The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

651

Korach – Debating Back to Sinai

Jun 28, 2022

46:06

Debate and disagreement are part of the human condition. We are all unique and we all see the world differently. It should come as no shock, therefore, that disagreements exist between different people. Our nation has made debate into a favorite pastime – just visit any Yeshiva and you will see what I mean. But […]

652

Parshas Korach (Rebroadcast)

Jun 26, 2022

58:24

In this week’s parsha, Moshe and Aaron’s first cousin, a man named Korach, launches a rebellion claiming that Moshe is guilty of nepotism in appointing his brother as High Priest. What ensued should give one serious pause before engaging in any similar sort of divisive activities. – – – – – – – – – […]

653

Shelach – Enter Via the Window

Jun 23, 2022

1:03:22

One of the most unfortunate events in our history is chronicled in this week’s Parsha. The nation was on the doorstep of entering the Land of Canaan and actualizing the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In an effort to not to rely on Divine miracles, Moshe commissioned 12 righteous men to reconnoiter the […]

654

Parshas Shelach (Rebroadcast)

Jun 19, 2022

57:32

The Jewish people were on the cusp of entering the Land of Canaan, and made a prudent, but ultimately tragic, decision: To send a contingent of scouts to reconnoiter the Land, to examine its vulnerabilities and weaknesses in order to best plan the conquest. Unfortunately, the report of the scouts sent the nation into a […]

655

Behaaloscha – Follow the Cloud

Jun 16, 2022

59:07

Traveling in the wilderness was not simple. The nation was guided by the clouds of Glory. When the clouds of Glory would depart from a top of the Tabernacle, that signaled it was time to go and the nation decamped and began to move. Where to? No one knew ahead of time. Wherever the cloud […]

656

Parshas Behaaloscha (Rebroadcast)

Jun 12, 2022

59:29

The Jewish nation has been encamped at Mount Sinai for nearly a year; in this week’s parsha they finally depart from the Mountain of God, and sadly leave gleefully as a child escaping school. This kick starts a series of missteps that carry harsh consequences. – – – – – – – – – – […]

657

Nasso – The Fourth Crown

Jun 9, 2022

1:01:10

Our Parsha contains the interesting law of the Nazir. A Nazir is someone who has accepted upon themselves a vow to abstain from wine, haircuts, and contact with the dead for a given period, typically 30 days. The details of this law are featured in our partial and elaborated upon in appropriately named book of […]

658

Parshas Nasso (Rebroadcast)

Jun 7, 2022

59:07

In the longest parsha in the Torah by verses, we continue to read about the Levite families and their responsibilities, we learn about the three tiers of the Nation’s encampment, the laws of a suspected adulteress, the laws of the Nazir, the Priestly blessings, and we read a very wordy account of the gifts of […]

659

Ruth: The Enduring Lesson of Shavuos

Jun 2, 2022

1:01:46

The Book of Ruth – and its eponymous heroine – are true enigmas. The Book contains no new laws and its story, while inspirational and poignant, bears no easily discernible connection to the Festival of Shavuos, when it is read. The Book’s protagonist, Ruth, has a decidedly checkered pedigree, yet becomes the matriarch of the […]

660

Bamidbar – Autopsy of Giants

May 31, 2022

55:08

Our Parsha recounts – for the third time hitherto in the Torah – the episode of the untimely death of Aaron’s two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. These two young priests were destined for greatness. Moshe believed that they were in fact greater than him and Aaron. Yet they brought an unauthorized sacrifice and died […]

661

Parshas Bamidbar (Rebroadcast)

May 29, 2022

56:48

We kickstart the Book of Numbers with a census of the twelve tribes of Israel – not including the tribe of Levi who is counted independently – conducted by Moses, Aaron, and the most distinguished leaders of said tribes. Subsequently, we read about the banners of the tribes and their assigned encampments, the transference of […]

662

Bechukosai – Self-Assembly Kit

May 25, 2022

53:53

Why was our soul sent to this world? What was lacking for it in Heaven? That is not an easy question to answer. There are other hard questions to ponder: why are we so obsessed with Torah? How is Torah beneficial for mankind? In this superb episode of the Parsha Podcast, we discover a higher […]

663

Parshas Bechukosai (Rebroadcast)

May 22, 2022

51:23

In two chapters in the Torah (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28) we read about the positive consequences of obeying the Torah and heeding its laws; and the terrible, painful consequences of disobeying the Law. Though reading this week’s Torah portion is scary and a tad depressing, the truth is that this framework is the secret to […]

664

Behar – The Jubilant 50’s

May 18, 2022

1:07:09

Being a farmer in antiquity was a hard job. Without any mechanized tools and plows, farming demanded a great deal of sweat and toil. But what choice did you have? If you want to feed your family, you need to work the land. Then comes the Shemitah. Every 7th year, the farmers in the Land […]

665

Parshas Behar (Rebroadcast)

May 15, 2022

58:55

At Mount Sinai, the Almighty instructed Moshe to convey a series of laws to the Jewish people. The first is the mitzvah of Shemittah, the prohibition of engaging in any agricultural work every seven years. What is the lesson inherent in this mitzvah and what are the consequences of transgressing it? – – – – […]

666

Emor – Spiritual Fingerprint

May 10, 2022

1:04:20

The Kohanic family is the most prestigious and sanctified family in our nation. Direct descendants of the legendary Aaron, this family was consecrated as the priests of our nation. They oversee the temple and its operations, they do the service of the Temple, they process the sacrifices – they are the spiritual leaders of our […]

667

Parshas Emor (Rebroadcast)

May 8, 2022

1:03:18

Parshas Emor contains a staggering 56 mitzvos, nearly all of them relating to either to the Kohanim, the priests, or to the Festivals, and the parsha ends with a very unusual episode that happened at Sinai. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

668

Kedoshim – The Superhuman Imperative

May 4, 2022

51:01

Our Parsha begins with an unusual ceremony: Moshe gathers the entire Jewish Nation, men, women, and children, to convey to them the mitzvos of our Parsha. Unlike the rest of the Torah where the nation is conveyed the Law in shifts, in this week’s Parsha everyone has to be together. When we examine the reasons […]

669

Parshas Kedoshim (Rebroadcast)

May 1, 2022

57:03

This week’s parsha has the highest mitzvah density of any parsha: In its 64 verses we learn 51 separate mitzvos covering many different areas of Jewish practice, including arguably the most famous mitzvah in the whole Torah. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

670

Acharei Mos – A Consequential Life

Apr 27, 2022

57:31

The verse in our Parsha makes a big promise: if you adhere to the Mitzvos and statutes and laws of the Torah you will be granted life. Life is what we all so deeply covet. Torah and Mitzvos are the ways to get it. But it doesn’t seem to bear out in the real world. […]

671

Parshas Acharei (Rebroadcast)

Apr 24, 2022

1:03:09

The three chapters of our parsha cover three general categories. First we read about the Yom Kippur sacrifices and procedures; then we learn about the prohibitions against consumption of blood among other ritualistic and sacrificial laws; and the final chapter is oriented around the many prohibited sexual relationships. – – – – – – – […]

672

When God Positions Man: A Yahrzeit Tribute to Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe

Apr 20, 2022

37:46

This Pesach marks the 17th yahrzeit of my grandfather, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe. Because this week is Pesach and does not feature a new Parsha, I recorded a special tribute to my grandfather of righteous memory. May we all be inspired to emulate his ways and may his Soul be elevated in Heaven. – – – […]

673

Pesach Special with Akiva and Yehoshua Wolbe

Apr 12, 2022

47:01

This upcoming Shabbos coincides with the first day of Pesach. Consequently, there is no new Parsha this week. But there will still be a new Parsha Podcast. My dear friend Dan Kullman, host of the Shema Podcast interviewed my two oldest sons, Akiva and Yehoshua, about Pesach, it’s history, lessons, and ceremonies. He graciously agreed […]

674

Metzora – 21st Century Prophecy

Apr 6, 2022

1:11:21

How involved is God in the day-to-day lives of humanity? What is the nature of divine communication to humanity? The central subject of our Parsha offers a fascinating window into this question. In antiquity – when our people were very close to the Almighty and very elevated spiritually – every sin would register as a […]

675

Parshas Metzora (Rebroadcast)

Apr 3, 2022

51:14

A metzora is someone who is stricken with the tangible illness of tzaraas caused by a variety of sins, most notably the sin of lashon hara, evil talk and slander. Last week we read about two varieties of this illness: when it strikes a person’s garment or body; the bulk of our parsha orients around […]

676

Tazria – Torah In A Box

Mar 30, 2022

1:00:21

The bulk of our Parsha deals with the inapplicable laws of purity and impurity, but we also told about a Mitzvah that is very much applicable today: circumcision. When a baby boy is 8 days old, they are circumcised and thereby entered into the Covenant of Abraham. What is the meaning behind this Mitzvah? Why, […]

677

Parshas Tazria (Rebroadcast)

Mar 27, 2022

50:27

A very large percentage of Torah is dedicated to the laws of purity and impurity. Parshas Tazria deals exclusively with these laws, first with respect to the impurity of a new mother, and second with the impurity of tzaraas a skin disease that comes as a result of sin. What is purity and impurity and […]

678

Shemini – Aaron’s Credentials

Mar 23, 2022

48:50

In our Parsha Aaron is promoted to become the high priest. Previously, Moshe served as high priest in an interim role, henceforth Aaron and his descendants will serve as the nation’s emissaries before God. Why was Aaron chosen? What were his qualifications? What were the events in his life that rendered him worthy of such […]

679

We Have Been Blessed With a Baby Boy

Mar 20, 2022

40:55

With deep appreciation to the Almighty for all the goodness that He has bestowed upon us, I’m happy to share that my wife, Chaya, and I were blessed with a beautiful baby boy on Monday, March 14. Thank God, both Mom and baby are doing fabulous! In this special edition of the podcast, I share […]

680

Parshas Shemini (Rebroadcast)

Mar 20, 2022

53:51

After months of preparation and building, and a week of inauguration, the nation was anticipating the climax of the Tabernacle experience: When God finally rested His Presence upon the people’s handiwork. On the eighth day the Tabernacle was erected for good, and a Heavenly fire consumed the various sacrifices offered upon the Altar and the […]

681

Tzav – Ready, Steady, Fire!

Mar 16, 2022

47:28

A lot of things are needed for the Temple and the Tabernacle to function properly. There are all kinds of prerequisites, protocols, procedures, and rituals that must be followed. One of the most surprising ones is the requirement to always have a fire atop the altar. Although the fire is needed for the processing of […]

682

The Book of Esther on an Allegorical Level (Rebroadcast)

Mar 15, 2022

1:37:51

On Purim we read the Book of Esther, which tells the story of the Purim miracle. The Persian king Achashverosh conspires with his Amalekite viceroy Haman to eradicate the entire Jewish nation, but God refused to allow their plans to unfold. Queen Esther, together with her relative Mordechai, spearhead the effort to turn the plan on […]

683

Parshas Tzav (Rebroadcast)

Mar 13, 2022

58:55

In continuation of the themes of last week, Parshas Tzav details the procedures of processing many of the sacrifices enumerated in Parshas Vayikra, teaches us about new sacrifices, and we read about the seven days of inauguration of the Tabernacle. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

684

Vayikra – From Each According to His Ability

Mar 9, 2022

51:30

Our Parsha deals exclusively with sacrifices. Since the destruction of the Temple nearly 2,000 years ago, our nation has not offered a single sacrifice. In this podcast we show how, notwithstanding the inapplicability of sacrifices today, there are wonderful lessons to learn from every part of the Torah. The one we learn today is both […]

685

Parshas Vayikra (Rebroadcast)

Mar 6, 2022

52:10

In Parshas Vayikra, the first Torah section in The Book of Leviticus, we learn about the processes and procedures of many different varieties of sacrifices: There are three different types of elevation offerings; three types of peace-offerings; six types of meal-offerings; and numerous sin and guilt offerings. Our exploration of the parsha begins with a […]

686

Pekudei – Bold Initiatives Checklist

Mar 1, 2022

1:05:22

The most ambitious initiative ever undertook in the history of mankind was the construction of the Tabernacle. Think about it: humans are getting together with the intent of constructing a residence for God on this Earth. And they pull it off! Our Parsha ends with the Presence of God dwelling in the Tabernacle. In this […]

687

Parshas Pekudei (Rebroadcast)

Feb 27, 2022

34:03

The final parsha in the Book of Exodus wraps up the account of the construction of the Tabernacle, and its vessels and vestments. Again and again we read the refrain that everything was done precisely how God commanded Moses. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

688

Vayakhel – Heart Donor

Feb 23, 2022

1:01:21

LAST CHANCE to support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

689

Parshas Vayakhel (Rebroadcast)

Feb 20, 2022

1:00:50

After the Torah delineates the instructions to assemble the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle in Parshas Terumah and the creation of the vestments of the high priest in Parshas Tetzaveh, Parshas Vayakhel outlines the implementation those plans: The massive fundraising efforts, and the actual building of the Tabernacle and its vessels under the […]

690

Special: An Interview About My New Book, Upon A Ten-Stringed Harp

Feb 17, 2022

36:28

In conjunction with our annual fundraiser this week at giveTORCH.org (every donation is tripled), we are releasing a special interview conducted by the TORCH Board President, Dan Kullman, about my new book, Upon A Ten-Stringed Harp. Please consider contributing to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org.

691

Ki Sisa – Counting and Duking the Nation & Annual Fundraiser (giveTORCH.org)

Feb 16, 2022

52:30

Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The […]

692

Parshas Ki Sisa (Rebroadcast) & TORCH Fundraiser (giveTORCH.org)

Feb 13, 2022

1:17:59

Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

693

Tetzaveh – What’s In A Name

Feb 8, 2022

1:03:38

Our Sages tell us that each one of us is unique and has a unique mission to fulfill. Humans are not fungible, moist, robots that can be swapped for each other. Each one of us is our own world. We must each say: “the world was created for me.” But how do we discover our […]

694

Parshas Tetzaveh (Rebroadcast)

Feb 6, 2022

56:25

In a natural continuation to Parshas Terumah, in Parshas Tetzaveh we learn about the instructions to build the Tabernacle. Whereas last week the focus was on the edifice itself and its vessels, this week we will orient primarily on the special garments that the priests wore in the Tabernacle, and of course subsequently in the […]

695

Terumah – The Mystery of the Menorah

Feb 2, 2022

1:01:37

This week’s Parsha marks the beginning of the Torah’s detailing of the Tabernacle and its vessels and operations. This subject makes up the bulk of the remaining narrative of Exodus, and Leviticus contains much of the laws related to the Tabernacle. We have never witnessed the Tabernacle, nor it’s successor, the Temple in Jerusalem. The […]

696

Parshas Terumah (Rebroadcast)

Jan 30, 2022

52:28

One of the fundamental principles of Jewish philosophy is the idea of “Kedushah”, holiness. Holiness, according to the Jewish definition, is when the physical and spiritual worlds meet. In no location in the world is holiness more present than the Temple, and its predecessor, the “Mishkan”, the Tabernacle. In this week’s parsha we read about […]

697

Mishpatim – Hearing Sinai

Jan 27, 2022

53:19

The Sinai Revelation was the most significant event in all of human history, certainly in all of Jewish history. Our nation experienced what no other people has experienced: we heard God speaking the Ten Commandments from amidst the fire and thick cloud on the mountain, and survived to tell the tale. This event – as […]

698

Parshas Mishpatim (Rebroadcast)

Jan 23, 2022

59:05

Parshas Mishpatim marks a stark change in the rhythm and pace of the Torah narrative. The preceding 17 Parshas contained a total of 41 mitzvos; this week we begin learning the Torah laws en masse. In this single parsha alone we have 53 mitzvos (only three parshas have more mitzvos). Beyond the varied laws, this parsha […]

699

Yisro – Deathrow and Jethro

Jan 19, 2022

56:06

The eponymous protagonist of our Parsha – Moshe’s father-in-law, Jethro – makes three appearances in the Torah. His story, at first glance, seems wholly unremarkable. His greatest claim to fame was the fact that Moshe married his daughter. But the Torah revisits this interesting and compelling character again and again, and his narrative is positioned […]

700

Parshas Yisro (Rebroadcast)

Jan 16, 2022

1:05:59

The most significant event in all of human history is the Revelation at Sinai, which occurs in Parshas Yisro. Prior to that monumental experience and the conveyance of the Ten Commandments, Moshe’s father in law, Jethro, arrived at the camp and makes an important suggestion for improving the efficiency of the judicial process. – – […]

The Parsha Podcast · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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