Category Archives: personal growth

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Two Anonymous Wives

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There are two wives – two women whose names we don’t even know – who caused seismic, tectonic shifts in the fates and the fortunes of their husbands, their families, their tribes, and the nation at large. 254 men were part of the Korach rebellion against Moshe and Aaron. 253 of them perished. On(e) survived thanks to his wife. The ringleader of this rebellion was incited to undertake this insurrection due to his wife. These wives carry a lot of sway over their husbands. When we unravel the story, we discover that the impact of these women goes far beyond the fate of their husbands.

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The History and Mystery of the Ancient Blue Dye (Techeiles)

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We recite the three paragraphs of the Shema twice a day. The third paragraph contains the mitzvah of placing tzitzis fringes on the corner of our garments, and to wrap the fringes with a cord of blue-dyed wool. In this interesting podcast we share the fascinating and controversial history of the ancient blue dye, and share a profound insight into its power and symbolism.

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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 Ills of Envy and its Remedy

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Envy is a deadly sin, and it’s almost entirely unavoidable. Our Sages that “Envy extracts a person from the world.” It causes a person to be severed from the world. But there is so much cause for envy wherever we turn. In every area of life, there is rank inequality. Other people have things that seem good and desirable. How is it possible to not covet the goodies of others? In this interesting podcast, we share three perspectives for how to solve envy once and for all.

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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 Superiority of Torah

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We are incredibly fortunate to be included amongst the Jewish people. We are incredibly fortunate to be raised with a strong sense of Torah and Torah values, and a deep appreciation for the critical and indispensable mission that our nation was entrusted with at Sinai. We are fortunate to be descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are fortunate to be God’s chosen people. There are other religions out there. Many like to study the field of “comparative religion.” Is it appropriate to explore those religions? Are there any dangers of doing that? In this interesting and informative podcast, we learn about some of the differences between our people, our religion, our Torah, and the pretenders. We emerge with an enormously deepened appreciation for how special it is to be part of the Almighty’s nation.

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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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Momentum Matters

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The hardest part of reaching space is the first moment of liftoff, getting the first inch off the ground. The second inch is still hard, but a little bit easier. The first bit of liftoff serves as momentum for the second inch. In our pursuit of spiritual and personal greatness, we are trying to achieve stratospheric heights. We’re trying to depart from the atmosphere of pettiness, and achieve something grand, something majestic, something otherworldly. The first step is the most important. Importantly, this same principle works in the opposite direction. Just as positive momentum facilitates achievement and height, the danger of negative momentum cannot be underestimated. The Torah tells a tragic and dramatic story about a man with a checkered pedigree and a tumultuous backstory who committed a grievous crime for which he was executed. When we take a careful look at what happened, we see the sheer power of momentum.

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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 Secret Passover Opportunity you Mustn’t Pass-Over

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This special pre-Pesach podcast is dedicated in loving memory of Meir Ben Shmuel Chananya. May his soul be elevated in heaven.

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The festival of Passover commemorates a very ancient event that happened more than 3,300 years ago: the release of the nation from bondage in Egypt in the Exodus. Why is the Exodus relevant to us, living thousands of years later? Why is there a daily commandment to remember the Exodus? Why are there so many important days and mitzvos whose liturgy define as a “remembrance for the Exodus?” Why does the Exodus make so many appearances in our religion? In this very interesting and profound podcast, we share the core insight that serves as the beating heart of this festival and learn valuable life lessons and frameworks that will utterly transform our perception of spiritual and personal development and ascent.

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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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Shema: Achieving Supremacy Over the Angels

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Angels are way loftier than us, right? They’re totally spiritual, they cannot possibly sin, they are messengers of God. We, on the other hand, are mortal, fallible, pitiful humans. That’s not necessarily the case. Our Sages tell us that the human soul is much loftier than the Angels. Our inborn holiness dwarfs that of our winged counterparts. Our supremacy over the Angels is demonstrated with the Shema declaration. Angels must do much more to connect with God than we do. In this very interesting and provocative podcast, we highlight the Shema’s role in elevating us, and share a powerful and profound perspective on the three different ways to achieve spiritual ascent. The first paragraph of the highlights one way to achieve greatness, the second highlights a second path, and the third paragraph contains is yet another way to do it. The end goal is absolute closeness with God. The end goal is merging heaven and Earth, body and soul. They end goal is to be holy to Hashem our God. But there are three ways to do it.

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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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How to Conquer the Anger Impulse

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None of us admire the people who lose it in a fit of rage. We like we look up to the people who are calm, cool and collected. The people who comport themselves with dignity and nobility and are always in control of themselves. Rage is not a productive attribute. People don’t accomplish things when they lose themselves. From a spiritual vantage point, with the worst of the worst: it’s adjacent to heresy, and many types of purgatory control those who are always angry. But what’s the solution? How does someone control their anger? Is it possible to control completely? Is it possible to eliminate it entirely? The answer, surprisingly, is yes. In this podcast, you will learn the secret of fishing impulses of anger. Are you ready for the challenge?

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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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Laver of Love

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The Laver was one of the vessels in the Tabernacle. It was a copper basin that housed water that was emitted from spouts. The priests would wash their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle and before doing any service in the Tabernacle. Our sages reveal some very interesting things about the origin of this copper, the use of this vessel, and a very interesting disagreement that Moshe had with God about the Laver. What we discover can materially transform and improve our life.

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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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NEW TORCH Mailing Address POBox:

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Three Levels of Eradicating Evil (Purim is the Highest)

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Everyone loves the festival of Purim. What’s not to love about it? You get dressed up. You make noise when they say Haman. You give gifts to the poor and foodstuffs to your friends. It’s the one time a year you can drink guiltlessly. But what is the essence of the Festival? What are we trying to achieve on Purim? Our Sages tell us something quite inexplicable: The holiness and purity of Purim exceeds that of Yom Kippur. What can they possibly mean by that? In this very sharp and interesting podcast, we share an idea that will completely reshape how you understand this festival and will train you in how to make the most out of this highly auspicious day.

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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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NEW TORCH Mailing Address POBox:

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Moshe’s Surprising Successor

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Mistakes are endemic to the human condition. All humans make mistakes. Even the titans of our history like Moshe, Aaron, and Joshua made mistakes. Only God is error-free. In this interesting – and maybe a tad controversial – podcast, we take a look at the unusual path of ascent of Moshe’s successor, Joshua. Joshua was not a flawless wunderkind who could do no wrong. In fact, in each one of the narratives surrounding Joshua in the Torah, we can find some sort of misstep that Joshua did. Evidently, Joshua’s path to ascent relied on those missteps, and his story shows us a different way to achieve transcendental greatness.

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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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NEW TORCH Mailing Address POBox:

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Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

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