The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

451

Parshas Vayeitzei (Rebroadcast)

Nov 19, 2023

1:03:08

Parshas Vayeitzei follows Jacob as he is fleeing from his murderous brother Esau and travels to Charan to the house of Laban, his wily and deceptive uncle, and marries multiple wives and fathers 12 children. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

452

Toldos – Smoking Camels

Nov 16, 2023

1:02:29

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 […]

453

Toldos – Abraham’s Torah (5782)

Nov 14, 2023

46:01

Was Abraham the first Jew? Did Abraham observe the laws of the Torah? The Torah dedicates a huge amount of attention to Abraham and his family. The laws of Torah were conveyed at Sinai to Moshe, Abraham’s great-great-great-grandson. How much of that, if any, did Abraham have? In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast […]

454

Parshas Toldos (Rebroadcast)

Nov 12, 2023

1:06:32

In Parshas Toldos we meet twin boys that are polar opposites: Esau, beloved by his father Isaac, is a man of the fields; while Jacob is loved by his mother Rebecca and prefers to dwell in the tents of scholarship. These two children will spawn nations and ideals that diverged from each other even before […]

455

Chayei Sarah – Buried Alive

Nov 9, 2023

53:53

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 […]

456

Chayei Sarah – The Transformation of Eliezer (5782)

Nov 8, 2023

53:54

Eliezer was Abraham’s right hand man. He was in charge of all of Abraham’s affairs. According to the Talmud, Eliezer was the consummate student of Abraham, drawing from Abraham’s wellsprings of Torah and sharing it with others. In our Parsha, Eliezer was the central protagonist. Eliezer was conscripted by Abraham to travel east to Aram […]

457

Parshas Chayei Sara (Rebroadcast)

Nov 5, 2023

56:23

Some of the highlights of this week’s parsha: Immediately after the Binding of Isaac, Sarah passed away at the age of 127, and soon afterward Abraham had to procure a burial spot for her. In addition, Abraham sent his trusted confidante, Eliezer, to his hometown to find a spouse for Isaac. – – – – […]

458

Vayeira – Abraham Abraham

Nov 2, 2023

1:10:10

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 […]

459

Vayeira – Exodus From Sodom (5782)

Oct 31, 2023

52:47

For the third time in the Torah, we read about destruction. Previously, the Flood destroyed the world save Noah and family, and the Dispersal ended the universal civilization, and in our parsha we read about the overturning of Sodom and Gomorrah. The timing of Sodom’s destruction is really interesting. Our Sages said that it happened […]

460

Parshas Vayeira (Rebroadcast)

Oct 29, 2023

1:07:14

This week’s parsha features several iconic episodes: Abraham was visited by God as he was recuperating from his circumcision, and concurrently engaged in superlative kindness with three angels masquerading as pagan travelers; Abraham was informed that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were about to be destroyed and was unsuccessful in interceding on their behalf; […]

461

Lech Lecha – The Generational Secret

Oct 26, 2023

58:29

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 […]

462

Lech Lecha – Applying for a Name Change (5782)

Oct 24, 2023

41:59

Abraham and Sarah undergo seismic changes in our Parsha. Their names get changed as does their destiny. Originally, they were barren, but in our Parsha, the founding Patriarch and Matriarch are told that they will bear a son, Isaac. The mechanics of how this transformation occurred, however, is a bit of a head scratcher. Our […]

463

Lech Lecha – Applying for a Name Change (5782)

Oct 21, 2023

41:59

Abraham and Sarah undergo seismic changes in our Parsha. Their names get changed as does their destiny. Originally, they were barren, but in our Parsha, the founding Patriarch and Matriarch are told that they will bear a son, Isaac. The mechanics of how this transformation occurred, however, is a bit of a head scratcher. Our […]

464

Parshas Lech Lecha (Rebroadcast)

Oct 21, 2023

1:02:06

In this week’s parsha, Abraham is instructed to move to Israel, is given divine promises that he will be the father of many nations; his children will be as numerous as the dust of the earth and the stars of the heaven, a son Ishmael is born, and he is commanded to circumcise his foreskin […]

465

Noach – Secret Of Invincibility

Oct 19, 2023

50:25

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 […]

466

Noach – Company Loves Misery (5782)

Oct 17, 2023

40:51

Our Parsha marks a nadir in the story of mankind. Humanity sunk to such spiritual lows that the Almighty decided to destroy the world and start over with just Noah and his family as humanity’s progenitors going forward. What were the conditions of the Flood’s survivors after spending a year in the Ark? In this […]

467

Parshas Noach (Rebroadcast)

Oct 15, 2023

56:55

In this week’s parsha: Noah and his family build an Ark as a refuge from an extinction-level Flood brought by God to destroy the world’s sinners. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making […]

468

Bereishis – Microcosm of History

Oct 12, 2023

1:09:01

Today is a bittersweet day. Although we are very excited to embark on year 8 of the Parsha Podcast, we are only a few days after the terrible attacks in Israel, where hundreds of our brethren were massacred. In light of the terrible atrocities perpetrated against our people and the war that is sparked, we […]

469

Bereishis – Making Partner (5782)

Oct 11, 2023

47:44

As we begin year 8 of the Parsha Podcast, we are excited and overjoyed to share the plan for this year, with the help of the Almighty: each Sunday, we will release the rebroadcast episode that covers the entire Parsha in about an hour. On Tuesday, we will re-release the corresponding episode from the 6th […]

470

Parshas Bereishis (Rebroadcast)

Oct 10, 2023

1:12:33

With praise and appreciation to the Almighty, we begin year 8 of the Parsha Podcast (5784). This year, we will re-upload the Parsha Rebroadcast episode which covers the entire Parsha each Sunday, re-release the 6th cycle’s episode (5782) for each respective Parsha each Tuesday, and we will, please God, record and release a new weekly […]

471

Vezos Haberacha – A Mission For Everyone

Oct 5, 2023

53:00

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 […]

472

Vezos Habracha – Antidotes to Mediocrity (5781)

Oct 4, 2023

45:28

In the Torah’s final Parsha, and indeed, in its final words, we say goodbye to the greatest human to have ever lived. With the passing of Moshe, the Torah ends, and on Simchas Torah- the day that we finish the yearly Torah cycle – we roll the scroll back to the very beginning and begin […]

473

Parshas Vezos Haberacha (Rebroadcast)

Oct 2, 2023

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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

474

Jonah: The Yom Kippur Reading on a Deeper Level (Rebroadcast)

Sep 22, 2023

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 […]

475

Haazinu – Antidote to Vacuousness

Sep 21, 2023

42:13

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 […]

476

Ha’azinu – Small Step for Eaglet (5781)

Sep 19, 2023

42:32

The Song of Haazinu is a richly textured tapestry with layered meaning and subtleties. Our Sages tell us that it incorporates all of Jewish History. In its 613 words, it incorporates all of Torah as well. And it is arguably the most difficult Torah portion to decipher and unpack. In this special penultimate podcast of […]

477

Parshas Haazinu (Rebroadcast)

Sep 18, 2023

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 […]

478

The Rosh Hashana Torah Reading – Day Two (Rebroadcast)

Sep 12, 2023

54:36

On the second day of Rosh Hashana, we read the Torah section of Genesis chapter 22 that tells the very famous and quite troubling episode of the Binding of Isaac. Abraham – the same Abraham who railed against the ways of child sacrifice of the pagans – is instructed by God to take Isaac – the same Isaac […]

479

The Rosh Hashana Torah Reading – Day One (Rebroadcast)

Sep 10, 2023

59:55

The Torah readings for the two days of Rosh Hashana were not arbitrarily chosen. There are very good reasons why on the first day of Rosh Hashana we read Genesis chapter 21, which tells of the conception and birth of Isaac, and the banishment of Ishmael, his brush with death, and his salvation. In this […]

480

Nitzavim Vayeilech – Pro Choice

Sep 7, 2023

53:11

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 […]

481

Nitzavim – Drawbridge Of The Soul (5781)

Sep 5, 2023

43:26

With the entire nation gathered on his final day of life, Moshe warns the people against being seduced by idolatry. The nation, Moshe reveals, is particularly vulnerable to idolatry because of the people whose land through which we have traversed. We saw the Egyptian fascination with idolatry. We saw the various other nations obsession with […]

482

Parshas Nitzavim & Vayeilech (Rebroadcast)

Sep 3, 2023

1:42:13

On the final day of Moshe’s life, he gathered the entire nation – men, women, children, and according to the Talmud, all souls of future Jews – to pass them through a final covenant with God. The parsha also contains the prophetic predictions of the Messianic times, and it ends with a simple, binary choice: […]

483

Ki Savo – Dial of Joy

Aug 31, 2023

54:38

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 […]

484

Ki Savo – Maniacal Determination (5781)

Aug 29, 2023

39:18

Our parsha contains perhaps the most difficult Torah portion to read and digest: The Tochacha (Admonition). In it we are told the consequences of our deeds. If obey the Almighty and hearken to His commandments, He will reward us with bountiful blessings. Should we deviate from Him and repudiate His Torah, however, He promises to […]

485

Parshas Ki Savo (Rebroadcast)

Aug 27, 2023

55:33

As the Book of Deuteronomy draws to its conclusion, the narrative makes a transition: Moshe finishes conveying the mitzvos to the nation, and sets up his final parting message to the people. First, he commands the nation to perform several elaborate ceremonies on the very first day that they cross the Jordan River; then he […]

486

Ki Seitzei – The Upside of Laziness

Aug 24, 2023

53:22

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 […]

487

Ki Seitzei – A Lifetime A Day (5781)

Aug 22, 2023

53:50

The Midrash in our parsha calculates that the Torah contains 613 mitzvos, 248 positive mitzvos, where the Torah commands us to do something proactive, and 365 negative mitzvos, where we are instructed to refrain from transgressing the Almighty’s will. These figures are not coincidental. They are precisely targeted to enable us to accomplish our life’s […]

488

Parshas Ki Seitzei (Rebroadcast)

Aug 20, 2023

1:01:03

In the parsha that contains the most mitzvos of any of the 54 Torah sections (a staggering 74 mitzvos), we read about the wayward and rebellious son, the requirement to build a fence around your roof to prevent tragedy, two episodes that we are mandated to remember, and many, many more interesting and insightful mitzvos. […]

489

Shoftim – Crisper Genes

Aug 18, 2023

52:24

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 […]

490

Shoftim – Gateways to Great Pursuits (5781)

Aug 15, 2023

47:08

Justice is a virtue that we must vigorously pursue. Our Parsha begins by instructing us to establish a court system with judges and bailiffs throughout our gates and tribes. The judge is tasked with determining the merits of every case and the bailiff is in charge of implementation. This two-tiered model is not limited to […]

491

Parshas Shoftim (Rebroadcast)

Aug 13, 2023

1:00:20

This week we learn the laws governing all kinds of leaders: The parsha begins by detailing the laws of judges, the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court, and what happens to rebellious judges; we read about the unique laws related to kings; there are more laws pertaining to the Kohanim; and we find the […]

492

Reeh – Making Dough

Aug 10, 2023

48:05

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 […]

493

Re’eh – Look at Me (5781)

Aug 8, 2023

45:33

Moshe begins our parsha by presenting the Nation with a choice: See, I have placed before you today blessing and curse. And he continues to state that the blessing is the steadfast observance of the commandments of the Almighty, while the curse is the repudiation of said commandments. In this special edition of the Parsha […]

494

Parshas Reeh (Rebroadcast)

Aug 6, 2023

1:00:30

This week’s parsha marks a transition in the Book of Deuteronomy: it is no longer primarily about admonishment and rebuke and warnings, instead we read a bevy of mitzvos – some repetitions and some new ones that have hitherto not been mentioned. – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

495

Eikev – Longevity Pill

Aug 3, 2023

46:03

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 […]

496

Eikev – Cheat Code for Life (5781)

Aug 1, 2023

43:18

The Torah contains a lot of details regarding what the Almighty expects of us. A verse in our parsha purports to get to the bottom line of what – in one sentence – does God actually want of us. But after reading the verse we emerge with more questions than answers. While ostensibly touting simplicity […]

497

Parshas Eikev (Rebroadcast)

Jul 30, 2023

59:14

We pick up where we left off last week amid Moshe’s speech to the nation before his passing, and as in the previous few weeks, Parshas Eikev is jam packed with insights and timeless lessons. Moshe pivots between looking back on the conduct of the nation in the preceding 40 years and admonishing them for […]

498

Vaeschanan – Jordan Rules

Jul 26, 2023

1:00:43

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 […]

499

Va’eschanan – Entry Denied (5781)

Jul 25, 2023

59:00

Moshe was very desirous of entering the Land. The Midrash reveals that he prayed 515 separate prayers to petition God to revoke His ban on Moshe entering the Land. But God said no. You may not enter the Land, though He allowed Moshe to visualize the Land from atop a mountain. The dialogue between Moshe […]

500

Parshas Va’eschanan (Rebroadcast)

Jul 23, 2023

1:04:11

This week’s parsha continues Moshe’s monologue to the nation in the weeks preceding his passing. He begins by recounting his repeated efforts in trying to convince God to rescind His decree that Moshe not enter the Land; Moshe then begins the retelling of the Torah; and we read many warnings and predictions about proper behavior […]

The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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