Category Archives: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Parsha: Tazria/Metzora – Blessings in Disguises

Tzaraas, the spiritual leprosy whose laws are detailed in our Parsha, appeared in three different areas: the befell sinners’ skin, clothing, and house. How common was Tzaraas of the house? The Talmud reveals that it actually never happened even once and it will never happen in the future. If it never happened, why does the Torah delineate all its laws? When we peel away the layers of this question we discover an amazing insight.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

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TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

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or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

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History: The History and Development of Oral Torah (Part 3: Roman Rule and Rabbinic Reconciliation)

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 many other giants – but it was also a time of unprecedented challenges. Several times over these centuries, the Nation was hanging on a thread. The great Rabbis were targeted, the Great Sanhedrin was threatened, the Nation was attacked and dispersed. Over the course of this time, the conditions of the Nation deteriorated to the point that it was clear to our leaders that unless something drastic was done, the Nation as we know it would cease to exist. In this podcast we talk about the conditions that led to the fateful decision to write down the Mishna and to codify the Oral Torah. This podcast was originally recorded for episode 34 of the TORAH 101 podcast and has been re-edited for The Jewish History Podcast.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

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This Jewish Life

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TORAH 101

Ethics: Spiritual Epigenetics (5:4)

The story of our forefather Abraham is told in great detail in the Torah. We read about his challenges and triumphs, travails, and travels. The Mishnah calculates that Abraham underwent ten distinct divine tests and succeeded in all of them. What are the nature of these ten tests and what do they portend to us? The answers are surprising and enlightening.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

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SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

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SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Parsha: Parshas Tazria & Metzora (Rebroadcast)

A very large percentage of Torah is dedicated to the laws of purity and impurity. This week’s double Parshas of Tazria and Metzora largely deal with these laws. One variant of impurity that is discussed in both parshas is that of a metzora, 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. In Parshas Tazria we read about when it strikes a person’s garment or body; and the bulk of Parshas Metzora orients around tzaraas remediation and a third type of tzaraas that afflicts the sinner’s house.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

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SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

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SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Parsha: Shemini – Find Your Breach

The 8th day of the Tabernacle’s Inauguration was supposed to be a day of total, exuberant jubilation. The laborious months of preparation were complete, and now God will dwell in our midst. Moshe washes, clothes, and anoints his brother, Aaron and Aaron’s four sons, and a Heavenly fire descends and consumes Aaron’s sacrifices from atop the altar, and the nation experiences simultaneous joy and awe. The promise of the Tabernacle had been actualized. But the day did not end there. In a shocking and unexpected twist in the Torah’s narrative, Aaron’s two sons, Nadav and Avihu, enter the Holy of Holies and offer an unrequested offering and ropes of fire entered their nostrils and killed them.

What possessed Nadav and Avihu to offer this sacrifice? Why did they display such eagerness to offer sacrifices when Aaron was so hesitant? When indeed is a fitting time to act recklessly and without consultation? In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast we explore the very interesting and troubling story of Nadav and Avihu and draw valuable, life-changing lessons along the way.

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This Parsha Podcast is sponsored by my dear friends Shimmy and Joely Bernstein in loving memory and leilui nishmas Shimmy’s unforgettable father Harry, אברהם צבי בן מנחם מענדל. May his Soul be elevated in Heaven!

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

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SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

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The Parsha Podcast

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This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

The Rest of the Story with Esther Kaplan (Part 2: March 2021)

Esther Kaplan (née Wolbe), along with her husband AJ, experienced the worst nightmare parents can undergo when their adorable and perfect son Shlomo passed away only 16 weeks into his life. This intimate and stirring conversation follows up on the one we had in 2018 in which Esther shares the story of Shlomo’s life and opens up about how parents absorb and process such an unthinkable tragedy.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

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DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

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TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

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SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Reflections on Loss, Tragedy, and Bereavement: An Interview with Esther Kaplan (Part 1: March 2018)

Esther Kaplan (née Wolbe), along with her husband AJ, experienced the worst nightmare parents can undergo when their adorable and perfect son Shlomo passed away only 16 weeks into his life. In this intimate and stirring conversation Esther shares the story of Shlomo’s life and opens up about how parents absorb and process such an unthinkable tragedy.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

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SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

History: The History and Development of Oral Torah (Part 2: Hasmoneans, Herod, and Hillel)

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; internally, we suffered from discord and sectarianism; and at various times the Rabbis were targeted with assassinations and purges. To understand the imperative for the codification of Oral Torah, we must study the treacherous and perilous conditions of Torah in the Second Temple Era. This podcast was originally recorded for episode 33 of the TORAH 101 podcast and has been re-edited for The Jewish History Podcast.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

Parsha: Tzav – Ashes, Ashes, We all Rise Up

The beginning of our parsha details the intricate processing of the Olah offerings. The animal is slaughtered, its blood is sprinkled on the Altar walls, it is divided into parts, the parts are elevated to the top of the altar and placed on the fire to burn the whole night. The next morning, a Kohein is selected to remove the ash remnants. He takes a shovel and scoops out some ash and places it in a designated place near the altar ramp. In this Parsha Podcast we suggest a novel approach to explain the lesson and symbolism of sacrifices, ashes, and the processing of the Olah.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

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SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101

History: The History and Development of Oral Torah (Part 1: Moses to Men of the Great Assembly)

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 text. In this special edition of The Jewish History Podcast, we discuss the concept of Rabbinic Law, its roots, how the corpus of Oral Torah was expanded, and the various developments in Oral Torah from Moses until the end of prophecy at the beginning of the Second Commonwealth. This podcast was originally recorded for episodes 31 and 32 of TORAH 101, but have been re-edited for The Jewish History Podcast.

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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!

Please email me at rabbiwolbe@gmail.com with any questions or comments

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

DONATE Crypto to TORCH

Click on this link to access the TORCH Coinbase donation site

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover

Please visit our website torchweb.org to get your FREE TORCH Shabbat Light Switch Cover.

or CLICK this LINK to access the form directly

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6A90DO9YIzUXxlHH3EEy5dz_H5mlch-N3GZdqtG9saMlYsA/viewform

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletter

rabbiwolbe.com/newsletter

SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe’s Podcasts

The Parsha Podcast

The Jewish History Podcast

The Mitzvah Podcast 

This Jewish Life

The Ethics Podcast

TORAH 101