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
48 Ways to Wisdom – #6: Fear (6:6:6)
Fear of Heaven is – together with Love of God – one of the two pillars of our spiritual life. Fear of God is one of the central themes of our…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
48 Ways to Wisdom – #5: Awe (6:6:5)
The next way to acquire Torah is with awe. Specifically, awe for a great Torah sage. Why would a Sage inspire awe? Why would this be a method to acquire Torah?…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
48 Ways to Wisdom – #4: Process (6:6:4)
What happens when you absorb information? How do you process it? The fourth way to develop wisdom talks about the intuition of the heart. The heart is the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
48 Ways to Wisdom – #3: Articulate (6:6:3)
The mouth is our superpower. Through it we convey ideas and articulate thoughts. The third way to wisdom is to arrange our lips. This entails using our mouth…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
48 Ways to Wisdom – #2: Listen (6:6:2)
The second way to wisdom is to listen with your ears. In this podcast you will learn about the power of learning via listening. Audio learning is more…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
48 Ways to Wisdom – #1: Study (6:6:1)
Torah is unlike other intellectual pursuits. Torah is the word of God and it is intended to fundamentally transform a person. It is not just another academic…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Pushing the Envelope (6:5)
The Torah scholar plays a significant role in the world. We believe that the reason why the Almighty created the world was for Torah study. We also believe…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
We Have Been Blessed With a Baby Boy
With deep appreciation to the Almighty for all the goodness that He has bestowed upon us, I’m happy to share that my wife, Chaya, and I were blessed with…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Torah and Asceticism (6:4)
Food is delicious and we desire it from the first day that we are alive. How does our pursuit of food – and physical and material indulgences in general…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Honor Thy Spiritual Father and Mother (6:3)
Torah study is the greatest of pursuits. Consequently, you are eternally indebted to anyone who bestows upon you Torah. In this fascinating Mishnah, we learned…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Peasant to Prince (6:2)
Studying Torah is the greatest Mitzvah. That is well-known. In this Mishnah, we learn about the perils of neglecting Torah study. Along the way we discover the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Special: An Interview About My New Book, Upon A Ten-Stringed Harp
In conjunction with our annual fundraiser this week at giveTORCH.org (every donation is tripled), we are releasing a special interview conducted by the TORCH…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Super-Fusion (6:1) & TORCH Fundraiser (giveTORCH.org)
Please support The Ethics Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and The Ethics…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Pain and Gain (5:27)
We believe in reward and punishment. We believe that the Almighty will dispense reward for those who do good and punishment for those whose actions thus…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Comprehensive Wisdom (5:26)
The Torah is the Almighty’s wisdom. Just as the Almighty is infinite, His Torah is likewise infinite. In this remarkable Mishnah, we are trained to view…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Designing The Ideal Life (5:25)
What does it take to live a great life? How would such a life be structured? This Mishnah is a masterclass in unpacking the subject. What you are about to…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
High and Mighty (5:23-4)
What forces must we use to try to bring about our life mission? Our mandate is to fulfill the will of the Almighty. He expects great things of us and created…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Abraham’s Academy (5:22)
The founder of our nation was Abraham our patriarch. He was a paragon of faith and kindness, and also exhibited every positive character trait. By contrast…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Multi-Level-Marketing of Mitzvos (5:21)
Every mitzvah that we do benefits us for all eternity. Our Sages reveal to us that each Mitzvah creates an advocate who vigorously fights on our behalf and…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
How to Have a Good Argument (5:20)
Argumentation has become a lost art. Our society promotes uniformity and consensus, a monochromatic society where divergent ideas are shunned. This approach is…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Plummeting in Love (5:19)
Love is a fickle emotion. It is something that changes seemingly randomly. Why is love not fixed in place? What is the secret to enduring love? In this…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
How to Boost Your Intelligence (5:15-8)
There are different types of people in the world. Just as our faces are not identical, our perspectives and abilities and innate qualities differ. Regarding a…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Realms of Rage (5:14)
Anger is a sentiment that we all feel sometimes. What triggers our rage? What does our anger say about us? What is the connection between anger and faith? Why…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Generosity and Miserliness (5:13)
In the question of generosity and miserliness, our Mishnah tells us that there are four kinds of people. Interestingly, a group that we would view quite…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Individual Prophecy and Collective Punishment (5:10-12)
In ancient times, our nation benefitted from the service of prophets. The primary responsibility of a prophet was to rebuke and admonish the people when they…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Seven Keys to Wisdom (5:9)
What separates a wise person from someone who has to potential to be a wise person but has not actualized it? In the words of our Sages, such a person who has…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Defanged Demons (5:8)
In the final installment of the series of Tens, our Mishnah reveals to us the ten things that were created at twilight of Friday during the week of Genesis…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Concentric Realms of Holiness (5:7)
For 800+ years our nation had a Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple was a special place. It contained the vessels described in Scripture, it was the site of…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Faith and Fear (5:6)
Fear of God and Faith in God are both laudable qualities worthy of great people. Both, of course, are mitzvos as well. Which one is loftier? At first glance…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Miracles at the Sea (5:5)
Ten is a very significant number in Jewish numerology and philosophy. The previous teachings in this chapter revolve around tens and the present Mishnah…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
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…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Greedy When Others are Fearful (5:2-3)
Last chance to Support the TORCH Fundraiser Please support The Ethics Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be DOUBLED…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
TORCH Fundraiser: A Conversation with our Board President, Dan Kullman
Please support The TORCH Podcasts and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the TORCH…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Nuclear Football (5:1) + TORCH Fundraiser
Please support The Ethics Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and The Mitzvah…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Life, Afterlife, and Judgment (4:29)
What happens after we die? That is a question that fascinates and terrifies us. The future is unknown. It is a mystery, shrouded in uncertainty and dread…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Envy, Lust, and Honor (4:28)
This Mishnah is perhaps the most famous one in the entire Book of Pirkei Avos. We are told that there are three characteristics that remove a person from the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Aged Wisdom (4:26-7)
How do children learn? How does intelligence and wisdom develop? How do people undergo intellectual and spiritual maturation? In this very powerful set of…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Thanks a Million!
Of all the episodes that I have recorded over the years, this will be perhaps the most unique one. For one, it will be released simultaneously on all 6…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Etched in Stone (4:25)
Elisha Ben Avuyah was one of the greatest Sages with the potential to being a historic legend of Jewish history on par with Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. But…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Benediction Malediction (4:24)
Shmuel HaKattan was one of the legends of Jewish history. The Talmud testifies on him that had his generation been worthy, he would have been a full-fledged…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Angry and Irrational (4:23)
Who controls a person? That is arguably the most important question there is. As Jews we are trained to adopt the Almighty God as our Master. With the Creator…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
An Invitation to The Afterlife (4:21-2)
We all recognize that we will eventually die. Each of us know that there will come a point in time where our body and Soul separate and go their own way. The…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Lion’s Tail (4:20)
The author of this Mishnah served as the rabbi of Rome. While all his colleagues were coalesced together in the great Torah centers of Israel, Rabbi Masya Ben…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Theodicy Today (4:19)
The blissful existence of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous raise difficult questions for the believer: If God is in total control of all that…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Environment Makes the Man (4:18)
Rabbi Elazar Ben Aruch was the most promising student of Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai. Unfortunately, his potential was not actualized, and in fact he forgot his…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Crowning Achievements (4:17)
In our most ideal state, the Jewish Nation is described as “A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.” We are all Kings! The Talmud teaches that in…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Precise Teaching (4:16)
Accidents happen. Generally speaking, the Torah overlooks things that happen unintentionally. If someone accidentally sins, the Almighty forgives him. Yet the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Upgrading Honor (4:15)
How ought we treat subordinates, peers, and superiors? In this intriguing Mishnah we learn that we tend to undervalue others and consequently accord them…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
An Enduring Union (4:14)
The Sages of yore were absolute Torah giants, of course, but many also balanced their scholastic responsibilities with earning a livelihood. Our particular…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Heavenly Headlines (4:13)
What are the consequences of our behavior? What difference does it make if someone does a mitzvah or a sin? In this landmark teaching in Pirkei Avos we learn…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Making Torah a Priority (4:12)
Rabbi Meir is one of the most significant personalities in Jewish history. He was one of the five surviving students of Rabbi Akiva, and the one whose notes…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Getting Rich Doing What You Love (4:11)
Which is a greater inhibitor of Torah study, being rich or being poor? You would imagine that both conditions would distract someone from dedicating their time…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Judicial Restraint (4:9-10)
Justice is one of the three things that perpetuate the world. But should one strive to be a judge? In this very interesting Mishnah, the brainchild of a…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Honoring Torah (4.8)
Please support TORCH and The Eternal Ethics Podcast TODAY during our only annual fundraiser giveTORCH.org Support the Eternal Ethics Podcast –…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Torah Misappropriation (4:7)
Our nation is blessed to be privy to the Almighty’s Torah. Those who immerse themselves in the Torah’s vast seas are the choicest and most…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Life-Extending Teaching (4:6)
What does it take to teach Torah effectively? What are the immense benefits of studying Torah with great diligence? What are the different modes of Torah study…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Sanctification or Vacuum (4:5)
If our life’s mission would be distilled down to one idea it would be Kiddush Hashem (Sanctification of God’s Name). The opposite of Kiddush Hashem…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Extreme Measures (4:4)
My wise grandmother, of blessed memory, used to quip, “Everything in moderation.” That sagacious advice is, in fact, the backbone of Rambam’s…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Critical Hour (4:3)
How valuable is an hour of time? How much of a person’s life can be changed in one hour? In this mishna, Ben Azzai teaches us the power of a single hour…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Miracle Drugs and Superfoods (4:2)
Something dramatic happens when the Soul is fed. It is empowered and its place in a person’s identity is augmented, and concurrently the Yetzer Hara’s…