48 Ways to Wisdom – #11: Friendly Critique (6:6:11)

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Chayei Sarah – Buried Alive (5784)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 42:03 — 19.2MB)

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Sarah died at the age of 127. Abraham negotiated with the Hittites for the purchase of a burial plot, the Cave of Machpelah. The objective of the purchase of the Cave of Machpelah was to bury the dead. These three facts are featured at the beginning of our Parsha. On the surface these facts seem wholly unremarkable. In year 8 of the Parsha Podcast we try to go beneath the surface, behind the veneer, into the subtext of the Parsha and to discover the secrets — the deep secrets — contained in the substrate. Is there a deeper meaning of Sarah’s age at death? Why is the role of the Hittites in facilitating Abraham’s purchase revisited so man times in the Torah? Why does the Torah repeat numerous times that the objective of Abraham’s purchase to bury the dead? In this Parsha Podcast we discover some wonderful and deep insights.

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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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Living a Torah Life (Alei Shur Introduction to The First Gate)

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Torah is not supposed to be a detached, academic study. The Almighty gave us a Torah as the authoritative guide for living the most elevated and rich life possible. The Creator of all of created existence endowed humanity with with the guidance for how to live a most meaningful and uplifting life. The First Gate of Alei Shur is dedicated to living a life of Torah and the Introduction to The First Gate will infuse us with deep desire to learn about how to live a Torah life. We also get a glimpse of some of the structure of the Work and how its four Gates act as a ladder of ascent.

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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!

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

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48 Ways to Wisdom – #10: Apprenticeship (6:6:10)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 33:00 — 15.1MB)

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Our glorious tradition was perpetuated from generation to generation, from teacher to student, from parent to child, for thousands of years. One of the ways to acquire wisdom is by studying under the tutelage of a great Sage.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Jan 8, 2023

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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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Parshas Chayei Sarah (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 56:23 — 25.8MB)

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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 afterward 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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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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48 Ways to Wisdom – #9: Purity (6:6:9)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 25:16 — 11.6MB)

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Our sages tell us that one of the ways to acquire wisdom is with purity. What exactly is purity and why would it be a means through which we can acquire wisdom? In this Ethics Podcast we explore the subject of purity with profound depth.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Dec 20, 2022

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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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Vayeira – Sodium and Gomorrah

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:09:33 — 31.8MB)

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Abraham was the paragon of faith. He was also the paragon of kindness and hospitality. When he was 99 years old and only three days removed from a very painful and debilitating circumcision surgery, Abraham launched into a frenzied act of superlative hospitality to three travelers (who later turned out to be angels). These twin attributes worked synergistically. Abraham used his hospitality to advance his lifelong mission of disseminating the Name of God in the world and publicizing the Name of God to all. The Parsha is studded with other iconic episodes and narratives: Abraham’s intercession on behalf of the sinners of Sodom and Gomorrah; Lot’s kindness in Sodom and Gomorrah; the overturning of those cities and the rendering of Mrs. Lot into a pillar of salt; Lot’s incestuous tryst with his daughters spawning the forbearer of Messiah; the birth and maturation of Isaac; the banishment of Ishmael; and of course, the Binding of Isaac. In this edition of the Parsha podcast, we study the Parsha and then take a tour backstage.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored by Steve Horak in honor of his wife becoming a doctor – Dr Elena Silberman Scott, and in honor of his niece Emily Silberman becoming bat mitzvah, and in honor of his granddaughter Levy Schwartz Messing‘s first birthday.

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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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Vayeira – Abraham Abraham (5784)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:04:44 — 29.6MB)

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On the second day of Rosh Hashanah each year we read chapter 22 of Genesis, the Binding of Isaac episode. Abraham is instructed to take his beloved son Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice atop Mount Moriah. Abraham does as told, only to be stopped at the very last moment. In this very special Parsha podcast episode, we explore three dimensions of this iconic event. We try to go deep and deeper as is our mandate. We begin by addressing the three times that people are described as walking together; we proceed by suggesting a new approach to the call of the angel, “Abraham, Abraham;” and we end with the curious overlap between Abraham’s Binding of Isaac and Adam’s banishment from the Garden. This is an episode that you will really enjoy.

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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 Walled Garden of Torah (Alei Shur Introduction)

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A thick wall separates the world of Torah from the world outside of it. Those who are outside have no concept of the wondrous nature of that world. Even people who are Torah observant – who are Orthodox – can be totally ignorant of this most magnificent world. Even someone who is privileged to be enumerated amongst students of a Yeshiva, may be ignorant of the true world of Torah.

That is how the book Alei Shur, authored by my saintly grandfather Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe begins. There’s a magnificent, majestic, marvelous world of Torah, but it is guarded by a thick wall.

The words “Alei Shur” (עלי שור) mean “atop the rampart.” In this book, the Magnum Opus a of my grandfather’s extremely voluminous literary output, offers the readers a tour on top of the ramparts of that thick wall.

With the first reading of the book, readers are only asked to tread upon the ramparts and examine every part of this wonderful world. With a second reading of the book, the reader is encouraged to head down from the ramparts and to find a portal to enter into this wonderful world themselves.

In this podcast we study the introduction of this fantastic book. Learning this introduction will certainly whet our appetites to be included in this tour on top of the ramparts. If you would be interested in a stand-alone podcast on Alei Shur, please email me and let me know.

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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!

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

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Parshas Vayeira (Rebroadcast)

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:07:14 — 30.8MB)

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This week’s parsha features several iconic episodes: Abraham was visited by God as he was recuperating from his circumcision, and concurrently engaged in superlative kindness with three angels masquerading as pagan travelers; Abraham was informed that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were about to be destroyed and was unsuccessful in interceding on their behalf; and we also read the two Torah sections that are read on the two days of Rosh Hashana: The episode of the birth of Isaac and the subsequent banishment of Ishmael, and the story of the Binding of Isaac.

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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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48 Ways to Wisdom – #8: Joy (6:6:8)

Podcast (pirkeiavos): Download (Duration: 19:09 — 8.8MB)

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Joy is an underappreciated aspect of the life of a Jew. One can imagine that you can fulfill all of your religious and spiritual obligations without living joyously. Upon examination of the sources we discover that Jewish life is inextricably linked with joy. It is critical and indispensable. In our Mishnah we also learned that it is a means via which we can access Torah wisdom.

This Ethics Podcast was originally released on the Ethics Podcast on Aug 2, 2022

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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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Lech Lecha – Three and a Half Men

Podcast (parsha): Download (Duration: 1:00:08 — 27.5MB)

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Our nation has three forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and four foremothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. The Book of Genesis principally orients around these people. The the narratives of a Adam and Noah are but pitstops along the way until the Torah focuses squarely on Abraham and his descendants. What is the role of a patriarch and a matriarch? What is significant about that designation? What is the relevance of the stories of these people to our lives? What is instructive about these about the episodes of the Patriots and matriarchs in the Torah (the Torah must always be instructive)? In this magical podcast, we journey backstage into the story and the concept of our illustrious forefathers and foremothers. The lessons that we learn prove to be quite instructive indeed.

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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!

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

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