The Ethics Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
142 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 47 ratingsThe 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 applications of the teaching. Please email any questions, comments, or feedback to [email protected].
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Episodes
Loving Straightness (6.6.33)
April 15, 2024 03:42 - 25 minutes - 11.6 MBStraightness is a virtue. Straightness means to be proper and upstanding in all of your conduct. It means doing what’s proper and just and good. It also references thinking. Straight, sensible, logical, clear, cogent thinking is better than crooked thinking. Way number 33 to wisdom is about this virtue. – – – – – – […]
Loving Charities (6.6.32)
April 01, 2024 21:06 - 22 minutes - 10.1 MBCharity 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 only one type of charity. There are many different types of charity, in the love of charities is a means to acquire higher levels of wisdom. […]
Loving Humanity (6.6.31) + TORCH Fundraiser
March 19, 2024 16:15 - 32 minutes - 14.9 MBTORCH Fundraiser — support the Ethics Podcast Our organization, TORCH, does only one fundraiser a year, and that is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. This is a matching campaign and every donation will be DOUBLED. Please support the Ethics Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Ethics Podcast […]
Loving God (6.6.30) + TORCH Fundraiser
March 13, 2024 03:20 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBTORCH Fundraiser — support the Ethics Podcast Our organization, TORCH, does only one fundraiser a year, and that is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. This is a matching campaign and every donation will be DOUBLED. Please support the Ethics Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Ethics Podcast […]
Beloved (6.6.30 Intro)
March 06, 2024 05:04 - 17 minutes - 8.16 MBTorah was not given to angels. Torah was given to humans. One way to expand our ability to acquire Torah is by enhancing our humanity. The more human we are, the more we are a worthy receptacle of Torah. But what does it mean to be a human? – – – – – – – […]
Sense of Mission (6.6.29)
February 05, 2024 04:43 - 30 minutes - 13.8 MBWe love Torah. Torah study is our national pastime and obsession. It is enjoyable; it is fun; it is interesting — but to acquire it – we have to now that it is imperative: It is as indispensable as water, oxygen and bread. – – – – – – – – – – – – […]
Making Fences (6.6.28)
November 15, 2023 04:28 - 29 minutes - 13.7 MBHumans are fallible. We are imperfect, yet we are tasked with being the stewards and the guardians of the perfect. We hold the Almighty’s Torah in our hands. We are tasked with perpetuating it from generation to generation and with rendering rulings in line with the will of God. The only way that we can […]
Joyous With Your Lot (6.6.27)
November 01, 2023 03:22 - 24 minutes - 11.4 MBThere is an unequal distribution of talents, gifts, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Everyone is different. Everyone is their own world. This applies both in the spiritual domain and in the material/physical domain. A believer who understands that the Almighty gives everyone exactly what they need must be joyous with their lot. Your lot is exactly […]
Know Your Place (6.6.26)
October 25, 2023 04:55 - 39 minutes - 18.1 MBThe greatest pedagogues of history – the Sages of the Mishnah – codified “knowing your place” as a means to acquire Torah, to acquire wisdom. What exactly is intended with knowing your place? In this Ethics Podcast we share three life-changing approaches. – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]
Accepting Affliction (6.6.25)
August 21, 2023 19:43 - 39 minutes - 18.2 MBLife is full of nuisances. For many – maybe all – life inevitably contains some pain, suffering, and affliction. How we approach these situations is a central element of our religion and theology. Our Sages revealed to us that accepting affliction is a means to achieve wisdom. It is one of the 48 ways to […]
Trust Sages (6.6.24)
August 07, 2023 04:25 - 44 minutes - 20.2 MBOur primary responsibility as humans and as Jews is to develop and deepen our faith in the Creator. Can we have faith in man? Can we have faith in a mortal? In the 24th way to achieve and acquire wisdom, we learn about the concept of having faith in our Sages. What does it mean […]
Good Heart (6.6.23)
July 24, 2023 04:14 - 30 minutes - 13.8 MBAlthough the study of Torah is ostensibly a cognitive pursuit, there are many qualities that are not cognitive nature that facilitate and enable the study of Torah. In this way to acquire wisdom, way #23, we learn about what it means to have a good heart , and how that serves as a means to […]
Anger Suppression (6.6.22)
July 12, 2023 04:13 - 20 minutes - 9.49 MBAnger is part of the human experience. When things agitate us, we get frustrated and have a tendency to lash out, to berate, to say things that we may regret. In this ethics podcast, we learn about the virtue of being slow to anger and how it can help supercharge our pursuit of wisdom. – […]
Levity (6.6.21)
June 21, 2023 04:29 - 29 minutes - 13.6 MBLife is serious. Pursuit of wisdom is the pursuit of truth. Pursuit of wisdom is the pursuit of understanding the Divine (to the best of our abilities). To access wisdom, we have to be very serious. But a little bit of levity – when done properly and in the right context – can be helpful. […]
Conversation (6:6:20)
June 08, 2023 03:45 - 41 minutes - 18.8 MBWe are speaking beings. In fact, the central differentiation between humanity and animals is the capacity of verbal communication. The judgment that we face in Heaven is largely about how we deployed our superpower, our speech. The greatest mitzvos are performed with speech and some of the most grievous transgressions are also a product of […]
Sleep (6.6.19)
May 31, 2023 04:28 - 50 minutes - 23.2 MBWe all need to sleep. All humans, irrespective of their intelligence, their physical prowess, their wealth, must lay down in a comatose state for several hours a day and sleep. Sleep is also enjoyable. There’s something seductively delicious about sleep. What is the Torah’s attitude on sleep? Why did the Almighty design us that we […]
Pleasure (6.6.18)
May 10, 2023 04:12 - 35 minutes - 16.5 MBPursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain are hardwired impulses . We all want to feel good and to avoid feeling bad. Perhaps surprisingly, the Torah fully embraces this principle. The reason why we were created, we are told, is so that we can become receptacles of pleasure. Our only disagreement with other philosophies is […]
Moderation (6:6:17)
May 01, 2023 04:10 - 44 minutes - 20.5 MBOur resources are finite. We must engage in trade-offs, deciding what pursuits to prioritize over others. This, of course, is all well known. But it’s more complicated: by design, we feel drawn to seek out and pursue goals that are potentially harmful and that can overtake your life. Balance is key. – – – – […]
Worldliness (6.6.16)
April 17, 2023 04:51 - 32 minutes - 14.8 MBThe central conflict of our lives orients around our relationship with the physical world in which we currently inhabit: the Torah teaches us that the objective of life is to optimize for the benefit and betterment of the soul, and to prepare for Olam Haba. The Yetzer Hara is engineered to make us believe that […]
48 Ways to Wisdom: Mishnah (6:6:15)
March 29, 2023 04:07 - 24 minutes - 11.3 MBThe oral Torah is vast, comprehensive, and multi-layered. One of its layers is known as Mishnah. What is Mishnah, how was it organized and codified, and why does it prepare us for wisdom? In this Ethics Podcast we learn all about Mishnah and it’s indispensability and power. – – – – – – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom: Scripture (6:6:14)
March 21, 2023 17:08 - 22 minutes - 10.3 MBOur works of Scripture are all prophetic, each written with varying degrees of prophecy. When we study Scripture we are encountering the word of God. But what is the objective of the study of Scripture? Why does Scripture pave the way to wisdom? In this Ethics Podcast we discover what Scripture is, how it ought […]
48 Ways to Wisdom #13: Equilibrium (6:6:13)
March 15, 2023 04:21 - 23 minutes - 11 MBHumans are not monolithic. Each one of us is unique and have a unique take on every life situation. The truth is even more granular: even within a single person, there is not uniformity. We are all internally conflicted, sometimes thinking like this and sometimes like that, sometimes feeling like this and sometimes feeling like […]
48 Ways to Wisdom #12: Engaging Students (6:6:12)
February 22, 2023 05:35 - 20 minutes - 9.25 MBOne of the most rewarding things a person can do is to teach others. But beyond the feeling of gratification that comes with teaching, When you are able to educate and enlighten other people with your knowledge, you learn a lot from the process. Teaching others is a fantastic way to study yourself. – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #11: Friendly Critique (6:6:11)
February 13, 2023 19:36 - 20 minutes - 9.54 MBHumans are not perfect. Only God is. We are fallible. We are mistake-prone. Yet our mission and mandate is to discover truth. That is achieved, chiefly, via the study of Torah. The Almighty embedded truth and understanding of God in the Torah that He gave to us. But even our pursuit of Torah must be […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #10: Apprenticeship (6:6:10)
January 09, 2023 05:22 - 33 minutes - 15.1 MBOur glorious tradition was perpetuated from generation to generation, from teacher to student, from parent to child, for thousands of years. One of the ways to acquire wisdom is by studying under the tutelage of a great Sage. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #9: Purity (6:6:9)
December 21, 2022 05:40 - 25 minutes - 11.6 MBOur sages tell us that one of the ways to acquire wisdom is with purity. What exactly is purity and why would it be a means through which we can acquire wisdom? In this Ethics Podcast we explore the subject of purity with profound depth. – – – – – – – – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #8: Joy (6:6:8)
August 02, 2022 05:31 - 19 minutes - 8.76 MBJoy is an underappreciated aspect of the life of a Jew. One can imagine that you can fulfill all of your religious and spiritual obligations without living joyously. Upon examination of the sources we discover that Jewish life is inextricably linked with joy. It is critical and indispensable. In our Mishnah we also learned that […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #7: Humility (6:6:7)
July 26, 2022 05:38 - 16 minutes - 7.75 MBHumility is one of the attributes most associated with acquisition of wisdom. Moses was the humblest of men. Sinai was an unassuming, lowly mountain. But what exactly is humility and why does it correlate with wisdom? In this Ethics podcast we plumb the depths of humility and its association with wisdom. – – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #6: Fear (6:6:6)
July 11, 2022 05:24 - 26 minutes - 12 MBFear 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 spiritual and religious life. We are also told that it is a necessary precondition for Torah mastery. – – – – – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #5: Awe (6:6:5)
July 04, 2022 05:09 - 35 minutes - 16.1 MBThe 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? In this fascinating episode we explore the wonderful world of awe-inspiring Torah Sages. – – – – – – – – – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #4: Process (6:6:4)
June 27, 2022 05:08 - 11 minutes - 5.04 MBWhat 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 venue in which we take what we learn, absorb, and encounter and add it to our understanding of the world. Information must not be relegated to the […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #3: Articulate (6:6:3)
June 13, 2022 05:00 - 14 minutes - 6.43 MBThe 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 in a powerful and strategic fashion. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #2: Listen (6:6:2)
May 25, 2022 05:54 - 26 minutes - 12.3 MBThe 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 impactful than visual learning. The Almighty gave us two ears and only one mouth; we have to listen twice as much as we talk. – – – […]
48 Ways to Wisdom – #1: Study (6:6:1)
May 17, 2022 05:22 - 38 minutes - 17.5 MBTorah 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, philosophical, or intellectual discipline, it is a way to upgrade man from beast to angel. This very special Mishnah tells us that Torah needs to be acquired, and […]
Pushing the Envelope (6:5)
May 10, 2022 05:42 - 23 minutes - 10.8 MBThe 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 that absent Torah study, the world would cease to exist. The Torah scholar is truly indispensable for the world’s continuity. What ought to be the Torah scholar’s […]
We Have Been Blessed With a Baby Boy
March 20, 2022 16:44 - 40 minutes - 18.7 MBWith 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 a beautiful baby boy on Monday, March 14. Thank God, both Mom and baby are doing fabulous! In this special edition of the podcast, I share […]
We Were Blessed With a Baby Boy
March 20, 2022 16:44 - 40 minutes - 18.7 MBWith 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 a beautiful baby boy on Monday, March 14. Thank God, both Mom and baby are doing fabulous! In this special edition of the podcast, I share […]
Torah and Asceticism (6:4)
March 14, 2022 05:25 - 39 minutes - 18.1 MBFood 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 – impact our pursuit of our spiritual agenda and Torah? In this Mishnah we discover several approaches to understanding the interrelationship between physical indulgences and pursuit […]
Honor Thy Spiritual Father and Mother (6:3)
February 28, 2022 06:47 - 40 minutes - 18.3 MBTorah study is the greatest of pursuits. Consequently, you are eternally indebted to anyone who bestows upon you Torah. In this fascinating Mishnah, we learned about the supreme holiness of Torah and how is forever alters the one who studies it. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]
Peasant to Prince (6:2)
February 21, 2022 06:46 - 46 minutes - 21.1 MBStudying 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 polarity Jews since Sinai, we discover the secret of Jewish continuity, and we learn all about what Torah is supposed to do to us. – – – – […]
Special: An Interview About My New Book, Upon A Ten-Stringed Harp
February 17, 2022 13:49 - 36 minutes - 16.7 MBIn conjunction with our annual fundraiser this week at giveTORCH.org (every donation is tripled), we are releasing a special interview conducted by the TORCH Board President, Dan Kullman, about my new book, Upon A Ten-Stringed Harp. Please consider contributing to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org.
Super-Fusion (6:1) & TORCH Fundraiser (giveTORCH.org)
February 14, 2022 19:17 - 1 hour - 34.1 MBPlease 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 Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]
Pain and Gain (5:27)
January 24, 2022 06:40 - 34 minutes - 16 MBWe 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 warrant. How does the dispensement of reward and punishment work? That, of course, is something that only God knows precisely, and only God can make those evaluations. That said, […]
The Comprehensive Wisdom (5:26)
December 27, 2021 06:33 - 39 minutes - 18.2 MBThe 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 Torah in its proper light. We learn about the multidimensional nature of Torah, how to find answers to all of our questions in the Torah, the secrets and the […]
Designing The Ideal Life (5:25)
December 20, 2021 06:50 - 1 hour - 34.3 MBWhat 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 enjoy is an exquisite array of insights and ideas on human development, pedagogy and education, how to utilize your brain, and how to design an […]
High and Mighty (5:23-4)
December 13, 2021 06:32 - 39 minutes - 18 MBWhat 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 us for that purpose. In this thrilling Mishnah, we learned about the various different forces and powers that we must marshal to accomplish our […]
Abraham’s Academy (5:22)
December 06, 2021 06:32 - 28 minutes - 13.3 MBThe 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, Bilaam the sorcerer was the anti-Abraham. He harbored every negative trait. In this mission we are told that both of these people are teachers. We must choose if we […]
Multi-Level-Marketing of Mitzvos (5:21)
November 09, 2021 06:36 - 37 minutes - 17.1 MBEvery 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 defends us in front of the Heavenly court. Mitzvos are great assets to have. In this podcast, we discover that there is a way to game the […]
How to Have a Good Argument (5:20)
November 02, 2021 05:55 - 27 minutes - 12.7 MBArgumentation has become a lost art. Our society promotes uniformity and consensus, a monochromatic society where divergent ideas are shunned. This approach is antithetical to Torah. Our religion does not believe that your thinking should be outsourced to others. We do not believe that everyone ought to follow others like a flock of sheep. At […]
Plummeting in Love (5:19)
October 11, 2021 05:45 - 34 minutes - 15.8 MBLove 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 exquisite Mishnah we discover the inner workings of how love works and what determines its stability. We also read a terrifying account of how people’s spiritual standing […]