The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe
590 episodes - English - Latest episode: 22 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].
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Tetzaveh – The Choshen People
March 02, 2023 05:29 - 53 minutes - 24.4 MBThe High Priest was bedecked with garments of royalty. Our Parsha details the 8 special garments (vestments) of Splendor and Glory that the Kohen Gadol wore, and the Talmud delineates the various forms of atonement that each garment bestowed upon the nation. In this podcast we focus on the Breastplate, the Choshen, and assembling the various […]
Tetzaveh – The Great Collaboration (5781)
February 28, 2023 05:55 - 35 minutes - 16.1 MBBesides being brothers, Moshe and Aaron were both leaders of the Jewish people: Moshe was the king and Aaron was the high priest. These brothers had different, but complimentary, skills and characteristics, that were each independently necessary for the nation. In this special edition of The Parsha Podcast, we do a very deep dive into […]
Parshas Tetzaveh (Rebroadcast)
February 26, 2023 05:48 - 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 – Etched in Stone
February 23, 2023 05:32 - 58 minutes - 26.7 MBPlease support the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation is DOUBLED. Our organization, TORCH, runs one annual fundraiser, and it is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. We need your support – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Of the various materials […]
Terumah – 3 Points Behind the Ark (5781) + TORCH Fundraiser Week!
February 21, 2023 05:04 - 37 minutes - 17.3 MBPlease support the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation is DOUBLED. Our organization, TORCH, runs one annual fundraiser, and it is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. We need your support – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – In the epicenter of […]
Terumah – 3 Points Behind the Ark (5781)
February 21, 2023 05:04 - 38 minutes - 17.4 MBIn the epicenter of the Tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, was the Ark of the Covenant. This golden vessel was the receptacle of the Tablets, both the First Tablets which Moshe shattered at the foot of Mount Sinai in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf, and the Second Tablets which endured. […]
Parshas Terumah (Rebroadcast) + Annual TORCH Appeal
February 19, 2023 05:35 - 54 minutes - 24.9 MBPlease support the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation is DOUBLED. Our organization, TORCH, runs one annual fundraiser, and it is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. We need your support – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – One of the fundamental […]
Parshas Terumah (Rebroadcast)
February 19, 2023 05:35 - 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 – System of Sinai + Annual TORCH Appeal @ giveTORCH.org
February 16, 2023 05:39 - 55 minutes - 25.4 MBPlease support the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation is DOUBLED. Our organization, TORCH, runs one annual fundraiser, and it is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. We need your support – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The Parsha that follows […]
Mishpatim – System of Sinai
February 16, 2023 05:39 - 49 minutes - 22.7 MBThe Parsha that follows the Revelation at Sinai contains an apparently motley potpourri of subjects: it begins with a wide variety of mitzvos of all types, presented in rapid fire succession. The Parsha concludes with two apparently unrelated subjects: it foretells of the conquest of Canaan and the conditions by which we will acquire it, […]
The Secret of Parshas Shekalim With Rabbi Shmuly Botnick
February 14, 2023 19:04 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBPlease support the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation is DOUBLED. Our organization, TORCH, runs one annual fundraiser, and it is happening right now at giveTORCH.org. We need your support – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – This week […]
Mishpatim – Crowning Achievement (5781) + TORCH Fundraiser at giveTORCH.org
February 14, 2023 05:24 - 48 minutes - 22.1 MBPlease support the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org by clicking HERE Please support The Parsha Podcast at giveTORCH.org by clicking HERE Every donation is DOUBLED This is our only annual fundraiser and we need your support! giveTORCH.org Please support the Parsha Podcast in 2023! – – – – – – – – – – – […]
Mishpatim – Crowning Achievement (5781)
February 14, 2023 05:24 - 48 minutes - 22.1 MBThe end of our Parsha revisits the Sinai Revelation of Parsha Yisro and recounts some of the preparations for the Ten Commandments. In the negotiations and deliberations in the runup to Sinai, the Nation declares that they will do and they will listen to all the commandments. This statement, we will do and we will […]
Parshas Mishpatim (Rebroadcast)
February 12, 2023 16:02 - 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 […]
Parshas Mishpatim (Rebroadcast) + Annual TORCH Fundraiser at giveTORCH.org
February 12, 2023 16:02 - 1 hour - 32 MBPlease support the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org by clicking HERE Please support The Parsha Podcast at giveTORCH.org by clicking HERE Every donation is DOUBLED This is our only annual fundraiser and we need your support! giveTORCH.org Please support the Parsha Podcast in 2023! – – – – – – – – – – – […]
Yisro – Sinai Sales Pitch
February 09, 2023 05:02 - 50 minutes - 23.3 MBOur Parsha contains the most significant event in all of human history: the Revelation at Sinai. An entire nation comprised of millions of people heard the Almighty directly. The nation heard the Ten Commandments and lived to tell the tale. This momentous event kick started our nation: thenceforth, we are bound by the laws of […]
Yisro – Jethro’s Epiphany (5781)
February 07, 2023 05:29 - 39 minutes - 17.9 MBThe protagonist of our parsha, Jethro, underwent a long and fruitful spiritual journey. When the journey began, Jethro was a idolater who worshipped every pagan deity in the world. At its conclusion, Jethro was give great distinction as a believer in God and a purveyor of His Torah. What went into that transformation? What is […]
Parshas Yisro (Rebroadcast)
February 05, 2023 05:24 - 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 – First Mover Advantage
February 02, 2023 05:38 - 53 minutes - 24.7 MBAfter the Exodus, the Jewish people left Egypt, with no plans to return. But the Egyptians followed them in hot pursuit, and seven days later the nation was surrounded, encircled by their enemies, with their backs against the sea. God gave the command: Go. The Talmud tells us that there was one man who leapt […]
Beshalach – Bread of Angels (5781)
January 31, 2023 05:11 - 33 minutes - 15.5 MBParshas Beshalach is arguable the most action-packed Parsha in the Torah. It starts with the Jews hightailing out of Egypt – only to have Pharaoh follow in hot pursuit, and it ends with the nation’s first war. In between these two bookends, there are all kinds of interesting things that happen. In this special podcast […]
Bo – The Bloods and The Crisp
January 26, 2023 05:31 - 1 hour - 30.9 MBThe dramatic events of the Exodus reach a crescendo with the nation’s Exodus from Egypt. After 210 years of servitude and subjugation, the Almighty people leave Egypt with great miracles and fanfare. A very specific set of things had to happen to enable this redemption. Immediately prior to the Exodus, the nation circumcised en masse […]
Bo – The Ember of Abraham (5781)
January 24, 2023 05:54 - 40 minutes - 18.7 MBThe 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 MBPrior 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 MBThe 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 MBThe 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 MBMoses 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 MBImmediately 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 MBThe 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 MBJacob 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 MBIn 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 MBJoseph 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 MBJoseph 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 MBOne 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 MBJoseph 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 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 – Forefathers and Fouruncles
December 08, 2022 05:19 - 1 hour - 30.3 MBThe 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 MBThis 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 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 – Holy Sheeple
December 01, 2022 05:44 - 1 hour - 29.4 MBA 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 MBAs 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 MBParshas 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 MBOur 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 MBJacob’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 MBIn 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 MBThis 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 MBThe 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 MBSome 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 MBHow 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 MBAbraham 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 MBThis 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; […]