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
Shemini – Spiritual Cholesterol (5784)
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 Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Shemini (Rebroadcast)
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 Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Tzav – Protocols of the Offerings of Zion
This Parsha podcast is dedicated in the merit of a speedy recovery of Yosef Shraga Halevi Ben Esther. May he have a Refuah Sheleima. – – – – – – – – – – – – –…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Tzav – Runaway Brain (5784)
The subject matter of Parshas Tzav is – like Parshas Vayikra – sacrifices. Before today you may have thought that sacrifices are a boring snooze fest. In this…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Tzav (Rebroadcast)
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
Vayikra – Push-Ups and Drawdowns
The concept of sacrifices is quite foreign to us. It’s been nearly 2,000 years since our nation merited to bring a sacrifice in God’s Temple. We hope and pray…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vayikra – Cainitis and Abelitis (5784)
Sacrifices. Who is excited?? We embark on the Book of Leviticus with a bang. We learn three marvelous lessons from our Parsha: The subtle summons of God; how…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayikra (Rebroadcast)
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
Vayakhel Pekudei – Golden Talents
The latter half of the Book of Exodus is almost exclusively oriented around the Tabernacle. In this week’s double Parsha, the nation executes the plans given…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vayakhel: The Third Path (5784)
There are three ways to achieve transcendental greatness: There is the path of intense practice and training in your desired field of excellence; there is the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayakhel & Pekudei (Rebroadcast)
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
Ki Sisa – Magic Thermos
A nuclear bomb detonates in this week’s Parsha. The Nation selected by God to fulfill the most consequential role in the world, the Nation recently released…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Ki Sisa – Augmenting Shabbos (5784)
The final instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle are conveyed at the beginning of this week’s parsha. After Moshe is told to appoint Bezalel as…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Ki Sisa (Rebroadcast)
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
Tetzaveh – On His Majesty’s Service
Performing service in the Tabernacle was the domain of the cherished few only. Only Aaron, his four sons, and their subsequent children were eligible. Why…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Tetzaveh – The Golden Bovine (5784)
This week’s Parsha is dedicated to the priestly class: It begins with the oil that the High Priest kindles; it describes in great detail the special vestments…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Tetzaveh (Rebroadcast)
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
Terumah – Out of the Woods
During the Sinai revelation, the nation achieved the peak human experience. The entire people—men, women, and children—experienced God face-to-face (as it…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Terumah – Cherub-Picking (5784)
The Tabernacle was a portable Temple in which the presence of God dwelled. Our Parsha begins with the fundraising effort to be conducted in the Wilderness…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Terumah (Rebroadcast)
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
Mishpatim – Two Halves of One Soul
At the risk of being presumptuous, I can safely say that most members of the Parsha podcast community have never owned any slaves. I imagine that most of us…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Mishpatim – Blind Determination (5786)
Immediately after the Sinai Revelation, the Torah begins telling us many of the laws. In this Parsha podcast we focus on two of the laws: the famous verse of…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Mishpatim (Rebroadcast)
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
Yisro – Beauty and the Priest
Parshas Yisro is a tale of two narratives. It begins with the dramatic arrival of Jethro, father-in-law of Moshe. He heard about all the miracles that the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Yisro – Splitting the Heaven (5784)
The arrival of Jethro, the preparation for Sinai, and the nature of the Sinai revelation – these are some of the subjects featured in our parsha. In this very…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Yisro (Rebroadcast)
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
Beshalach – Horse and Rider
The nation emerged from Egypt triumphantly. Pharaoh was talking a big game. “Who is God that I should listen to him? I’m not going to release the Israelites!”…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Beshalach – Bones to Pick (5784)
The Exodus is finally here. After 210 years in Egypt – enslaved, tormented, and oppressed – the nation is leaving with great pomp and ceremony. There is an…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Beshalach (Rebroadcast)
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
Bo – Embers Only
With the final three plagues striking Egypt,, our Nation’s centuries-long nightmare in Egypt mercifully came to an end. At the stroke of midnight, all the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Bo – Shots on Goal (5784)
The Jewish people spent several centuries in Egypt, but now it is time to leave – and the nation is leaving with flair, with miracles, signs, and wonders. In…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Bo (Rebroadcast)
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
Vaeira – Swimming in Denileism
Pharaoh is one tough nut to crack. Notwithstanding all the miracles, signs, and wonders that the Almighty displays in Egypt, Pharaoh persists in his stubborn…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vaeira – Labor and Deliverance (5784)
The Jewish nation was enslaved in Egypt for 100s of years. What was the essence of the enslavement? What is the consistent theme that is strung throughout the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vaeira (Rebroadcast)
Our Parsha begins in the middle of the dialogue between Moses and God. Moses’ initial foray into saving the nation has gone horribly awry. Instead of…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Shemos – Mission Implausible
The mission that Moshe was entrusted with in this week’s Parsha was very clear: Go to Egypt and extract the nation of Israelite slaves. The difficulty in the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Shemos – Moshe’s Treatment (5784)
We begin the new calendar year with a new book, the book of Exodus. The Jewish nation – still a family – is in Egypt, and things go from bad to worse. Pharaoh…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Shemos (Rebroadcast)
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
Vayechi – Fish Amidst the Land
Jacob’s life has been extremely chaotic. Forced to tussle with his twin. Jacob’s life got off to a rocky start. Compelled to usurp the blessings, Jacob had to…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vayechi – Jacob’s Strength (5784)
Parshas Vayechi marks the final installment of the book of Genesis. The family of Israel, the sons of Jacob, are all together in Egypt, where they settle and…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayechi (Rebroadcast)
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
Vayigash – Beacon in the Darkness
Parshas Vayigash is bittersweet. The sweetness is obvious. After 22 years of anguish and melancholy, Jacob is informed that Joseph is alive and is a king in…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vayigash – Come-to-Joseph Moment (5784)
Our parsha is one of unexpected reunions. After 20 plus years of separation, Joseph reunited with his brothers and his father. In this Parsha Podcast we focus…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayigash (Rebroadcast)
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
Mikeitz – Pit Master King
Pharaoh, like Joseph, had clairvoyant dreams foretelling his future. Joseph dreamed of his ascent to kingship and his brother’s subjugation before him. Pharaoh…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Mikeitz – The End of Days (5784)
In our Parsha, Joseph is elevated to become viceroy of Egypt. He begins the day languishing in prison, and ends it be decked in garments of royalty and paraded…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Mikeitz (Rebroadcast)
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
Vayeishev – Pit of Despair
Parashas Vayeishev is a downer for all people involved: Jacob has to witness his sons’ disunion. Jacob was informed of the apparent mauling of Joseph, his…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vayeishev – Dream of the Crop (5784)
Our Parsha begins with Joseph’s two dreams of grandeur and supremacy. He dreams that he will rule over his brothers, who will bow before him in submission…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayeishev (Rebroadcast)
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
Vayishlach – E-sawdust
Jacob just can’t seem to get away from his brother. Even before they were born, they were bound together in utero. Once they are born, they are constantly…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vayishlach – When Hairy met Srully (5784)
Jacob and Esau last saw each other 34 years prior. 34 years ago, Jacob, upon the explicit and prophetically inspired instruction of his mother, usurped the…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayishlach (Rebroadcast)
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
Vayeitzei – Red and White Blew it
Jacob was one of the greatest people who have ever lived. He triumphed over angels. He had angels do his bidding. His visage is etched into God’s throne of…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Vayeitzei – Rock and Roll (5784)
Jacob undergoes a meteoric transformation in our Parsha. At the onset, Jacob is a 77-year-old penniless bachelor fleeing from his brother Esau’s wrath. When…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Vayeitzei (Rebroadcast)
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
Toldos – Infertile Crescent
Why were the patriarchs and matriarchs infertile? Why did Isaac favor Esau? Why did Isaac require delicacies to bless Esau? Why does the Torah offer an…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Toldos – Smoking Camels (5784)
Two very different boys are born in this week’s Parsha. Esau, the older one, is ruddy and hairy and looking for trouble. Jacob, the younger one, is wholesome…
- The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
Parshas Toldos (Rebroadcast)
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
Chayei Sarah – Age of the Matriarchs
Sarah lived a relatively long life. She passed away at the age of 127 after learning about the Binding of Isaac. Our Parsha begins with her passing, eulogy…