Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe Podcast Collection

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...

The mission that Moshe was entrusted with in this week's Parsha was very clear: Go to Egypt and extract the nation of Israelite slaves. The difficulty in the mission was not due to the lack of clarity. The instructions were abundantly clear. The mission, though, was highly implausible. Moshe had been out of Egypt for decades. He was a shepherd working for his father-in-law in faraway Midian. What...

We begin the new calendar year with a new book, the book of Exodus. The Jewish nation - still a family - is in Egypt, and things go from bad to worse. Pharaoh torments the people, enslaves them, and embitters their lives with back breaking labor. He then implements a policy of infanticide. But a great light emerges: Moshe is born. The leader of the Jewish people -- who will extricate us from Egypt...

We all aspire to accomplish great things. The Almighty surely did not create us to be mediocre. We're here to make something of ourselves; to achieve grand ambitions. What is the most effective way to accomplish that? In this very unique podcast, you will learn a very interesting, provocative, delightful, and a bit startling insight that will radically reshape your life for the better. You will ne...

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. – – – – – – – – –...

Jacob's life has been extremely chaotic. Forced to tussle with his twin. Jacob's life got off to a rocky start. Compelled to usurp the blessings, Jacob had to flee. Laban's house was hardly a refuge - it was 20 years of non-stop contention with the wiliest trickster of them all. After battling Esau's angel, still fully navigating the reunion, reckoning with the rape of Dinah and the slaughter of S...

Parshas Vayechi marks the final installment of the book of Genesis. The family of Israel, the sons of Jacob, are all together in Egypt, where they settle and flourish. A lot happened to this family up to this point, and the setting for the next epoch of their story, and of Jewish history, is ready. In this parsha podcast, we address two elements from the Parsha: Jacobs decision to promote Joseph's...

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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation t...

Parshas Vayigash is bittersweet. The sweetness is obvious. After 22 years of anguish and melancholy, Jacob is informed that Joseph is alive and is a king in Egypt. Our Parsha is a story of reunion and reclamation. But it's also bitter: Jacob and his family travel to Egypt, a morass that will be very difficult to extricate themselves from. The nation will be in Egypt for hundreds of years and event...

Our parsha is one of unexpected reunions. After 20 plus years of separation, Joseph reunited with his brothers and his father. In this Parsha Podcast we focus on two elements of the reunification: firstly, we ponder the interesting question of whether or not Jacob actually bowed down to Joseph as foretold in the dream. Then, we explore a fascinating and frightening Midrashic comment on the lessons...

Our nation has two houses of monarchy: Joseph and Judah. Joseph was, of course, king of Egypt. David, king of Israel, descended from the tribe of Judah. Following David, all legitimate kings of our people descended from the Davidic line from the tribe of Judah. Our nation is yearning for Messiah. Our sages tell us the Messiah comes in two flavors: Messiah Ben-Joseph from the tribe of Joseph and Me...

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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish o...

Pharaoh, like Joseph, had clairvoyant dreams foretelling his future. Joseph dreamed of his ascent to kingship and his brother's subjugation before him. Pharaoh dreamed of Egypt experiencing 7 years of unprecedented plenty and abundance to be followed by 7 years of grinding famine. There's a major difference though in the timeline of the of the implementation of these dreams though. Pharaoh's dream...

In our Parsha, Joseph is elevated to become viceroy of Egypt. He begins the day languishing in prison, and ends it be decked in garments of royalty and paraded throughout the city. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we share three ideas - deep ideas - from our Parsha: one about the end of days, one about Pharaoh's recurring dreams, and the fascinating backstory of Joseph's wife, Osnas....

The Chanukah story is quite dramatic. The world-dominating Greeks were militarily defeated by a prickly pack of Maccabees. Our sages point the focus of the festival to the miracle of the oil when the priests rededicated the temple and cleansed it from all the Greek defilements. They found only a solitary flask of oil. This oil was designed to last only one day, but miraculously it lasted eight. To...

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...

Parashas Vayeishev is a downer for all people involved: Jacob has to witness his sons' disunion. Jacob was informed of the apparent mauling of Joseph, his favorite son. Jacob was plunged into melancholy for 22 years. Joseph, the crown jewel of his father, was hated by his brothers, betrayed by his brothers, and sold as a slave by his brothers. His situation got even worse. In Egypt, he was falsely...

Our Parsha begins with Joseph's two dreams of grandeur and supremacy. He dreams that he will rule over his brothers, who will bow before him in submission. Joseph decides to tell them about it. Why does he do that? Why does he tell his father about the second dream, but not the first? Why are the brothers envious of him after the second dream, but not after the first? In this intricate podcast, we...

The saga of Joseph dominates the end of Genesis. Joseph is Jacob's favorite son, but is hated by his brothers. They don't view Joseph as someone worthy of keeping around, so they conspire to kill him and ultimately settle for selling him as a slave. In the end, Joseph achieves greatness that surpasses that of all of his brothers. The brothers thought he was a good-for-nothing, but ultimately he su...

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 hum...

Jacob just can't seem to get away from his brother. Even before they were born, they were bound together in utero. Once they are born, they are constantly wrestling with each other, duking it out for the destiny of humanity. Compelled to usurp the blessing, Jacob was forced to flee. After spending 34 years away from his brother, including 20 years by the house of Laban, Jacob reunites with Esau on...

Jacob and Esau last saw each other 34 years prior. 34 years ago, Jacob, upon the explicit and prophetically inspired instruction of his mother, usurped the blessings reserved for Esau. Esau was piping mad, and sought vengeance. He wanted to kill his own brother. Jacob fled. After spending 14 years in the academy and 20 years in the house of Laban, the reunion was set. Our parsha dedicates signific...

We all want to ascend to great heights. We all hope that we can accomplish our potential and unlock our opportunities. We all yearn for self-actualization and development. But it seems that the path of ascent is invariably bumpy. It seems that an ascent to great heights must entail numerous falls along the way. The righteous must fall seven times before ceasing to fall. Why must we fall in order t...

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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational ef...

Jacob was one of the greatest people who have ever lived. He triumphed over angels. He had angels do his bidding. His visage is etched into God's throne of glory. He is considered the choicest of the forefathers, the one who merited bearing twelve sons who spawned the twelve tribes of Israel. His life was a series of challenges. His twin brother Esau was his polar opposite and, at this point, was...