Category Archives: Parsha

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The Rosh Hashana Torah Reading – Day One (Rebroadcast)

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The Torah readings for the two days of Rosh Hashana were not arbitrarily chosen. There are very good reasons why on the first day of Rosh Hashana we read Genesis chapter 21, which tells of the conception and birth of Isaac, and the banishment of Ishmael, his brush with death, and his salvation. In this podcast we attempt to understand the many connections that this reading has with the themes and ideas of Rosh Hashana.

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Nitzavim – The Penitent Manifesto

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:04:26 — 29.5MB)

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Repentance is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. When we blunder; when we err; when we create distance and barriers between us and God, we are afforded the ability to rectify and restore our previous pristine state. But repentance, at first glance, seems nightmarishly hard. To change demands an admission that we are flawed; to change demands action which we are always biased against; to change demands that we overcome our instincts and ingrained habits. In this very special pre-Rosh Hashanah podcast, we explore the 40 verses of our Parsha and present them as a manifesto for the penitent. In the podcast we learn of a new way to view the entire subject of repentance, and by extension, a new approach to change.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in loving memory and leilui nishmas Andy Stern, Gershon Yaakov Ben Moshe, on the occasion of his 4th yahrzeit. May his Soul be elevated in Heaven.

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Parshas Nitzavim (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 52:07 — 23.9MB)

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On the final day of Moshe’s life, he gathered the entire nation – men, women, children, and according to the Talmud, all souls of future Jews – to pass them through a final covenant with God. The parsha also contains the prophetic predictions of the Messianic times, and it ends with a simple, binary choice: Moshe tells the nation, “Behold I have placed before you today, the life and the good, and death and evil… Choose Life!”

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

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Ki Savo – Clinging to Gold

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 55:13 — 25.3MB)

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On the surface, Bikkurim appears to be an ordinary, tithe-like Mitzvah. When the first fruits of a season’s crop begin to sprout, you designate them as Bikkurim, and eventually bring them to Jerusalem with much pomp and ceremony. Upon closer examination, this mitzvah is associated with all kinds of surprising people: When we bring the Bikkurim we invoke Pharaoh and the Egyptian experience and Jacob’s father-in-law Laban, of all people. In addition, the Midrash makes a stunning statement that Bikkurim is emblematic of the reason why God created the world. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we propose a novel explanation of the Mitzvah of Bikkurim that reveals it’s association with Pharaoh and Laban, and offer a new rationale for why it represents the goal of creation.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in loving memory and leilui nishmas Yidit Esther bas Yonah, the mother of our dear friend and longtime TORCH Board member, Josh Blackman. Yidit Esther passed away this morning in NY. May her Soul be elevated in Heaven.

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

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Ki Seitzei – The Payoff Pitch

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 43:18 — 19.8MB)

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What is the nature of the conflict of life? How, indeed, are we suspended between good and bad, between mitzvos and sin, between the evil and good inclinations? The Almighty designed the world based upon the principle of free will, meaning that we all have the choice of how to live our lives and what to prioritize. In this special Bar Mitzvah edition of the Parsha Podcast, we learn about the varying strengths and weaknesses of the forces urging us to embrace or repel the will of God, and we discover the mechanics of the life-defining war against the Yetzer Hara.

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

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Shoftim – Hill To Die On

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 50:07 — 22.9MB)

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Our Parsha contains the instructions for how to conduct war. We are told that we must extend peace overtures before launching an attack, we are told about the special nature of the Canaanite wars, and we are prohibited from felling fruit-bearing trees in order to make siege works. This podcast discusses the very unusual way that soldier conscription is done. Seemingly, there are cavernous loopholes to allow soldiers to desert in mass numbers. We suggest a new homiletic approach to understand the lesson behind the very strange soldier selection process.

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

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Parshas Shoftim (Rebroadcast)

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This week we learn the laws governing all kinds of leaders: The parsha begins by detailing the laws of judges, the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court, and what happens to rebellious judges; we read about the unique laws related to kings; there are more laws pertaining to the Kohanim; and we find the means of vetting professed prophets and what happens to the six kinds of false prophets.

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

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Reeh – Steak Your Claim to Eternity

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 55:43 — 25.5MB)

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The criminal treated most severely under Torah law is the Meisis, a personal tries to entice others to do idolatry. Attempting to persuade people to repudiate God is more severe than any other crime in Torah law. This discovery is the basis of a stunning observation followed by a critical call to action. And this episode we make an argument that the most important element of our agenda ought to be a concerted effort to try to draw our brethren towards God. This week’s exquisite insight deals with steak and why we eat it.

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

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Parshas Reeh (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:00:30 — 27.7MB)

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This week’s parsha marks a transition in the Book of Deuteronomy: it is no longer primarily about admonishment and rebuke and warnings, instead we read a bevy of mitzvos – some repetitions and some new ones that have hitherto not been mentioned.

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

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Eikev – Well-Heeled

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If the Almighty promises to give you a blessing, your ears should perk up. If God promises to give you abundance, health, prosperity, fertility, security, and all manner of blessing, your question should be – what must I do to be deserving of this? Our Parsha begins with such a promise. In the event that we steadfastly and here to a certain category of mitzvos, the Almighty promises to give us all these blessings. The precise identity of the mitzvos that engender those blessings is somewhat obscure. In this very special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we explore what our Sages mean when they talk about “mitzvos that people tend to trample upon with their heels.” If we follow their guidance, we will emerge well-heeled in more ways than one.

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This Parsha Podcast in loving memory and leilui nishmas Ronit bat Elimelech – whose yahrzeit is today. May her neshama experience an aliyah to the highest heights through these words of Torah.

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

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast 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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Parshas Eikev (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 59:14 — 27.1MB)

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We pick up where we left off last week amid Moshe’s speech to the nation before his passing, and as in the previous few weeks, Parshas Eikev is jam packed with insights and timeless lessons. Moshe pivots between looking back on the conduct of the nation in the preceding 40 years and admonishing them for their misdeeds, and gazing forward to the conquest of Canaan and the secrets to making their settlement peaceful, prosperous, and secure.

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

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast 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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