Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe Podcast Collection

Parshas Beshalach may be the most action-packed parsha in the Torah. After the Exodus, God directed the people to not take the shortest route to the Land in order to facilitate the great miracle of the Splitting of the Sea and the final destruction of the Egyptians. After those unprecedented miracles, the trouble began: Twice they ran out of water, they ran out of food, and a ferocious enemy launc...

The Exodus from Egypt was the founding event of our people. Our nation had been in Egypt for more than two centuries and we had become acculturated into the Egyptian way of life. Over the year of the Exodus process, our nation was privy to miracles never before seen in history: we saw our masters humbled, we saw our nation elevated, we witnessed Moshe doing incredible miracles, and a spark was awa...

We hold two beliefs that seem to be mutually exclusive. The 10th principle of the 13 principles of faith declares that God knows everything – including the thoughts, deeds, and speech of people – even before it happens. There is nothing that is hidden from Him. We also believe in free will. The principle of free will espouses that man can choose to do a Mitzvah or a sin, to become a Tzadik or to b...

After the first seven Plagues of Egypt related in last week’s parsha, Pharaoh and his people were still unwilling to release the Children of Israel. In Parshas Bo, the miracles and wonders of the Almighty intensified, culminating in the Death of the Firstborn and the Exodus from Egypt. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please email me at  rabbiwolbe@gmail.com  with any questions or comme...

The worst criminal in the Jewish system of courts is someone who tries to entice others to worship idolatry. Our sages tell us that such a crime is worse than murder. The way such a criminals treated is different than any other criminal Torah law. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – This Mitzvah Podcast is dedicated in loving memory of Alan, Mark and Karen Raffee. These are three family me...

As the tag team representing God in the Exodus, Moshe and Aaron pull off some incredible miracles and feats in this week’s Parsha. When they are formally introduced and their pedigree is laid out, a very interesting praise is bestowed upon them. Upon analysis, we find the identical praise conferred upon many of the great giants of our history. In the final Parsha Podcast of 2021, we discover a new...

The Torah is the Almighty’s wisdom. Just as the Almighty is infinite, His Torah is likewise infinite. In this remarkable Mishnah, we are trained to view Torah in its proper light. We learn about the multidimensional nature of Torah, how to find answers to all of our questions in the Torah, the secrets and the wisdom inherent in it, and how to relate to Torah study over the course of our lives. – –...

Our Parsha begins in the middle of the dialogue between Moses and God. Moses’ initial foray into saving the nation has gone horribly awry. Instead of alleviating the pain of the Jewish nation; his intervention exacerbated it, and he returned to the Almighty asking for an explanation. In His response, God tells Moses that he will yet see the tremendous miracles and signs of the pending Exodus. In o...

Our Parsha is a difficult one to read. Our nation was enslaved, tormented, oppressed, and murdered by the Egyptians. Although we don’t see the salvation in our Parsha, the chess pieces of the redemption are set into place. In this edition of the Parsha Podcast, we study several themes of the Parsha that can improve our lives. We learn about how it’s often darkest before dawn, and about how that da...

What does it take to live a great life? How would such a life be structured? This Mishnah is a masterclass in unpacking the subject. What you are about to enjoy is an exquisite array of insights and ideas on human development, pedagogy and education, how to utilize your brain, and how to design an exceptional life. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – This Ethics Podcast is dedicated in the...

The Book of Exodus begins with the Egyptians cunningly enslaving their Hebrew subjects: mandating that they work in backbreaking labor, killing their male sons, and trying to stamp out their spirit and curb their population. But God heard their cries and saw their suffering and dispatched the greatest of all men, Moses, a reluctant leader, to lobby Pharaoh to release the people. – – – – – – – – –...

Family is everything. If you are fortunate enough to have siblings, parents, and children you know that there are bonds of kinship and brotherhood (and sisterhood, of course) between family members are strong and often unbreakable. This is not something new. When Jacob was on his deathbed he shared with his sons his final thoughts and blessings. To Shimon and Levi he said that you two are motivate...

What forces must we use to try to bring about our life mission? Our mandate is to fulfill the will of the Almighty. He expects great things of us and created us for that purpose. In this thrilling Mishnah, we learned about the various different forces and powers that we must marshal to accomplish our life mission. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – This Ethics Podcast is dedicated anonymo...

Parshas Vayechi is the final portion of the Book of Genesis. Jacob is about to die and he tends to his affairs: He assures that he will not be buried in Egypt and will instead be interred in the Cave of Machpelah, he blesses Joseph and his sons, and he blesses/rebukes his twelve sons. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please email me at  rabbiwolbe@gmail.com  with any questions or commen...

There are many mitzvos in the Torah around idolatry, 51 according to Rambam’s delineation. This mitzvah tells that we may not utter the names of idols, not in an oath and not reverentially, nor may we cause others to do so. Instead, we are encouraged to mock them. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Sponsorship:  Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Je...

Amongst the sons of Jacob were two kings: Judah and Joseph. Joseph was viceroy of Egypt. He was a king in his lifetime. Judah was never crowned as King in his lifetime, but his descendants make up the monarchy of the Jewish people. David, Solomon, all the kings of Judah, and even King Messiah are direct descendants of Judah. Our Parsha begins with a confrontation of kings. In this special episode...

The founder of our nation was Abraham our patriarch. He was a paragon of faith and kindness, and also exhibited every positive character trait. By contrast, Bilaam the sorcerer was the anti-Abraham. He harbored every negative trait. In this mission we are told that both of these people are teachers. We must choose if we want to be students of Abraham or students of Bilaam. – – – – – – – – – – – –...

Twenty two years have passed since Jacob and Joseph were separated. Ever since Joseph was torn away from him, Jacob was bereft of prophecy and inconsolable. In Parshas Vayigash this long saga comes to an end and Jacob is finally reunited with his long-lost son. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please email me at  rabbiwolbe@gmail.com  with any questions or comments TORCH Shabbat Light S...

Joseph is one of the all-time heroes of Jewish history. His strength of character was legendary, his faith was unflappable, and his storyline remains an inspiration for generations. Yet he was harshly criticized for making a huge blunder. The Midrash at the beginning of this week’s Parsha tells us that he relied to heavily on the butler to help him out of jail, and insufficiently on God, and as a...

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. – – – – – – –...

About 2,200 years ago, the Jewish Nation faced an existential threat: The Assyrian Greek Empire led by Antiochus and his Hellenist henchmen undertook a concerted campaign to systematically eradicate the Jewish religion. They sought to make the Jews forget the Torah and depart from the mitzvos; they defiled the Temple; they harassed the Jewish daughters; and they banned the observance of many mitzv...

Parshas Mikeitz continues the narrative of Joseph in Egypt. We pick up his story two years after his failed attempt at earning a reprieve via his cellmate, Pharaoh’s butler, who was about to be reinstated to his post as Pharaoh’s side. Joseph is languishing in a dungeon for a crime he did not commit; after being sold to a foreign land as a slave by his own brothers. By the end of the Parsha, Josep...

A pebble and a diamond are similar in one way: they are both rocks. That’s where the similarities end. A diamond is precious and valuable. Diamonds are things that we recite the poems over, and name, and write Wikipedia pages about, and adorn the crowns of Kings and Queens. Pebbles get stuck in your tires when you drive over asphalt roads. These two rocks are very different. Our Parsha is a study...

How do you prepare for your day of death? Is that an important question? One can argue that living is much more important than dying. Death, this line of reasoning argues, is something that happens on its own and not something that we need to concern ourselves with. In this podcast, we present a completely different perspective. Calling from many sources in Jewish literature, we present the day of...

Death is the destiny of mankind. Since Adam and Eve made the regrettable decision to consume from the Tree of Knowledge, Good and Evil, man has been condemned to die. But what exactly is death? How does the experience differ from person to person? Why is it a subject worthy of our focus? These should be a simple questions to answer, or so it would seem. In this very special and unique podcast, we...