The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

1

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 […]

2

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 […]

3

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 […]

4

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 […]

5

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 […]

6

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. […]

7

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 […]

8

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 […]

9

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 […]

10

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 […]

11

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 […]

12

Vayeira – Abraham Abraham (5784)

Nov 4, 2025

1:04:44

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 […]

13

Lech Lecha – Three and a Half Men

Oct 30, 2025

1:00:08

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 […]

14

Lech Lecha – The Generational Secret (5784)

Oct 28, 2025

51:42

Join us for an exquisite Parsha Podcast as we go deep and deeper into Lech Lecha. The deep idea relates to Lot’s fateful decision to choose to move to the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We then go deeper and explore the allegorical dimensions of the breakup between Abraham and Lot. Finally, we go […]

15

Noach – Hell on High Water

Oct 23, 2025

1:05:53

Noah’s experience during the flood it was not exactly akin to a year-long cruise. There wasn’t a lot of relaxing poolside with a pina colada. In fact, for an entire year, Noah and Co did not even have a proper sleep. They were consumed with work, tending to all the animals and there diverse feeding […]

16

Noach – Secret Of Invincibility (5784)

Oct 21, 2025

48:46

We started this week’s Parsha Podcast by talking about the Tower of Babel episode. We gleaned from that story something absolutely transformational and deep. We then proceeded to talk about the unusual contribution that Noah gave to the people of his generation. In that second segment, we also derived something very profound. Deeper. The podcast […]

17

Bereishis – Duality of Man

Oct 16, 2025

1:06:44

Parshas Bereishis is the first Parsha and also the most difficult one to understand. From beginning to end, our Parsha is a riddle and a mystery. In this year’s podcasts we attempt to read the story behind the story, get the inside scoop, the privileged information, the secret connections, the hidden messages, the things you […]

18

Bereishis – Microcosm of History (5784)

Oct 13, 2025

38:38

In this podcast we attempt to read not just the text but also the subtext of the parsha – to go deep and deeper on three subjects in the first Parsha in the Torah: the Genesis narrative and it’s overarching message, the unusual source for the dust of which Adam’s body was created, and an […]

19

Parshas Bereishis (Rebroadcast)

Oct 12, 2025

1:12:33

With praise and appreciation to the Almighty, we begin year 10 of the Parsha Podcast (5786). This year, we will re-upload the Parsha Rebroadcast episode which covers the entire Parsha each Sunday, re-release the 8th cycle’s episode (5784) for each respective Parsha each Tuesday, and we will, please God, record and release a new weekly […]

20

Vezos Haberacha 5785 – The Heavenly Verses

Oct 9, 2025

51:52

There was no joy that matches the joy of Torah study, and that Joy is amplified yet further when we have the great privilege of finishing the entire Torah and once again beginning it anew. The final Parsha, though, has a poignant theme to it. It was the last day of Moshe’s life, and he […]

21

Vezos Haberacha – A Mission For Everyone (5783)

Oct 6, 2025

47:22

At the very end of Moshe’s life, he, like Jacob before him, blesses the tribes. When Jacob was about to pass, he blessed his sons, now Moshe is blessing the tribes that those sons spawned. These blessings were nor random, but very targeted blessings for each tribe so that they know what their particular tribe […]

22

Parshas Vezos Haberacha (The Rebroadcast)

Oct 5, 2025

51:22

The final parsha of the Torah details the blessings that Moshe conveyed to the tribes of Israel immediately prior to his passing, and the Torah ends with the description of the death, burial, and eulogy of Moshe. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

23

Haazinu – Injustice In Justice

Oct 1, 2025

54:44

The high holidays are days of judgment. On Rosh Hashanah, every single person stands before God in judgment and their verdict is written, but left unsealed until the great and awesome day of Yom Kippur, when it is finalized and sealed. We take these days very seriously. There are all sorts of extra prayers and […]

24

Haazinu – Antidote to Vacuousness (5783)

Sep 30, 2025

41:13

On the final day of Moshe’s life, he conveys the Song of Haazinu to the nation. In this masterful prophetic Song, the Torah overviews Jewish history, past, present, future, and Messiah. In this penultimate parsha podcast we focus on what happens afterwards. After the Song, Moshe shares a few pithy words about the nature of […]

25

Jonah: The Yom Kippur Reading on an Allegorical Level

Sep 29, 2025

2:05:32

On Yom Kippur afternoon, we read the 48-verse Book of Jonah, which tells of a renegade prophet, Jonah, who defies the directive of God and refuses to castigate the people of Nineveh and instead escapes from God to Tarshish – with mixed results. A simple reading of the story reveals a tale of repentance, both of […]

26

Parshas Haazinu (The Rebroadcast)

Sep 28, 2025

58:00

Still in the final day of Moshe’s life, he conveys to the nation a 43-verse Song predicting the contours of Jewish history, both past, present, and future. The patterns are familiar to the readers of Deuteronomy and even casual observers and students of Jewish history: The nation is recipients of tremendous divine goodness, yet they […]

27

Vayeilech – Mission Improbable

Sep 25, 2025

50:01

Moshe’s tenure as leader of the Jews was chock full of magnificent accomplishments. He spearheaded the Exodus, he brought the Torah down from Heaven, in his merit came the manna – Moshe’s CV is unparalleled. But now it’s time for him to hand over the reins to Joshua, his disciple and successor. In this Parsha […]

28

Nitzavim – Repent Up Demand

Sep 18, 2025

1:00:04

How difficult is it to repent? How hard is it to examine your behavior, your choices, your values, your decisions to determine which are in need of improvement? How hard is it to reconsider your choices, to regret your mistakes, and to chart a new path forward, a path of righteousness, a path of purity, […]

29

Nitzavim Vayeilech – Pro Choice (5783)

Sep 16, 2025

51:50

On the final day of Moshe’s life, he gathers the entire nation for a parting message. After forging another covenant between the nation and God and explicating the consequences thereof, Moshe presents the nation with a choice: “Behold I have placed before you today: life and good vs. death and bad… Choose life.” There are […]

30

Ki Savo – A Cursory Reading

Sep 11, 2025

1:06:17

Chapter 28 of Deuteronomy is arguably the most difficult portion in the Torah to read. Known as the Admonition, the chapter details the blessings that will be bestowed upon our nation when we adhere to the Laws of God. But it also has the curses that will befall our people in the event that we […]

31

Ki Savo – Dial of Joy (5783)

Sep 9, 2025

47:56

The Torah has a surprising view on joy and how to attain it. The prevailing attitude in our society is that a person’s state of joy is contingent upon circumstance: In good days, people tend to feel a bit more joyous. On bad days, it’s more difficult to feel joy. Joy, according to society, is […]

32

Ki Seitzei – Yibbum Or Bust

Sep 4, 2025

54:57

The death of one’s spouse is always a tragedy, but there’s something particularly sad about someone who dies without children. Leaving no living progeny behind leaves a person without continuity, without a legacy in this world. When a man dies childless, the Torah instructs his wife to seek to marry her deceased husband’s brother in […]

33

Ki Seitzei – The Upside of Laziness (5783)

Sep 2, 2025

51:24

Our parsha begins with the unusual law of the marriage of a Jewish warrior and an enemy captive woman. When a Jewish warrior spots a prisoner of war that he desires to marry, there is a process and a protocol for how he may marry her. The Talmud (also featured by Rashi) offers a very […]

34

Shoftim – Crown Jewels

Aug 28, 2025

57:10

Many of us secretly harbor the belief the we would make a fine president. Leading a nation sounds like a cushy job: armies of aides at your beck and call, ready to execute your agenda and vision. Kings have truly unlimited power. They don’t have term limits. There are no checks and balances to weaken […]

35

Shoftim – Crisper Genes (5783)

Aug 26, 2025

49:20

The nation is on the doorstep of Canaan. In our Parsha, the people are instructed in how they must treat the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. It’s not pleasant. The people are told that they must engage in total war against these nations. How do we understand the requirement to be so violent and aggressive […]

36

Reeh – Path Independence

Aug 21, 2025

1:00:15

We like to maintain optionality and delay decisions if possible. The idea of being pigeonholed into one path irks us. But Moshe tells the nation that we must make a choice: “Behold I have placed before you today a blessing and curse.” The path of blessing is the total acceptance and adherence to God and […]

37

Reeh – Making Dough (5783)

Aug 19, 2025

43:30

The Parsha ends with a delineation of the festivals. When discussing Passover, the verse notes that for 7 days we eat matzah because we left Egypt within great haste. The Exodus was so rapid and frantic, that the dough that we had been preparing was unable to rise and we did not have fluffy, puffy […]

38

Eikev – Tefillin’ Good

Aug 14, 2025

1:20:20

This is a very special episode of the Parsha podcast. Exactly 5 years ago, the Parsha podcast began a streak of producing a brand new episode each week. With the unending help of the Almighty, we haven’t missed in five years. To celebrate this momentous accomplishment, we tackled a very ambitious project: our Parsha contains […]

39

Eikev – Longevity Pill (5783)

Aug 12, 2025

39:01

A ubiquitous feature in Jewish homes, the Mezuzah contains a scroll with two paragraphs from the Torah, one from this week’s Parsha and one from last week’s. This mitzvah bears a distinction that it shares with no other mitzvah. In this interesting and useful podcast, we explore the secrets represented by the Mezuzah, and learn […]

40

Vaeschanan – Two of Hearts

Aug 7, 2025

1:06:38

Even believers are incapable of understanding God. It’s supremely logical to observe that our wonderful world – our wonderful universe – certainly had a Creator, but how can we connect with God? How can we develop a relationship with Him? In our Parsha, we are commanded to develop emotions of love and fear towards God, […]

41

Vaeschanan – Jordan Rules (5783)

Aug 5, 2025

59:08

As a result of Moshe’s sin of striking the rock, he was barred from crossing over the Jordan River and entering the Land of Canaan. In Moshe’s speech to the nation, he recounts how he petitioned God to have this decree rescinded. When studying Moshe’s prayer to enter the Land, we discover several incredible insights […]

42

Devarim – Wellsprings of Beer

Jul 31, 2025

1:00:16

There are many levels of Torah. There are many ways to acquire Torah, 48 by the calculation of our Sages. The human with the greatest understanding of Torah was obviously Moshe, the one who received Torah directly from God. In our Parsha we get a stunning description of the profound depth of Moshe’s understanding of […]

43

Devarim – Middling East (5783)

Jul 29, 2025

57:25

In his speech to the Nation, Moshe revisits the episode of the Spies that occurred 39 years prior. When the nation was on the verge of entering the Land, Moshe commissioned 12 distinguished men to reconnoiter the Land and to share their findings with the nation. It was a debacle and a fiasco. As a […]

44

Mattos Masei – Greatness and Anti-Greatness

Jul 24, 2025

56:19

Accidents are unfortunate. Accidents that lead to death are a catastrophe. Among the myriad of subjects discussed in this week’s double Parsha is the law of the accidental murderer. When someone kills accidentally, they are punished by being confined to certain cities from which they mustn’t leave. These cities of refuge serve as open-air prisons, […]

45

Mattos & Masei – 49-Step Program (5783)

Jul 22, 2025

57:08

What did the nation do over the course of the 40 years in the wilderness? What was their objective? In our parsha we read that the nation stopped in 42 locations over the course of their 40-year sojourn. The Torah delineates the names of the 42 different venues where the nation encamped. What is the […]

46

Pinchas – Sunday and Moonday

Jul 17, 2025

56:34

Great leaders are often irreplaceable. The greatest leader of them all is certainly irreplaceable. But even Moshe must have a successor. In our Parsha, Moshe asks God designate a successor for him after he passes. Who can possibly fill such large shoes? Who can possibly take upon themselves the mantle of leadership of God’s Nation? […]

47

Pinchas – Sons of Anarchist (5783)

Jul 15, 2025

51:43

Korach’s rebellion claimed many victims: Some of the perpetrators were swallowed up in a miraculous sinkhole; some were consumed by a divine fire; and some were killed in a plague. In our Parsha, we discover that the sons of Korach did not die. Although they were participants in the rebellion initially, at the very last […]

48

Balak – Ruthless and Ruthful Determination

Jul 10, 2025

1:06:16

Balak, King of Moab, and Bilaam, sorcerer extraordinaire, hatched a plot to annihilate the Jewish people. Had their plan been successful, there would not have been even a single survivor. And they almost pulled it off. In fact, absent a Divine intervention, the glorious Jewish Nation would have been toast. What gave them such power? […]

49

Chukas – Bold and Boulder

Jul 3, 2025

1:00:40

When the nation needed water, they found it in a most unexpected place: Moshe struck a rock and it began to spew forth enough water for the entire nation. Why was there water inside the rock? Why when Jacob needed water, he removed the rock blockading it? Why didn’t he find water inside the rock […]

50

Chukas – Methods of Transformation (5783)

Jul 1, 2025

53:05

In the first of this week’s double parsha, we read about the death of two giants: Miriam and Aaron, Moshe’s older sister and brother, pass away. Our sages tell us that the death of the righteous serves as an atonement in a way similar to sacrifices. Just as sacrifices atone, so too does the death […]

The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

The Parsha Podcast Â - הרב יעקב וולבה

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