The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

1

Acharei Mos/Kedoshim – Acting the Goat

Apr 23, 2026

1:07:55

Yom Kippur is a different day than every other day of the year. It is the holiest day, the day of atonement, a day of fasting and prayer and repentance. When the Temple was extant, the Nations’ attention was oriented around the high priest’s services in God’s holy Temple. This was the one time a […]

2

Acharei Mos – Fleshy Onesie (5784)

Apr 21, 2026

49:44

The first verse of our Parsha revisits a tragic event from the past. The Torah tells us that after the death of Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu, Moshe was instructed to command Aaron about the prohibition against entering the Holy of Holies unauthorized. What is the significance of the tragic demise of Aaron’s two sons […]

3

Tazria Metzora – Better Animals of our Nature

Apr 16, 2026

55:30

The subject of purity and impurity is not the most exciting one. The hallmark of these subjects is their intricacies and complexities, but our parsha has nothing but the laws of purity and impurity. It talks about impurity spawned by childbirth; the impurity of tzaraas of the body, of the garments, and of the home; […]

4

Tazria Metzora – Temporarily Embarrassed Millionaires (5784)

Apr 14, 2026

35:41

Like much of Leviticus hitherto, tzaraas – the skin malady that is a physical manifestation of a spiritual flaw – is a concept distant from our consciousness. The Torah tells us that when a person commits one of several sins, they can be stricken with a wide range of skin afflictions that qualify as tzaraas. […]

5

Shemini – A Time For Boldness

Apr 10, 2026

48:39

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6

Shemini – Spiritual Cholesterol (5784)

Apr 7, 2026

52:18

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7

Parshas Shemini (Rebroadcast)

Apr 5, 2026

53:51

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8

Tzav – Protocols of the Offerings of Zion + Parsha Podcast Appeal

Mar 26, 2026

1:06:22

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9

Tzav – Runaway Brain (5786) + Parsha Podcast Appeal 2026

Mar 24, 2026

1:03:45

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10

Parshas Tzav (Rebroadcast) + Parsha Podcast Fundraiser Pitch

Mar 22, 2026

1:06:29

The 2026 annual TORCH fundraiser is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is doubled at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is matched at giveTORCH.org Please support TORCH and the Parsha Podcast with a generous contribution right now at giveTORCH.org. Give what you can give at giveTORCH.org and ensure that the Parsha Podcast and the other great […]

11

Vayikra – Push-Ups and Drawdowns + TORCH Fundraiser 2026 Pitch

Mar 19, 2026

1:06:54

The 2026 annual TORCH fundraiser is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is doubled at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is matched at giveTORCH.org Please support TORCH and the Parsha Podcast with a generous contribution right now at giveTORCH.org. Give what you can give at giveTORCH.org and ensure that the Parsha Podcast and the other great […]

12

Vayikra – Cainitis and Abelitis (5784) + TORCH Fundraiser 2026 Pitch

Mar 17, 2026

48:02

The 2026 annual TORCH fundraiser is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is doubled at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is matched at giveTORCH.org Please support TORCH and the Parsha Podcast with a generous contribution right now at giveTORCH.org. Give what you can give at giveTORCH.org and ensure that the Parsha Podcast and the other great […]

13

Parshas Vayikra (Rebroadcast) + TORCH Fundraiser 2026

Mar 15, 2026

1:01:51

The 2026 annual TORCH fundraiser is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is doubled at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is matched at giveTORCH.org Please support TORCH and the Parsha Podcast with a generous contribution right now at giveTORCH.org. Give what you can give at giveTORCH.org and ensure that the Parsha Podcast and the other great […]

14

Vayakhel Pekudei – Golden Talents

Mar 12, 2026

59:16

The latter half of the Book of Exodus is almost exclusively oriented around the Tabernacle. In this week’s double Parsha, the nation executes the plans given to Moshe. It begins with a fundraising drive. The nation is offer the opportunity to contribute the 15 different materials needed for the Tabernacle. Fourteen of the fifteen materials […]

15

Vayakhel: The Third Path (5784)

Mar 10, 2026

53:00

There are three ways to achieve transcendental greatness: There is the path of intense practice and training in your desired field of excellence; there is the path of Bezalel who was endowed with supernatural abilities and preordained to greatness; and there is a third path — the path of the ascension of heart. In our […]

16

Ki Sisa – Magic Thermos

Mar 5, 2026

58:10

A nuclear bomb detonates in this week’s Parsha. The Nation selected by God to fulfill the most consequential role in the world, the Nation recently released from bondage with miracle signs and wonders, the Nation being fed a steady diet of manna and water from a rock, the Nation only 40 days after experiencing national […]

17

Ki Sisa – Augmenting Shabbos (5784)

Mar 3, 2026

42:07

The final instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle are conveyed at the beginning of this week’s parsha. After Moshe is told to appoint Bezalel as the head overseer of this enormous project, the Torah cautions us against constructing the tabernacle on Shabbos. Although we are required to build the Tabernacle, and we are inclined […]

18

Tetzaveh – On His Majesty’s Service

Feb 26, 2026

56:40

Performing service in the Tabernacle was the domain of the cherished few only. Only Aaron, his four sons, and their subsequent children were eligible. Why couldn’t everyone serve as a priest? That’s a question for modern egalitarian sensibilities, and it’s truthfully one that we are averse to asking. After all, this was the question that […]

19

Tetzaveh – The Golden Bovine (5784)

Feb 24, 2026

55:36

This week’s Parsha is dedicated to the priestly class: It begins with the oil that the High Priest kindles; it describes in great detail the special vestments that the priests wore; and it proceeds in outlining the process of inauguration of the priests. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast we go deep and […]

20

Terumah – Out of the Woods

Feb 19, 2026

1:11:13

During the Sinai revelation, the nation achieved the peak human experience. The entire people—men, women, and children—experienced God face-to-face (as it were) on the highest level of prophecy. But then it ended. The prophecy ended, the mountain was restored to its pre-Revelation state, and Moshe alone ascended the mountain. Sinai was not supposed to be […]

21

Terumah – Cherub-Picking (5784)

Feb 17, 2026

57:27

The Tabernacle was a portable Temple in which the presence of God dwelled. Our Parsha begins with the fundraising effort to be conducted in the Wilderness where the nation was asked to donate the required materials for the construction of the Tabernacle, it’s vessels, and the vestments of the high priest. In this enjoyable Parsha […]

22

Mishpatim – Two Halves of One Soul

Feb 12, 2026

1:09:47

At the risk of being presumptuous, I can safely say that most members of the Parsha podcast community have never owned any slaves. I imagine that most of us never even had a servant. We certainly never employed a Jewish bondsman for six years. The law that opens our Parsha doesn’t seem to be very […]

23

Mishpatim – Blind Determination (5786)

Feb 10, 2026

1:00:41

Immediately after the Sinai Revelation, the Torah begins telling us many of the laws. In this Parsha podcast we focus on two of the laws: the famous verse of “an eye for an eye”, and the requirement to aid your enemy when his donkey is struggling under its load. As is our mandate in year […]

24

Yisro – Beauty and the Priest

Feb 5, 2026

1:05:11

Parshas Yisro is a tale of two narratives. It begins with the dramatic arrival of Jethro, father-in-law of Moshe. He heard about all the miracles that the Almighty performed for the nation during the Exodus and decided to join the nation. The Parsha details his arrival together with Moshe’s wife and their two sons, the […]

25

Yisro – Splitting the Heaven (5784)

Feb 3, 2026

55:18

The arrival of Jethro, the preparation for Sinai, and the nature of the Sinai revelation – these are some of the subjects featured in our parsha. In this very special and atypically extemporaneous Parsha podcast, we offer four interesting ideas: one on the unique route that Jethro took to the truth; one on the particular […]

26

Beshalach – Horse and Rider

Jan 29, 2026

1:06:40

The nation emerged from Egypt triumphantly. Pharaoh was talking a big game. “Who is God that I should listen to him? I’m not going to release the Israelites!” But he was humbled before God one plague at a time. With the death of the firstborn at the stroke of midnight, Pharaoh buckled. He begged, he […]

27

Beshalach – Bones to Pick (5784)

Jan 27, 2026

57:55

The Exodus is finally here. After 210 years in Egypt – enslaved, tormented, and oppressed – the nation is leaving with great pomp and ceremony. There is an apparently curious factoid about the Exodus: in the third verse of our Parsha, the Torah tells us that Moshe secured the bones of Joseph, and transported them […]

28

Bo – Embers Only

Jan 22, 2026

1:11:12

With the final three plagues striking Egypt,, our Nation’s centuries-long nightmare in Egypt mercifully came to an end. At the stroke of midnight, all the firstborn of Egypt—both human and animal—died. The cry that erupted from this plague was unprecedented. Never before and never since has such a cry been experienced. With the Egyptian cry, […]

29

Bo – Shots on Goal (5784)

Jan 20, 2026

1:07:03

The Jewish people spent several centuries in Egypt, but now it is time to leave – and the nation is leaving with flair, with miracles, signs, and wonders. In this very special, celebratory, Parsha podcast, I share two incredible ideas that I shared over the past couple of days during the festivities surrounding the birth […]

30

Vaeira – Swimming in Denileism

Jan 15, 2026

1:05:30

Pharaoh is one tough nut to crack. Notwithstanding all the miracles, signs, and wonders that the Almighty displays in Egypt, Pharaoh persists in his stubborn, immovable, intransigence. God promised to harden his heart and thereby prolong the period of the Plagues, but Pharaoh himself hardened his own heart. But something dramatic happened to Pharaoh. He […]

31

Vaeira – Labor and Deliverance (5784)

Jan 13, 2026

51:43

The Jewish nation was enslaved in Egypt for 100s of years. What was the essence of the enslavement? What is the consistent theme that is strung throughout the centuries of servitude? More broadly, what is the salience of the Egyptian narrative? Why is it so critical for us to study the exile and Exodus so […]

32

Shemos – Mission Implausible

Jan 8, 2026

56:09

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 […]

33

Shemos – Moshe’s Treatment (5784)

Jan 6, 2026

55:51

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 […]

34

Vayechi – Fish Amidst the Land

Jan 1, 2026

1:09:01

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 […]

35

Vayechi – Jacob’s Strength (5784)

Dec 30, 2025

1:04:07

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. […]

36

Vayigash – Beacon in the Darkness

Dec 25, 2025

55:52

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 […]

37

Vayigash – Come-to-Joseph Moment (5784)

Dec 23, 2025

57:09

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, […]

38

Mikeitz – Pit Master King

Dec 18, 2025

1:04:22

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 […]

39

Mikeitz – The End of Days (5784)

Dec 16, 2025

50:57

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 […]

40

Vayeishev – Pit of Despair

Dec 11, 2025

1:02:21

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 […]

41

Vayeishev – Dream of the Crop (5784)

Dec 9, 2025

31:16

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 […]

42

Vayishlach – E-sawdust

Dec 4, 2025

54:06

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 […]

43

Vayishlach – When Hairy met Srully (5784)

Dec 2, 2025

51:29

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 […]

44

Vayeitzei – Red and White Blew it

Nov 27, 2025

51:50

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 […]

45

Vayeitzei – Rock and Roll (5784)

Nov 25, 2025

50:04

Jacob undergoes a meteoric transformation in our Parsha. At the onset, Jacob is a 77-year-old penniless bachelor fleeing from his brother Esau’s wrath. When the Pasha concludes, Jacob is at the helm of a veritable empire. He has 12 children with his four wives, is enormously wealthy, and is heading back to encounter Esau’s rage. […]

46

Toldos – Infertile Crescent

Nov 20, 2025

59:09

Why were the patriarchs and matriarchs infertile? Why did Isaac favor Esau? Why did Isaac require delicacies to bless Esau? Why does the Torah offer an extended narrative of Isaac and wells – digging wells, wrestling with wells that got plugged up, quarreling over wells, naming cities after wells? Why does anti-Semitism exist? These are […]

47

Toldos – Smoking Camels (5784)

Nov 18, 2025

59:12

Two very different boys are born in this week’s Parsha. Esau, the older one, is ruddy and hairy and looking for trouble. Jacob, the younger one, is wholesome and righteous. The beginning of our Parsha describe the unusual events surrounding the conception and birth of these two boys. When we read it on a superficial […]

48

Chayei Sarah – Age of the Matriarchs

Nov 13, 2025

59:47

Sarah lived a relatively long life. She passed away at the age of 127 after learning about the Binding of Isaac. Our Parsha begins with her passing, eulogy, and burial in the Cave of the Patriarchs. Just as when the sun sets in one area, it automatically rises in some other place, with the passing […]

49

Chayei Sarah – Buried Alive (5784)

Nov 11, 2025

42:03

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 […]

50

Vayeira – Sodium and Gomorrah

Nov 6, 2025

1:09:33

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 […]

The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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