Monthly Archives: February 2019

Mitzvah: Not believing in foreign gods (#26)

The second of the Ten Commandments is really four distinct mitzvos related to idolatry. The first one is a prohibition against believing in foreign gods, a miztvah upon which all of Torah hinges.

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Parsha: Parshas Vayakhel

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 auspices of Bezalel.

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The Parsha Podcast is dedicated in honor of my dear friend David Fleischmann who is going to celebrate his wedding next week. May the Almighty shower you and your Kallah Miriam with blessing, prosperity, joy, harmony, and peace.

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Ethics: Alcohol in Moderation (3:14)

What are we living for? How ought we allocate our time? In this striking teaching we learn the difference between the faciliatatory and things which are end goals.

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This Eternal Ethics podcast is dedicated in honor of dear friends and loyal podcast listeners, Jared and Britney Dubin. Thank you for your friendship!

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Mitzvah: Belief in God (#25)

The first of the Ten Commandments instructs us to believe in God who extracted us from the land of Egypt. Though some commentators argue that faith is a prerequisite for mitzvos and therefore cannot be included in the tally, there are still actions that can deepen faith that constitute a standalone mitzvah.

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

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

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 familiar with the Shema, they are somewhat uninformed of its vast powers and deep meanings. In this podcast, we explore a novel way to understand the overall message of the Shema, and the critical importance that bears on our life as Jews.

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Parsha: Parshas Ki Sisa

This week’s parsha contains several instructions related to the Tabernacle, but the majority of the parsha is dedicated to arguably the most shocking and troubling episode in the whole Torah, the Golden Calf. Forty days after the nation reached the pinnacle of human accomplishment – a national revelation at Sinai – the same nation commited what seems on the surface to be idolatry.

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This podcast is sponsored in the merit of the speedy and total recovery of דבורה בת לייב וצקית. May she have a refuah sheleimah

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Mitzvah: Limits to Shabbos Strolls (#24)

This mitzvah is arguably the least known one that we have hitherto encountered. In the Book of Exodus we read how we mustn’t depart too far from our home base on Shabbos.

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

History: The Era of the Judges (Part One: Osniel to Deborah)

After the passing of Joshua, the Jewish nation – newly settled in the land of Canaan, the land of Israel – confronted new realities that spawned new challenges. The leadership of the nation was greatly diminished – their future leaders were not of the caliber of Joshua and certainly not of Moses. They were surrounded by various mighty Canaanite enemies who posed existential military and religious threats. They became exposed to new temptations that their antecedents had never encountered. Sadly, at certain junctures, the nation yielded to these temptations, and sinned, and were swiftly punished by God for their behavior. But our nation has always been very resilient, and God always sent us leaders who helped us navigate the challenges of each generation. A remarkable group of fifteen different leaders, called Judges, skillfully lead the nation during the 3 and a half century era of the Judges, spanning from Joshua until Samuel and the anointing of the first king of Israel, Saul. The nation’s ups and downs, the stories of their oppressions and salvations, the accounts of the villains who sought our downfall and of the heroes who brought us back on track is told in the Book of Judges, and is the subject of this podcast – The Era of the Judges (Part One: Osniel to Deborah)
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The Jewish History Podcast is sponsored in honor of a beacon of the Houston Jewish community, and a personal friend and friend of TORCH, David Harris.

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Parsha: Parshas Tetzaveh

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 Temple.

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This podcast is sponsored in honor my dear friend and dedicated podcast listener and patron, Gennady Dosovitsky. Your thirst for Torah is a true inspiration

Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Mitzvah: Retelling the Exodus Story (#21)

During the Passover Seder, Jewish families worldwide gather together to fulfill the mitzvah of retelling the story of the Exodus. Do you know any other 3,000+ year old story that has been so faithfully maintained and widely retold?

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Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!

Contact:
Websites: Personal: RabbiWolbe.com; TORCH: Torchweb.orgTwitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.