The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
570 episodes - English - Latest episode: 16 days ago - ★★★★★ - 95 ratingsThe 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 [email protected].
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Episodes
Shemini – Spiritual Cholesterol
April 04, 2024 03:46 - 52 minutes - 24.2 MBKosher food is good for you. Non-kosher food is bad. That much we learned in our parsha. But why? Why is kosher food good? In this exquisite podcast, we Go deep and deeper in trying to understand. We discover how non kosher food serves as a form of spiritual cholesterol that creates blockages imperiling our […]
Shemini – Aaron’s Credentials (5782)
April 02, 2024 03:02 - 45 minutes - 21 MBIn our Parsha Aaron is promoted to become the high priest. Previously, Moshe served as high priest in an interim role, henceforth Aaron and his descendants will serve as the nation’s emissaries before God. Why was Aaron chosen? What were his qualifications? What were the events in his life that rendered him worthy of such […]
Tzav – Runaway Brain
March 28, 2024 03:13 - 54 minutes - 24.8 MBThe 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 Parsha Podcast your perception of Parshas Tzav and sacrifices will be permanently transformed. In the podcast we share three deep and powerful insights: How to sheath the […]
Tzav – Ready, Steady, Fire! (5782)
March 26, 2024 03:59 - 44 minutes - 20.4 MBA lot of things are needed for the Temple and the Tabernacle to function properly. There are all kinds of prerequisites, protocols, procedures, and rituals that must be followed. One of the most surprising ones is the requirement to always have a fire atop the altar. Although the fire is needed for the processing of […]
Vayikra – Cainitis and Abelitis
March 21, 2024 04:02 - 42 minutes - 19.5 MBTORCH Fundraiser 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 Parsha Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Parsha Podcast in 2024 We need your […]
Vayikra – From Each According to His Ability (5782) + TORCH Campaign
March 19, 2024 04:06 - 52 minutes - 24.2 MBTORCH Fundraiser 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 Parsha Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Parsha Podcast in 2024 We need your […]
Parshas Vayikra (Rebroadcast) + TORCH Annual Fundraising Drive
March 17, 2024 16:53 - 53 minutes - 24.3 MBTORCH Fundraiser 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 Parsha Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Parsha Podcast in 2024 We need your […]
Pekudei – Autopilot Disengaged
March 14, 2024 02:12 - 54 minutes - 24.7 MBTORCH Fundraiser 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 Parsha Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Parsha Podcast in 2024 We need your […]
Pekudei – Bold Initiatives Checklist (5782) + TORCH Fundraiser Appeal
March 11, 2024 22:25 - 1 hour - 35.4 MBTORCH Fundraiser 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 Parsha Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Parsha Podcast in […]
Parshas Pekudei (Rebroadcast) and annual Fundraiser at giveTORCH.org
March 10, 2024 14:59 - 38 minutes - 17.7 MBOur 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 Parsha Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to support the Parsha Podcast in 2024 We […]
Vayakhel – The Third Path
March 07, 2024 04:29 - 56 minutes - 26 MBThere 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 path of Bezalel who was endowed with supernatural abilities and preordained to greatness; and there is a third path — the path of the ascension of heart. In our […]
Vayakhel – Heart Donor (5782)
March 05, 2024 05:07 - 58 minutes - 26.6 MBThe Torah’s narrative surrounding the Tabernacle is not one-and-done an cut-and-dried. The Torah does not simply tell us that a Tabernacle was built with the requisite materials. Instead of a succinct detailing of the Tabernacle, the Torah tells the Tabernacle narrative in a sprawling and often repetitive fashion over the course of five Parsha sections. […]
Parshas Vayakhel (Rebroadcast)
March 03, 2024 05:04 - 1 hour - 27.8 MBAfter the Torah delineates the instructions to assemble the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle in Parshas Terumah and the creation of the vestments of the high priest in Parshas Tetzaveh, Parshas Vayakhel outlines the implementation those plans: The massive fundraising efforts, and the actual building of the Tabernacle and its vessels under the […]
Ki Sisa – Augmenting Shabbos
February 29, 2024 04:36 - 51 minutes - 23.4 MBThe 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 head overseer of this enormous project, the Torah cautions us against constructing the tabernacle on Shabbos. Although we are required to build the Tabernacle, and we are inclined […]
Ki Sisa – Counting and Duking the Nation (5782)
February 27, 2024 05:05 - 42 minutes - 19.4 MBThe golden calf is one of the most inexplicable events in the Torah. What went wrong? Who is to blame? In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast we propose a novel idea that threads throughout the entire Parsha. We emerge from this episode with a greater appreciation of the indivisibility of our nation. – – […]
Parshas Ki Sisa (Rebroadcast)
February 25, 2024 05:01 - 1 hour - 30.1 MBThis week’s parsha contains several instructions related to the Tabernacle, but the majority of the parsha is dedicated to arguably the most shocking and troubling episode in the whole Torah, the Golden Calf. Forty days after the nation reached the pinnacle of human accomplishment – a national revelation at Sinai – the same nation committed what […]
Tetzaveh – The Golden Bovine
February 22, 2024 04:41 - 57 minutes - 26.2 MBThis 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 that the priests wore; and it proceeds in outlining the process of inauguration of the priests. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast we go deep and […]
Tetzaveh – What’s In A Name (5782)
February 20, 2024 04:42 - 1 hour - 28.4 MBOur Sages tell us that each one of us is unique and has a unique mission to fulfill. Humans are not fungible, moist, robots that can be swapped for each other. Each one of us is our own world. We must each say: “the world was created for me.” But how do we discover our […]
Parshas Tetzaveh (Rebroadcast)
February 18, 2024 04:40 - 56 minutes - 25.8 MBIn 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 edifice itself and its vessels, this week we will orient primarily on the special garments that the priests wore in the Tabernacle, and of course subsequently in the […]
Terumah – Cherub-Picking
February 15, 2024 04:57 - 57 minutes - 26.4 MBThe 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 where the nation was asked to donate the required materials for the construction of the Tabernacle, it’s vessels, and the vestments of the high priest. In this enjoyable Parsha […]
Terumah – The Mystery of the Menorah (5782)
February 13, 2024 04:50 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MBThis week’s Parsha marks the beginning of the Torah’s detailing of the Tabernacle and its vessels and operations. This subject makes up the bulk of the remaining narrative of Exodus, and Leviticus contains much of the laws related to the Tabernacle. We have never witnessed the Tabernacle, nor it’s successor, the Temple in Jerusalem. The […]
Parshas Terumah (Rebroadcast)
February 11, 2024 06:18 - 52 minutes - 24 MBOne of the fundamental principles of Jewish philosophy is the idea of “Kedushah”, holiness. Holiness, according to the Jewish definition, is when the physical and spiritual worlds meet. In no location in the world is holiness more present than the Temple, and its predecessor, the “Mishkan”, the Tabernacle. In this week’s parsha we read about […]
Mishpatim – Blind Determination
February 08, 2024 04:54 - 1 hour - 27.9 MBImmediately 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 “an eye for an eye”, and the requirement to aid your enemy when his donkey is struggling under its load. As is our mandate in year […]
Mishpatim – Hearing Sinai (5782)
February 06, 2024 04:30 - 43 minutes - 20.1 MBThe Sinai Revelation was the most significant event in all of human history, certainly in all of Jewish history. Our nation experienced what no other people has experienced: we heard God speaking the Ten Commandments from amidst the fire and thick cloud on the mountain, and survived to tell the tale. This event – as […]
Parshas Mishpatim (Rebroadcast)
February 04, 2024 05:14 - 59 minutes - 27 MBParshas 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 begin learning the Torah laws en masse. In this single parsha alone we have 53 mitzvos (only three parshas have more mitzvos). Beyond the varied laws, this […]
Yisro – Splitting the Heaven
February 01, 2024 05:17 - 56 minutes - 25.8 MBThe 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 special and atypically extemporaneous Parsha podcast, we offer four interesting ideas: one on the unique route that Jethro took to the truth; one on the particular […]
Yisro – Deathrow and Jethro (5782)
January 30, 2024 04:42 - 55 minutes - 25.5 MBThe eponymous protagonist of our Parsha – Moshe’s father-in-law, Jethro – makes three appearances in the Torah. His story, at first glance, seems wholly unremarkable. His greatest claim to fame was the fact that Moshe married his daughter. But the Torah revisits this interesting and compelling character again and again, and his narrative is positioned […]
Parshas Yisro (Rebroadcast)
January 28, 2024 04:39 - 1 hour - 30 MBThe 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 conveyance of the Ten Commandments, Moshe’s father in law, Jethro, arrived at the camp and makes an important suggestion for improving the efficiency of the judicial process. – – […]
Beshalach – Bones to Pick
January 25, 2024 04:36 - 57 minutes - 26.5 MBThe 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 apparently curious factoid about the Exodus: in the third verse of our Parsha, the Torah tells us that Moshe secured the bones of Joseph, and transported them […]
Beshalach – Songworthy Sequels (5782)
January 23, 2024 03:15 - 43 minutes - 19.7 MBThe Exodus marked the severing of the Jewish people from their former masters, the Egyptians. With plagues and miracles, the Almighty extracted the Israelites from bondage. That all happened in last week’s Parsha. You would expect that our nation would move on to other pursuits and challenges, but our Parsha begins with the Egyptians again. […]
Bo – Shots on Goal
January 18, 2024 04:28 - 1 hour - 29.7 MBThe 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 this very special, celebratory, Parsha podcast, I share two incredible ideas that I shared over the past couple of days during the festivities surrounding the birth […]
Bo – Climbing Mount Exodus (5782)
January 16, 2024 04:51 - 53 minutes - 24.6 MBThe Exodus from Egypt was the founding event of our people. Our nation had been in Egypt for more than two centuries and we had become acculturated into the Egyptian way of life. Over the year of the Exodus process, our nation was privy to miracles never before seen in history: we saw our masters […]
Vaeira – Labor and Deliverance
January 11, 2024 03:19 - 59 minutes - 27.1 MBThe 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 centuries of servitude? More broadly, what is the salience of the Egyptian narrative? Why is it so critical for us to study the exile and Exodus so […]
Vaeira – The Endurance Expedition (5782)
January 09, 2024 05:53 - 51 minutes - 23.4 MBAs the tag team representing God in the Exodus, Moshe and Aaron pull off some incredible miracles and feats in this week’s Parsha. When they are formally introduced and their pedigree is laid out, a very interesting praise is bestowed upon them. Upon analysis, we find the identical praise conferred upon many of the great […]
Shemos – Moshe’s Treatment
January 04, 2024 04:26 - 57 minutes - 26.3 MBWe 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 torments the people, enslaves them, and embitters their lives with back breaking labor. He then implements a policy of infanticide. But a […]
Shemos – Make Your Move (5782)
January 02, 2024 03:23 - 38 minutes - 17.4 MBOur Parsha is a difficult one to read. Our nation was enslaved, tormented, oppressed, and murdered by the Egyptians. Although we don’t see the salvation in our Parsha, the chess pieces of the redemption are set into place. In this edition of the Parsha Podcast, we study several themes of the Parsha that can improve […]
Vayechi – Jacob’s Strength
December 28, 2023 04:12 - 1 hour - 30.8 MBParshas 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 flourish. A lot happened to this family up to this point, and the setting for the next epoch of their story, and of Jewish history, is ready. […]
Vayechi – Brotherly Love: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (5782)
December 26, 2023 04:33 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MBFamily is everything. If you are fortunate enough to have siblings, parents, and children you know that there are bonds of kinship and brotherhood (and sisterhood, of course) between family members are strong and often unbreakable. This is not something new. When Jacob was on his deathbed he shared with his sons his final thoughts […]
Vayigash – Come-to-Joseph Moment
December 21, 2023 04:20 - 1 hour - 29.3 MBOur 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 on two elements of the reunification: firstly, we ponder the interesting question of whether or not Jacob actually bowed down to Joseph as foretold in the dream. Then, […]
Vayigash – A Clash Of Kings (5782)
December 19, 2023 04:55 - 1 hour - 28.9 MBAmongst the sons of Jacob were two kings: Judah and Joseph. Joseph was viceroy of Egypt. He was a king in his lifetime. Judah was never crowned as King in his lifetime, but his descendants make up the monarchy of the Jewish people. David, Solomon, all the kings of Judah, and even King Messiah are […]
Mikeitz – The End of Days
December 14, 2023 04:16 - 52 minutes - 23.9 MBIn 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 throughout the city. And this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we share three ideas – deep ideas – from our Parsha: one about the end […]
Mikeitz – Joseph’s Crime (5782)
December 12, 2023 04:55 - 56 minutes - 25.6 MBJoseph is one of the all-time heroes of Jewish history. His strength of character was legendary, his faith was unflappable, and his storyline remains an inspiration for generations. Yet he was harshly criticized for making a huge blunder. The Midrash at the beginning of this week’s Parsha tells us that he relied to heavily on […]
Vayeishev – Dream of the Crop
December 07, 2023 05:18 - 35 minutes - 16.3 MBOur 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. Joseph decides to tell them about it. Why does he do that? Why does he tell his father about the second dream, but not the first? Why are […]
Vayeishev – Pebbles and Diamonds (5782)
December 05, 2023 04:32 - 55 minutes - 25.6 MBA pebble and a diamond are similar in one way: they are both rocks. That’s where the similarities end. A diamond is precious and valuable. Diamonds are things that we recite the poems over, and name, and write Wikipedia pages about, and adorn the crowns of Kings and Queens. Pebbles get stuck in your tires […]
Parshas Vayeishev (Rebroadcast)
December 03, 2023 04:30 - 1 hour - 30 MBParshas Vayeishev contains two intersecting, seemingly scandalous, storylines, that after all the dust has settled we can see are harbingers of the Messiah and Redemption: Joseph is hated by his brothers, and is eventually sold by them as a slave after they nearly killed him. By Parsha end, Joseph is languishing in an Egyptian prison […]
Vayishlach – When Hairy met Srully
November 30, 2023 04:35 - 53 minutes - 24.7 MBJacob 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 blessings reserved for Esau. Esau was piping mad, and sought vengeance. He wanted to kill his own brother. Jacob fled. After spending 14 years in the academy and 20 […]
Vayishlach – Not Reddy to Change (5782)
November 28, 2023 04:25 - 44 minutes - 20.5 MBParshas Vayishlach is an action-packed parsha. After a tension-filled 20 years with Laban, Jacob has to dodge bullets for another parsha. Esau wants to kill him. The angel tries to strike at him the entire night. His daughter Dina is kidnapped and raped, and his sons slaughter the perpetrating city in rage. The bulk of […]
Parshas Vayishlach (Rebroadcast)
November 26, 2023 04:23 - 1 hour - 27.9 MBAfter 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 journey back home was a lot more tumultuous and chaotic than anticipated. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]
Vayeitzei – Rock and Roll
November 23, 2023 04:24 - 53 minutes - 24.6 MBJacob 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 Pasha concludes, Jacob is at the helm of a veritable empire. He has 12 children with his four wives, is enormously wealthy, and is heading back to encounter Esau’s rage. […]
Vayeitzei – Fortune Favors the Bold (5782)
November 20, 2023 21:57 - 54 minutes - 25 MBJacob’s accomplishments in our Parsha are remarkable. At the onset of our parsha, Jacob is a 77 year old bachelor without a penny to his name. Having been robbed clean of all his possessions, Jacob undertook the grandest, most ambitious initiative in human history: the founding of the Jewish nation. In our parsha, he pulls […]