Category Archives: Podcasts

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Ep. 76: JC in Jewish Sources: Exploring the Censored Text

Podcast (history): Download (Duration: 56:20 — 25.8MB)

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As we approach the end of December, I chose to experiment by doing something a bit different in examining the Jewish take on the Christian hero and on early Christianity. When we look at the Talmudic sources on the matter we find that our version of this story is radically different than the Christian one, and, quite unsurprisingly, the Christian censors forced the Jewish printers of the Talmud to omit these sections. But these sections were preserved and clandestinely perpetuated, and in this episode we they reveal is fascinating.

Sanhedrin 107b Talmud

Sanhedrin 107b

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This Jewish History Podcast is sponsored by my dear friend, Shully Lichtman, who dedicated it in the merit of continued health for all.

If you want to sponsor an episode of the Jewish History Podcast or if you have any questions or comments, please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

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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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Mikeitz – Talent Evaluation

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 47:18 — 21.7MB)

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Joseph is one of the most impressive figures in Jewish history. His accomplishments are vast: His holiness under spiritually treacherous conditions are legendary, his faith in God remained unwavering, he is the paragon of seeing God’s Handiwork in the bad deeds of others. His accomplishments extend beyond the spiritual: At the age of 30 he undertook perhaps the most ambitious project in history: Organizing and stockpiling enough food to feed the entire world for 7 years. How is that for a Five Year Plan? Its astonishing to think about what goes into that, and Joseph pulls it off flawlessly. Joseph is the epitome of a wunderkind. Yet his brothers are blind to Joseph’s talent. In this podcast we explore the question of how Joseph’s brothers failed to recognize his prodigious abilities.

This Parsha Podcast is sponsored by Joseph Daniel and Elijah Levi Hiller in loving memory and honor of Reyna Hiller, my beloved wife and best friend of blessed memory. May Hashem bless and keep you, and may you always know how deeply you are loved and missed. May Reyna’s Soul be elevated in Heaven, and We appreciate their sponsorship and friendship

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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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Chanukah and Joseph

Podcast: Download (Duration: 28:36 — 13.1MB)

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Every year, Chanukah falls out during the weeks in which we read about Joseph and his exploits in Egypt. Our Sages tell us that there is a deep connection between Joseph’s and the Maccabean heroism. Many connections have been proposed, and in this podcast I suggest a new approach to understanding how Joseph precisely embodies the story, the lesson, and the transformation of Chanukah.

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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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Vayeishev – The Holy Hologram

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 50:47 — 23.2MB)

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Joseph is one of the greatest heroes of Jewish history. His greatest deed was when he resisted temptation and rebuffed the seductions of his master, Potiphar’s, wife. Our Sages tell us that thanks to this valorous deed, Joseph became the viceroy of Egypt and merited to sustain the entire world! The Midrash tells us that the Splitting of the Sea was due to Joseph’s gallantry. How did Joseph muster up the courage to resist the Yetzer Hara’s onslaught? The Talmud gives a very interesting answer.

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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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The Shabbat Dinner: Customs, Rituals, and Practices

Podcast: Download (Duration: 59:09 — 27.1MB)

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Shabbat is the beating heart of the Jewish family and the Jewish week. It is the portal through which the spiritual vitality for the entire week flows. This podcast idea was proposed in my email newsletter (visit rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter to subscribe). I had thrown out the idea of going through a Shabbat dinner and detailing all the practices that happen and why we do them – both as a way of enlightening people who are doing Shabbat dinner already and as a way of preparing someone who is about to partake in their first traditional Shabbat dinner. I tried to accomplish a lot of things in one episode and I truly hope it is valuable and useful to you!

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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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

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Vayishlach – Unrequited Love

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 55:19 — 25.3MB)

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This a unique edition of The Parsha Podcast that you dont want to miss. Instead of the usual one big idea that we typically cover in a Parsha podcast, in this version there are FIVE groundbreaking insights that can change your life. We learn about a remarkable staff and its powers, about the pliability of sunshine hours, about the kabbalistic result of Dina’s encounter with Shechem, about the Torah’s view on prayer, and about the mysterious origin of Amaleik. This episode is a dandy.

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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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#38: What is Halacha?

Podcast (torah101): Download (Duration: 57:28 — 26.3MB)

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With all the development and codification of Oral Torah that went into the Talmud, one areas was still incomplete: Halacha. Halacha refers to the practical application of Torah law, and despite the tremendous efforts invested in the Talmud in clarifying all the Torah laws, only an accomplished scholar would be able to extract the practical halacha from the Talmud. It is too confusing, it is too cumbersome, it is too vast, it is written in a terse, intricate way, the language is foreign; distilling the practical halacha from the Talmud is monstrously difficult. But thankfully, some of the greatest minds in history dedicated their lives to doing that for all of us. This podcast is the story of the writing and codification of Halacha.

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This TORAH 101 podcast is sponsored in honor of Dina Bat Esther by her family. We thank them for their support of TORCH and the TORCH Podcasts.

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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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Vayeitzei – Laban’s Potion

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 42:01 — 19.2MB)

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As the father of all four of Jacob’s wives, Laban is in effect the father in law of the Jewish people. If we examine Laban’s story, he seems to have both qualities and shortcomings. He is constantly invoking God, he seems to be gracious and hospitable. But he also had a dark side. He is greedy and rapacious and deceptive, he is not exactly trustworthy. If we had to make an evaluation of Laban, he would get a mixed results. But the Torah’s verdict is much more stark: Laban is labeled as a super villain, worse than Pharaoh. In this podcast we speculate as to why Laban is so deadly.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored by my dear friend and loyal podcast listener, Michael Rosen in honor of his marriage this week to Daniella. On behalf of the entire Parsha Podcast family, I would like to extend my warmest blessings to the young couple. May they share a life of happiness and joy and harmony and peace, and may they build an amazing Jewish home together!

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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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#37: What is Aggadah?

Podcast (torah101): Download (Duration: 54:48 — 25.1MB)

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The Talmud is comprised of two general formats: The Halachic portions (known in Talmudic parlance as, “shemaytza“), and the non-Halachic portions which are called “Aggadah”, or “Aggadata” or “Hagada”. These two parts of the Talmud cannot be more different: whereas in the Halachic portions the objective of the authors was to reveal their true meaning, in the Aggadic portions the objective was to conceal the true meaning. What is included in the Aggadah? Why was it written in this cryptic way? What are some examples of Aggadic teachings? How, indeed, must it be studied? In this comprehensive introduction to Aggadah we learn the answers to these and other questions.

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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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

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Toldos – Esau’s Fatal Flaw

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 38:18 — 17.5MB)

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Jacob’s twin brother Esav is one of the worst villains in Jewish history. He seems to be an unending litany of bad character. Our parsha ends with Esav dead set on committing fratricide by actually murdering his own brother. Esav is just one bad apple. But is it possible that things could have ended up differently for him? Is it possible that Esav could have become a great hero of Jewish history? In this very special edition of the Parsha Podcast we suggest a counterfactual way that Esav could have become someone very great, and we isolate the reason why he failed.

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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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Chayei Sarah – Portal to Paradise

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 39:58 — 18.3MB)

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The Torah dedicates an unusually large amount of verses in the beginning of this week’s parsha to describe a real estate transaction between Abraham and a gentleman named Ephron. Sarah has passed and Abraham seeks to buy Ephron’s cave to inter her in. Initially, Ephron acts with supposed generosity and offers it to Abraham for free. But Abraham insists on paying for it, and ultimately pays an exorbitant fee for the cave. Why does the Torah spend so much time on this transaction? In this special episode we probe the meaning and mystery of the Cave of the Patriarchs.

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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!

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts