This Jewish Life

Shiurim

• Accepting the Torah: Ruth, Sinai, and the Heart of Shavuos

  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

• Tikkun Olam or what it means to be Jewish

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Tikkun Olam, fixing the world, has been the rallying cry of the Jewish national mission for millenia. We live in a flawed and broken world and our people were entrusted with the sacrosanct and vital responsibility of fixing it. In this pres

• The Novelty Principle

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What is the secret to novelty? How can we inject a feeling of newness and freshness into our life, our relationships, and our Torah? In this podcast we combine a series of Talmudic teachings to outline a path to living with newness in every

• Yom Kippur: A Path to Internal Renaissance

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Yom Kippur is a day unlike any other. Every other day of the year our spiritual growth is limited to small steps; like climbing a ladder – we cannot skip any rungs. Yom Kippur is a spiritual cornucopia – 24 hours to make meteoric spiritual

• Maximizing Yom Kippur

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Yom Kippur is associated with prayer and liturgy that we may not understand, very long services and, of course, fasting. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the power, meaning and opportunity of the day. In this podcast we go back to

• The Nuanced Judgment of Rosh Hashana

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rush Hashanah is a day of judgment. On this day, God sits, as it were, on His Throne of Judgment. The intensity and scrutiny of divine judgment is unfathomable. Even the angels quake and quiver with trepidation. For some, the results of the

• A Traditional Jewish Response to Higher Bible Criticism Part 2

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We continue in our efforts to expose the fallacies of the claims of the Bible Critics. It indeed is preposterous to be intellectually honest and well informed on the issues and believe that their conclusions hold water. Part One: http://rab

• A Biographical Sketch and A Character Analysis of Jacob and his Wives

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Jacob is termed in Jewish literature as the “choicest of the forefathers”. What were his defining character traits? What were the dominant episodes and themes of his life? What does his journey teach us about Jewish history? We answer these

• Did David Sin?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  How do we understand Biblical stories that seem to indicate that great men made grave mistakes? In this Q&A episode, Rabbi Wolbe discusses the story of Cain and Ebel, Reuben and Bilhah, David and Bathsheba and more.

• Shavuot: A Primer

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Shavuot is described as “The time of the giving of our Torah” in the Festival liturgy; in the Torah and the Talmud, four other names are attributed to the holiday that falls out on the 6th of Sivan. What are the five names of the Festival a

• Men of the Great Assembly: How a Group of Great Visionaries Built a Thriving Judaism out of the Ashes of a Broken Nation

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  It is probably impossible for us to truly recognize the enormity of the existential challenges confronting the Jewish people during the beginning of the Second Commonwealth, circa 350 BCE. The nation was still reeling from the trauma of the

• What God Actually Wants

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Torah is God’s revelation and directives to mankind. In it, He commands, instructs, and guides us in how to behave and what to do in our lives. But what does God really want from us? What’s the bottom line? In an intriguing and provocat

• National Revelation: An experience unlike any other

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The answer to the most important question of all: How do we know we are right? Religions are mutually exclusive; The Jews, Christians and Moslems cannot all be right. It’s a zero sum game: If we are right, they all must be wrong! As Jews, w

• The History Of Jewish Central Authority and the Sacred Mission to Transmit the Torah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The tool used by the Jewish people to fulfill their vital mission of Tikkun Olam is the Almighty’s holy Torah. The Torah alone enables us to be successful at the responsibility that only we can and must achieve. This is why preserving and a

• Elul: Month of Personal Reinvention

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We are on the doorstep of the month of mercy, the month that precedes the high holidays, the month of Elul. The high holidays are very significant and auspicious days, and it is imperative that we prepare for them. How ought we prepare? Wha

• A Biographical Sketch and A Character Analysis of Abraham and Sarah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Abraham and Sarah are the biological, theological and ideological forebears of our nation. The story of their lives and accomplishments is the story of the Jewish people and, more broadly, the story of human progress and morality throughout

• God’s Kingdom: The Core Elements of Rosh Hashana

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rosh Hashana means the beginning of the year. This day was selected because it is the anniversary of the creation of Adam. The day is also called the day of judgement because all people are judged on this day as well. What is the connection

• Envy and Faith

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Jewish law makes a strange distinction regarding the prohibition of envy: Envy of someone else’s physical, material and intellectual gifts and successes is prohibited, while envy of another’s spiritual achievements are permitted and encoura

• The King’s Way

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The sorcerer/prophet of the nations, Balaam, sought to curse the Israelites, but his attempts were thwarted. The Talmud reveals some very interesting elements of his botched effort. Had he succeeded in cursing the nation, there would have b

• Why God Told Abraham to Slaughter Isaac

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Abraham is presented in different lights throughout Jewish literature. Traditionally, he is the founder of monotheism and the father of the religions that espouse it. The Torah presents him not as a figure of faith but as a paragon of kindn

• Rosh Hashana: A Primer

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rosh Hashana is both the day of judgement on our deeds of the previous year and the day of new hopes and new beginnings for the year to come. The responsibilities – and the opportunities – of the day are so significant that we must be ready

• Tackling Temptation: How to Unleash your Willpower, Unbind your Inhibitors and Unlock your Potential

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  “I created a yetzer ra (evil inclination) and I created the Torah as an antidote” – (Talmud Kiddushin 30b) The essence of man is his capacity for free will; to make moral decisions; to favor his mind and intellect or to favor his bodily ins

• Are You Allowed to kill someone on Shabbos to prevent him from committing an nonconsensual illicit activity?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Are You Allowed to kill someone on Shabbos to prevent him from committing an nonconsensual illicit activity? by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Purim: A Primer

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The festival of Purim commemorates the story of salvation that our nation experienced in Persia more than two thousand years ago. Haman the heir of Amaleik schemed a plot to eradicate the entire Jewish people in one randomly selected day, t

• A Biographical Sketch and A Character Analysis of Isaac and Rebecca

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Torah is scant on details regarding the lives of Isaac and Rebecca. Their story does not include a great many anecdotes of their challenges nor does it highlight their accomplishments and greatness. To the contrary, the Torah seems to h

• Q&A: Who Gets Into Heaven?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Q&A: Who Gets Into Heaven? by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Q&A: Why do other Religions preach to abide by the Ten Commandments when it’s origins lie in Judaism?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Q&A: Why do other Religions preach to abide by the Ten Commandments when it’s origins lie in Judaism? by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• The Core of Greatness

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this podcast we reveal the secret key to unlocking the transformational power of Torah. What is the one critical quality needed to ensure that we achieve greatness? This Torah talk is dedicated in the merit of the pure Neshama of שלמה ע”

• 31 Sins of the Tongue: The Critical Importance of Guarding one’s Mouth from Evil Talk

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to 31 Sins of the Tongue: The Critical Importance of Guarding one’s Mouth from Evil Talk by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• The 13 Core Beliefs of Judaism

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Jewish Philosophy enumerates 13 principle beliefs that all Jews must believe in order to be a Jew. BBM – 2015

• Chessed (Kindness): The catalyst for greatness

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Chessed (Kindness): The catalyst for greatness by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Living a Torah Life (Alei Shur Introduction to The First Gate)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Torah is not supposed to be a detached, academic study. The Almighty gave us a Torah as the authoritative guide for living the most elevated and rich life possible. The Creator of all of created existence endowed humanity with with the guid

• The Three Loves & A Guaranteed Formula To Love And Happiness

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What if there was a repeatable and formulaic method to achieving happiness? What if there was a systematic step-by-step instruction manual to acquiring, sustaining and deepening our relationships? Indeed, the manual for living – the Torah –

• The Core Theme of Rosh Hashana

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of the creation of man. It is also the Day of Judgement. What are the various elements and themes of the day and how do they interrelate? – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a d

• Moses and Rabbi Akiva on Suffering and Tragedy

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The experience of pain and suffering is ubiquitous across all spectrum of human life. All of us, in some capacity, experience difficulties and challenges. Any measure of human suffering creates a dilemma for believers in a just God: How can

• The Torah as a Divine Document: An Analysis of Higher Bible Criticism and why the Authorship of the Torah Matters

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  This is the first lecture that revolves around the question of who wrote the Torah and how can we prove our conclusions. In the first session we clarify what the traditional belief is regarding the authorship of the Written and Oral Torah a

• Ten Days of Repentance: A Primer

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Yom Kippur marks the final day of the Ten Days of Repentance. On this day all our efforts are focused on repenting and earning atonement for all our sins and getting sealed into the Book of Life for the upcoming year. In this podcast we ana

• The Sukkah and The Lulav

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The two mitzvos of the Festival of Sukkos (Sukkot) are the shaking of the Lulav and the Four Species and the dwelling in the Sukkah. What is the deeper meaning behind these mitzvos? In this special pre-Festival episode, we examine the two m

• Is Judaism still Relevant?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabbi Wolbe outlines the three reasons why Judaism is exceedingly important.

• Great Visionaries: How Moses and Abraham Inspired Generations of Great Jewish Leaders

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Great Visionaries: How Moses and Abraham Inspired Generations of Great Jewish Leaders by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Biblical Longevity

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We all want to live long. But how long is a long life? Centenarians are still rare. Global life expectancy is around 70 years old. In healthier, richer countries, maybe 80. But when you open up Scripture, you find ages an order of magnitude

• Vanquishing the Villain Part 3: The Shema and The Powers of Contemplation of Death

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We are told by our Sages that reciting the Shema and contemplating our own demise are powerful tools to defeat the powers of the Yetzer ra. How does this all work? Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaak

• Man, Judaism and the Pursuit of Pleasure Part 5

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In the finale of the series we seek the greatest pleasure of them all.

• Tackling Temptation: Can we possibly succeed against life’s most formidable foe?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this class Rabbi Wolbe sets out to demystify and unlock the secrets of one of mankind’s greatest challenges and struggles: temptation. Culling from an array of ancient Judaic texts we will begin with defining, demarcating and delineating

• The Secret of the Haggadah with Rabbi Shmuly Botnick

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Pesach Haggadah guides us through the Seder night and the story of the Exodus. But as is always true in our religion, there are secrets and mysteries lurking beneath the surface. To plumb the esoteric depths of the Haggadah we invited b

• Lag BaOmer and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Lag BaOmer is the day that marks the Yahrtzeit/Hillula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the great Sages of the Mishnaic Era. In celebration and recognition of Rabbi Shimon’s accomplishments and stature, the custom is to make it a mini-hol

• Wrestling with Innate, Unchangeable flaws: The Keturah Method

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our character traits fall into three categories: The ones that are easily changeable with minimal effort. The ones that can be changed, but it requires much more intense and concerted effort because they are much more deeply rooted. The cha

• Why Jews Reject JC

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Listen to Why Jews Reject JC by Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe, from This Jewish Life.

• Purim Roundtable with the TORCH Podcasters

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In preparation for the upcoming festival of Purim, my colleagues and I gathered together for a roundtable discussion about the power and meaning of the day. It is a joyous day of celebration and revelry, but when we examine it deeply, we di

• Business Competition and Disclosures in Halacha

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this podcast we explore several contemporary halachic dilemmas relation to business competition and disclosures. What are the parameters of opening a business establishment in an area or industry that will cripple or eliminate competitor

• Conquering the Endgame: How Torah Study Engenders Character Change and Transformation

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 8

• JC in the Talmud: Examining the Censored Text

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Unlike what most imagine, the Sages of the Talmud wrote very little regarding Christianity and JC. The little that was included was censored by the Christian authorities in the Middle Ages. Thankfully, copies of those parts of the Talmud re

• 6000 Years, 3 Epochs, 3 Forefathers, 3 Temples and One Eternal Nation: The Talmudic Perspective on World and Jewish History

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  תנא דבי אליהו ששת אלפים שנה הוי עלמא שני אלפים תוהו שני אלפים תורה שני אלפים ימות המשיח (סנהדרין דף צז.) “They taught in the Academy of Elijah: Six thousand years is the world; two thousand chaos, two thousand Torah, two thousand years Mess

• Who was Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and why does Lag Ba’Omer matter?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Lag BaOmer is the day that marks the Yahrtzeit/Hillula of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the great Sages of the Mishnaic Era. In celebration and recognition of Rabbi Shimon’s accomplishments and stature, the custom is to make it a mini-hol

• The Profound Mystery of Cheshvan with Rabbi Shmuly Botnick

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabbi Shmuly Botnick returns to the podcast with his most mind-bending and dynamic contribution hitherto. In this exhilarating roller-coaster of a podcast, Rabbi Botnick weaves the generation of Enosh, the Flood, the placement of Moshe into

• The Secret of the Month of Cheshvan with Rabbi Shmuly Botnick

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Each of the twelve months in the Jewish calendar contain a unique spiritual energy and power. The power of each month, encapsulated in a zodiac sign, is often represented in the holidays, festivals, and noteworthy days of said month. The mo

• Dating, Courtship, and Spousal Selection: A Comprehensive Torah Attitude

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Chapter 24 of Genesis contains a comprehensive narrative of the courtship and marriage of Isaac and Rebecca. Traditionally, this chapter served as the comprehensive guide of the Torah’s attitude of how to select a suitable spouse. In this p

• Mysteries of the Torah Scroll

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The festival of Shavuos marks the anniversary of the most momentous and consequential event in all of human history: the Sinai Revelation. A mere 50 days after the Exodus, the nation coalesced around the mountain and witnessed when no other

• How to Build the Third Temple

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Temple is a central component of our religion. Ever since it was destroyed by the Romans, our nation has been operating in a suboptimal fashion. Certainly, we have prayers to match the sacrifices of God, and our Torah Academy halls, the

• Elul: Making the Most out of these Favorable Days

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Elul is the name of the month that precedes Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe. The 40 days spanning from the first of Elul until Yom Kippur are the most spiritually auspicious days of the year; during this period we can re-imagine who we ar