Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe Podcast Collection

Traveling in the wilderness was not simple. The nation was guided by the clouds of Glory. When the clouds of Glory would depart from a top of the Tabernacle, that signaled it was time to go and the nation decamped and began to move. Where to? No one knew ahead of time. Wherever the cloud settled, that is where the next encampment was. When we examine this system of traveling, we find incredible le...

The festival of Shavuos marks the anniversary of the most momentous and consequential event in all of human history: the Sinai Revelation. A mere 50 days after the Exodus, the nation coalesced around the mountain and witnessed when no other people has had witnessed prior or since: They heard the Ten Commandments directly from the Creator Himself. In this very special and very unique podcast, we ex...

There was a need to render halachic rulings. Sometimes there was uncertainty and there's a need to have a halachic decisor render a ruling. But what is the attitude necessary for a halachic arbiter? In way to wisdom #37 we learned that he is not supposed to be enthusiastic and eager to render rulings. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podca...

The Jewish nation has been encamped at Mount Sinai for nearly a year; in this week’s parsha they finally depart from the Mountain of God, and sadly leave gleefully as a child escaping school. This kick starts a series of missteps that carry harsh consequences. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our...

Parshas Nasso is the longest Parsha in the Torah by verses. In this very special Parsha podcast we explore three different elements of the Parsha: We offer a deep examination of the banishment of the various impure people from the camp; a profound approach to the system of change featured in the Nazir; and a sharp analysis of Moshe's role in constructing the Tabernacle. – – – – – – – – – – – – – –...

Our Parsha contains the interesting law of the Nazir. A Nazir is someone who has accepted upon themselves a vow to abstain from wine, haircuts, and contact with the dead for a given period, typically 30 days. The details of this law are featured in our partial and elaborated upon in appropriately named book of Talmud, the book of "Nazir." What is the meaning behind this law and what can we learn f...

It is a mark of Torah ignorance to be content with the degree of Torah study that you have. It is broader than the land and deeper than the sea. Torah is effectively infinite. To have a swelled heart - to feel supremely confident in your knowledge - is both foolish and counterproductive. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making...

In the longest parsha in the Torah by verses, we continue to read about the Levite families and their responsibilities, we learn about the three tiers of the Nation’s encampment, the laws of a suspected adulteress, the laws of the Nazir, the Priestly blessings, and we read a very wordy account of the gifts of the tribal leaders during the weeks following the Tabernacle’s inauguration. – – – – – –...

At first glance, the subject matter of Parshas Bamidbar is quite bland and technical. It talks of a census, and the orientation of the tribes in the camp, and the various responsibilities of the different levite families. These are not typically subjects that grab our attention. But we are trained to go deeper and deeper beneath the surface and to try to discover insights and lessons that are powe...

Our Parsha recounts - for the third time hitherto in the Torah - the episode of the untimely death of Aaron's two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. These two young priests were destined for greatness. Moshe believed that they were in fact greater than him and Aaron. Yet they brought an unauthorized sacrifice and died in a Divine conflagration on the same day that the Tabernacle was inaugurated. What e...

Questions can be unsettling. Questions can cause dissonance. Questions can be painful. But questions can also be illuminating. They can open up new portals of insight and perspective. Questions are a central part of Torah study. Much of the Talmud is written in a question and answer format. The Passover seder is marked by the questions. Questions, in Torah study, are encouraged. In this very inter...

We kickstart the Book of Numbers with a census of the twelve tribes of Israel – not including the tribe of Levi who is counted independently – conducted by Moses, Aaron, and the most distinguished leaders of said tribes. Subsequently, we read about the banners of the tribes and their assigned encampments, the transference of the sanctity of the firstborn to the Levites, and the designated role of...

Torah is absolutely vast. It is a veritable ocean. And we are privileged to be able to study it and immerse ourselves in it. Those of us who have had the great privilege of studying in Yeshiva know that there's nothing as delightful and as wonderful as the intensive study of Torah. But how practical is the material? How much of what we study can we implement on a daily basis? Very little. I spent...

Most of us are not tempted to taste blood. We find it repugnant and revolting. Nevertheless, in seven different verses, the Torah bans the consumption of blood. We must look elsewhere for our protein and iron. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://...

Why was our soul sent to this world? What was lacking for it in Heaven? That is not an easy question to answer. There are other hard questions to ponder: why are we so obsessed with Torah? How is Torah beneficial for mankind? In this superb episode of the Parsha Podcast, we discover a higher level of living and a higher level of Torah study. There is a form of Torah engagement that is fundamentall...

Honor is a funny thing. It yields no tangible, discernible, sensory benefit to the recipient, yet it is so highly coveted and desired. We all want respect. We all want others to look up to us and to admire us. Our standing in the eyes of others matters greatly to us. In way to wisdom number 35, we discover how potentially dangerous it is to care about what others think. We are advised to distance...

In two chapters in the Torah (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28) we read about the positive consequences of obeying the Torah and heeding its laws; and the terrible, painful consequences of disobeying the Law. Though reading this week’s Torah portion is scary and a tad depressing, the truth is that this framework is the secret to our nation enduring such long and painful exiles. – – – – – – – – – – – –...

The Land of Israel is special: It is the land of God. All other lands were given by God to humanity. The land of Israel He reserved for himself. The Torah gives us comprehensive laws regarding every element of our life. Many of the laws are only applicable in the land of Israel. The commentaries tell us that truthfully all of the laws can only be fully fulfilled in the land of Israel. Why is this...

Being a farmer in antiquity was a hard job. Without any mechanized tools and plows, farming demanded a great deal of sweat and toil. But what choice did you have? If you want to feed your family, you need to work the land. Then comes the Shemitah. Every 7th year, the farmers in the Land are barred from working the field. For one year, the Land must lay fallow. Adhering to this mitzvah demands a gr...

It is hard enough for us to keep track of what happens to us in our lifetime; what happens after we die is truly a mystery. But there are timelines that are even murkier: what happens after Messiah? How does the Resurrection unfold? Is Resurrection a one-time thing or are there many different resurrections? What happens to this world when the clock hits the year 6000? Our Sages just tell us that t...

At Mount Sinai, the Almighty instructed Moshe to convey a series of laws to the Jewish people. The first is the mitzvah of Shemittah, the prohibition of engaging in any agricultural work every seven years. What is the lesson inherent in this mitzvah and what are the consequences of transgressing it? – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcast...

Humans have a very important role to play in God's world. The Almighty created a world in which He is obfuscated. It is possible to live a whole life without acknowledging the one, singular reality of existence: God. The world was designed with the capacity for that reality being ignored. But we are here to change that. Our national mission is to sanctify the name of God - to publicize His existen...

The Kohanic family is the most prestigious and sanctified family in our nation. Direct descendants of the legendary Aaron, this family was consecrated as the priests of our nation. They oversee the temple and its operations, they do the service of the Temple, they process the sacrifices - they are the spiritual leaders of our people. Given their stature, they are bound by laws that apply to no oth...

The Torah is effectively infinite. It is longer than the land and broader than the seas. God is infinite and unfathomable; He gave us His Torah in order for us to connect with Him. Torah is, in fact, accessible to us, but we never arrive at the end point of Torah. It's infinite. Moreover, the deeper someone immerses themselves into the vast seas of Torah, the deeper they discover it to be. In this...

Parshas Emor contains a staggering 56 mitzvos, nearly all of them relating to either to the Kohanim, the priests, or to the Festivals, and the parsha ends with a very unusual episode that happened at Sinai. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www...