Shows / The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Ethics Podcast is dedicated to exploring the authoritative book of Jewish Ethics, the Book of Mishnah titled “Ethics of our Fathers”. This book, called “Pirkei Avos” in Hebrew, is nearly 2,000 years old, and it is a compendium of the ethical aphorisms of the great Sages of Jewish history circa 300 BCE – 200 CE. Each episode begins with a biographical sketch of the Mishnah’s author culled from the Mishnaic, Talmudic, and Midrashic Literature, and shares some of the timeless lessons and…
Episodes
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Stockpiling Diamonds (3:9)
In an unusually sharp statement, our Sages inform us of the severity of neglecting Torah study. The flip side is also true: Torah study is unfathomably…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Charity or Piracy (3:8)
Why do we give charity? Is there a cap of 20% to how much we can give? In this mishna we learn about a striking rationale for charity, answer these questions…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Summoning God (3:7)
In Jewish literature, Torah is called the Word of God. In this mishna we learn about its ability to bridge the gap between man and his Creator. This Ethics…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Living on a Supernatural Plane (3:6)
What rules govern what happens in our lives? In this mishna we find that there are really three different realms, and that it is possible to upgrade the plane…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Nocturnal Opportunities (3:5)
Rabbi Chananya ben Chakhinai says: One who stays awake at night, and one who wanders on a road alone, and turns his heart to idleness, behold he is liable with…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Paging the Divine Presence (3:3-4)
In successive teachings, our Sages share with us a way to usher ourselves into the Presence of the Almighty. It really is that simple. This Ethics Podcast was…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Antidotes to Anarchy (3:2)
What would happen without a police force to maintain law and order? Is there any other way to prevent society from crumbling without police power? These are…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Avoiding Sin: The Authoritative Guide (3:1)
It is not often that our Sages offer us any kind of fail-safe formula. In the first mishna of the third chapter, Akaviah Ben Mehalalel provides for us a…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Do Your Job (2:20-21)
There are many excuses to shirk our spiritual responsibilities. In the final two mishnayos of Chapter 2, Rabbi Tarfon rebuts them one by one. This Ethics…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Answering the Heretics (2:19)
Rabbi Elazar Ben Arach was the prized student of Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai, but he chose to chart his own path in life and not to join the rest of his…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Relationship or Ritual? (2:18)
What is the optimal relationship between man and God? How is man supposed to view himself? These questions and several others are addressed in Chapter 2…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Ultimate Meritocracy (2:17)
In a short, succinct Mishna, Rabbi Yose shares timeless lessons regarding the proper way to treat other people’s money, how Torah greatness is a…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Choose Your World (2:16)
This mishna marks the first of three times in Pirkei Avos where the phrase “is removed from the world” is assigned to people who exhibit certain…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Tempering Temper (2:15)
In this Mishna, one of the most fascinating characters of the Mishnaic era teaches eternal lessons on how to deploy anger properly and how to ensure that our…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Finding Your Magic Bullet (2:13-14)
Two thousand years ago the great Sage Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai instructed his five prime disciples to undertake a unique mission. This mission and their…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Spiritual Natural Law (2:9-2:12)
Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai was the pivotal leader of the nation at a most vulnerable juncture of our history. His life story and his timeless lessons continue…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Avoiding Deathpangs (2:8)
What is really yours and what are you merely a steward over for the duration of your life? In this mishnah, Hillel reclassifies ten things by pulling away the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Divine Karma (2:7)
In one of those life experiences we hope to never have, Hillel once encountered a skull floating on the water. His comment to that skull is enshrined in Pirkei…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
A Tourist Visa to Heaven (2:6)
In the sixth mishna of the second chapter of Pirkei Avos, Hillel the Elder delineates the six levels of distinction, the means to achieve them, and their…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Safety in Numbers (2:5)
In chapter 2 we meet Hillel the Elder again. In this mishna we learn the secret of surviving judgement, the differences between how God and man judge, and hear…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Getting God as your Advocate (2:4)
Imagine if you had God on your side in all your endeavors. Is there a better or more potent advocate? In this mishna we learn the formula how to get God to…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Forgetting to Sin (2:2-2:3)
In the second mishna of the second Chapter, Rabban Gamleil III offers some novel and surprising perspectives on work/Torah balance and avoiding sin. This…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Spiritual Cost-Benefit Analysis (2:1)
In the first mishna of the second chapter of Pirkei Avos, the great Rabbi Judah the Prince offers indispensable life guidance. Who was this transformative…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Why God Maintains the World (1:18)
The final Mishna of the first chapter sounds very similar to its second one. In it we learn the three things upon which the world endures which is quite…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Virtues of Silence (1:17)
The next mantle holder of the office of the Nasi, Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel, teaches us powerful insights on how to become a greater and more perfect person…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Remove All Doubt (1:16)
In this Mishnah, Rabban Gamliel the Elder provides us with a powerful lesson that, if observed, will empower our spiritual lives. This Ethics Podcast was…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
All Action No Talk (1:15)
In this concise teaching, Shammai the Elder manages to inspire and enlighten our understanding of accomplishing human greatness. This Ethics Podcast was…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Discover You (1:14)
In the third teaching of Hillel the Elder, we discover timeless advice to maximizing life: If I am not for me, who will be for me; when I am for myself, what…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Spiritual Persistence (1:13)
In his second consecutive teaching, Hillel instructs us regarding the proper attitude to spiritual development and persistence, and the grave consequences of…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
How to be a Peacemaker (1:11-12)
One of the great legendary figures in Jewish history, Hillel, instructs us to follow the ways of Aaron: To love peace and to pursue it, and to love people and…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Two Elements of Leadership (1:10)
In the tenth Mishna, the leader of the Jews Shemayah, a descendent of the Assyrian king Sanchereb, teaches us about the work, leadership and politicians. This…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Ethical Judicial Conduct (1:8-1:9)
In the Second Century before the Common Era, the Jewish world was in an upheaval due largely to various splinter sects, such as the Sadducees and Boethusians…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Avoiding Bad Neighbors (1:7)
In the previous mishna we are instructed how to choose positive influences, in this one we are warned of the perils of bad friends and bad neighbors. This…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Selecting Mentors (1:6)
In the 6th mishna of Pirkei Avos, we learn about the importance of having good mentors and friends, and the prerequisites to make such relationships work. This…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Excessive Schmoozing with Women (1:5)
In the fifth mishna we learn about the proper ways to interact with others, especially those less fortunate, in a pious and peril-free manner. This Ethics…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Godly Intellect (1:4)
In the fourth mishna of Pirkei Avos, our sages offer three steps to accessing Torah. In our deconstruction of this teaching we learn about the nature of Torah…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Fostering Lasting Relationships (1:3)
In following the previous mishna which distilled the life objectives to three tenets, Pirkei Avos proceeds to delve into each one individually. In perhaps the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Three-Pronged Purpose (1.2)
The second Mishna in Pirkei Avos features a powerful teaching from one of the pivotal and legendary characters in Jewish History. Shimon HaTzadik (Simeon the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Elul Initiative: The Book of Ethics (1.1)
The first mishna of Pirkei Avos begins with attributing the first 900 years of the line of transmission of the Torah from Moshe at Sinai until the Men of the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Purpose of Creation (6:11)
With endless praise to the Almighty for all goodness that he has done for us, we hereby present the final episode of the Ethics podcast. We began this project…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
God’s Cherished Possessions (6:10)
God owns everything. He created everything and owns it all. But there are some things that God cherishes above others. Our Mishnah describes five cherished…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Place of Torah (6.9)
There are only three rules of real estate: location, location, location. When it comes to choosing a place to live, the same principle applies. But what…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Double-Edged Swords (6.8)
Not everything that we covet in life necessarily redounds to our benefit. There are great many things that are double-edge swords: they can be used for good…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Life-Giving Property of Torah (6:7)
The thing that we crave more than anything else is life. We all want life. We all flee from curtailing of – or danger to – our life. How do we…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Proper Attribution (6.6.48)
When we hear something beautiful, something genius, something powerful, we may be tempted to pass it off as our own. In the final installment of the 48 ways to…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Systematic Studying (6.6.47)
The penultimate way to wisdom offered by our sages instructs us to be systematic in our studies. What exactly does this mean? In this very special Ethics…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Sharpening Teachers (6.6.46)
Teachers are usually pretty talented. They’re usually gifted, knowledgeable, intelligent, and well-studied. In way to wisdom # 46 we learn how a student…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Studying with Intentionality (6.6.44-45)
What are our intentions when we study? What are we trying to achieve? If we are studying the Almighty’s Torah simply as an exercise in theoretical…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Active Listening (6.6.43)
Listening is a lost art. To truly listen and consider the other person’s position is becoming increasingly rarer. We get consumed with our own ideas and…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Asking and Answering (6.6.42)
Questions are arguably the most potent tool by which to open up a complex subject. Asking questions on a given matter; asking many, diverse questions…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Well-Grounded (6.6.41)
What is our relationship with our studies? For some (many?) studying Torah is very important. It is a great priority. But is it the permanent fixture of a…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Truth and Peace (6.6.40)
Truth and peace are often incompatible. A peaceful solution to a problem is often not truthful; unvarnished truth is rarely diplomatic. In way number 40 to…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Judging Favorably (6.6.39)
Not everyone is a saint. In fact, the verse testifies that there is no righteous person in the land who does only good and never sins. So everyone is a sinner…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Bearing the Burden (6.6.38)
Everyone is going through something. Everyone has difficulties in life. That is the human condition. It is also all by design. But we are instructed to…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Unenthusiastic Judgment (6.6.37)
There was a need to render halachic rulings. Sometimes there was uncertainty and there’s a need to have a halachic decisor render a ruling. But what is…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Swelled Heart (6.6.36)
It is a mark of Torah ignorance to be content with the degree of Torah study that you have. It is broader than the land and deeper than the sea. Torah is…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Aversion to Honor (6.6.35)
Honor is a funny thing. It yields no tangible, discernible, sensory benefit to the recipient, yet it is so highly coveted and desired. We all want respect. We…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Loving Rebuke (6.6.34)+ 2026 TORCH Fundraiser Pitch
The 2026 annual TORCH fundraiser is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is doubled at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is matched at…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Loving Straightness (6.6.33) + 2026 TORCH Fundraiser
The 2026 annual TORCH fundraiser is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is doubled at giveTORCH.org. Every donation is matched at…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Loving Charities (6.6.32)
Charity is a big element of religious life. Our Sages tell us that the mitzvah of charity equals all the mitzvos of the Torah combined. But monetary charity is…