Torah 101 · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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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.

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#52: What Happens After You Die: An Eschatological Timeline

Feb 14, 2022

1:07:39

The question of what happens after we die is simultaneously fascinating and terrifying. Death is a future that we all share, and we are all curious about what it will be like, but thinking about it is scary and unsettling. In our exploration of the 13 principles of faith, we are up to the concept […]

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#51: How God Dispenses Divine Reward and Punishment

Feb 7, 2022

48:09

In our previous episode we established the basic principle that God dispenses reward to those who hearken to Him, and metes out punishment to those who disobey Him. In this episode we get down to specifics: What is the nature of the Divine system of reward and punishment? How is God’s methods of reward and […]

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#50: Divine Reward and Punishment: A General Introduction

Jan 31, 2022

39:21

The 11th of the 13 principles of Faith states that God dispenses reward to those who obey His will and punishes those who violate it. What is the nature of this reward and punishment is a vast and complex subject that we will yet navigate, with the help of the Almighty. In this podcast we […]

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#49: Free Will and Divine Foreknowledge

Jan 3, 2022

1:08:42

We hold two beliefs that seem to be mutually exclusive. The 10th principle of the 13 principles of faith declares that God knows everything – including the thoughts, deeds, and speech of people – even before it happens. There is nothing that is hidden from Him. We also believe in free will. The principle of […]

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#48: How Pedigree and Past Lives Determine Circumstances

Nov 1, 2021

50:09

How exactly does the Almighty determine what are the circumstances that people are placed in in this world? That is an impossible question for humans to answer with exactitude. Unless the Almighty reveals the answer via one of His prophets, we are in the dark. Nevertheless, our Sages outlines for us a bevy of frameworks […]

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#47: Frameworks for Human Situations, Sufferings, and Successes

Oct 25, 2021

43:05

Why are some people rich and others poor? Why do some people have a pleasant life, while others live in grinding, miserable, poverty and privation? Why is there so much inequality in the world? These questions are hard to answer. Rambam tells us that there is a certain kind of heretics that concludes from the […]

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#46: Divine Omniscience

Oct 18, 2021

1:03:44

The Tenth Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Faith states that God is aware of the actions of mankind and acts accordingly. This kickstarts the third section of the Principles which broadly deal with reward and punishment. Divine reward and punishment is only feasible if the Almighty has complete knowledge of all the behavior and […]

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#45: The Immutability of Torah

Jun 14, 2021

52:35

In Principle #8 of the 13 Principles of faith, we learned that the Torah is divine. In our exploration of that Principle, we probed many aspects of the idea of the Divinity of Torah, ranging from the history of Torah, to the components of Torah, to Oral Torah, to Rabbinic law, and culminating with the […]

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#44: Torah Study: The Soul’s Panacea

May 24, 2021

1:06:54

Why is our nation so obsessed with Torah? Why do we make such an emphasis on it? What benefits do we as individuals and does society at large accrue with Torah study? In this sweeping episode we explore this fundamental question. We begin with the big picture by outlining some of the critical benefits that […]

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#43: Torah Fusion

May 11, 2021

1:02:10

Torah study in not just another discipline; it’s a relationship. Our Sages compare the relationship of the Jew to Torah as that of a husband and wife. It’s deep, intimate, and special. Just as husband and wife can unite to create something new, the objective of Torah study is to transform the person and create […]

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#42: Torah Study: Our National Pastime

Apr 19, 2021

55:04

For the Jewish people. Torah is not just a corpus of law, of an accounting of our past, or even the ancient heritage of our people. Torah and an obsession with Torah study have been the defining characteristics of our nation since its inception. Torah is what we stand for; it’s what we do; it’s […]

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TORCH Fundraiser: A Conversation with our Board President, Dan Kullman

Mar 4, 2021

24:30

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

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#41: Immanent Proofs for the Divinity of the Torah + TORCH Fundraiser

Mar 2, 2021

1:14:01

Please support TORAH 101 Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and TORAH 101 Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

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#40: The Case for the Divinity of Torah

Feb 8, 2021

54:21

The most important question we must ask is, “who wrote the Torah?” The consequences of this question are vast: If the Torah is divine, then its laws are obligatory and immutable; if the Torah is a hoax, then studying it and obeying its laws are ultimately a waste of time. If the Torah is legit, […]

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#39: What is Kabbalah?

Jan 11, 2021

59:17

Kabbalah, the hidden, mystical parts of the Torah, is arguably the most misunderstood area of Torah. It is a subject rife with misconceptions and misinterpretations; it is also a subject that is bursting with charlatans seeking to take advantage of the gullible masses. In this sweeping episode, we try to understand what, exactly, Kabbalah is, […]

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#38: What is Halacha?

Nov 30, 2020

57:28

With all the development and codification of Oral Torah that went into the Talmud, one areas was still incomplete: Halacha. Halacha refers to the practical application of Torah law, and despite the tremendous efforts invested in the Talmud in clarifying all the Torah laws, only an accomplished scholar would be able to extract the practical […]

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#37: What is Aggadah?

Nov 23, 2020

54:48

The Talmud is comprised of two general formats: The Halachic portions (known in Talmudic parlance as, “shemaytza“), and the non-Halachic portions which are called “Aggadah”, or “Aggadata” or “Hagada”. These two parts of the Talmud cannot be more different: whereas in the Halachic portions the objective of the authors was to reveal their true meaning, in […]

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#36: What is Talmud?

Nov 9, 2020

57:17

The Talmud, or how it is often called, “Gemara”, is an ancient set of books written as commentary and elaboration of Mishnah. Despite being 1500 years old, the Talmud is still studied today by millions of people worldwide. In this podcast we get educated in what exactly the Talmud is? Why are there two versions […]

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#35: What is Mishnah?

Sep 10, 2020

37:29

For 1500 years, Oral Torah was just that: Oral. It was not committed to canonized writing. Circa 200 CE, that changed. Under the leadership of Rabbi Judah the Prince, the Nasi of the Sanhedrin, and the greatest Sage of his day, the laws of Oral Torah were codified and canonized in a series of 63 […]

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Thanks a Million!

Sep 9, 2020

32:31

Of all the episodes that I have recorded over the years, this will be perhaps the most unique one. For one, it will be released simultaneously on all 6 channels that I am fortunate enough to host: The Parsha Podcast, The Jewish History Podcast, The Mitzvah Podcast , This Jewish Life, The Ethics Podcast, and […]

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#34: Torah Under Siege: The Grounds for Codification of Oral Torah

Aug 3, 2020

54:19

The final century of the Second Temple and the one that followed its destruction were pivotal ones of Jewish history. It was an era replete with absolute Torah giants – Hillel the Elder, Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai, Rabban Gamliel of Yavneh and his colleagues, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Akiva and his students, among […]

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#33: Torah in the Second Temple Era

Jul 27, 2020

48:15

The Second Temple Era was an eventful time for the Jewish People and the perpetuation of Torah. Over the course of the Second Commonwealth our nation was blessed with great legends, such as Ezra, Shimon Ben Shetach, and Hillel, but the Nation faced unprecedented tests too: We were forced to contend with hostile foreign nations; […]

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#32: From Moses to the Men of the Great Assembly: Development, Systematization, and Perpetuation of Torah

Jul 20, 2020

37:16

Although the process to formally codify the Oral Torah did not begin for more than 1500 years after Sinai, there were many advancements in organizing and systematizing Oral Torah that began in earnest soon after Moses’ passing. In this special edition of the TORAH 101 podcast, we discuss the various developments in Oral Torah from […]

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#31: Innovation and Dynamism in Oral Torah

Jul 13, 2020

40:21

In the narrow sense, Oral Torah refers to the interpretation and understanding of the Written Torah. The Written Torah is written cryptically, and the Oral Torah demystifies and explains it. But the truth is that Oral Torah includes much more than that. Oral Torah includes all of Torah that is not included in the Written […]

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#30: What is Oral Torah?

May 6, 2020

41:24

When Rambam lays out the Eighth Principle of his Thirteen Principles of Faith, that the Torah is divine, he includes believing in not only the Written Torah but also the Oral Torah as a necessary belief for Jews. But what exactly is Oral Torah? What is the relationship between the Written and Oral Torahs? In […]

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#29: The Comprehensiveness of Torah

Mar 3, 2020

59:24

Please support TORCH and The TORAH 101 Podcast TODAY during our only annual fundraiser giveTORCH.org Support the TORAH 101 Podcast – https://www.charidy.com/torch/101 EVERY DONATION IS QUADRUPLED Today, TORCH needs your help!! Today YOU can partner with us in the largest and most downloaded Jewish Podcast Network (The Jewish History Podcast, This Jewish Life, The Parsha […]

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#28: The Divine Torah: An Expanded Definition

Feb 4, 2020

55:06

The Eighth Principle, that the Torah is Divine, is the central principle upon which all the Thirteen Principles lean. Our entire religion hinges upon the fact that the Almighty gave us His Torah. But what exactly does that mean? In this podcast we discover that the Eighth Principle is much deeper than a question of […]

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#27: Mosaic Prophecy

Jan 21, 2020

44:08

The prophecy of Moses differs from all other prophecies. In fact, Rambam tells us that they are only nominally similar – in truth, they are two totally different experiences. When we break down the subject we find that the differences fall into several categories: Mosaic prophecy contains a different level of understanding than all other prophecies; […]

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#26: Moses: The Greatest Man

Dec 31, 2019

56:37

The Seventh Principle of Faith orients around the greatest man and the greatest prophet of them all, Moses. Moses towered above all members of the human species, and indeed over angels too. As a result of his supreme stature, Moses became the sole prophet who could bridge the two words and convey Torah to humanity. […]

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#25: The History of Prophecy + FREE TORCH Gift

Dec 9, 2019

1:14:13

In this sweeping retrospective of prophecy from Adam until the extinction of prophecy at the onset of the Second Temple Era, we address many fundamental questions: What is the critical difference between the prophecy of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all other prophets? How did an entire nation merit prophecy at Sinai? How did a wicked man […]

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#24: Prophecy: An Introduction

Nov 25, 2019

48:45

Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith can be divided into three general concepts: God, Torah, and Reward and Punishment. The first five principles oriented around the Jewish understanding of God. The four Principles from six through nine revolve around Torah. The first of those Principles in the concept of prophecy in general. In this podcast, we […]

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#23: The Parameters of Divine Providence

Oct 30, 2019

1:00:01

A central tenet of Jewish theology is that the same Creator who created the Heavens and the Earth also supervises His creation on an ongoing basis. Moreover, that supervision, that oversight is personal and down to the most minute detail. As such, it would seem that everything that happens to us is the product of […]

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#22: God Alone is Worthy of Worship

Oct 6, 2019

59:33

In the fifth of the Thirteen Principles of Faith, Rambam codifies that God alone is worthy of our worship and that we ought not worship anything else, nor worship God via intermediaries. What is the general concept of worshipping God and why it is such a central pillar of our religion that it merits a […]

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#21: Torah and Science: Can they be Reconciled?

Sep 16, 2019

57:33

There are many areas where Torah and the consensus of modern scientists seem to irreconcilably differ. The Torah indicates that the first man, Adam, lived around 6,000 years ago, and the universe is roughly that age. The consensus of the scientists is that the universe is multiple billions of years old. Can that gulf be […]

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#20: Creation Ex Nihilo and the Age of the Universe Question

Jul 29, 2019

54:41

In the Fourth of the Thirteen Principles of Faith, Rambam codifies the distinction between God and everything else and the manner through which God effectuated Creation Ex Nihilo. In doing so, Rambam departs from the positions of Plato and Aristotle and explains the critical flaw in their thinking that made them incapable of distinguishing between […]

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#19: The Incorporeality of God

Jul 8, 2019

44:25

The Third Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith states that God is incorporeal: He has no body, nor does He behave in a bodily way, and all indications in Scripture and other Torah literature to the contrary must be understood as analogies and metaphors. – – – – – – – – – […]

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#18: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People: Three Torah Perspectives on this Vexing Problem

Jun 17, 2019

55:35

The question of theodicy is one that all people of faith grapple with. The Talmud records multiple conversations between Moses and the Almighty on this subject, and even the ministering angels, and Adam before his Sin weighed in on it. It is a very difficult subject to understand, and doubly hard to find answers that […]

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#17: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People: An Introduction to Jewish Theodicy

Jun 3, 2019

1:00:57

Our nation is no stranger to suffering. Jewish history is a litany of pogroms, holocausts, expulsions, blood libels, and all manners of persecution and oppression. We believe that the Almighty is in full control of everything that transpires in the world. Nothing can happen against His Will. We also believe that the Almighty is good, […]

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#16: How can Humans have Free Will if God is in Total Control?

May 20, 2019

58:00

In the previous podcast we discussed the Second Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Faith, that God is the sole Singular Power. How can that precept be reconciled with another pillar of Jewish faith – that man is in control of his own destiny and choices via his free will. Is man in charge or […]

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#15: The Singularity of God

May 6, 2019

53:33

The Second Principle of Jewish Faith declares that God is One. But not like one of a pair; and not like one of a group; and not like one person that can be divided into many [smaller] units; and not like a thing which is numerically one but can be infinitely divided, rather He – God, may […]

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#14: Faith vs. Emunah: Understanding the Difference between Intellectual and Instinctual Belief in God

Apr 22, 2019

55:45

The Thirteen Principles of Faith are the foundations of our religion. Just as the foundation of a structure is indispensable for ensuring the integrity of the building; these principles are necessary prerequisites for Jewish faith. But just as is the case in a building, the foundations are in the background – no one resides in […]

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#13: Does God’s Creation of the Universe Conflict with the Principle of God’s Perfection?

Apr 8, 2019

51:32

This podcast attempts to reconcile a knotty philosophical dilemma: The First Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Faith teaches us that God, Creator of heaven and earth, is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Perfect. If God is Perfect and lacks nothing, then why did He create the universe? Intellect only acts when seeking a certain outcome. There […]

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#12: The Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith: God as Creator and Sustainer

Mar 14, 2019

58:08

The clearest, most universally accepted articulation of the Principles of Jewish Belief are the Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith. This list of Thirteen Principles were codified in his commentary on Mishnah in the introduction to Chapter 10 of the book of Sanhedrin; they were also added into Jewish Liturgy in the Ani Maamin and Yigdal […]

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#11: Lost in Transmission: What Happens When Errors Occur in Oral Torah

Jan 4, 2017

1:06:45

The Jewish nation is entrusted with the task of preserving and perpetuating the Torah mistake-free. We have previously seen the vast ordinances in place to prevent errors. Yet humans are fallible and mistakes happen. What happens if/when things go awry? Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected]. Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish […]

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#10: Codifying the Oral Torah

Dec 28, 2016

54:17

At the end of the second century of the common era a fateful decision was made to commit the Jewish Law, known as Mishna, to writing. What prompted this dramatic change? What are the unique methodologies employed in this project? Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected].

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#9: Clear and Convincing Evidence to the Error-Free Transmission of the Oral Torah

Dec 22, 2016

58:16

The integrity of Jewish law, and by extension the dream of a great Jewish destiny, hinged upon the accurate transmission of an enormous body of law orally for 1400 years. Indeed, a fundamental principle of Jewish faith is that the same Torah given to Moses has been passed down to us mistake-free. How is the transmission of […]

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#8: Why Moses Didn’t Simply Write Down the Oral Torah?

Dec 15, 2016

52:12

For nearly a millennia and a half, the entire corpus of Oral Torah was transmitted orally from generation to generation; parents to their children and teachers to their students. Moreover, a fierce prohibition was established to prevent its writing and codification in a finalized canonized format. What are the benefits for maintaining it in that […]

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#7: Introduction to Oral Torah

Dec 8, 2016

48:16

What are the four components of Oral Torah? What are the four elements of the Oral Torah that are not sourced in the Written Torah? What are some of the classical pieces of evidence proving the existence of the Oral Torah? This is the place to begin if you want to understand Oral Torah. —— […]

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#6: Incontrovertible Evidence to the Divinity of the Torah

Nov 30, 2016

38:36

We explore the intricate interrelationship between written and oral Torah and determine that the creation of such a labyrinthine tapestry is beyond the capacity to man. ——– This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torchweb.org for program details and to make a donation. If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe […]

Torah 101 · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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