The Ethics Podcast

Shiurim

• God’s Cherished Possessions (6:10)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  God owns everything. He created everything and owns it all. But there are some things that God cherishes above others. Our Mishnah describes five cherished possessions of God. These five are uniquely beloved by Him. They are what He “acquir

• Alcohol in Moderation (3:14)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What are we living for? How ought we allocate our time? In this striking teaching we learn the difference between the faciliatatory and things which are end goals. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – This Eternal Ethics podcast is d

• Complex Calculations (3:23)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What is the relationship between Torah and secular disciplines such as astronomy mathematics? In a pithy and cryptic teaching, Rabbi Elazar Chisma – a Sage who excelled in both – offers an insightful perspective. – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

• Super-Fusion (6:1)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What does Torah study do for a person? As an outsider, it looks like a waste of time. What benefit do you gain from studying ancient Jewish wisdom and law? We know, however, the Torah is Godly wisdom. Absorbing Torah upgrades your intellect

• Systematic Studying (6.6.47)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The penultimate way to wisdom offered by our sages instructs us to be systematic in our studies. What exactly does this mean? In this very special Ethics Podcast, we offer three different interpretations. Listen carefully if you want to giv

• Ethics Podcast Conclusion Message

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Speech at celebratory lunch at Genesis Steakhouse in Houston, TX to mark the completion of the Book Ethics and the Ethics Podcast. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – DONATE to TORCH: Please consider supporting the podcasts by makin

• The Ultimate Meritocracy (2:17) + TORCH 2025 Fundraiser

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Please support the Ethics Podcast by donating to our annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org This is our only annual fundraiser. Every donation is DOUBLED! Support the Ethics Podcast by visiting giveTORCH.org right now and making a generous dona

• Pain and Gain (5:27)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We believe in reward and punishment. We believe that the Almighty will dispense reward for those who do good and punishment for those whose actions thus warrant. How does the dispensement of reward and punishment work? That, of course, is s

• The Virtues of Silence (1:17)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The next mantle holder of the office of the Nasi, Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel, teaches us powerful insights on how to become a greater and more perfect person. שמעון בנו אומר, כל ימיי גדלתי בין החכמים, ולא מצאתי לגוף טוב אלא שתיקה; ולא המדרש

• 48 Ways to Wisdom – #7: Humility (6:6:7)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Humility is one of the attributes most associated with acquisition of wisdom. Moses was the humblest of men. Sinai was an unassuming, lowly mountain. But what exactly is humility and why does it correlate with wisdom? In this Ethics podcast

• 48 Ways to Wisdom – #9: Purity (6:6:9)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our sages tell us that one of the ways to acquire wisdom is with purity. What exactly is purity and why would it be a means through which we can acquire wisdom? In this Ethics Podcast we explore the subject of purity with profound depth. –

• How to Boost Your Intelligence (5:15-8)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  There are different types of people in the world. Just as our faces are not identical, our perspectives and abilities and innate qualities differ. Regarding a host of things, our Sages tell us that there are four distinct character types. I

• 48 Ways to Wisdom: Mishnah (6:6:15)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The oral Torah is vast, comprehensive, and multi-layered. One of its layers is known as Mishnah. What is Mishnah, how was it organized and codified, and why does it prepare us for wisdom? In this Ethics Podcast we learn all about Mishnah an

• Relationship or Ritual? (2:18)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What is the optimal relationship between man and God? How is man supposed to view himself? These questions and several others are addressed in Chapter 2, Mishna 18 of Pirkei Avos. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Sponsorship: Ple

• Avoiding Sin: The Authoritative Guide (3:1)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  It is not often that our Sages offer us any kind of fail-safe formula. In the first mishna of the third chapter, Akaviah Ben Mehalalel provides for us a guaranteed method to avoid sinning. It is a good idea to listen carefully to his words.

• The Comprehensive Wisdom (5:26)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Torah is the Almighty’s wisdom. Just as the Almighty is infinite, His Torah is likewise infinite. In this remarkable Mishnah, we are trained to view Torah in its proper light. We learn about the multidimensional nature of Torah, how to

• Paging the Divine Presence (3:3-4)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In successive teachings, our Sages share with us a way to usher ourselves into the Presence of the Almighty. It really is that simple. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a

• Antidotes to Anarchy (3:2)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What would happen without a police force to maintain law and order? Is there any other way to prevent society from crumbling without police power? These are the questions we explore in the somewhat unsettling second mishna of chapter 3. – –

• Know Your Place (6.6.26)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The greatest pedagogues of history – the Sages of the Mishnah – codified “knowing your place” as a means to acquire Torah, to acquire wisdom. What exactly is intended with knowing your place? In this Ethics Podcast we share three life-chang

• Stairway to Heaven (3:15) + Annual Appeal

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Support TORCH and The Parsha Podcast TODAY during our only annual fundraiser. givetorch.com EVERY DONATION IS QUADRUPLED Today, TORCH needs your help!! Today YOU can support the thousands of Jewish Houstonians who learn and get inspired at

• Loving Humanity (6.6.31)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Why dont humans naturally love each other? Why is there often discord and disunity? Humans are a strange bunch indeed. In this very interesting and stimulating podcast we offer three distinct ideas as to what exactly is meant by love of hum

• Torah To-Go (3:10)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We put much focus on Torah study and Torah acquisition, and in this mishnah we learn about the other half of Torah greatness: Torah retention, which can only be accomplished by rigorous disciplined review. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

• Well-Grounded (6.6.41)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What is our relationship with our studies? For some (many?) studying Torah is very important. It is a great priority. But is it the permanent fixture of a person’s life? That designation is applied to the few. In this way to wisdom, we lear

• Do Your Job (2:20-21)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  There are many excuses to shirk our spiritual responsibilities. In the final two mishnayos of Chapter 2, Rabbi Tarfon rebuts them one by one. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast by m

• The Two Elements of Leadership (1:10)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In the tenth Mishna, the leader of the Jews Shemayah, a descendent of the Assyrian king Sanchereb, teaches us about the work, leadership and politicians. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider sponsoring a podcast by ma

• 48 Ways to Wisdom: Scripture (6:6:14)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our works of Scripture are all prophetic, each written with varying degrees of prophecy. When we study Scripture we are encountering the word of God. But what is the objective of the study of Scripture? Why does Scripture pave the way to wi

• Envy, Lust, and Honor (4:28)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  This Mishnah is perhaps the most famous one in the entire Book of Pirkei Avos. We are told that there are three characteristics that remove a person from the world: Envy, Lust, and Honor. What is not specified is which world is being refere

• Greeting Everyone with Joy (3:16)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabbi Yishmael was the scion of one of the most prestigious families of our nation and a titanic Sage of the Mishnaic Era. In this podcast we share several of the fascinating stories about his fruitful and sometimes tragic life and explore

• World Building (3:18)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In an astonishingly profound teaching, Rabbi Akiva informs us of the special role that humans have in completing the objective of the Almighty’s creation; and the amplified role that our nation has in effectuating that; and the tools that w

• All Action No Talk (1:15)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this concise teaching, Shammai the Elder manages to inspire and enlighten our understanding of accomplishing human greatness. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider sponsoring a podcast by making a donation to help f

• Angry and Irrational (4:23)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Who controls a person? That is arguably the most important question there is. As Jews we are trained to adopt the Almighty God as our Master. With the Creator governing our life via His Torah, we are on the correct path to fulfill our life’

• Faith and Fear (5:6)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Fear of God and Faith in God are both laudable qualities worthy of great people. Both, of course, are mitzvos as well. Which one is loftier? At first glance, fear of God can only be built upon an edifice of faith and thus it would be a loft

• Selecting Mentors (1:6)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In the 6th mishna of Pirkei Avos, we learn about the importance of having good mentors and friends, and the prerequisites to make such relationships work. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider sponsoring a podcast by m

• Purpose of Creation (6:11)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  With endless praise to the Almighty for all goodness that he has done for us, we hereby present the final episode of the Ethics podcast. We began this project in 2017 and now, thanks to the boundless help from the Almighty, we have finally

• Greedy When Others are Fearful (5:2-3)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Last chance to Support the TORCH Fundraiser Please support The Ethics Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be DOUBLED Show your support for TORCH and The Mitzvah Podcast and donate to the annual fundr

• Torah and Asceticism (6:4)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Food is delicious and we desire it from the first day that we are alive. How does our pursuit of food – and physical and material indulgences in general – impact our pursuit of our spiritual agenda and Torah? In this Mishnah we discover sev

• Divine Foreknowledge and Free Will (3:19)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this pithy teaching, Rabbi Akiva addresses some of the knottiest questions of Jewish philosophy: If God knows what we do ahead of time, do we have free will? If God is control of everything, is the world judged fairly? Why are the righte

• 48 Ways to Wisdom #12: Engaging Students (6:6:12)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  One of the most rewarding things a person can do is to teach others. But beyond the feeling of gratification that comes with teaching, When you are able to educate and enlighten other people with your knowledge, you learn a lot from the pro

• Three-Pronged Purpose (1.2)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The second Mishna in Pirkei Avos features a powerful teaching from one of the pivotal and legendary characters in Jewish History. Shimon HaTzadik (Simeon the Righteous), the Kohen Gadol who succeeded Ezra, enlightens us by teaching us that

• Fostering Lasting Relationships (1:3)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In following the previous mishna which distilled the life objectives to three tenets, Pirkei Avos proceeds to delve into each one individually. In perhaps the most difficult mishna of the book, Antigonus lays out how to fulfill “Avodah” pro

• Pain and Gain (5:27)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We believe in reward and punishment. We believe that the Almighty will dispense reward for those who do good and punishment for those whose actions thus warrant. How does the dispensement of reward and punishment work? That, of course, is s

• Loving Rebuke (6.6.34)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  No one likes criticism. To receive criticism is painful. To be told what we did wrong stings. We bristle at the notion that we are flawed and imperfect. The mere knowledge of the existence of our shortcomings causes us discomfort. But recei

• Spiritual Natural Law (2:9-2:12)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai was the pivotal leader of the nation at a most vulnerable juncture of our history. His life story and his timeless lessons continue to inform and inspire nearly two millenia after his passing. – – – – – – – – – –

• Bulletproof Fences (3:17)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabbi Akiva is one of the titanic figures of the Mishnaic Era. He served as the vital link transmitting the Torah that he studied from his predecessors to his students amid ceaseless oppression under the Romans. In the first of three consec

• High and Mighty (5:23-4)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  What forces must we use to try to bring about our life mission? Our mandate is to fulfill the will of the Almighty. He expects great things of us and created us for that purpose. In this thrilling Mishnah, we learned about the various diffe

• Miracle Drugs and Superfoods (4:2)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  S omething dramatic happens when the Soul is fed. It is empowered and its place in a person’s identity is augmented, and concurrently the Yetzer Hara’s influence is weakened. A virtuous cycle results wherein one Mitzvah makes the second Mit

• The Life-Giving Property of Torah (6:7)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The thing that we crave more than anything else is life. We all want life. We all flee from curtailing of – or danger to – our life. How do we indeed get life? In this wonderful Mishnah we learn how Torah bestows life – both here and in the

• Making Torah a Priority (4:12)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Rabbi Meir is one of the most significant personalities in Jewish history. He was one of the five surviving students of Rabbi Akiva, and the one whose notes were used as the basis for the Mishnah. In this seminal teaching, he guides us on h

• Why God Maintains the World (1:18)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The finalmishna of the first chapter sounds very similar to its second one. In it we learn the three things upon which the world endures which is quite similar to the teaching of the three things upon which the world stands. In explaining t

• Swelled Heart (6.6.36)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  It is a mark of Torah ignorance to be content with the degree of Torah study that you have. It is broader than the land and deeper than the sea. Torah is effectively infinite. To have a swelled heart – to feel supremely confident in your kn

• How to Have a Good Argument (5:20)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Argumentation has become a lost art. Our society promotes uniformity and consensus, a monochromatic society where divergent ideas are shunned. This approach is antithetical to Torah. Our religion does not believe that your thinking should b

• Multi-Level-Marketing of Mitzvos (5:21)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Every mitzvah that we do benefits us for all eternity. Our Sages reveal to us that each Mitzvah creates an advocate who vigorously fights on our behalf and defends us in front of the Heavenly court. Mitzvos are great assets to have. In this

• Loving Humanity (6.6.31) + TORCH Fundraiser

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  TORCH Fundraiser — support the Ethics Podcast 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 Et

• Unenthusiastic Judgment (6.6.37)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  There was a need to render halachic rulings. Sometimes there was uncertainty and there’s a need to have a halachic decisor render a ruling. But what is the attitude necessary for a halachic arbiter? In way to wisdom #37 we learned that he i

• Miracles at the Sea (5:5)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Ten is a very significant number in Jewish numerology and philosophy. The previous teachings in this chapter revolve around tens and the present Mishnah teaches that the Exodus was marked by a series of ten miracles for the Jews and ten pla

• Honor Thy Spiritual Father and Mother (6:3)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Torah study is the greatest of pursuits. Consequently, you are eternally indebted to anyone who bestows upon you Torah. In this fascinating Mishnah, we learned about the supreme holiness of Torah and how is forever alters the one who studie

• Accepting Affliction (6.6.25)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Life is full of nuisances. For many – maybe all – life inevitably contains some pain, suffering, and affliction. How we approach these situations is a central element of our religion and theology. Our Sages revealed to us that accepting aff

• Making Fences (6.6.28)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Humans are fallible. We are imperfect, yet we are tasked with being the stewards and the guardians of the perfect. We hold the Almighty’s Torah in our hands. We are tasked with perpetuating it from generation to generation and with renderin

• Super-Fusion (6:1) & TORCH Fundraiser (giveTORCH.org)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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

• Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise (4:1)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Does it make sense to take pride in one’s intellect, fitness, or wealth? Our Sages teach us that those things are determined before someone is born, and therefore it would be ludicrous for us to take pride in what was given to us by God. Bu