This Jewish Life

Shiurim

• The Dangers of Discord, Division and Disunity

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Disagreements and arguments are a fixture of human interactions; but they needn’t result in division and strife. In this podcast we learn the secret of how to engage in argumentation the right way. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

• Constructive Criticism: How to Effectuate Change with Rebuke (A Tisha B’Av Lesson)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Besides being a critical mitzvah, to rebuke or criticize someone who is acting improperly is a vital skill that every leader (boss, parent) needs to know how to wield effectively. Our sages tell us that there are two ways to criticize, one

• The Shabbat Gift

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The laws of Shabbat are vast and seemingly draconian. A study of its laws reveal a comprehensive governance of every aspect of our lives on Shabbat. The Talmud even declares that greetings one’s fellow on Shabbat is “barely permitted.” To a

• Mussar and the anatomy of change

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Human all have a collection of positive and negative character traits. Judaism teaches us that we must perfect our character and acquire all the good characteristics and rid ourselves of our negative character maladies. But religiosity is n

• Ungracious Hosts: The Story of Greek and Roman Oppression of Jews (323 BCE – 66 CE)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  At the beginning of the Second Commonwealth Era the Jews were introduced to a reality that they were previously unexposed to; namely living in Israel under foreign rule. With relatively minor exceptions such as the successful Macabbean revo

• The Themes, Meanings, Liturgies and Rituals of Yom Kippur

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to The Themes, Meanings, Liturgies and Rituals of Yom Kippur by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Shavuos Snippets

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabbi Wolbe explains why Jews have traditionally stayed up the entire night of Shavuos studying.

• Understanding the Jewish Calendar

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Learn about the Jewish perspective in time, and how we can tap into the same spiritual entities that existed in yesteryear. This fascinating idea joins another: the coexistence of a Lunar month and a solar year in the Jewish calendar. Lastl

• The Seven Wonders of Repentance

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rosh Hashana kickstarts the Ten Days of Repentance which culminates in Yom Kippur. This is the time to repent. But repentance is a daunting and terrifying concept. All change is frightening. In this very special edition of the podcast, we s

• Esther on an Allegorical Level

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  On Purim we read the Book of Esther, which tells the story of the Purim miracle. The Persian king Achashverosh conspires with his Amalekite viceroy Haman to eradicate the entire Jewish nation, but God refused to allow their plans to unfold.

• On Love and Relationships: Lessons from the Torah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What does the Torah have to say about love? How can we be required to love God? Why is there an additional mitzvah to love a convert? This class was given in Cypress, TX at Shalom Cypress.

• The Four Kinds

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In 8 (!) instances in the Torah we are commanded with a seemingly unachievable task of “Thou shall walk in the ways of God”. The Talmud explains that this commandment instructs us to emulate God in our own behavior and activities – “Just as

• The Meaning and Mystery of the Rosh Hashana Foods and Fruits

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  On the night of Rosh Hashana in Jewish homes the world over, a strange set of customs are observed. We take an apple, dip it into honey, and declare that we should have a sweet new year. We take a pomegranate, disgorge it’s seeds, consume t

• A Fiery Poolside BBQ-Talk Pre-Rosh Hashana 2015

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Wake Up From Your Slumber!!!

• Fringe Benefits

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Regarding seven mitzvos our Sages declare that each is equal to all the other mitzvos. They are: Rejecting idolatry; Shabbos; living in Israel; charity; circumcision; Torah study; and tzitzis. In this podcast we first address the question o

• On the Spiritual Awakening in Israel with Rabbi Eliezer and Malky Wolbe

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  When our nation experiences tragedy, we gravitate back to God. That is how we process pain and suffering. The Jewish people – especially our brothers and sisters in Israel – are exhibiting this response with resplendent nobility and strengt

• Critic’s Choice: How to Rebuke Effectively

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Besides being a critical mitzvah, to rebuke or criticize someone who is acting improperly is a vital skill that every leader (boss, parent) needs to know how to wield effectively. Our sages tell us that there are two ways to criticize, one

• Shavuos: The Time to Become Extraordinary

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Shavuos is the day that marks the most significant event in the history of humankind: A nation coalesced around Mount Sinai to temporarily catapult into a state of prophecy, to hear God say the Ten Commandments, and to live to tell the tale

• A Grandson Remembers: Reflections, Stories, and Lessons of Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  My grandfather, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, was one of the 20th Century’s most important rabbis. But unlike many of his contemporaries, he had a very unusual path to becoming the transformative Torah Sage that he became. In this very special and pe

• Shavuos Roundtable with the TORCH Podcasters

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Shavuos is the Festival that marks the day of the giving of the Torah. More than 3300 years ago, our nation coalesced around Mount Sinai and we experienced some thing that no other nation has ever experienced: the Almighty spoke to us as a

• The Mission of Transmission: Why Jews must Believe that the entire Written and Oral Torah is Divine and how that is a Reasonable and Logical

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Maimonides, in including this as the ninth of the thirteen principles of faith, makes it abundantly clear: If you do not believe that every word of the Torah is true you have no place in the Jewish people. The Talmud further clarifies (Sanh

• Why Jews Circumcise?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Why Jews Circumcise? by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• The Root Cause of Anti-Semitism and How to Solve it: The Torah’s Surprising View

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Jew hatred is not a new phenomenon. Ever since our people were founded — and truthfully even beforehand — we have been the recipients of unprecedented, enmity and hostility. Why are God’s chosen people uniquely targeted? What is the underly

• The Spiritual Edifice

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Jewish holiday calendar is not evenly distributed. Mush of our Festivals are clumped together in one month, followed by a long winter with few special days, none of them of Biblical origin. Our Sages explain that the clustering of the H

• We are Celebrating a Healthy Newborn Baby Boy

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  With deep appreciation to the Almighty for all that He has bestowed upon us, I am happy to share that Chaya and I we are blessed with a healthy baby boy this past week. Thank God, mom and the baby are doing phenomenal. On Friday night, the

• Ends Justifying Means: An Exploration of the Path of Pleasantness of the Torah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Jewish people were trapped. Only a week after they left Egypt, Pharaoh had chased them in hot pursuit, and now they had no place to go: with their backs up against the sea, and a heavily armed Egyptian army encircling them, the nation c

• Know Your Enemy: Learning the Modi Operandi of the Yetzer Ra

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Jewish sources focus extensive energies on the battle man must undertake with their Yetzer Ra (evil inclination). In several sources we learn that this battle is the crucial determinant of success or failure in this world. In this podcast w

• Rosh Hashana Roundtable with the TORCH Podcasters

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rosh Hashanah is the beginning. It is the beginning of the High Holidays. It is the beginning of the 10 days of repentance. It marks the beginning of humanity. On this day, Adam was created. Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of God’s Dominio

• Intellectual Prowess: How to mobilize your most important gift

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our intellect is our most potent of assets. It is what distinguishes us from animals and what enables us to overcome our challenges. Learn the how what and why of maximizing your intellectual power in this episode

• The Alchemy of Self-Reinvention: The process of transforming something common into something special.

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Ancient alchemists professed to turn lead into gold. For the past three millennium, the Jewish people have made an equally audacious claim: man is not beshackled by negative character; we can change, fix, perfect and purify our character tr

• Creating New Worlds with Torah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  This is the last of 11 lectures on why Jews study Torah. Part 1: http://rabbiwolbe.com/the-jewish-obsession-with-torah-study/ Part 2: http://rabbiwolbe.com/torah-study-jewish-intimacy/ Part 3: http://rabbiwolbe.com/filling-gaps-in-our-spiri

• Spiritual Opportunism: A Special Shiur for Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe’s Yahrtzeit

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  It has been 15 years since my illustrious grandfather, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, passed away, on the first day of Chol HaMoed Pesach 2005. In this special shiur to mark his yahrtzeit, we speculate the ways that he became great and take a very val

• A Journey through the Jewish Calendar in Thought and Practice Part 1

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Join Rabbi Wolbe and his trustful comrades as they attempt to unlock the wonderful meaning and insight of the Jewish calendar. This presentation will succeed in shattering the childish and simplistic understandings of the Jewish holidays th

• The Jewish Mission to Fix the World

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Abraham’s greatest contribution was his realization of the existence of the Almighty via the faculties of his own intellect and his commitment to disseminating this God Principle to the masses. Abraham chose God and God in turn chose Abraha

• Oral & Written Torah, The Talmud and Their Interrelationship

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Oral & Written Torah, The Talmud and Their Interrelationship by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• The Ten Commandments of Parenting

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  A parent who brings a child to this world has accepted upon himself/herself the responsibilities of raising that child to be a happy, healthy and stable adult. This axiomatic idiom has been an unfortunate causality of today’s society. In Am

• Rabbi Akiva Ben Yosef: A Biographical Sketch

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Rabbi Akiva Ben Yosef: A Biographical Sketch by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Innovating the Torah Nation: Why Some Changes to Jewish Life and Practice Succeed while Others Fail

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Torah, in its Oral and Written formats, has and always will be the national pastime of the Jewish nation. Traditionally, it has been the yearnings of young Jews and chief determinant of greatness of Jewish Leaders. Over the course of Jewish

• Filling Gaps in our Spiritual Avatar: How Torah Study Angelifies Humans

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 3

• TORCH Fundraiser: A Conversation with our Board President, Dan Kullman

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Please support The TORCH Podcasts and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the TORCH Podcasts and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – –

• God, Faith and Emunah Part 3

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

• Reflections on Loss, Tragedy, and Bereavement: An Interview with Esther Kaplan

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Esther Kaplan (née Wolbe), along with her husband AJ, experienced the worst nightmare parents can undergo when their adorable and perfect son Shlomo passed away only 16 weeks into his life. In this intimate and stirring conversation Esther

• Ruth, Sinai, and the Heart of Shavuos (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Sinai Revelation is the most significant event in all of human history: God revealed Himself to the entire Jewish people, He spoke to them, He gave them the Torah, and they lived. This day is revisited every single year on the festival

• The Superiority of Torah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We are incredibly fortunate to be included amongst the Jewish people. We are incredibly fortunate to be raised with a strong sense of Torah and Torah values, and a deep appreciation for the critical and indispensable mission that our nation

• Breakdown of Aggada and Halacha in Talmud and an insight into Talmudic disagreements

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  There is an important difference between the Aggadic portions of the Talmud – the ethical and philosophical sections, and the Halacha/law portions. Also, learn why the study of the Babylonian Talmud supersedes the study of the Jerusalem Tal

• 5 Paths to Perfection (Pirkei Avos 2:9)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai tasked his five students with an interesting mission. He instructed them to go and find which path should a person cling to. They went and researched and returned, each with a different formula. What exactly is th

• The Simple and Clear Reasons why Jews Reject Jesus and Christianity

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Jesus is not, and never was, the Messiah because he fulfilled none of the personal qualifications of Messiah, accomplished none of the necessary requirements of the Messiah and the Messianic Era is clearly not underway. Jesus is not, and ne

• Momentum Matters

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The hardest part of reaching space is the first moment of liftoff, getting the first inch off the ground. The second inch is still hard, but a little bit easier. The first bit of liftoff serves as momentum for the second inch. In our pursui

• Mezuzah: A Deep Dive

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The mezuzah that graces the doorposts of every Jewish home is perhaps our most recognizable mitzvah . But what exactly is a mezuzah? What is its power? How does it change the Jewish home and the Jewish experience? In This very special podca

• Kosher 101: BJC Edition

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The what, why and how of kosher in the modern era.

• Are We Truly Better Off?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Are We Truly Better Off? by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Torah Study: Jewish Intimacy

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 2

• The State of the Jewish Nation

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In response to an incredible story that happened over the weekend, we explore the state of the Jewish nation in 2018 and chart our progress towards acheiving our destiny and Tikkun Olam. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please co

• The Shema Part 2

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to The Shema Part 2 by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Testimony at Sinai

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Revelation at Sinai is the most significant event in all of human history. In an event never repeated, God spoke to a nation who heard with their ears and saw with their eyes, and survived. In this podcast, we examine the experience at

• A Lifetime A Day

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We all aspire to accomplish great things. The Almighty surely did not create us to be mediocre. We’re here to make something of ourselves; to achieve grand ambitions. What is the most effective way to accomplish that? In this very unique po

• Alei Shur Vaad: Emunah Part 3

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Alei Shur Vaad: Emunah Part 3 by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Sukkos Roundtable with the TORCH Podcasters

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In honor of the festival of Sukkot, I gathered together with some of my TORCH podcaster colleagues to chat about the festival, it’s meaning, and lessons. Each one of us got an opportunity to share an idea on the festival, and to promote our

• On the Pulse of Wartime Israel with Blake Cohen

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, the terror organization that has governed Gaza since 2007, there is a very big divide between Jews living in the land of Israel and those of us in the Diaspora. While Jews worldwide may empathize

• Why We Study Torah Part 3

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Why We Study Torah Part 3 by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.