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
Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise (4:1)
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…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Complex Calculations (3:23)
What is the relationship between Torah and secular disciplines such as astronomy mathematics? In a pithy and cryptic teaching, Rabbi Elazar Chisma – a…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Preconditions to Torah (3:21-22)
Torah is unlike any other discipline. Every other discipline can be acquired without preconditions; Torah can only be unlocked by someone who has successfully…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Advanced Conflict Resolution (3:21)
Rabbi Elazar Ben Azaria got an unusual and controversial promotion at a very young age. Due to an escalating dispute between two of the great leaders of the…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Hotel Incidentals (3:20)
In his fourth and final teaching, Rabbi Akiva shares a powerful and serious parable that is designed to shake us up and take life seriously but also contains…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Divine Foreknowledge and Free Will (3:19)
In this pithy teaching, Rabbi Akiva addresses some of the knottiest questions of Jewish philosophy: If God knows what we do ahead of time, do we have free…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
World Building (3:18)
In an astonishingly profound teaching, Rabbi Akiva informs us of the special role that humans have in completing the objective of the Almighty’s…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Bulletproof Fences (3:17)
Rabbi Akiva is one of the titanic figures of the Mishnaic Era. He served as the vital link transmitting the Torah that he studied from his predecessors to his…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Greeting Everyone with Joy (3:16)
Rabbi Yishmael was the scion of one of the most prestigious families of our nation and a titanic Sage of the Mishnaic Era. In this podcast we share several of…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Stairway to Heaven (3:15) + Annual Appeal
Support TORCH and The Parsha Podcast TODAY during our only annual fundraiser. givetorch.com EVERY DONATION IS QUADRUPLED Today, TORCH needs your help!! Today…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
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…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Hens, Goats, and Bears, Oh My! (3:11-13)
Rabbi Chanina Ben Dosa was a legendary Sage who lived towards the end of the Second Temple, and the Talmud relates many miraculous and inspirational stories…
- The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Torah To-Go (3:10)
We put much focus on Torah study and Torah acquisition, and in this mishnah we learn about the other half of Torah greatness: Torah retention, which can only…
- 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. – – – – – – – –…
- 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. – – – – – – – – – – – –…
- 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. – – – – – – – – –…
- 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. – – – – –…
- 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 finalmishna 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 similar…
- 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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –…
- 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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –…
- 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. – – –…
- 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. – – – – –…
- 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. – –…
- 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. – – – – – – – –…
- 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
Human Fallibility and What to do About it (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
Introducing a New Podcast on Pirkei Avos (Chapters of the Fathers): Eternal Ethics
Dear friends and listeners, I am pleased to announce the launching of a new podcast on Pirkei Avos, Eternal Ethics. Pirkei Avos is the book of Mishna dedicated…