Shows / The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
The Parsha Podcast with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe was started in 2016 with the goal of making the weekly Parsha accessible and useful. Every Sunday, the Parsha Podcast will feature an hour-long podcast outlining the story, narratives and major themes of that week’s Parsha and offer a selection of valuable and interesting insights from it. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, two more episodes that focuses on one idea, theme, or comment on the Parsha will be released. Please send comments or questions to…
Episodes
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Shoftim
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…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Re’eh
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…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Eikev
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…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Va’Eschanan
This week’s parsha continues Moshe’s monologue to the nation in the weeks preceding his passing. He begins by recounting his repeated efforts in trying to…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Devarim
5 weeks before his passing, Moses gives a three-parsha-long speech to the nation, which constitutes his last will and testament. He begins with a retrospective…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Mattos & Masei
This year, the Book of Numbers ends with a double parsha – Mattos and Masei. We learn about the laws of vows and oaths; the miraculous war with Midian; the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Pinchas
Pinchas was a man of action, a zealot who avenged God’s vengeance and was handsomely rewarded for it. In this parsha we read about his reward, Moses’…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Balak
After the Jewish nation trounced the mighty kingdoms of Sichon and Og in last week’s parsha, the comparatively smaller and weaker kingdom of Moab resorted to…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Chukas (Recorded Live in Jerusalem)
In this week’s parsha, we read about a high;y unusual mitzvah: The Red Heifer, when an entirely red cow is burned together with a motley concoction of…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Korach
In this week’s parsha, Moshe and Aaron’s first cousin, a man named Korach, launches a rebellion claiming that Moshe is guilty of nepotism in appointing his…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Shelach
The Jewish people were on the cusp of entering the Land of Canaan, and made a prudent, but ultimately tragic, decision: To send a contingent of scouts to…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Behaaloscha
The Jewish nation has been encamped at Mount Sinai for nearly a year; in this week’s parsha they finally depart from the Mountain of God, and sadly leave…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Nasso
In the longest parsha in the Torah by verses, we continue to read about the Levite families and their responsibilities, we learn about the three tiers of the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Bamidbar
We kickstart the Book of Numbers with a census of the twelve tribes of Israel – not including the tribe of Levi who is counted independently – conducted by…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Bechukosai
In two chapters in the Torah (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28) we read about the positive consequences of obeying the Torah and heeding its laws; and the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Behar
At Mount Sinai, the Almighty instructed Moshe to convey a series of laws to the Jewish people. The first is the mitzvah of Shemittah, the prohibition of…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Emor
Parshas Emor contains a staggering 56 mitzvos, nearly all of them relating to either to the Kohanim, the priests, or to the Festivals, and the parsha ends with…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Kedoshim
This week’s parsha has the highest mitzvah density of any parsha: In its 64 verses we learn 51 separate mitzvos covering many different areas of Jewish…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Acharei
The three chapters of our parsha cover three general categories. First we read about the Yom Kippur sacrifices and procedures; then we learn about the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Metzora
A metzora is someone who is striken with the tangible illness of tzaraas caused by a variety of sins, most notably the sin of lashon hara, evil talk and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Tazria + Annual Appeal
Support TORCH and The Parsha Podcast TODAY during our only annual fundraiser. https://www.charidy.com/torch/parsha EVERY DONATION IS QUADRUPLED Today, TORCH…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Shemini
After months of preparation and building, and a week of inauguration, the nation was anticipating the climax of the Tabernacle experience: When God finally…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Tzav
In continuation of the themes of last week, Parshas Tzav details the procedures of processing many of the sacrifices enumerated in Parshas Vayikra, teaches us…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayikra
In Parshas Vayikra, the first Torah section in The Book of Leviticus, we learn about the processes and procedures of many different varieties of sacrifices…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Pekudei
The final parsha in the Book of Exodus wraps up the account of the construction of the Tabernacle, and its vessels and vestments. Again and again we read the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayakhel
After the Torah delineates the instructions to assemble the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle in Parshas Terumah and the creation of the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Ki Sisa
This week’s parsha contains several instructions related to the Tabernacle, but the majority of the parsha is dedicated to arguably the most shocking and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Tetzaveh
In a natural continuation to Parshas Terumah, in Parshas Tetzaveh we learn about the instructions to build the Tabernacle. Whereas last week the focus was on…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Terumah
One of the fundamental principles of Jewish philosophy is the idea of “Kedushah”, holiness. Holiness, according to the Jewish definition, is when the physical…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Mishpatim
Parshas Mishpatim marks a stark change in the rhythm and pace of the Torah narrative. The preceding 17 Parshas contained a total of 41 mitzvos; this week we…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Yisro
The most significant event in all of human history is the Revelation at Sinai, which occurs in Parshas Yisro. Prior to that monumental experience and the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Beshalach
Parshas Beshalach may be the most action-packed parsha in the Torah. After the Exodus, God directed the people to not take the shortest route to the Land in…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Bo
After the first seven Plagues of Egypt related in last week’s parsha, Pharaoh and his people were still unwilling to release the Children of Israel. In Parshas…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Va’eira
In Parshas Vaeira we see the humbling of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We learn about the first seven of the Ten Plagues and their purpose and significance. More…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Shemos
The Book of Exodus begins with the Egyptians cunningly enslaving their Hebrew subjects: mandating that they work in backbreaking labor, killing their male…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayechi
Parshas Vayechi is the final portion of the Book of Genesis. Jacob is about to die and he tends to his affairs: He assures that he will not be buried in Egypt…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayigash
Twenty two years have passed since Jacob and Joseph were separated. Ever since Joseph was torn away from him, Jacob was bereft of prophecy and inconsolable. In…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Mikeitz
Parshas Mikeitz continues the narrative of Joseph in Egypt. We pick up his story two years after his failed attempt at earning a reprieve via his cellmate…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayeishev
Parshas Vayeishev contains two intersecting, seemingly scandalous, storylines, that after all the dust has settled we can see are harbingers of the Messiah and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayishlach
After successfully escaping the clutches of his deceptive father in law, Laban, Jacob heads back west to the Land of Canaan, and back to his family. The…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayeitzei
Parshas Vayeitzei follows Jacob as he is fleeing from his murderous brother Esau and travels to Charan to the house of Laban, his wily and deceptive uncle, and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Toldos
In Parshas Toldos we meet twin boys that are polar opposites: Esau, beloved by his father Isaac, is a man of the fields; while Jacob is loved by his mother…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Chayei Sarah
Some of the highlights of this week’s parsha: Immediately after the Binding of Isaac, Sarah passed away at the age of 127, and soon afterwards Abraham had to…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayeira
This week’s parsha features several iconic episodes: Abraham was visited by God as he was recuperating from his circumcision, and concurrently engaged in…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Lech Lecha
In this week’s parsha Abraham is instructed to move to Israel, is given divine promises that he will be the father of many nations; his children will be as…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Noach
In this week’s parsha: Noah and his family build an Ark as a refuge from an extinction-level Flood brought by God to destroy the world’s sinners. – – – – – – –…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
All New Parsha Series – Bereishis
With praise and appreciation to the Almighty we begin another year of Torah study and another cycle of the Parsha Podcast. This year will revisit the format of…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Sukkos: A Primer
“’In a Sukkah shall you dwell for seven days’ – The Torah is instructing us to leave our permanent dwelling and move into a temporary dwelling.” (Talmud Sukkah…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Ha’azinu – The Song of History (Rebroadcast)
On the final day of his life, Moshe gathers the nation and sketches out the cycles of history both past and future in a poetic, song like way, all the while…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Ten Days of Repentance: A Primer
Yom Kippur marks the final day of the Ten Days of Repentance. On this day all our efforts are focused on repenting and earning atonement for all our sins and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Nitzavim & Vayeilech – Eternal Exhortations (Rebroadcast)
*Please note that this podcast was recorded last year when the Parshas Nitzavim and Vayeilech were together in a double parsha. This year Nitzavim and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Rosh Hashana: A Primer
Rosh Hashana is both the day of judgement on our deeds of the previous year and the day of new hopes and new beginnings for the year to come. The…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Ki Savo – Consequences of Closeness (Rebroadcast)
A central theme of Parshas Ki Savo is the idea that we are the Chosen People of God. Why were we chosen, what are we chosen for, and what are the benefits and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Ki Seitzei – Lessons for Living (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Ki Sietzei maintains a continuous flow of mitzvos and guidance for the nation on the doorstep to Israel. Its beginning shares a powerful lesson as to…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Shoftim – Righteous Justice (Rebroadcast)
In Parshas Shoftim we learn about enactment of judges and a judicial system in Israel. We also learn about the Sanhedrin, its history, and its authority, and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Re’eh – An Attitudinal Shift (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Re’eh marks a transition in Devarim. After four sections of Moshe inspiring the nation ahead of his death and their entrance to Israel, the nation is…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Eikev – Count Your Blessings
One of the many themes of Parshas Eikev is the mitzvah of blessings. In fact, the Talmud derives from our parsha a requirement to offer 100 blessings to God…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Eikev – Earning God’s Eternal Promises
Parshas Eikev continues the themes of Devarim: Moshe is priming the nation for entering the Land of Israel and flourishing in it, and reveals the secret…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Va’Eschanan – Preparing the Nation (Rebroadcast)
Parshas Vaeschanan continues where Parshas Devarim left off. Moshe has about a month left to speak to the nation and prepare them for the challenges awaiting…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Tisha B’Av – The Silver Lining of Tragedy
Tisha B’av is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. Over the millennia, scores of unfortunate events happened to our nation on this inauspicious day. Why is…