The Parsha Podcast

Shiurim

• Re’eh – An Attitudinal Shift

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Re’eh marks a transition in Devarim. After four sections of Moshe inspiring the nation ahead of his death and their entrance to Israel, the nation is instructed with mitzvos related to their upcoming new world. – – – – – – – – – – –

• Noach – Cured Ham

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  After spending a year in the ark, Noah and his family exited it to find an empty and desolate world. The sinners who dominated the world before the flood were gone as were basically everything else. The animals, not including token represen

• Special Pesach Episode – The Seder Night: How to Maximize the Year’s Most Powerful Night

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The first night of Pesach – the second night as well is the Diaspora – is arguably the most important nights of the year. On this night we were redeemed from Egypt, this is the night of the Exodus, this is the night of the death of the firs

• Beshalach – The Divine Doctor

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this week’s parsha the Torah gives us a general characterization of mitzvos as medicine prescribed by God to heal our soul. What does that mean and how does it coexist with other characterizations of mitzvos? – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

• Bo – Climactic Exodus

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Ten Plagues reach their crescendo in Parshas Bo. After Pharaoh’s repeated intransigence, he undergoes a series of humbling miraculous plagues that prompt him to evict the Jews from his land. Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @R

• Vayeishev – Reuben’s Special Message (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  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 c

• Chukas – Mourning Clouds

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Two giants passed away in this week’s Parsha: Moshe two elder siblings, his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron – two of the great leaders and benefactors of the nation – both die in Parshas Chukas. In this special Parsha podcast we share t

• *Shavuos Special* – 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

• Parshas Korach

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this week’s parsha, Moshe and Aaron’s first cousin, a man named Korach, launches a rebellion claiming that Moshe is guilty of nepotism in appointing his brother as High Priest. What ensued should give one serious pause before engaging in

• Bo – The Ember of Abraham

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  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 A

• Shoftim – Gateways to Great Pursuits (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Justice is a virtue that we must vigorously pursue. Our Parsha begins by instructing us to establish a court system with judges and bailiffs throughout our gates and tribes. The judge is tasked with determining the merits of every case and

• Vayechi – Spiritual Diagnostician (Recorded Live in Harrisburg, PA)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In his last act, Jacob gathers his sons and offers each of the twelve a blessing. To us, however, it does not seem that the first three received a blessing at all. Reuben was castigated for being impetuous and consequently he was stripped o

• Beshalach – Bones to Pick

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Exodus is finally here. After 210 years in Egypt – enslaved, tormented, and oppressed – the nation is leaving with great pomp and ceremony. There is an apparently curious factoid about the Exodus: in the third verse of our Parsha, the T

• Chayei Sarah – Portal to Paradise

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  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 in

• Tzav – Scaling the Rungs of Greatness (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Tzav continues the instructions relating to the Tabernacle and its sacrifices. We learn more details regarding some of the sacrifices mentioned earlier and also we are taught about some new sacrifices and procedures. – – – – – – – –

• Tazria Metzora – Better Animals of our Nature

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The subject of purity and impurity is not the most exciting one. The hallmark of these subjects is their intricacies and complexities, but our parsha has nothing but the laws of purity and impurity. It talks about impurity spawned by childb

• Parshas Balak

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  After the Jewish nation trounced the mighty kingdoms of Sichon and Og in last week’s parsha, the comparatively smaller and weaker kingdom of Moab resorted to unconventional warfare to attack the nation by hiring the prophet of the nations,

• Shemini – Fires, Foreign and Domestic (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Nadav and Avihu were the crown princes of the Jewish nation. These two sons were slated to succeed Moshe and Aaron. Moshe declared, without hyperbole, that his two nephews, Nadav and Avihu, were greater than he and Aaron. These two sons of

• Behar Bechukosai – Hostage Letter

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our Parsha contains some of the most difficult portions in the Torah, the Admonition. Our nation is told of the consequences of failing to adhere to the rules of God. The consequences are fierce and harsh. When this section is read in the s

• Parshas Vayakhel & Pekudei (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  After the Torah delineates the instructions to assemble the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle in Parshas Terumah and the creation of the vestments of the high priest in Parshas Tetzaveh, Parshas Vayakhel outlines the implemen

• Tazria Metzora – Heaven on the Cheap

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  This week’s double Parsha contains some of the most intricate and complex laws in the Torah, the laws of purity and impurity. This subject remains an enigmatic mystery for us, in fact, even in Talmudic times it was arcane. That said, there

• Ki Savo – Maniacal Determination (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our parsha contains perhaps the most difficult Torah portion to read and digest: The Tochacha (Admonition). In it we are told the consequences of our deeds. If obey the Almighty and hearken to His commandments, He will reward us with bounti

• Devarim – Citizen of Heaven (5784)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  A year after the Exodus Moshe dispatched a contingency of dignified men to scout the land of Canaan prior to the Nation’s invasion. It was a catastrophic debacle. The scouts returned with a devastating, slanderous report about the Land, pro

• 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

• Vayikra – Vicarious Sacrifice

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Sacrifices sound like a cheat code: You sin and you rebelled against God and your soul gets tarnished. By the strict letter of the law, sin ought to be an executable offense. But God has mercy: Bring a sacrifice and slaughter the animal and

• Lech Lecha – Applying for a Name Change (5782)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Abraham and Sarah undergo seismic changes in our Parsha. Their names get changed as does their destiny. Originally, they were barren, but in our Parsha, the founding Patriarch and Matriarch are told that they will bear a son, Isaac. The mec

• Bamidbar and Shavuos: The Indispensability of each Jew

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Bamidbar is the Torah portion that we read immediately prior to Shavuos, the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, each year. In this special episode, we offer a mind-bending idea to ponder the connection between Shavuos and Parshas

• Bamidbar – Legion of God

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  At first glance, the subject matter of Parshas Bamidbar is quite bland and technical. It talks of a census, and the orientation of the tribes in the camp, and the various responsibilities of the different levite families. These are not typi

• Vayechi – Deathbed Priorities (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Vayrchi is oriented around the illness and death of Jacob. The Jewish family is growing and establishing roots in Egypt. Their spiritual leader and guide is going to pass, and they will ease into Egyptian life, culminating in their

• Nasso – Nazirs Anonymous (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Nazir is someone who accepts a vow, typically for 30 days, to abstain from wine, to not cut their hair, and to not come into contact with the dead. This Nazir is holy. They are close to God. They are like a high priest. They are likely

• Nitzavim & Vayeilech – Mavericks vs. Heat

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The entire book of Devarim occurs over the span of 36 days, the final 36 days of Moshe’s life. The final four Parshas are an account of the last day of Moshe’s life. As he is about to transition to the other world, the reliable shepherd gat

• Vayechi – Jacob’s Strength

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Vayechi marks the final installment of the book of Genesis. The family of Israel, the sons of Jacob, are all together in Egypt, where they settle and flourish. A lot happened to this family up to this point, and the setting for the

• Parshas Vayeira

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  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 in

• Korach – Demoted For Good (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Korach was a very talented man with a sterling pedigree. He was wise and clever and even had a degree of prophetic clairvoyance. Yet he blundered egregiously by launching a revolt on Moshe and Aaron. When we study what triggered this rebell

• Parshas Eikev (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We pick up where we left off last week amid Moshe’s speech to the nation before his passing, and as in the previous few weeks, Parshas Eikev is jam packed with insights and timeless lessons. Moshe pivots between looking back on the conduct

• Nitzavim & Vayeilech – Eternal Exhortations

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In the last few days of Moshe’s life, he gathers the entire nation, men women and children, and presents to them his final, departing message. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Je

• Parshas Behaaloscha (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Jewish nation has been encamped at Mount Sinai for nearly a year; in this week’s parsha they finally depart from the Mountain of God, and sadly leave gleefully as a child escaping school. This kick starts a series of missteps that carry

• Vayeishev – War On Terror

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our Parsha contains the first act of several interconnected stories: Joseph had dreams of grandeur (literally) and he was placed on a path towards actualizing them. But his story in the Parsha is a series of setbacks that only later on resu

• Vayechi – Anti-Oxidance (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  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 fro

• Vaeschanan – Linked to Sinai (5782)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Although he was the paradigmatic leader of all time, Moshe was barred from crossing the Jordan River and entering the Land. Joshua his student was to succeed him and lead the Nation into the Promised Land. Why was Moshe not allowed to enter

• Acharei & Kedoshim – The Love Formula

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In the second of this week’s double parshas we encounter the Torah’s most famous mitzvah, and perhaps the most difficult one to fulfill. We read in Vayikra (19:18): “You shall not take revenge and you shall not bear a grudge against the mem

• Bamidbar – Legion of God (5784)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  At first glance, the subject matter of Parshas Bamidbar is quite bland and technical. It talks of a census, and the orientation of the tribes in the camp, and the various responsibilities of the different levite families. These are not typi

• Beshalach – Bread of Angels

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas 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,

• Korach – On Cloudy

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Of Korach’s 253 collaborators, only three are named, and all three are Reubenites: Dathan, Abiram, and On Ben Peles. Dathan and Abiram remain true to Korach’s cause until the very end when they and their families are swallowed alive by the

• Rosh Hashana Reading (2nd day – Genesis Chapter 22: The Binding of Isaac)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  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

• Haazinu – Small Step for Eaglet

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Song of Ha’azinu is a richly textured tapestry with layered meaning and subtleties. Our Sages tell us that t incorporates all of Jewish History. In its 613 words, it incorporates all of Torah as well. And it is arguably the most difficu

• Shoftim – Government-in-Exile

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We begin the month of Elul on the Parsha Podcast with style, flair, and panache. It starts with some sweet, sweet vindication as we share a citation that legitimizes the philosophy of a brief, truncated, intensive effort to ascend the spiri

• Tisha B’Av – The Silver Lining of Tragedy

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Tisha B’av is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar. Over the millennia, scores of unfortunate events happened to our nation on this inauspicious day. Why is this day so totally designated for bad things, what is the significance of the Te

• Shemos – Grooming Greatness

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  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

• Ki Sisa – Aaron’s Calculus

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The most calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous event in Jewish history – and arguably the most devastating event in all of human history – happens in our Parsha. A mere 40 days after the exultant, euphoric, transcendental Revelation at Sinai

• Balak – Some Men Are From Mars

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our parsha contains an attempted genocide. Bilaam, the prophet of the idolaters, a man of prodigious ability an skill, dedicates himself with tenacity and persistence to curse and destroy the people. Although his three attempts at cursing t

• Chayei Sara – The Four Ways to Die

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  This podcast contains two ideas on Parshas Chayei Sara. First, we examine the Torah’s unusual description of Sarah’s location of death. Then we probe the identity and nickname of Abraham’s second wife, Keturah. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

• Lech Lecha – The Essence of Bris Milah (Circumcision)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The mitzvah of Bris Milah (circumcision) is unique of several fronts. It is the first mitzvah given to Abraham and the first done to a Jewish child; it is the mark of the Jewish fraternity; and the Talmud declares that is emblematic of all

• Bo – The Bloods and The Crisp (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The 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 hap

• Vayeishev – Dream of the Crop (5784)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our Parsha begins with Joseph’s two dreams of grandeur and supremacy. He dreams that he will rule over his brothers, who will bow before him in submission. Joseph decides to tell them about it. Why does he do that? Why does he tell his fath

• Lech Lecha – The Generational Secret

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Join us for an exquisite Parsha Podcast as we go deep and deeper into Lech Lecha. The deep idea relates to Lot’s fateful decision to choose to move to the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We then go deeper and explore the allegorical di

• Bamidbar – Autopsy of Giants

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our Parsha recounts – for the third time hitherto in the Torah – the episode of the untimely death of Aaron’s two eldest sons, Nadav and Avihu. These two young priests were destined for greatness. Moshe believed that they were in fact great

• Mattos & Masei – Talent Incubator (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our parsha contains the laws regarding a person who murders someone accidentally. We are told that the accidental murderer must flee to the city of refuge and remain there until the passing of the High Priest. Although we have neither a Hig

• Mikeitz – The End of Days (5784)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In our Parsha, Joseph is elevated to become viceroy of Egypt. He begins the day languishing in prison, and ends it be decked in garments of royalty and paraded throughout the city. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we share thr

• Shemini – Aaron’s Stoicism

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  On the eighth day of the inauguration of the Mishkan, amid the joy and jubilation and ecstasy of having God dwell among the nation, tragedy and disaster strikes when the two sons of Aaron die suddenly. As a reward for not questioning God, A