Category Archives: Q&A and Contemporary Issues

The Ten Commandments of Parenting

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A parent who brings a child to this world has accepted upon himself/herself the responsibilities of raising that child to be a happy, healthy and stable adult. This axiomatic idiom has been an unfortunate causality of today’s society. In America today only 63% of children grow up together with both biological parents. As Jews we heed the Torah’s requirement to educate our children but also benefit from the Torah’s guidelines of how to educate them. In this presentation we have selected ten of the Torah’s core pedagogical lessons. Namely:

  1. Thou shall parent.
  2. Thou shall individualize your parenting as per the unique nature of your child.
  3. Thou shall parent with the long term view.
  4. Thou shall love your child and express it.
  5. Thou shall boost your child’s self esteem.
  6. Thou shall teach by example.
  7. Thou shall discipline and demand infrequently but with consistency.
  8. Thou shall collaborate with your partners.
  9. Thou shall not make your parenting an arena for your own negative character traits.
  10. Thou shall not be obstinate.

Come and hearken to the presentation that caused one participant to exclaim: “I wish I heard this seven years ago”.

Man, Judaism and the pursuit of Pleasure Part 1

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We begin this first of a multiple part exposition of major items in Jewish Life, Philosophy and Practice with a controversial but logical conclusion and a question. The conclusion: Life can only have meaning if God exists. The question: When you accept the Jewish definition of God you accept that God lacks nothing; so for what purpose did God decide to create the universe? We then dig into the two answers promulgated by traditional Jewish sources. Tune in for some advanced Jewish philosophy.

God through history

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In this wide ranging discussion on God and his active participation in history, we ask, and attempt to answer, questions like these:

  • How did 600k Jews mobilize and leave Egypt at a moments notice?
  • Where was God during the Holocaust, Inquisition, the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648?
  • Why does God not do miracles miracles every day?
  • How is the founding of our religion different than every other one? 

Tackling Temptation: Can we possibly succeed against life’s most formidable foe?

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:04:56 — 29.7MB)

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In this class Rabbi Wolbe sets out to demystify and unlock the secrets of one of mankind’s greatest challenges and struggles: temptation. Culling from an array of ancient Judaic texts we will begin with defining, demarcating and delineating the anatomy of temptation; focusing on the reason why forbidden fruit (or carbs) is so alluring and irresistible. Once we gain a keen understanding of the makeup of this great adversary, we will learn the Four distinct Talmudic approaches to curbing and managing temptation. If you have ever struggled with temptation of any sort; i.e. if you are a human, and especially if you have tried dieting unsuccessfully, you cannot miss this class. Lives will be changed. Forever.

What does Judaism really say about Moshiach (Messiah)

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Curious to know when Moshiach is coming? Can we – and should we – calculate his arrival? Think you’ve got what it takes to be Moshiach? Rabbi Wolbe answers these questions and outlines the qualifications needed for one to be crowned Moshiach and the accomplishments that Moshiach will achieve. Additionally, in this class we hear a history of false, failed and unrealized Moshiachs spanning from Bar Kochba in the first century of the Common Era to the ongoing schism tearing apart the Chabad Lubavitch Chassidic dynasty regarding the Messianic status of the previous Rebbe, since deceased. Lastly, tune in and learn what it all means for us and what can we do to expedite Moshiach’s arrival.

What happens after you die?

Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:02:18 — 28.5MB)

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Tune in and listen to the definitive Jewish answer to life’s most compelling question: what really happens after you die. One of the few topics where it is hard to speak from experience, Rabbi Wolbe culls from various sources and Jewish traditions to paint a complete picture that clarifies the basis of the discussion: what happens after you die determines what, indeed, is meaningful in life.

Why didn’t God create the world in one instant?

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Rabbi Wolbe addresses this interesting question, and also dabbles with the philosophical problems of an infinite existence and a finite world coexisting, and the paradox of Free Will in the face of an All Knowing God.