The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Bo – The Ember of Abraham (5781)

January 24, 2023 05:54 - 40 minutes - 18.7 MB

The Jewish nation was in the dumps. They had spent hundreds of years in Egypt, and the possibility of ever leaving and reconstituting as an independent nation, the dream of Abraham, was long abandoned. But something dramatic happened. The Almighty unleashes Ten Plagues on Egypt and with the Death of the Firstborn, the Egyptians usher […]

Vaeira – Manufactured Adversity

January 19, 2023 03:47 - 1 hour - 34 MB

Prior to Moshe and Aaron making progress in their mission to extract the Jewish people from Egypt – their first efforts yielded no success, at least not in that realm – the Torah once again introduces Moshe and Aaron and delineates their pedigree. It begins with delineating the families of Ruben and Shimon, and then […]

Vaeira – Pharaoh’s Education (5781)

January 17, 2023 05:38 - 44 minutes - 20.4 MB

The Jewish people undergo a stunning transformation in our Parsha: It begins with the nation walling in misery; when Moshe offers a plan for salvation, they cannot even hear his comforting message. Yet very quickly they merit a miraculous Exodus, and only fifty days later they experience national prophecy at Sinai. How did this happen? […]

Shemos – Panache in King

January 12, 2023 05:53 - 1 hour - 30.3 MB

The story of the Jewish people in the book of Exodus gets off to a difficult start. The nation is firmly ensconced in Egypt, but their experience there is decidedly unpleasant. They are enslaved, tormented, and systematically oppressed. Things go from bad to worse when Pharaoh decrees that all Jewish baby boys be killed. When […]

Shemos – Grooming Greatness (5781)

January 10, 2023 05:35 - 49 minutes - 22.6 MB

Moses is the greatest leader of our history and the archetype of a great, transformative leader. Why was he chosen for the role? What was his training to become the leader he became? What are the Torah’s guidelines for leaders and people of influence. In this podcast we examine the Torah’s retelling of the protracted […]

Vayechi – Anti-Oxidance

January 05, 2023 05:23 - 1 hour - 35.4 MB

Immediately prior to his passing, Jacob gathered his sons with the intention of revealing to them what will happen at the end of days. With his 12 sons coalesced around him, Jacob was forced to pivot: the Almighty withdrew His Shechinah from him, and he was no longer able to be able to convey to […]

Vayechi – The Five Stages of Transformation (5781)

January 03, 2023 05:42 - 39 minutes - 18 MB

The Book of Genesis is replete with interesting stories. We follow the narrative about Adam and Noah and their families, Abraham and his odyssey and trials, Isaac and his family’s challenges and triumphs, and of course Jacob and Joseph and their stories capture our imagination and curiosity. “Torah” means instruction. As part of the Torah, […]

Vayigash – Definition of Life

December 29, 2022 05:03 - 1 hour - 29 MB

Jacob relocates in our Parsha. Leaving Canaan once again, Jacob gathers his family and the possessions that he had acquired in Canaan and descends to Egypt to reunite with Joseph. In this Parsha Podcast we discover an unusual curiosity about Jacob’s dealings with his brother Esau. Over the course of their lifetimes, they made two […]

Vayigash – Fruitful Famine (5781)

December 27, 2022 05:05 - 38 minutes - 17.4 MB

In Parshas Vayigash, the Joseph trilogy comes to a close. The saga that began when Joseph was 17 ends when Jacob is reunited with his favorite son, now viceroy of Egypt. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we offer three interesting observations: On Yocheved’s border-crossing birth, on Jacob’s second bargain with Esau, and […]

Mikeitz – Growing Pains & Paining Grows

December 22, 2022 05:27 - 1 hour - 29.1 MB

Joseph took a very unusual path to primacy: his brothers thought he was a good for nothing, and sold him as a slave. He was sold to Egypt, accused of a crime he did not commit, and thrown into prison for years. In a flash, he was elevated from prison and appointed as viceroy of […]

Mikeitz – Talent Evaluation (5781)

December 20, 2022 04:36 - 46 minutes - 21.1 MB

Joseph is one of the most impressive figures in Jewish history. His accomplishments are vast: His holiness under spiritually treacherous conditions are legendary, his faith in God remained unwavering, he is the paragon of seeing God’s Handiwork in the bad deeds of others. His accomplishments extend beyond the spiritual: At the age of 30 he […]

Vayeishev – If You Hear Something, Do Something

December 15, 2022 05:08 - 1 hour - 32 MB

One of the most shocking events in the whole Torah occurs in our Parsha: Joseph’s brothers sell him as a slave to a caravan of traveling Ishmaelites. Two of his brothers helped ensure that he wasn’t killed. Reuben argued that he should be cast into a pit and not to slaughtered outright, and Judah urged […]

Vayeishev – The Holy Hologram (5781)

December 13, 2022 04:27 - 50 minutes - 23.2 MB

Joseph is one of the greatest heroes of Jewish history. His greatest deed was when he resisted temptation and rebuffed the seductions of his master, Potiphar’s, wife. Our Sages tell us that thanks to this valorous deed, Joseph became the viceroy of Egypt and merited to sustain the entire world! The Midrash tells us that […]

Parshas Vayeishev (Rebroadcast)

December 11, 2022 04:01 - 1 hour - 30.2 MB

Parshas 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 – Forefathers and Fouruncles

December 08, 2022 05:19 - 1 hour - 30.3 MB

The story of the Forefathers is well known. The Fouruncles, less so. Intertwined in the story of our nation’s progenitors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Genesis, is the story of our nation’s uncles, namely Lot, Ishmael, Laban, and Esau. These Fouruncles capture a large share of the narrative of Genesis. Why does the Torah expend […]

Vayishlach – Unrequited Love (5781)

December 06, 2022 05:38 - 55 minutes - 25.3 MB

This a unique edition of The Parsha Podcast that you dont want to miss. Instead of the usual one big idea that we typically cover in a Parsha podcast, in this version there are FIVE groundbreaking insights that can change your life. We learn about a remarkable staff and its powers, about the pliability of […]

Parshas Vayishlach (Rebroadcast)

December 04, 2022 05:34 - 1 hour - 27.9 MB

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 journey back home was a lot more tumultuous and chaotic than anticipated. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Vayeitzei – Holy Sheeple

December 01, 2022 05:44 - 1 hour - 29.4 MB

A large section of our Parsha contains intricate descriptions of Jacob as a shepherd. Initially, he worked for Laban as a shepherd for 7 years for the rights to marry Laban’s younger daughter Rachel. When the 7 years concluded, Laban swindled him, giving Leah instead, only ceding Rachel after Jacob agreed to work as a […]

Vayeitzei – Laban’s Potion (5781)

November 29, 2022 05:17 - 41 minutes - 18.9 MB

As the father of all four of Jacob’s wives, Laban is in effect the father in law of the Jewish people. If we examine Laban’s story, he seems to have both qualities and shortcomings. He is constantly invoking God, he seems to be gracious and hospitable. But he also had a dark side. He is greedy […]

Parshas Vayeitzei (Rebroadcast)

November 27, 2022 05:15 - 1 hour - 28.9 MB

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 marries multiple wives and fathers 12 children. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Toldos – Twin Powers

November 24, 2022 05:44 - 59 minutes - 27.3 MB

Our Parsha features two very different twins. After decades of infertility, Isaac and Rebecca are blessed with twins, identical twins the Sages emphasize, who could not be more different: Jacob dwelled in the tents of Torah, eventually becoming the third and final Patriarch of our nation, and Esav was a man of the field, a trapper, a […]

Toldos – Esav’s Fatal Flaw (5781)

November 22, 2022 06:30 - 38 minutes - 17.5 MB

Jacob’s twin brother Esav is one of the worst villains in Jewish history. He seems to be an unending litany of bad character. Our parsha ends with Esav dead set on committing fratricide by actually murdering his own brother. Esav is just one bad apple. But is it possible that things could have ended up […]

Parshas Toldos (Rebroadcast)

November 20, 2022 06:52 - 1 hour - 30.5 MB

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 Rebecca and prefers to dwell in the tents of scholarship. These two children will spawn nations and ideals that diverged from each other even before […]

Chayei Sarah – Eulogizing A Giant

November 17, 2022 17:54 - 46 minutes - 21.3 MB

This Parsha Podcast is dedicated in loving memory and leilui nishmas my dear friend and study partner David Gedaliah ben Efraim, Dr. David Genecov obm. Dr. Genecov was a dear personal friend, a weekly study partner of mine, a stalwart supporter of TORCH, and a dedicated listener of the Parsha Podcast and all the other […]

Chayei Sarah – Portal to Paradise (5781)

November 15, 2022 04:59 - 39 minutes - 18.3 MB

The Torah dedicates an unusually large amount of verses in the beginning of this week’s parsha to describe a real estate transaction between Abraham and a gentleman named Ephron. Sarah has passed and Abraham seeks to buy Ephron’s cave to inter her in. Initially, Ephron acts with supposed generosity and offers it to Abraham for […]

Parshas Chayei Sara (Rebroadcast)

November 13, 2022 05:57 - 56 minutes - 25.8 MB

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 afterward Abraham had to procure a burial spot for her. In addition, Abraham sent his trusted confidante, Eliezer, to his hometown to find a spouse for Isaac. – – – – […]

Vayeira – The Struggle Is Real

November 10, 2022 05:53 - 57 minutes - 26.4 MB

How do we respond when we are faced with challenges? What are we supposed to think when the path before us seems unsteady and laden with dangers? Our Parsha contains some of the most memorable and iconic stories of the whole Torah. It begins with the single greatest documented episode of hospitality, and it ends […]

Vayeira – Abraham’s Three Protégés (5781)

November 08, 2022 06:01 - 44 minutes - 20.2 MB

Abraham was the most influential person in human history. He changed the tides of history, he popularized Monotheism in the world, he is the father of many nations, and fittingly his story is told at considerable length in the Torah. In this very special edition of the Parsha Podcast we study his relationship and interactions […]

Parshas Vayeira (Rebroadcast)

November 06, 2022 01:58 - 1 hour - 30.8 MB

This week’s parsha features several iconic episodes: Abraham was visited by God as he was recuperating from his circumcision, and concurrently engaged in superlative kindness with three angels masquerading as pagan travelers; Abraham was informed that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were about to be destroyed and was unsuccessful in interceding on their behalf; […]

Lech Lecha – A Lot of Testing

November 03, 2022 05:55 - 58 minutes - 26.8 MB

Abraham was the most consequential human in all of history. He began the process of fixing the world and humanity. Amid a cesspool of idolatry, Abraham emerged as a beacon of faith. When the entire world had forgotten about its Creator, Abraham restored faith in God to the world. Our Parsha follows Abraham in his […]

Lech Lecha – Go West, Young Man (5781)

November 01, 2022 05:06 - 50 minutes - 23.2 MB

Abraham is the Torah’s first protagonist. The entirety of this parsha and the subsequent one are following the forefather of our nation. Why does the Torah spend so much time telling the story of this ancient figure? In this life-changing episode, we study Abraham’s odyssey to find the precise guidelines to fulfill our latent potential. […]

Parshas Lech Lecha (Rebroadcast)

October 30, 2022 04:18 - 1 hour - 28.4 MB

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 numerous as the dust of the earth and the stars of the heaven, a son Ishmael is born, and he is commanded to circumcise his foreskin […]

Noach – The Flood and The Fish

October 27, 2022 05:08 - 1 hour - 28.4 MB

Please take the short one-question Parsha Podcast Survey https://forms.gle/LkCDUJhCYCnnYasS6 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The Flood was a disaster for all the Earth’s inhabitants, humans and animals alike. With the exception of Noah and his family and the […]

Noach – Spiritual Adaptation (5781)

October 25, 2022 05:01 - 45 minutes - 20.8 MB

Noah is arguably the most enigmatic figure in the Torah. The Torah is lavish in his praise: He was a prophet who found favor in Hashem’s eyes and selected to survive the Flood and repopulate the world afterwards. Noach is also the only person that the Torah characterized as a Tzadik. Yet Rashi and the […]

Parshas Noach (Rebroadcast)

October 23, 2022 05:04 - 56 minutes - 26.1 MB

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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making […]

Bereishis – Cain’s Discovery

October 20, 2022 21:38 - 49 minutes - 22.8 MB

Welcome to Year Seven (!) of The Parsha Podcast. Each week will feature, with the help of the Almighty, three episodes, two ones from previous years and a new one: On Sunday, the Parsha Rebroadcast that covers the whole Parsha in about an hour will be released. On Tuesday, we will release the episode from […]

Bereishis – You are Adam (5781)

October 19, 2022 16:04 - 43 minutes - 19.7 MB

As we begin year 7 of the Parsha Podcast, we are excited and overjoyed to share the plan for this year, with the help of the Almighty: each Sunday, we will release the rebroadcast episode that covers the entire Parsha in about an hour. On Tuesday, we will re-release the corresponding episode from the 5th […]

Parshas Bereishis (Rebroadcast)

October 16, 2022 06:11 - 1 hour - 33.2 MB

With praise and appreciation to the Almighty, we begin year 7 of the Parsha Podcast. This year, we will reupload the Parsha Rebroadcast episode which covers the entire Parsha each Sunday, re-release the 5th cycles episode from 5781 each Tuesday, and we will, please God, record and release a new weekly episode each Thursday. Thank […]

Vezos Haberacha – An Offer You Can Refuse

October 14, 2022 21:25 - 48 minutes - 22 MB

The final Parsha of the Torah contains the blessing of Moshe to the nation, his death, burial, and eulogy. Rashi tells us that his blessing began with a recounting of the offer of the Torah to the Nations and to Israel. Before the Sinai Revelation, God offered the Torah to every other Nation, and they […]

Parshas Vezos Haberacha (Rebroadcast)

October 09, 2022 05:51 - 51 minutes - 23.5 MB

The final parsha of the Torah details the blessings that Moshe conveyed to the tribes of Israel immediately prior to his passing, and the Torah ends with the description of the death, burial, and eulogy of Moshe. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Haazinu – Torrential Torah

October 06, 2022 18:00 - 47 minutes - 21.5 MB

The Song of Haazinu, the third of three Songs on the Torah, tells the story of the Jewish people, past, present, and future. It speaks of high points and nadirs, this world and the next, devastation and reclamation. In this podcast we examined the Song’s beginning. Moshe compares his words and his speech to rain, […]

Parshas Haazinu (Rebroadcast)

October 06, 2022 03:22 - 58 minutes - 26.7 MB

Still in the final day of Moshe’s life, he conveys to the nation a 43-verse Song predicting the contours of Jewish history, both past, present, and future. The patterns are familiar to the readers of Deuteronomy and even casual observers and students of Jewish history: The nation is recipients of tremendous divine goodness, yet they […]

Vayeilech – Career Capstone

September 30, 2022 05:14 - 49 minutes - 22.8 MB

On the last day of Moshe’s life, he accomplished a lot. He wrote 13 copies of the Torah, one per tribe and one to be permanently stationed in or near the Ark, he spoke words of comfort to the people, and he formally passed the baton of leadership of the nation to his disciple and […]

Parshas Vayeilech (Rebroadcast)

September 28, 2022 02:24 - 50 minutes - 23.2 MB

Moshe is 120 years old to the day. He was born on the seventh of Adar and now it is the seven of Adar 120 years later. Today is his last day before his passing and he is taking leave from the nation and handing over the reins to Joshua. – – – – – […]

The Rosh Hashana Torah Reading – Day Two (Rebroadcast)

September 25, 2022 14:57 - 54 minutes - 25 MB

On the second day of Rosh Hashana, we read the Torah section of Genesis chapter 22 that tells the very famous and quite troubling episode of the Binding of Isaac. Abraham – the same Abraham who railed against the ways of child sacrifice of the pagans – is instructed by God to take Isaac – the same Isaac […]

The Rosh Hashana Torah Reading – Day One (Rebroadcast)

September 25, 2022 02:55 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MB

The Torah readings for the two days of Rosh Hashana were not arbitrarily chosen. There are very good reasons why on the first day of Rosh Hashana we read Genesis chapter 21, which tells of the conception and birth of Isaac, and the banishment of Ishmael, his brush with death, and his salvation. In this […]

Nitzavim – The Penitent Manifesto

September 21, 2022 20:56 - 1 hour - 29.5 MB

Repentance is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind. When we blunder; when we err; when we create distance and barriers between us and God, we are afforded the ability to rectify and restore our previous pristine state. But repentance, at first glance, seems nightmarishly hard. To change demands an admission that we are flawed; […]

Parshas Nitzavim (Rebroadcast)

September 18, 2022 02:22 - 52 minutes - 23.9 MB

On the final day of Moshe’s life, he gathered the entire nation – men, women, children, and according to the Talmud, all souls of future Jews – to pass them through a final covenant with God. The parsha also contains the prophetic predictions of the Messianic times, and it ends with a simple, binary choice: […]

Ki Savo – Clinging to Gold

September 14, 2022 00:34 - 55 minutes - 25.3 MB

On the surface, Bikkurim appears to be an ordinary, tithe-like Mitzvah. When the first fruits of a season’s crop begin to sprout, you designate them as Bikkurim, and eventually bring them to Jerusalem with much pomp and ceremony. Upon closer examination, this mitzvah is associated with all kinds of surprising people: When we bring the […]

Parshas Ki Savo (Rebroadcast)

September 11, 2022 03:17 - 55 minutes - 25.4 MB

As the Book of Deuteronomy draws to its conclusion, the narrative makes a transition: Moshe finishes conveying the mitzvos to the nation, and sets up his final parting message to the people. First, he commands the nation to perform several elaborate ceremonies on the very first day that they cross the Jordan River; then he […]

The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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