This Jewish Life · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

301

Age of the Universe: Can Torah and Science be Reconciled?

Feb 19, 2020

42:36

According to Jewish tradition, 2020 is the year 5780. Science estimates the age of the universe to be somewhere between 13.8-15.4 billion years. In this podcast, we will share a brilliant reconciliation sourced from centuries-old Kabbalistic books. The Shema Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-shema-podcast/id1498489422 Daf Yomi Breakneck Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daf-yomi-breakneck-with-rabbi-elchanan-shoff/id1494823922 TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover Please visit our website torchweb.org to […]

302

Kindling the Jewish Soul: Understanding the Deeper Meaning of the Menorah: (Recorded Live in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada)

Dec 26, 2019

53:57

This unique podcast was recorded live at the Aish Thornhill Community Shul on the third day of Chanukah 5780. In the talk we suggest a cogent and unified explanation of the festival of Chanukah, and specifically, of the menorah candles. We begin by noting the many differences between the Chanukah candles and the other rabbinic mitzvah […]

303

Kindling the Jewish Soul: Understanding the Deeper Meaning of the Menorah: (Recorded Live in Thornhill, Ontario, Canada)

Dec 26, 2019

53:57

This unique podcast was recorded live at the Aish Thornhill Community Shul on the third day of Chanukah 5780. In the talk we suggest a cogent and unified explanation of the festival of Chanukah, and specifically, of the menorah candles. We begin by noting the many differences between the Chanukah candles and the other rabbinic mitzvah […]

304

Chanukah: History, Laws, and Customs

Dec 23, 2019

47:31

About 2,200 years ago, the Jewish Nation faced an existential threat: The Assyrian Greek Empire led by Antiochus and his Hellenist henchmen undertook a concerted campaign to systematically eradicate the Jewish religion. They sought to make the Jews forget the Torah and depart from the mitzvos; they defiled the Temple; they harassed the Jewish daughters; […]

305

Chanukah: History, Laws, and Customs

Dec 23, 2019

47:31

About 2,200 years ago, the Jewish Nation faced an existential threat: The Assyrian Greek Empire led by Antiochus and his Hellenist henchmen undertook a concerted campaign to systematically eradicate the Jewish religion. They sought to make the Jews forget the Torah and depart from the mitzvos; they defiled the Temple; they harassed the Jewish daughters; […]

306

Why Gratitude Matters + FREE TORCH Gift

Dec 3, 2019

53:12

Gratitude is a character trait that is universally lauded. In Torah Literature it is, of course, a central characteristic of the righteous, and even the secular world has adopted it as an admirable virtue. But when we examine the Torah sources we discover that gratitude is not only about being nice and pleasant, it lies […]

307

Why Gratitude Matters + FREE TORCH Gift

Dec 3, 2019

53:12

Gratitude is a character trait that is universally lauded. In Torah Literature it is, of course, a central characteristic of the righteous, and even the secular world has adopted it as an admirable virtue. But when we examine the Torah sources we discover that gratitude is not only about being nice and pleasant, it lies […]

308

Book of Jonah Part Two: Studying the Yom Kippur Reading on a Deeper Level (Chapters 2-4)

Oct 28, 2019

1:05:51

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 […]

309

Book of Jonah Part Two: Studying the Yom Kippur Reading on a Deeper Level (Chapters 2-4)

Oct 28, 2019

1:05:51

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 […]

310

Book of Jonah: Studying the Yom Kippur Reading on a Deeper Level (Chapter 1)

Oct 6, 2019

1:10:35

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 […]

311

Book of Jonah: Studying the Yom Kippur Reading on a Deeper Level (Chapter 1)

Oct 6, 2019

1:10:35

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 […]

312

Insights from the Rosh Hashana Torah Reading (2nd day – Genesis Chapter 22: The Binding of Isaac)

Sep 29, 2019

55:01

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 […]

313

Insights from the Rosh Hashana Torah Reading (2nd day – Genesis Chapter 22: The Binding of Isaac)

Sep 29, 2019

55:01

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 […]

314

Insights from the Rosh Hashana Torah Reading (1st day – Genesis Chapter 21)

Sep 23, 2019

1:03:28

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 […]

315

Insights from the Rosh Hashana Torah Reading (1st day – Genesis Chapter 21)

Sep 23, 2019

1:03:28

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 […]

316

Elul: Making the Most out of these Favorable Days

Sep 4, 2019

36:25

Elul is the name of the month that precedes Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe. The 40 days spanning from the first of Elul until Yom Kippur are the most spiritually auspicious days of the year; during this period we can re-imagine who we are and who we want to be — and transform […]

317

Elul: Making the Most out of these Favorable Days

Sep 4, 2019

36:25

Elul is the name of the month that precedes Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe. The 40 days spanning from the first of Elul until Yom Kippur are the most spiritually auspicious days of the year; during this period we can re-imagine who we are and who we want to be — and transform […]

318

What God Actually Wants

Aug 20, 2019

49:59

The Torah is God’s revelation and directives to mankind. In it, He commands, instructs, and guides us in how to behave and what to do in our lives. But what does God really want from us? What’s the bottom line? In an intriguing and provocative verse in Deuteronomy (10:12), Moses asks this question. His answer, […]

319

The Three Weeks: A Primer (Rebroadcast)

Jul 21, 2019

52:20

For the three weeks spanning from the fast of the 17th of Tammuz until the fast of Tisha B’av (9th of Av), the Jewish nation practices collective mourning. This mourning is the result of a collection of calamitous things that has happened to our ancestors during these inauspicious times. What is the background of these […]

320

The Three Weeks: A Primer (Rebroadcast)

Jul 21, 2019

52:20

For the three weeks spanning from the fast of the 17th of Tammuz until the fast of Tisha B’av (9th of Av), the Jewish nation practices collective mourning. This mourning is the result of a collection of calamitous things that has happened to our ancestors during these inauspicious times. What is the background of these […]

321

Shavuot: A Primer

Jun 2, 2019

50:27

Shavuot is described as “The time of the giving of our Torah” in the Festival liturgy; in the Torah and the Talmud, four other names are attributed to the holiday that falls out on the 6th of Sivan. What are the five names of the Festival and what do they connote? Why do we read […]

322

Shavuot: A Primer

Jun 2, 2019

50:27

Shavuot is described as “The time of the giving of our Torah” in the Festival liturgy; in the Torah and the Talmud, four other names are attributed to the holiday that falls out on the 6th of Sivan. What are the five names of the Festival and what do they connote? Why do we read […]

323

Lag BaOmer: A Primer

May 22, 2019

53:18

Lag BaOmer refers to the 33rd day of the Omer, the period connecting the Festivals of Pesach and Shavuot in which we are commanded to count 7 days for 7 weeks in ascending order until the anniversary day of the Sinai experience. What is the significance of the Omer period and why is the 33rd […]

324

Lag BaOmer: A Primer

May 22, 2019

53:18

Lag BaOmer refers to the 33rd day of the Omer, the period connecting the Festivals of Pesach and Shavuot in which we are commanded to count 7 days for 7 weeks in ascending order until the anniversary day of the Sinai experience. What is the significance of the Omer period and why is the 33rd […]

325

How we Navigated Having a Child on Shabbos and a Framework for Raising Children Well

Apr 15, 2019

57:07

This past Shabbos, my wife and I were blessed with a newborn baby girl. As Shabbos-observant Jews, this raised some interesting halachic dilemmas. In the first part of this podcast I tell the story of how we navigated the various problems, and then we pivot to constructing a framework for raising all kinds of children well […]

326

How we Navigated Having a Child on Shabbos and a Framework for Raising Children Well

Apr 15, 2019

57:07

This past Shabbos, my wife and I were blessed with a newborn baby girl. As Shabbos-observant Jews, this raised some interesting halachic dilemmas. In the first part of this podcast I tell the story of how we navigated the various problems, and then we pivot to constructing a framework for raising all kinds of children well […]

327

Four Sons, Three Steps: A Template to Wisdom from the Passover Haggadah

Apr 9, 2019

42:03

One of the highlights of the Haggadah is the four different discussion that parents have with the four different sons, the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the son who does not know how to ask. In this podcast a novel approach is suggested wherein these four sons are not four different […]

328

Four Sons, Three Steps: A Template to Wisdom from the Passover Haggadah

Apr 9, 2019

42:03

One of the highlights of the Haggadah is the four different discussion that parents have with the four different sons, the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the son who does not know how to ask. In this podcast a novel approach is suggested wherein these four sons are not four different […]

329

Purim: A Primer

Mar 18, 2019

1:19:02

The festival of Purim commemorates the story of salvation that our nation experienced in Persia more than two thousand years ago. Haman the heir of Amaleik schemed a plot to eradicate the entire Jewish people in one randomly selected day, the 13th day of Adar. But the Almighty would have none of it. In His […]

330

Purim: A Primer

Mar 18, 2019

1:19:02

The festival of Purim commemorates the story of salvation that our nation experienced in Persia more than two thousand years ago. Haman the heir of Amaleik schemed a plot to eradicate the entire Jewish people in one randomly selected day, the 13th day of Adar. But the Almighty would have none of it. In His […]

331

A Conversation About Kosher with Rabbi Nosson Dubin

Mar 7, 2019

52:54

The Jewish community of Houston, TX is fortunate to have Rabbi Nosson Dubin, a true expert on all things kosher, as its Rabbinic Administrator for the Houston Kashrus Association, the agency tasked with overseeing kosher establishments and furthering kosher options in Houston. Beyond his local role in the Houston Kashrus scene, Rabbi Dubin is also the founder […]

332

A Conversation About Kosher with Rabbi Nosson Dubin

Mar 7, 2019

52:54

The Jewish community of Houston, TX is fortunate to have Rabbi Nosson Dubin, a true expert on all things kosher, as its Rabbinic Administrator for the Houston Kashrus Association, the agency tasked with overseeing kosher establishments and furthering kosher options in Houston. Beyond his local role in the Houston Kashrus scene, Rabbi Dubin is also the founder […]

333

The Shema: Condensing Jewish Philosophy into Six Words (Or Three Paragraphs)

Feb 21, 2019

1:01:11

The Shema prayer is arguably the most well-known prayer of them all. It is the first words that we teach our children, and the last ones uttered by a Jew in their tenure in this world. A Jewish life is bookended by recitations of the Shema. Yet it seems to me that while people are […]

334

The Shema: Condensing Jewish Philosophy into Six Words (Or Three Paragraphs)

Feb 21, 2019

1:01:11

The Shema prayer is arguably the most well-known prayer of them all. It is the first words that we teach our children, and the last ones uttered by a Jew in their tenure in this world. A Jewish life is bookended by recitations of the Shema. Yet it seems to me that while people are […]

335

How to Overachieve

Jan 23, 2019

46:35

There is a learnable quality the underpins every transformational change and improvement that humanity has achieved. It is what separates the people who are inspired to change and actually implement grand ideas from the common folk who do not influence the world for the better. – – – – – – – – – – – […]

336

How to Overachieve

Jan 23, 2019

46:35

There is a learnable quality the underpins every transformational change and improvement that humanity has achieved. It is what separates the people who are inspired to change and actually implement grand ideas from the common folk who do not influence the world for the better. – – – – – – – – – – – […]

337

What is Ayin Hara (Evil Eye) and why is it Dangerous? (Jew&A with Rabbi Yaakov Cohen)

Dec 10, 2018

42:42

The words “Ayin Hara” are firmly ensconced in the Jewish lexicon. From a young age we are trained to exclaim “keinahara” and “bli ayin hara”, after describing, hearing about, or witnessing something wonderful. What is an ayin hara, why is it dangerous, and how can we mitigate or counteract its damage? Join me and my colleague […]

338

What is Ayin Hara (Evil Eye) and why is it Dangerous? (Jew&A with Rabbi Yaakov Cohen)

Dec 10, 2018

42:42

The words “Ayin Hara” are firmly ensconced in the Jewish lexicon. From a young age we are trained to exclaim “keinahara” and “bli ayin hara”, after describing, hearing about, or witnessing something wonderful. What is an ayin hara, why is it dangerous, and how can we mitigate or counteract its damage? Join me and my colleague […]

339

Chanukah: A Primer

Dec 2, 2018

48:44

About 2,200 years ago, the Jewish Nation faced an existential threat: The Assyrian Greek Empire led by Antiochus and his Hellenist henchmen undertook a concerted campaign to systematically eradicate the Jewish religion. They sought to make the Jews forget the Torah and depart from the mitzvos; they defiled the Temple; they harassed the Jewish daughters; […]

340

Chanukah: A Primer

Dec 2, 2018

48:44

About 2,200 years ago, the Jewish Nation faced an existential threat: The Assyrian Greek Empire led by Antiochus and his Hellenist henchmen undertook a concerted campaign to systematically eradicate the Jewish religion. They sought to make the Jews forget the Torah and depart from the mitzvos; they defiled the Temple; they harassed the Jewish daughters; […]

341

The Art of War with the Yetzer Hara

Nov 14, 2018

48:08

The Yetzer Hara is the villain of our life. It’s other names are the “satan” and the “angel of death”. It seeks to undermine us and inhibit us from accomplishing our life’s mission. thankfully, the Sages of the Talmud offered us a multitude of strategies and tactics to combat and resist this deadly force. In […]

342

The Art of War with the Yetzer Hara

Nov 14, 2018

48:08

The Yetzer Hara is the villain of our life. It’s other names are the “satan” and the “angel of death”. It seeks to undermine us and inhibit us from accomplishing our life’s mission. thankfully, the Sages of the Talmud offered us a multitude of strategies and tactics to combat and resist this deadly force. In […]

343

Sukkos: A Primer

Sep 19, 2018

42:40

“’In a Sukkah shall you dwell for seven days’ – The Torah is instructing us to leave our permanent dwelling and move into a temporary dwelling.” (Talmud Sukkah 2a). A mere five days after Yom Kippur, we are instructed to abandon our permanent home and move into a makeshift hut and live there for seven […]

344

Sukkos: A Primer

Sep 19, 2018

42:40

“’In a Sukkah shall you dwell for seven days’ – The Torah is instructing us to leave our permanent dwelling and move into a temporary dwelling.” (Talmud Sukkah 2a). A mere five days after Yom Kippur, we are instructed to abandon our permanent home and move into a makeshift hut and live there for seven […]

345

The Key to Meaningful Prayer

Sep 16, 2018

38:59

Prayer is a central tenet of our religion, and comprised a hefty chunk of its rituals. The Mishna (Pirkei Avos 1:2) delineates the three things upon which the world stands – meaning that without it the world would cease existing – and lists prayer together with Torah study and kindness. Yet prayer is a mitzvah that […]

346

The Key to Meaningful Prayer

Sep 16, 2018

38:59

Prayer is a central tenet of our religion, and comprised a hefty chunk of its rituals. The Mishna (Pirkei Avos 1:2) delineates the three things upon which the world stands – meaning that without it the world would cease existing – and lists prayer together with Torah study and kindness. Yet prayer is a mitzvah that […]

347

Ten Days of Repentance: A Primer

Sep 12, 2018

52:40

Yom Kippur marks the final day of the Ten Days of Repentance. On this day all our efforts are focused on repenting and earning atonement for all our sins and getting sealed into the Book of Life for the upcoming year. In this podcast we analyze the notion of repentance in general, the difference between […]

348

Ten Days of Repentance: A Primer

Sep 12, 2018

52:40

Yom Kippur marks the final day of the Ten Days of Repentance. On this day all our efforts are focused on repenting and earning atonement for all our sins and getting sealed into the Book of Life for the upcoming year. In this podcast we analyze the notion of repentance in general, the difference between […]

349

Rosh Hashana: A Primer

Aug 29, 2018

54:56

Rosh Hashana is both the day of judgement on our deeds of the previous year and the day of new hopes and new beginnings for the year to come. The responsibilities – and the opportunities – of the day are so significant that we must be ready and prepared for it. In this podcast we […]

350

Rosh Hashana: A Primer

Aug 29, 2018

54:56

Rosh Hashana is both the day of judgement on our deeds of the previous year and the day of new hopes and new beginnings for the year to come. The responsibilities – and the opportunities – of the day are so significant that we must be ready and prepared for it. In this podcast we […]

This Jewish Life · Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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