Category Archives: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Ethics: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise (4:1)

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Does it make sense to take pride in one’s intellect, fitness, or wealth? Our Sages teach us that those things are determined before someone is born, and therefore it would be ludicrous for us to take pride in what was given to us by God. But in a seminal teaching, Ben Zoma reveals that there is a version of wealth, might, and wisdom that is our’s and worthy of pride!

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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 Shoftim

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This week we learn the laws governing all kinds of leaders: The parsha begins by detailing the laws of judges, the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court, and what happens to rebellious judges; we read about the unique laws related to kings; there are more laws pertaining to the Kohanim; and we find the means of vetting professed prophets and what happens to the six kinds of false prophets.

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This Parsha podcast is dedicated in honor of all the TORCH students worldwide who are beginning the school year and their families. We look forward to a fantastic year of learning and growing!

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!

Mitzvah: Marital Rights and Responsibilities (#46)

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A healthy and harmonious marriage cannot be sustained by love alone. The Torah teaches the responsibilities and obligations of a husband that constitute the framework in which their relationship can flourish.

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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!

Jewish Life: Elul: Making the Most out of the Days of Goodwill

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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 into that idealized self.

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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!

Ethics: Complex Calculations (3:23)

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What is the relationship between Torah and secular disciplines such as astronomy mathematics? In a pithy and cryptic teaching, Rabbi Elazar Chisma – a Sage who excelled in both – offers an insightful perspective.

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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!

Parsha: Parshas Re’eh

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This week’s parsha marks a transition in the Book of Deuteronomy: it is no longer primarily about admonishment and rebuke and warnings, instead we read a bevy of mitzvos – some repetitions and some new ones that have hitherto not been mentioned.

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This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in honor of Mitch Stanley, a dear friend and stalwart supporter of TORCH. Thank you for your friendship and support, we deeply appreciate it!

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!

Parsha: Parshas Eikev

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We pick up where we left off last week amid Moshe’s speech to the nation before his passing, and as in the previous few weeks, Parshas Eikev is jam packed with insights and timeless lessons. Moshe pivots between looking back on the conduct of the nation in the preceding 40 years and admonishing them for their misdeeds, and gazing forward to the conquest of Canaan and the secrets to making their settlement peaceful, prosperous, and secure.

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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!

Mitzvah: The Female Jewish Slave (#43-45)

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The Torah allows a father to sell his minor daughter as a servant, and the new master can opt to marry her or wed her to his son, but he cannot restrict her from redeeming herself prior to the conclusion of her term and he cannot sell her to someone else. How can we make sense of these highly unusual mitzvos?

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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.org
Twitter: Personal: @RabbiWolbe; TORCH: @TORCHWEB
Facebook: Personal: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; TORCH: TORCH Centre
Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

Jewish Life: What God Actually Wants

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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, though, raises even more questions.

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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!

Ethics: Preconditions to Torah (3:21-22)

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Torah is unlike any other discipline. Every other discipline can be acquired without preconditions; Torah can only be unlocked by someone who has successfully primed himself for that lofty status. In this Mishnah, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah instructs us on what is needed before Torah can flourish within us.

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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!

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Category Archives: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Ethics: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise (4:1)

Parsha: Parshas Shoftim

Mitzvah: Marital Rights and Responsibilities (#46)

Jewish Life: Elul: Making the Most out of the Days of Goodwill

Ethics: Complex Calculations (3:23)

Parsha: Parshas Re’eh

Parsha: Parshas Eikev

Mitzvah: The Female Jewish Slave (#43-45)

Jewish Life: What God Actually Wants

Ethics: Preconditions to Torah (3:21-22)