Parshas Vayeishev

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Parshas Vayeishev contains two intersecting, seemingly scandalous, storylines, that after all the dust has settled we can see are harbingers of the Messiah and Redemption: Joseph is hated by his brothers, and is eventually sold by them as a slave after they nearly killed him. By Parsha end, Joseph is languishing in an Egyptian prison after being falsely accused of attempted rape. Judah is also humbled in this week’s Parsha, after cohabiting with his daughter in law who masqueraded as a prostitute. In the moment, these scandals brought shame; but ultimately we can see the Divine Hand manipulating events to effectuate the salvation of the Jewish family and people.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored by my dear friends and longtime podcast listeners, Jacob and Megan Kluger, of San Antonio in honor of their children and parents.

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!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.org
Twitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Podcasts Links:

This Jewish Life – A Podcast About Jewish Philosophy: Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher;
The Jewish History Podcast – The podcast telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher;
The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly podcast of analyzing and Exploring the Parsha: Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher;
TORAH 101 – A Podcast about the Divinity of Torah and the relationship between the Written and Oral Torah: Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher;
Eternal Ethics – The Pirkei Avos Podcast by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe: Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher.

Ep. 60: Moses: The Quintessential Jewish Leader

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Moses was the greatest human of all time. His resume is replete with superlatives: He was the greatest prophet of all time, both qualitatively and quantitatively; He was the humblest man to grace the earth; He ascended to Heaven, negotiated successfully with angels and brought down the Torah and taught it to the Jewish people; He orchestrated the Exodus from Egypt with its concomitant miracles and signs; and according to the Talmud experienced time travel. There is plenty to talk about when analyzing this titanic persona of Jewish history. In this podcast we will zone in on one specific element of Moses’ greatness, his quality as a leader, and construct of model of the archetypal Jewish leader.

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Five Ways to say Thanks:

Donate to TORCH ♥ – https://www.torchweb.org/support.php
Share The Jewish History Podcast with a friend
Download listen or subscribe to one of my other podcasts – The Parsha Podcast, This Jewish Life, Eternal Ethics, TORAH 101
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Send me an email at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com

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This Jewish History Podcast is dedicated in honor of Carlos Weil and family. Thank you for your friendship!

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!

Nocturnal Opportunities (3:5)

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Rabbi Chananya ben Chakhinai says: One who stays awake at night, and one who wanders on a road alone, and turns his heart to idleness, behold he is liable with his life.

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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!

Parshas Vayishlach

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After successfully escaping the clutches of his deceptive father in law, Laban, Jacob heads back west to the Land of Canaan, and back to his family. The journey back home was a lot more tumultuous and chaotic than anticipated.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in honor of my dear friend, and friend of TORCH, Howard Schreiber. Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and friendship.

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!

Paging the Divine Presence (3:3-4)

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In successive teachings, our Sages share with us a way to usher ourselves into the Presence of the Almighty. It really is that simple.

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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!

Ep. 59: The Blueprint of Jewish History

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The oft-repeated refrain “history repeats itself” is especially true with respect to the stories of the forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as conveyed in the Book of Genesis. Our Sages have made the bold claim that everything that happened to our forefathers as individuals will be repeated to their children on the national stage. The stories of Genesis are thus a template, a blueprint, of Jewish history. In this podcast we survey some of the major conflicts and episodes of Genesis and see how those themes have played out in Jewish history and speculate how they can guide our approaches to modern day political, cultural, and religious dilemmas.

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This Jewish History Podcast is dedicated in honor of David Askin. Thank you for your friendship and continued support of TORCH throughout the years.

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!

The Art of War with the Yetzer Hara

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The Yetzer Hara is the villain of our life. It’s other names are the “satan” and the “angel of death”. It seeks to undermine us and inhibit us from accomplishing our life’s mission. thankfully, the Sages of the Talmud offered us a multitude of strategies and tactics to combat and resist this deadly force. In this podcast we will try to suggest a general theorem that underpins all of their suggestions.

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This Podcast is dedicated in loving memory of my grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivka Wolbe, a true woman of valor; a princess; a woman of sterling and noble character and stoic resolve.

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!

Parshas Vayeitzei

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Parshas Vayeitzei follows Jacob as he is fleeing from his murderous brother Esau and travels to Charan to the house of Laban, his wily and deceptive uncle, and marries multiple wives and fathers 12 children.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in honor of Alan and Phyllis Kritz. Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and friendship.

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!

Parshas Toldos

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In Parshas Toldos we meet twin boys that are polar opposites: Esau, beloved by his father Isaac, is a man of the fields; while Jacob is loved by his mother Rebecca and prefers to dwell in the tents of scholarship. These two children will spawn nations and ideals that diverged from each other even before they were born.

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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!

Antidotes to Anarchy (3:2)

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What would happen without a police force to maintain law and order? Is there any other way to prevent society from crumbling without police power? These are the questions we explore in the somewhat unsettling second mishna of chapter 3.

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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!

Parshas Chayei Sarah

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Some of the highlights of this week’s parsha: Immediately after the Binding of Isaac, Sarah passed away at the age of 127, and soon afterwards Abraham had to procure a burial spot for her. In addition, Abraham sent his trusted confidante, Eliezer, to his hometown to find a spouse for Isaac.

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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!

Avoiding Sin: The Authoritative Guide (3:1)

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It is not often that our Sages offer us any kind of fail-safe formula. In the first mishna of the third chapter, Akaviah Ben Mehalalel provides for us a guaranteed method to avoid sinning. It is a good idea to listen carefully to his words.

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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!