that are afoot in Israel.. They are tremendous people, and served as very valuable mentors for me in my formative years and the stories and insights that they share are inspirational and instructive.

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DONATE to TORCH: 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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On the Front Lines in Gaza with Yoshi Rosenbluth

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My dear friend and long time podcast listener Yoshi Rosenbluth spent a month in Gaza as a fighter in the IDF. In this very special podcast, he tells us what things are like on the ground from a soldier’s perspective. If you want an insider’s look into the battlefront in Gaza, this podcast is for you.

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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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On the Pulse of Wartime Israel with Blake Cohen

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In the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the terror organization that has governed Gaza since 2007, there is a very big divide between Jews living in the land of Israel and those of us in the Diaspora. While Jews worldwide may empathize with their Israeli brethren and rally and pray for their cause, the ones in Israel are on the front lines. What is happening in the Land? What is the pulse of the people? In this very special podcast, I speak with Blake Cohen, dear friend of mine, who traveled to Israel to pitch in and to volunteer and to help. He shares with us the incredible people he met, the amazing stories he heard, and important lessons he learned during his week in Israel. If you want to sense of what is actually happening on the ground, this podcast is for you.

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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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On Parenting in Difficult Times with the PodParents

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Few sequels live up to the high standards set by the original. Podfather Part 2 is an exception to the rule. In this special episode covering a variety of parenting subjects, we hear from both PodParents. My father and my mother – Avi and Faige Wolbe – both joined me in the TORCH Centre to discuss how to address the ongoing Gaza war with our children, how to inform but not frighten children when talking about tragedies and atrocities such as the Holocaust, how to think about the proper balance of insularity and exposure to a variety of potentially harmful things, and how to guide and direct our children to achieve their best.

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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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SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts