The Parsha Podcast

Shiurim

• Yisro – The Key to Changing the World

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  There is a learnable quality the underpins every transformational change and improvement that humanity has achieved. It is what separates the people who are inspired to change and actually implement grand ideas from the common folk who do n

• Nasso – Nazirs Anonymous

  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

• Parshas Devarim

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  5 weeks before his passing, Moses gives a three-parsha-long speech to the nation, which constitutes his last will and testament. He begins with a retrospective of the history of the nation over the past 40 years since the Exodus – subtly re

• Tazria/Metzora – Blessings in Disguises (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Tzaraas , the spiritual leprosy whose laws are detailed in our Parsha, appeared in three different areas: the befell sinners’ skin, clothing, and house. How common was Tzaraas of the house? The Talmud reveals that it actually never happened

• Ki Savo – Clinging to Gold (5782)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  On the surface, Bikkurim appears to be an ordinary, tithe-like Mitzvah. When the first fruits of a season’s crop begin to sprout, you designate them as Bikkurim, and eventually bring them to Jerusalem with much pomp and ceremony. Upon close

• Parshas Noach

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In this week’s parsha: Noah and his family build an Ark as a refuge from an extinction-level Flood brought by God to destroy the world’s sinners. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Sponsorship: Please consider sponsoring a podcast

• Parshas Nasso

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In the longest parsha in the Torah by verses, we continue to read about the Levite families and their responsibilities, we learn about the three tiers of the Nation’s encampment, the laws of a suspected adulteress, the laws of the Nazir, th

• Tazria Metzora – Heaven on the Cheap (5783)

  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

• Tetzaveh – The Golden Bovine

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  This week’s Parsha is dedicated to the priestly class: It begins with the oil that the High Priest kindles; it describes in great detail the special vestments that the priests wore; and it proceeds in outlining the process of inauguration o

• Shemos – Make Your Move

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Our Parsha is a difficult one to read. Our nation was enslaved, tormented, oppressed, and murdered by the Egyptians. Although we don’t see the salvation in our Parsha, the chess pieces of the redemption are set into place. In this edition o

• Eikev – Well-Heeled (5782)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  If the Almighty promises to give you a blessing, your ears should perk up. If God promises to give you abundance, health, prosperity, fertility, security, and all manner of blessing, your question should be – what must I do to be deserving

• Nitzavim – Repent Up Demand

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  How difficult is it to repent? How hard is it to examine your behavior, your choices, your values, your decisions to determine which are in need of improvement? How hard is it to reconsider your choices, to regret your mistakes, and to char

• Devarim – Man of Words

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  At the end of Moshe’s life, he gathers the entire nation for his parting message to the nation. The Midrash makes a remarkable contrast between Moshe’s beginning and end of his tenure: When God initially commanded Moshe to save his brethren

• Parshas Shelach

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Jewish people were on the cusp of entering the Land of Canaan, and made a prudent, but ultimately tragic, decision: To send a contingent of scouts to reconnoiter the Land, to examine its vulnerabilities and weaknesses in order to best p

• Shelach – Daydreams, Nightmares, and Reveries

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The final five verses of our Parsha contain the third paragraph of the Shema. In it, we are instructed to place tzitzis strings wrapped with a string of blue techeiles wool on the corner of our garments. Why? “And you shall see them and rem

• Parshas Pekudei

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The final parsha in the Book of Exodus wraps up the account of the construction of the Tabernacle, and its vessels and vestments. Again and again we read the refrain that everything was done precisely how God commanded Moses. NEW! The Mitzv

• Yisro – Spiritual Metamorphosis

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Moshe’s father in law Yisro is arguably the most unusual character in the Torah. His arrival comes at a very crucial time – sandwiched between the major founding events of our nation – and his contribution is somewhat marginal, yet he is gi

• Emor – Snowball’s Chance in Heaven (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The story of the first person to ever be executed in a Jewish court of law is featured at the end of this week’s Parsha. An unnamed man, the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, blasphemed and was executed. When we ponder the stor

• Bechukosai – Impractical Torah?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Torah is absolutely vast. It is a veritable ocean. And we are privileged to be able to study it and immerse ourselves in it. Those of us who have had the great privilege of studying in Yeshiva know that there’s nothing as delightful and as

• Chukas – Bold and Boulder

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  When the nation needed water, they found it in a most unexpected place: Moshe struck a rock and it began to spew forth enough water for the entire nation. Why was there water inside the rock? Why when Jacob needed water, he removed the rock

• Parshas Terumah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  One 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 t

• Vayeitzei – Manipulating Willpower

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In our parsha, Jacob and his wives are faced with a very difficult test, and the Torah describes a very unique approach that they used when confronting the dilemma. In this podcast, we will deconstruct their methodology and draw from it a v

• Chayei Sarah – Buried Alive (5784)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Sarah died at the age of 127. Abraham negotiated with the Hittites for the purchase of a burial plot, the Cave of Machpelah. The objective of the purchase of the Cave of Machpelah was to bury the dead. These three facts are featured at the

• Parshas Beshalach

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Beshalach may be the most action-packed parsha in the Torah. After the Exodus, God directed the people to not take the shortest route to the Land in order to facilitate the great miracle of the Splitting of the Sea and the final des

• Vayeira – Abraham’s Failures?

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  A casual reading of our parsha would give the impression that Abraham fails at everything he tries: He tries to feed guests, yet we find out that they are angels who need no food; He tries valiantly to save Sodom and Gomorrah, yet God overt

• Vayishlach – Not Reddy to Change (5782)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Vayishlach is an action-packed parsha. After a tension-filled 20 years with Laban, Jacob has to dodge bullets for another parsha. Esau wants to kill him. The angel tries to strike at him the entire night. His daughter Dina is kidnap

• Vayikra – Vicarious Sacrifice (5781)

  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

• Bereishis – Cain’s Discovery

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Welcome to Year Seven (!) of The Parsha Podcast. Each week will feature, with the help of the Almighty, three episodes, two ones from previous years and a new one: On Sunday, the Parsha Rebroadcast that covers the whole Parsha in about an h

• Re’eh – Look at Me (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Moshe begins our parsha by presenting the Nation with a choice: See, I have placed before you today blessing and curse. And he continues to state that the blessing is the steadfast observance of the commandments of the Almighty, while the c

• Shemini – Find Your Breach (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The 8th day of the Tabernacle’s Inauguration was supposed to be a day of total, exuberant jubilation. The laborious months of preparation were complete, and now God will dwell in our midst. Moshe washes, clothes, and anoints his brother, Aa

• Emor – Simulated Martyrdom (5784)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Humans have a very important role to play in God’s world. The Almighty created a world in which He is obfuscated. It is possible to live a whole life without acknowledging the one, singular reality of existence: God. The world was designed

• Bo – Climactic Exodus (Rebroadcast)

  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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – P

• Emor – Matching Man and Mission

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Priests are the noblest amongst us, direct descendants of Aaron, the legendary first priest. They have a very important role to play amongst their people. They have a special blessing that they can bestow upon the people, and they can p

• Purim: Toasting your Troubles

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Purim contains arguably Judaism’s strangest custom. On the day that we celebrate our nation’s triumph over Haman and his evil plot, we are required to drink and become so drunk that we forget about Haman’s treachery. What is the meaning beh

• Bereishis – Duality of Man

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Bereishis is the first Parsha and also the most difficult one to understand. From beginning to end, our Parsha is a riddle and a mystery. In this year’s podcasts we attempt to read the story behind the story, get the inside scoop, t

• Parshas Ki Savo (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  As the Book of Deuteronomy draws to its conclusion, the narrative makes a transition: Moshe finishes conveying the mitzvos to the nation, and sets up his final parting message to the people. First, he commands the nation to perform several

• Shoftim – Crisper Genes (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The nation is on the doorstep of Canaan. In our Parsha, the people are instructed in how they must treat the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. It’s not pleasant. The people are told that they must engage in total war against these nations.

• Terumah – The Ark of Torah

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  This parsha kickstart several Torah sections outlining the structure and the vessels of the mishkan , the Tabernacle. The Talmud brings these ideas closer to our understanding by linking the vessels of the Tabernacle to the greatest arenas

• Parshas Bo (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  After the first seven Plagues of Egypt related in last week’s parsha, Pharaoh and his people were still unwilling to release the Children of Israel. In Parshas Bo, the miracles and wonders of the Almighty intensified, culminating in the Dea

• Shemini – Spiritual Cholesterol

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Kosher food is good for you. Non-kosher food is bad. That much we learned in our parsha. But why? Why is kosher food good? In this exquisite podcast, we Go deep and deeper in trying to understand. We discover how non kosher food serves as a

• Noach – The Flood and The Fish (5783)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Flood was a disaster for all the Earth’s inhabitants, humans and animals alike. With the exception of Noah and his family and the animals safely housed in the Ark, all the land-based animals died in the Flood. But not the fish. The fish

• Vayechi – Brotherly Love: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Family is everything. If you are fortunate enough to have siblings, parents, and children you know that there are bonds of kinship and brotherhood (and sisterhood, of course) between family members are strong and often unbreakable. This is

• Behaaloscha – Kindle Fire (5781)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Aaron the High Priest held a critical leadership role in the nation. A partial list of his jobs: he offered sacrifices, he did the Yom Kippur services which included the annual trip to the Holy of Holies, and he blessed the people. But ther

• Chayei Sarah – Unselfish Spouses (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Telling the story of this week’s parsha while gleaning insights and lessons from it. The topics discussed in this episode: The Death, Bereavment and Burial of Sarah – [0:00] The Cave of the Machpelah – [14:23] Eliezer’s Oath, Eligibility Te

• Re’eh – Look at Me

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Moshe begins our parsha by presenting the Nation with a choice: See, I have placed before you today blessing and curse. And he continues to state that the blessing is the steadfast observance of the commandments of the Almighty, while the c

• Noach – Secret Of Invincibility (5784)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  We started this week’s Parsha Podcast by talking about the Tower of Babel episode. We gleaned from that story something absolutely transformational and deep. We then proceeded to talk about the unusual contribution that Noah gave to the peo

• Vayishlach – Twin Tussles (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Telling the story of this week’s parsha while gleaning insights and lessons from it. The topics discussed in this episode: Jacob’s Preparation for the Encounter with Esau – [0:00] Jacob’s Fears: Of Loss of Merits, Of Esau and Of Esau’s “Bro

• Ki Seitzei – Lessons for Living (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Parshas Ki Sietzei maintains a continuous flow of mitzvos and guidance for the nation on the doorstep to Israel. Its beginning shares a powerful lesson as to how Torah and its mitzvos are the tools given to the Jewish nation to combat the w

• Parshas Ha’Azinu (Rebroadcast)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Still in the final day of Moshe’s life, he conveys to the nation a 43-verse Song predicting the contours of Jewish history, both past, present, and future. The patterns are familiar to the readers of Deuteronomy and even casual observers an

• Pinchas – Consistency is Key

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  When the Temple was extant, first thing each morning a Tamid sacrifice was offered, and an afternoon Tamid offering was the last sacrifice of the day. The Midrash reveals to us quite surprisingly that the essence of Torah is encapsulated in

• Shemini – Fires, Foreign and Domestic

  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

• Toldos – Breaking Barriers

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  After nearly two decades of infertility, Isaac and Rebecca conceive, but something does not feel right. Whenever Rebecca passes a house of Torah, she feels her baby stir and get all excited as if he wants to be born. Seemingly, her child is

• Vayishlach – When Hairy met Srully

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Jacob and Esau last saw each other 34 years prior. 34 years ago, Jacob, upon the explicit and prophetically inspired instruction of his mother, usurped the blessings reserved for Esau. Esau was piping mad, and sought vengeance. He wanted to

• Parshas Tetzaveh

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  In a natural continuation to Parshas Terumah, in Parshas Tetzaveh we learn about the instructions to build the Tabernacle. Whereas l ast week the focus was on the edifice itself and its vessels, this week we will orient primarily on the spe

• We Have Been Blessed With a Baby Boy

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  With deep appreciation to the Almighty for all the goodness that He has bestowed upon us, I’m happy to share that my wife, Chaya, and I were blessed with a beautiful baby boy on Monday, March 14. Thank God, both Mom and baby are doing fabul

• Vayeilech – Mission Improbable

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Moshe’s tenure as leader of the Jews was chock full of magnificent accomplishments. He spearheaded the Exodus, he brought the Torah down from Heaven, in his merit came the manna – Moshe’s CV is unparalleled. But now it’s time for him to han

• Rosh Hashana Reading (1st day – Genesis Chapter 21)

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  The Torah readings for the two days of Rosh Hashana were not arbitrarily chosen. There are very good reasons why on the first day of Rosh Hashana we read Genesis chapter 21, which tells of the conception and birth of Isaac, and the banishme

• Pinchas – Sons of Anarchist

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Korach’s rebellion claimed many victims: Some of the perpetrators were swallowed up in a miraculous sinkhole; some were consumed by a divine fire; and some were killed in a plague. In our Parsha, we discover that the sons of Korach did not

• Tetzaveh – On His Majesty’s Service

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  Performing service in the Tabernacle was the domain of the cherished few only. Only Aaron, his four sons, and their subsequent children were eligible. Why couldn’t everyone serve as a priest? That’s a question for modern egalitarian sensibi

• Parshas Ki Savo

  Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

  As the Book of Deuteronomy draws to its conclusion, the narrative makes a transition: Moshe finishes conveying the mitzvos to the nation, and sets up his final parting message to the people. First, he commands the nation to perform several