Category Archives: Ethics of the Fathers 2025

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Answering the Heretics (2:19)

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Rabbi Elazar Ben Arach was the prized student of Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai, but he chose to chart his own path in life and not to join the rest of his colleagues in Yavneh.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Oct 14, 2018

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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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Relationship or Ritual? (2:18)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 18:42 — 10.7MB)

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What is the optimal relationship between man and God? How is man supposed to view himself? These questions and several others are addressed in Chapter 2, Mishna 18 of Pirkei Avos.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Oct 7, 2018

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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 Ultimate Meritocracy (2:17) + TORCH 2025 Fundraiser

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 21:24 — 9.8MB)

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Please support the Ethics Podcast by donating to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

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Support the Ethics Podcast by visiting giveTORCH.org right now and making a generous donation!

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In a short, succinct Mishna, Rabbi Yose shares timeless lessons regarding the proper way to treat other people’s money, how Torah greatness is a meritocracy, and perhaps the most central insight of Jewish spirituality.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Sep 17, 2018

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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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Choose Your World (2:16) + Annual TORCH Fundraiser

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 53:40 — 24.6MB)

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Please support the Ethics Podcast by donating to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org

This is our only annual fundraiser.

Every donation is DOUBLED!

Support the Ethics Podcast by visiting giveTORCH.org right now and making a generous donation!

This is the LINK for the Fundraiser.

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This mishna marks the first of three times in Pirkei Avos where the phrase “is removed from the world” is assigned to people who exhibit certain attitudes or behaviors. In this podcast we suggest a novel approach to explain that term.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Aug 27, 2018

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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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Tempering Temper (2:15)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 52:44 — 29.7MB)

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In this Mishna, one of the most fascinating characters of the Mishnaic era teaches eternal lessons on how to deploy anger properly and how to ensure that our spiritual affairs are in order before we meet our Creator.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Aug 20, 2018

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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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Finding Your Magic Bullet (2:13-14)

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Two thousand years ago the great Sage Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai instructed his five prime disciples to undertake a unique mission. This mission and their discoveries can still offer us life-changing wisdom.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Aug 6, 2018

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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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Spiritual Natural Law (2:9-2:12)

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Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai was the pivotal leader of the nation at a most vulnerable juncture of our history. His life story and his timeless lessons continue to inform and inspire nearly two millenia after his passing.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jul 16, 2018

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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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Avoiding Deathpangs (2:8)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 39:05 — 22.6MB)

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What is really yours and what are you merely a steward over for the duration of your life? In this mishnah, Hillel reclassifies ten things by pulling away the curtain and revealing what they truly are.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jul 2, 2018

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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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Divine Karma (2:7)

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In one of those life experiences we hope to never have, Hillel once encountered a skull floating on the water. His comment to that skull is enshrined in Pirkei Avos and serves as an invaluable lesson to us.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jun 18, 2018

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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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A Tourist Visa to Heaven (2:6)

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In the sixth mishna of the second chapter of Pirkei Avos, Hillel the Elder delineates the six levels of distinction, the means to achieve them, and their impediments.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jun 11, 2018

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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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Safety in Numbers (2:5)

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In chapter 2 we meet Hillel the Elder again. In this mishna we learn the secret of surviving judgement, the differences between how God and man judge, and hear a clarion call for repenting before we die.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jun 4, 2018

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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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