The Jewish holidays are not evenly spaced out. They appear in bunches. A mere five days after Yom Kippur comes the seven-day (truthfully nine when you tally everything) Festival of Sukkos (appendaged by Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah). The next Festival (excluding the Rabbinic holidays of Chanukah and Purim) does not occur for six months. […]

Repentance draws a person out of darkness into eternal light. It transforms the penitent into a completely new person. But how exactly does repentance work? How do you repent? What are the various elements and facets of repentance? The authoritative book on these questions, Shaarei Teshuva, the Gates of Repentance, was written in the 13th […]

The Ten Days of Repentance are upon us. In just a few days is the Day of Judgment, Rosh Hashanah. These powerful high holidays culminate with the climax of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. What exactly is repentance though? How are we supposed to think about repentance? In this very special podcast, we study […]

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 underlying reason for anti-Semitism? Why are we not more accepted into and tolerated by the general […]

Seven things were created before the world was created. That much we are told in the Talmud. What is the significance of this collection of things that preceded the world? When we analyze the list, moreover, we read how the name of Messiah is included amongst it. What exactly is the name of Messiah? Is […]

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 people has had witnessed prior or since: They heard the Ten Commandments directly from the […]

Questions can be unsettling. Questions can cause dissonance. Questions can be painful. But questions can also be illuminating. They can open up new portals of insight and perspective. Questions are a central part of Torah study. Much of the Talmud is written in a question and answer format. The Passover seder is marked by the […]

The Torah is effectively infinite. It is longer than the land and broader than the seas. God is infinite and unfathomable; He gave us His Torah in order for us to connect with Him. Torah is, in fact, accessible to us, but we never arrive at the end point of Torah. It’s infinite. Moreover, the […]

Many (most?) people believe in God. Believers accept the reality that the world, the universe, finite existence is the handiwork of an infinite God. Why do people believe? What evidence do believers have? These are some of the questions that my dear friends, Ron Kardos and Bruce Licht, sought to have answered. They conceived of […]

TORCH Fundraiser — support the This Jewish Life 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 This Jewish Life Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to […]

TORCH Fundraiser — support the This Jewish Life 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 This Jewish Life Podcast right now at giveTORCH.org The website for the Fundraiser is giveTORCH.org Click and donate to […]

On Yom Kippur afternoon, we read the 48-verse Book of Jonah, which tells of a renegade prophet, Jonah, who defies the directive of God and refuses to castigate the people of Nineveh and instead escapes from God to Tarshish – with mixed results. A simple reading of the story reveals a tale of repentance, both of […]

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 the pagans – is instructed by God to take Isaac – the […]

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 banishment of Ishmael, his brush with death, and his salvation. In this […]

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 are and who we want to be — and transform […]

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 provocative verse in Deuteronomy (10:12), Moses asks this question. His answer, […]

For the three weeks spanning from the fast of the 17th of Tammuz until the fast of Tisha B’av (9th of Av), the Jewish nation practices collective mourning. This mourning is the result of a collection of calamitous things that has happened to our ancestors during these inauspicious times. What is the background of these […]

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 and what do they connote? Why do we read […]

Lag BaOmer refers to the 33rd day of the Omer, the period connecting the Festivals of Pesach and Shavuot in which we are commanded to count 7 days for 7 weeks in ascending order until the anniversary day of the Sinai experience. What is the significance of the Omer period and why is the 33rd […]

This past Shabbos, my wife and I were blessed with a newborn baby girl. As Shabbos-observant Jews, this raised some interesting halachic dilemmas. In the first part of this podcast I tell the story of how we navigated the various problems, and then we pivot to constructing a framework for raising all kinds of children well […]

One of the highlights of the Haggadah is the four different discussion that parents have with the four different sons, the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the son who does not know how to ask. In this podcast a novel approach is suggested wherein these four sons are not four different […]

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, the 13th day of Adar. But the Almighty would have none of it. In His […]

The Jewish community of Houston, TX is fortunate to have Rabbi Nosson Dubin, a true expert on all things kosher, as its Rabbinic Administrator for the Houston Kashrus Association, the agency tasked with overseeing kosher establishments and furthering kosher options in Houston. Beyond his local role in the Houston Kashrus scene, Rabbi Dubin is also the founder […]

The Shema prayer is arguably the most well-known prayer of them all. It is the first words that we teach our children, and the last ones uttered by a Jew in their tenure in this world. A Jewish life is bookended by recitations of the Shema. Yet it seems to me that while people are […]

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 not influence the world for the better. – – – – – – – – – – – […]

The words “Ayin Hara” are firmly ensconced in the Jewish lexicon. From a young age we are trained to exclaim “keinahara” and “bli ayin hara”, after describing, hearing about, or witnessing something wonderful. What is an ayin hara, why is it dangerous, and how can we mitigate or counteract its damage? Join me and my colleague […]

About 2,200 years ago, the Jewish Nation faced an existential threat: The Assyrian Greek Empire led by Antiochus and his Hellenist henchmen undertook a concerted campaign to systematically eradicate the Jewish religion. They sought to make the Jews forget the Torah and depart from the mitzvos; they defiled the Temple; they harassed the Jewish daughters; […]

The Yetzer Hara is the villain of our life. It’s other names are the “satan” and the “angel of death”. It seeks to undermine us and inhibit us from accomplishing our life’s mission. thankfully, the Sages of the Talmud offered us a multitude of strategies and tactics to combat and resist this deadly force. In […]

“’In a Sukkah shall you dwell for seven days’ – The Torah is instructing us to leave our permanent dwelling and move into a temporary dwelling.” (Talmud Sukkah 2a). A mere five days after Yom Kippur, we are instructed to abandon our permanent home and move into a makeshift hut and live there for seven […]

Prayer is a central tenet of our religion, and comprised a hefty chunk of its rituals. The Mishna (Pirkei Avos 1:2) delineates the three things upon which the world stands – meaning that without it the world would cease existing – and lists prayer together with Torah study and kindness. Yet prayer is a mitzvah that […]

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 analyze the notion of repentance in general, the difference between […]

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 and prepared for it. In this podcast we […]

Shavuos marks the time of the giving of the Torah and the climax of the nation building that began with the Exodus. In this podcast we offer a broad overview of the meaning of this Festival and its various themes. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Jewish parents a double responsibility: We must raise mature, healthy children who will turn into productive adults, and to instill within our children the values of Torah and Judaism. Though this is a second obligation, as Jews we also benefit from the Torah’s guidelines of how to educate them, and in this podcast we hope to convey […]

The Torah provides four verses that describe the appropriate conversations fathers should have with their sons on Pesach Eve. The Haggadah explains that each conversation refers to a different type of son. There is a distinct dialogue with the wise son, the wicked son, the simple son, and the son who does not know how […]

Pesach marks the foundational event of our nation’s history. The Exodus that happened on the days of Pesach is the rationale of the Jewish holidays nad festivals, including the weekly Shabbos, and is invoked in many mitzvos. In this podcast we explore the story of Pesach and discover what it says about what we stand […]

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 shares the story of Shlomo’s life and opens up about how parents absorb and process such an […]

In the last portions of Exodus, the Torah details the incredible fundraising efforts to assemble the materials needed to build the Mishkan. It records that the nesi’im, the presidents of the tribes, donated the stones for the Kohein Gadol’s Choshen and Ephod, Breastplate and apron-like garment. Rashi notes that the Torah is also conveying a veiled criticism about these people […]

Purim is a holiday marking the salvation of the Jews in Persia from the genocidal plans of Haman and his cohorts. Every 14th and 15th day of Adar, Jews worldwide read the Book of Esther which tells the story, give gifts to the poor and to their friends, and partake in a lavish and festive […]

Over the past several months, there have been revelations, accusations, and allegations of sexual misconduct by celebrities of all types, which spawned movements and hashtags and a national conversation on these issues. In this podcast we offer a Mussar approach to these revelations.  – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

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 […]

Mussar is the tool that we can use to integrate Torah into ourselves and change our character. A Mussar master is someone who is spiritually alive. In this special lecture, we try to tell a story of how Mussar masters operated during the inferno that engulfed European Jewry during the Holocaust. By recounting the heroic […]

This week, the Gadol Hador, Rav Ahron Leib Shteinman zt”l, passed away at the age of 104. In this eulogy, we try to capture a brief portrait of this remarkable and inspirational leader. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please […]

When reading about the story and the miracles of Chanukah, the most prominent and memorable one seems to be the military victory of a small ragtag guerrilla army over the mighty Greeks. Yet the mitzvah commemorating the events revolves around the miracle of the oil, a seemingly insignificant miracle in comparison. In this podcast, we offer 3 […]

In the span of one parsha, Reuben makes a grave blunder while Joseph avoids one. In their analysis of these two episodes, our Sages provide us with a powerful tool to ensure that our own actions are righteous and just and as accurate as possible. – – – – – – – – – – […]

The Torah has been described by many Jewish sources as a guide to accessing spiritual pleasure. While it is true that there are many laws that restrict pleasure, the net benefit of the Torah is that through it we can experience deeper and more sophisticated, spiritual pleasures. What is spiritual pleasure? What are the conditions […]

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 podcast, we quickly run through the story and find relevant and insightful tips on how to find […]

Dear friends, it is with great joy and delight that I present you with my brand new podcast, Eternal Ethics. In this podcast we will journey through the ancient book of Mishna, Pirkei Avos, a book containing God’s wisdom on Ethics and Character development as conveyed at Sinai. But don’t let the title fool you. […]

The Festival of Sukkos has many moving parts: There is the mitzvah to dwell in a Sukkah for seven days; we are commanded to shake the Four Species on Sukkos; and there is a fascination with the Seventy Nations of the world and their ultimate downfall. In this podcast, we offer a comprehensive perspective of […]

Teshuva (Repentance) can be an intimidating and daunting task. Entire volumes are filled with its components and nuances. In this podcast we shine light on a different aspect of Teshuva: Its easy, eminently achievable, and all the factors are in place to enable us to do it. – – – – – – – – […]

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 very first Yom Kippur. What happened on that day and how is it […]

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 […]

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 area of our lives. Please consider making a donation to rebuilding […]

For the past 40 days, I have participated in “Daf Yomi”, literally “daily page”, a nationwide effort to study the Talmud, one page per day, finishing it every seven and a half year cycle. In this podcast I delineate several powerful and poignant teachings from these 40 pages of Talmud, including the surprising attitude God has to […]

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 that works and one that does not. The critic can only choose one. […]

The tension that exists between our body-identity and soul-identity is comparable to a ride in a vehicle with two potential drivers. By default, our body is in the driver’s seat, and our soul is locked in the trunk. Through Torah and mitzvos we can increase the influence that the soul has on our life’s journey and […]

Our sages debate what is greater Torah study or actions of mitzvos. In this podcast we probe the the question of knowledge vs. action, insight vs. doing, what we know vs. what we do, and draw critical insights that are broadly applicable for all of Torah. – – – – – – – – – – […]

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. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

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 of what does it mean that a single mitzvah is equivalent to all 613 mitzvos? Next we probe […]

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”ה בן יבדל”א ר’ אברהם יוחנן שליט”א. – – – – – – – […]

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 Sinai, and it’s significance for providing evidence for the legitimacy of […]

In the liturgy of the festival, Shavuos is labeled as “the time of the giving of the Torah.” On Shavuos we only received 10 mitzvos out of an eventual 613. How then can it be the time of the giving of the entire Torah? In this podcast we propose five solutions to that question, and thereby provide […]

Jews are required to love God. How can we love an entity that we have a hard time defining? Rambam addresses this question and informs us of a solution that will change our relationship with God and Torah. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Torah study is the greatest mitzvah. The sources write that it is equivalent to the other 612 combined. The Talmud notes that the study of Torah is greater than saving lives. In the hierarchy of mitzvos, Torah study stands alone. In this podcast we probe why. This Torah class is dedicated .לעילוי נשמת אטא רבקה בת ישעיהו […]

The Exodus is the most oft-referenced event in Jewish life. Twice daily we invoke it in the Shema, and every Shabbos holiday is characterized as “a remembrance for the exodus of Egypt”. Why is the exodus so central to Jewish life? In this podcast we explore that question and many others regarding the Exodus story and […]

ANNUAL APPEAL: We are right now running our annual campaign at giveTORCH.com. If you enjoy the podcasts and want to support our work – please go to giveTORCH.com and donate to the cause. SHOW NOTES: Prayer is a comprehensive part of the Jewish day. We pray for amaterial, spiritual, physical, and health matters, we pray for the […]

Our sages note that many different levels of Emunah exist. In this podcast we delineate the acheivable levels of Emunah, and examine several teachings from the Talmud in the prism of the Emunah of its authors. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

The sources are in agreement that cognitive and intellectual faith alone is insufficient. To properly fulfill his requirements, man must find a way to have the Emunah penetrate into his behavior and perspective. Why is this so critical and how it is done? – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

The first of the Ten Commandments instructs us to gain basic faith. The last one, “Thou Shall No Covet”, is a reflection of a much more advanced variety of Emunah. In this episode, we stress the importance to not rely solely on emotional or societal basis for our basic Emunah, and instead to pursue a […]

In previous episodes we have established that Emunah is the core objective of life. In this episode we explore some of the Jewish perspectives on the matter. We delve into our role in this world, our inhibitors to greatness, and what we have in store for us after death. – – – – – – […]

Regarding three people we are told in the Talmud that they are people of limited faith: Noah, who entered the Ark as a result of the water; a person who prays loudly; and a person who has food for today and not for tomorrow and says ‘what will I eat tomorrow?’. Further, the Talmud declares […]

Emunah, faith, is a critical mitzvah that headlines the Ten Commandments. But truthfully, Emunah is more than an isolated mitzvah; it is the objective of all the mitzvos. – – – – – – – – – – – – – Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected]. Podcasts Links iOS: This […]

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: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected]. Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish […]

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 Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected]. Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The […]

Moshe was the humblest man ever, the greatest prophet of all time, and the only documented person to time-travel. In this episode, we gather many teachings regarding Moshe and construct a comprehensive framework to understand his character, greatness and accoomplishments. Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected]. Podcasts Links iOS: This […]

The Talmud (Brachos 5a) delineates 4 methods to eliminate the greatest threat to our life, the Yetzer Ra. In this podcast, we examine and explore the second approach, that Torah study protects and shields from sin. Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected]. Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth […]

We have previously seen (HERE and HERE) what the Yetzer Ra is and how to combat it. In this podcast, we will learn about the four methods to not only combat it but to defeat it entirely. Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: [email protected]. Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – […]

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 remain. In this podcast, we explore with a fine toothed comb these statements. Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; […]

The holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the triumph of the Maccabean Revolt over the oppressive regime of Antiochus IV and the Seleucid Empire. In this podcast we tell the story of this miraculous victory of the weak over the mighty; the few over the many; the pure over the impure; and the righteous over the wicked. Please SUBSCRIBE to […]

We have previously established in the podcast titled Know Your Enemy that the Yetzer Ra (evil inclination) created illusionary, fake pleasures. This allows for many unexpected methods in combatting it. In this podcast, we outline nine different approaches in battling our nefarious foe culled from sources in the Talmud and associated literature. SOURCE SHEET: sources-ammunitionagainstadversaries – – – […]

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 we explore the various sources depicting the nature of the Yetzer ra and the manners by […]

In Mesilat Yesharim Chapter 1, Ramchal outlines a general principle that humanity is created for their state in Olam Haba (the next world) and not for their state here. We analyze, clarify and try to make sense of this idea in this podcast. Note: The class participants were particularly engaged in asking questions and in contributing […]

A central tenet of Jewish philosophy is the belief in the resurrection of the dead. Death is not final; the dead will yet walk the land. The details of resurrection are a bit trickier. What is the nature of this life? Is it merely an undoing of death and a resumption of life as we know […]

The Talmud teaches that all mitzvos share a common objective – the acquisition of faith. Why is faith so difficult to achieve and how do mitzvos engender faith?

We attempt to unravel a famous philosophical paradox: The Talmud teaches that a child only receives a yetzer ra at birth, yet Esav was pining for idolatry while in utero. How does that work and what does it mean for our pursuit of righteousness? If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe to The Parsha Podcast – […]

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 kindness. Paradoxically, Abraham acts in a supremely unkind fashion by banishing Ishmael and attempting filicide […]

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We are instructed to sit in a Sukkah for the seven days of the holiday of Sukkos. What is the meaning behind this strange mitzvah? Why must we leave our climate-controlled homes and move into a sukkah that resembles huts in third world countries? Why is this mitzvah so powerful that it is used as a […]

Yom Kippur is a challenging day. It is associated with prayer and liturgy that we may not understand, very long services and, of course, fasting. As a result, most people are unaware of the power, meaning and opportunity of the day. In this podcast we go back to the very first Yom Kippur. What happened on […]

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 between these two and how can we make the most […]

The question of “why bad things happen to good people” is an exceedingly difficult philosophical dilemma to grapple with. We believe that God is in absolute control of everything that happens in the world. We also believe that He is Just. Yet we see so much injustice all around us. In this podcast we explore […]

Humility is the trait associated with the greatest prophet and leader of all time, Moses. What exactly is humility and why is it such a critical characteristic?

We believe that God is in total control of everything. Can we rely upon Him to feed our family? Would that be considered negligence? What are the parameters of faith and reliance on God vs. personal responsibility? ——- This podcast was recorded live at the Kollel of Houston Torah Center. Please visit torcweb.org for program details […]

Parenting is the most rewarding – and difficult – job we will ever have. Thankfully the Torah teaches us how to be effective parents. Listen and learn the top ten critical elements of successful pedagogy. ——- This podcast was recorded live at the Temple Beth Torah in Humble, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and […]

Death is a future that we all share. What happens after someone dies depends on the life they lived. If they were righteous they merit entry to Olam Haba. When is Olam Haba and how is it related to the resurrection of the dead? What is the link between this world and the next one? Listen […]

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 the goal of such an experiment? What does an evil eye mean and how does […]

Who are you? That unusual question is an example of what we ought to be asking ourselves if we seek character perfection and ethical refinement, says Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) in his short book “derech eitz chaim”. The truth is that it is a bit more difficult to answer than we would imagine. But […]

Jewish sources are unanimous: by observing the mitzvahs a Jew merit entry to Olam Haba. Less clear is how exactly that works. In this podcast we explore the three different approaches outlined in various sources in Jewish writings. ——– Website: RabbiWolbe.com Twitter: @RabbiWolbe Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe Email: [email protected]

The Mishna (Chapters of the Fathers 3:5) declares: רבי נחוניה בן הקנה אומר, כל המקבל עליו עול תורה, מעבירין ממנו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ; וכל הפורק ממנו עול תורה, נותנין עליו עול מלכות ועול דרך ארץ. “Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakana says: whoever accepts upon themselves the yoke of Torah, the yoke of the kingdom and […]

The Talmud and related rabbinic writings are replete with disagreements that impact  the practical application of Torah, known as Halacha. What are the safety ordinances to prevent the perversion of Halachic practice? Is it possible that over the course of history something went awry and there is some element of Halacha that was forgotten or corrupted along the way […]

A universally accepted principle of Judaism is that the Almighty gives reward for observance of Torah and mitzvos and punishment for their nonobservance. What exactly that reward and punishment consist of is a great unknown to most. In this first of three podcasts on the subject we investigate some puzzling sources regarding Olam Haba – […]

Previously (see HERE) we have elaborated on the 1500 years of uninterrupted conveyance of the Oral Torah in its entirety from one generation to the next. Towards the end of the second century of the common era a fateful decision was made to commit the Jewish Law, known as Mishna, to writing. This began a […]

The great sage of the Mishnaic era, Rabbi Akiva, taught that the mitzvah of loving your fellow as yourself is a great principle of Torah. Can this mitzvah be understood that we are obligated to love everyone with the same degree of love that we have for ourselves or perhaps does loving your fellow as yourself […]

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 competitors? How much of the defects in a product or service must a seller disclose? Can someone deceive potential employers by dyeing their […]

Man’s lifelong struggle with their Yetzer Ra is the premier challenge that a person faces in their life. What are the best strategies and tactics to assure victory? In this podcast we examine several telling Talmudic passages that create a roadmap to success in our ultimate test.

“Against your will you are formed; against your will you are born; against your will you live; against your will you die; and against your will you are destined to give an accounting and a reckoning before the King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed is He” (Pirkei Avot 4:22). This Mishnah outlines the five […]

The Second Temple was destroyed 1,946 years ago by Titius and the Romans. Yet the Temple never left our collective consciousness. We invoke it in our prayers, mourn its destruction and hope and yearn for its return. Why do we need a Temple and what is the meaning behind sacrifices?

A fundamental principle of our religion is that the Torah that we have today is the same as the Torah given by God to Moses. Is this a dogmatic belief a leap of faith? How can we be assured that there was no corruption of the Oral Torah over the 1500 years that it was […]

3300 years ago, over a period of 40 years, Moses gave the Jewish nation the Torah that he received from God. It consisted of a Written Torah and an Oral Torah together. For 1500 years the Oral Torah was maintained as such; faithfully and accurately transmitted exclusively orally from generation to generation. Beginning with the publication […]

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 questions and ponder the qualities of his illustrious wives and their collective eternal legacies in this […]

In this first of a series on Oral Torah we begin with asking the very basic questions: What is the Oral Torah comprised of? How does the Oral Torah relate to the Written Torah? How can we be certain of its veracity? Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 19

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 harshly criticise Isaac as in when it is said that he preferred Esau because he made […]

In this 7th and final episode of our examination of the evidence to try and determine if the Torah is indeed the unadulterated word of God, we explore the interrelationship of the Written and Oral Torah and ask if such cohesion and precision can be the product of a human. PART 1: http://rabbiwolbe.com/the-torah-as-a-divine-document-an-analysis-of-higher-bible-criticism-and-why-the-authorship-of-the-torah-matters/ PART 2: http://rabbiwolbe.com/a-traditional-jewish-response-to-higher-bible-criticism-part-2/ PART 3: http://rabbiwolbe.com/the-millions-of-eyewitness-testimonies-to-the-veracity-accuracy-and-historicity-of-the-torah/ […]

Every person who has ever changed the world, from the great Sage Rabbi Akiva to Travis Kalanick the founder of UBER, has been guided by two core life skills. These two learnable qualities are the underpinnings of every transformational change and improvement that humanity achieved. They are what separates the people who are inspired to […]

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 history. What propelled them to greatness? What methods did they employ to disseminate their message? What is […]

This part 6 of the Proofs of Torah series, and Part 17 of the Torah Series overall. In this podcast we analyze and investigate select Torah verses and ponder the feasibility of human authorship. Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 17

Performance of Mitzvahs earns a person a portion in Olam Haba. How does that work? In this podcast we examine various Jewish sources that establish the three distinct ways someone can achieve Olam Haba via mitzvahs.

The reality of the Torah being divine and immutable can be agitating and frankly a bit terrifying. As the word of God, every word of the Torah is true and obligatory, and that may trigger cognitive dissonance if we do not behave in a way that reflects that reality. It is vital to recognize that only two […]

Shavous is the date when the Jews stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and heard the Ten Commandments. Ten mitzvahs out of the 613 that they would ultimately receive is only 3% of the total. Why would this day be enshrined as the day of receiving the Torah when they actually received only a small fraction […]

The Talmud records three episodes where individuals acquired Olam Haba in one instant. In these stories we learn a formula for accomplishing the work of a lifetime in one day.  Let us be prepared to seize the once in a lifetime opportunities to dramatically transform our world with one act of selfless dedication and commitment! […]

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 history there have been several movements that challenged that belief and attempted to alter the […]

The binary question of the authorship of the Torah is the most critical question that every Jew must encounter in their lives. The answer to that question governs every action and decision that we will be making afterwards. Unfortunately, most people do not ever investigate and ponder that question properly. In Part 3 of our […]

A fundamental core belief of our nation is that observance of mitzvahs bring a person to Olam Haba – imprecisely translated as the afterlife. How exactly does that work?

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://rabbiwolbe.com/the-torah-as-a-divine-document-an-analysis-of-higher-bible-criticism-and-why-the-authorship-of-the-torah-matters/ Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 13

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 and engage with contemporary critics who question it. Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi […]

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-spiritual-avatar-how-torah-study-angelifies-humans/ Part 4: http://rabbiwolbe.com/think-how-torah-study-unleashes-our-most-potent-power/ Part 5: http://rabbiwolbe.com/the-only-antidote-to-the-deadliest-disease-the-battle-of-torah-and-the-yetzer-ra/ Part 6: http://rabbiwolbe.com/reversing-birth-how-torah-enables-us-to-reverse-the-curse-of-life/ Part 7: http://rabbiwolbe.com/the-four-ways-that-torah-connects-us-to-our-creator/ Part 8: http://rabbiwolbe.com/conquering-the-endgame-how-torah-study-engenders-character-change-and-transformation/ Part 9: http://rabbiwolbe.com/humanitys-sole-hope-how-torah-guides-the-world-to-its-destiny-and-saves-it-from-destruction/ Part 10: http://rabbiwolbe.com/for-it-is-our-life-how-torah-sustains-our-better-half/   Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 11

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 10

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 9  

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

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 7

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 6

ת”ר ושמתם סם תם נמשלה תורה כסם חיים משל לאדם שהכה את בנו מכה גדולה והניח לו רטיה על מכתו ואמר לו בני כל זמן שהרטיה זו על מכתך אכול מה שהנאתך ושתה מה שהנאתך ורחוץ בין בחמין בין בצונן ואין אתה מתיירא ואם אתה מעבירה הרי היא מעלה נומי כך הקב”ה אמר להם לישראל בני […]

In the 19th Century a collection of German scholars promulgated a theory as to the authorship of the Torah- the Documentary Hypothesis. How does it differ from the traditional Jewish perspective and can we reconcile their evidence? In this podcast Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe presents a traditional Jewish response to Bible Criticism.

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 4

Eric L. Pines, Esq. is a member of the Maryland, California, and Texas State Bars, and founder of Pines Federal, a law firm specializing in Employment Law for Government and Military Employees. Mr. Pines’ firm represents federal employees from all branches of the U.S. Military (Army, Navy, Air Force) and the VA as well as other federal agencies. Mr. […]

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

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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

Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 1

Christian Support Of Zionism, Messianism and Anti Semitism

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Purpose of creation, centrality of Free Will, meaning of Chosen People and Tikkun Olam and an understanding of the Jewish perception of Anti-Semitism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe.

The Nine Levels of Faith and how we understand pain in the face of a Benevolent God with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe.

The rabbis taught: for two and a half years the academies of Shammai and Hillel debated, these arguing “it is preferable for man to not be created more than to be created”, and these arguing “it is preferable for man to be created more than to not be created”. They counted (voted) and concluded: “it […]

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

The Talmud declares that someone who rejects the legitimacy of the Written Torah as being written by Moses as per the dictation of the Almighty has no portion in the World to Come. If someone accepts the Torah at large but argues that a single verse is not Divine – they have no portion in […]

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Wake Up From Your Slumber!!!

The Talmud declares that someone who rejects the legitimacy of the Written Torah as being written by Moses as per the dictation of the Almighty has no portion in the World to Come. If someone accepts the Torah at large but argues that a single verse is not Divine – they have no portion in the […]

If God decides and knows everything, what do I have to lose by walking through a highway blindfolded? God makes people sick. If so, should we try to undo that via prayer? Perhaps he should only pray and not seek medical attention? Can someone be obese and guzzle steaks and say “if the Almighty wants me to die then […]

It has been more than 3,800 years since God promised Abraham that his children would inherit the Land of Israel, then called Canaan. Ever since that fateful declaration the Land of Israel has not departed the hearts, minds and consciousnesses of Jews worldwide. We have settled, been expelled and resettled the Land multiple times. What […]

Tikkun Olam is Hebrew for fixing the world. Implied is that we live in a broken world. What about our world is broken? How do we go about fixing it? Why are the Jewish people uniquely suited to accomplish this vital task? What tools are we entrusted with to help us achieve this supreme goal?

Unfortunately and ironically, we often appreciate the least the people to whom we owe the most. If a total stranger gave you $235,000 – the amount it costs parents to raise a child to the age of 18 – you would be eternally indebted to him/her. But our parents contribution to us extends far beyond […]

The Torah rules that a Jew who desecrates the Shabbat by performing one of the 39 prohibited categories of work is executed. Should we really round up and detain all the Jews driving to shul on Shabbos, try them and execute them? The punishment seems excessive for the crime.

A discussion that began by examining what exactly an angel is gracefully meandered into a different topic.

A simplistic reading of Genesis, interpolated from Adam to present day, results in a universe that is less than 6,000 years old. Scientific methods date the universe as being 13.8 billion years old, a discrepancy that is decidedly beyond the margin of error. How do we reconcile our faith with what science has empirically concluded? Perhaps a simplistic […]

What makes the Holy Land holy and it’s history from 3,800 years ago to modern Israel. *TORCH Bar and Bat Mitzvah Series 2015, Meyerland Minyan 4/27/2015

*TORCH Breakneck through the Bible, BJC Houston 4/28/2015

Talmud Taanis 20: A Person should always be soft like a reed and not stiff like a cedar. There was a story with Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Shimon who was coming from Migdal Gedor from the house of his Rabbi, and he was riding on a donkey and traveling on the edge of […]

Patterns in Jewish History, like cliches, repeat themselves. We are told that disunity, discord and disassociation brought down the Second Commonwealth of Israel nearly 2000 years ago. Implied is that unity will be the quality that is necessary to reestablish Jewish sovereignty and stability in Israel. The story of Zionism is one of disparate Jews […]

*Congregation Beth Yeshurun 4/23/2015

We find many references scattered throughout Jewish writings regarding Olam Haba, the next world. What exactly this place is, why we ought to strive to get there and how we go about achieving that goal are matters of immense intrigue and importance. This discussion centers around one of the more peculiar and mysterious Talmudic statements regarding Olam […]

Moses prayed 515 times to God that He rescind His decree of banning Moses from entering Israel. After this relentless prayer assault Moses ceased praying. Why would Moses stop after 515 and not continue and what does that teach us about the effectiveness of prayer? *Shalom Cypress, April 15, 2015

The Jewish attitude to Torah study has always been to not accept the words on a simplistic and superficial level. We view the text of the Torah as having infinite depth and subtle nuances and meanings. In this class we will attempt to dissect and unravel perhaps the most challenging episodes in the Torah: the […]

The narratives of Genesis mustn’t be read and understood as important stories or historical context; The Torah in it’s entirety is instructive. The manner in which the Forefathers are presented in the Torah and the content of those narratives and dialogues are reflective of the lessons that they exemplified and perfected that the Torah wants us […]

What is foretold about man even before conception, and what is significant about that? The Talmud declares that a child studies the entire Torah in utero and as it enters the world an angel strikes it’s mouth and the child forgets it all. What can this possibly mean? What is the nature of the oath administered to […]

Jews are obligated to pray to the Almighty 3 times daily and prayer is named by the Mishna as one of the three pillars that uphold the world. Yet the very principle of prayer is somewhat troubling. For example, when someone is sick the Jewish response is to beseech to God to provide a healing […]

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

The trait of Kindness is the recipe for happy and harmonious marriages, the key to great leadership and the principal principle of a man of faith. All these are contingent on Kindness. Find out why.

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 accurately transmitting the Torah is of such paramount importance. If the Jews lose the […]

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 Abraham to be the progenitor of the people that will collectively complete the sacred mission that Abraham began. […]

Judaism teaches that man is comprised of half body half soul. Our souls are like stars and our body’s earth. We are partially angel and partially beast. Our soul is compared to the Almighty Himself and has unlimited power to propel us to greatness. Will we capitalize on the vast potential or will we falter when […]

The Talmud declares that someone who rejects the legitimacy of the Written Torah as being written by Moses as per the dictation of the Almighty has no portion in the World to Come. If someone accepts the Torah at large but argues that a single verse is not Divine – they have no portion in the […]

This presentation was originally entitled: “The Ten Reasons Why Jews Study Torah”, but further research discovered more. The Torah has been the portable homeland of the Jewish people. Torah study has always been our national pastime. Why are we so obsessed with Torah study?

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

Tefilin are two black leather boxes containing scrolls of sections of the Torah worn by Jews every day. What are some of the meanings behind this intriguing mitzvah, and how do these ideas dovetail with patterns of the totality of all 613 mitzvahs at large.

The discussions of “Who is a Jew?”, and matrimonial vs. patrilineal descent with regards to the status of a child of a mixed marriage have been rife with misconceptions. The popular maxim of Judaism descending from the mother’s side is only partially true; what the Torah does indeed say is significantly more nuanced.

A wide ranging discussion of major items in Jewish Philosophy.

Abraham died when he was 175; Isaac – 180; Jacob – 147; Moses an even 120. How did they live that long? Is there a secret elixir of life that they consumed? What was their diet?

Judaism teaches that God controls, supervises, manipulates and directs Jewish History. While we struggle to understand why the unprecedented genocide of the Holocaust had to happen, we know that God willed it. Of course this raises important and grave questions, which must be examined thoughtfully and sensitively. This class is a recounting of a largely unknown […]

We tackle the question of theodicy.

What does Jewish Law say regarding suicide? What about physician assisted suicide? We briefly outline the central element of these laws, although we may revisit it at greater length in the future.

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 a just God supervise over injustice? Why do bad things happen to good people? This […]

Striving for character development and ethical refinement are included in the demands that the Almighty expects from every Jew. The very first step on the path to total character perfection is acquiring and refining our capacity to have patience.

Ever since the founding of the Jewish state tension between the political and societal elements in Israel and the religious implications of a Jewish state have existed. In truth, the Zionist dream was hotly divisive across a very broad spectrum of the Jewish world fifty years before Israel’s founding. Recently several issues in the Israeli […]

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 never was, divine because assigning godly qualities to a man is anathema for Jews and against […]

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 (Sanhedrin 99a) that even if someone acknowledges that all the Torah is divine […]

Jacob’s life was a seemingly endless streak of suffering and challenges. His own brother was hellbent on murdering him; his father in law tricked him into marrying the woman whom he did not desire to marry; his father in law also marginalized him professionally. Joseph’s life path follows a similar line: His brothers conspire to […]

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.

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 revolt in 67 BCE and the Bar Kochba Revolt in 132 CE, Israel will be thenceforth dominated by […]

Belief in the idea that God communicates to man is an essential principle of our religion. In fact, various elements of prophecy comprise four of the thirteen principles of the Jewish faith that Maimonides enumerates as necessary for inclusion in the religion. What does prophecy mean? How does one become a prophet? How are claims of […]

As Jews we believe that God is not only the Creator of the Universe, but also is constantly sustaining the world with spiritual and physical nourishment and individually supervising all humans. The extent of how involved God is with us in the most minute fashion is revealed when the Talmud declares “A person cannot bend […]

שלשה מעין עוה”ב, אלו הן: שבת, שמש, ותשמיש. תשמיש דמאי, אילימא תשמיש התטה, הא מכחש כחיש, אלא תשמיש נקבים (ברכות דף נז:) The Talmud does not dispense secrets like gumballs. Therefore the Aggadic secrets of the Talmud are masked in parables, fantastic stories, allusions and the like and only after much toil can one uncover their […]

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 destruction of the first Temple and the subsequent exile 70 years prior and had just narrowly […]

Jews are not strangers to suffering. Jewish History is most easily described as an endless litany of expulsion, dispersion, exile, antisemitism, pogrom, Inquisition, Holocaust, blood libels, Autos-da-fé, ghettoization and ceaseless economic and social marginalization. When a person of faith is confronted with suffering – and especially when the sufferer is a person of good moral character – […]

The Jewish Bible consists of 24 books. All 613 mitzvot are instructed in the first five books collectively known as the Torah. The very end of the Torah tells the story of the death of Moses on the doorstep of Israel. The next section of the Bible, collectively known as the Prophets and beginning with the […]

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 Messiah” (Sanhedrin 97a) The core tenet of the Jews that the world had a […]

The clear and copious evidence that the Torah is of divine origin (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4) is incontrovertible to all but the most unreasonable of skeptics. In this class we continue the exposition of presenting convincing proofs that the Torah could not be written by man and also explain how the text of the Torah was transmitted […]

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 ascensions before this golden opportunity expires. In this class we learn how […]

In the previous three classes in this series we have presented compelling evidence to the veracity and historicity of the Torah as being what it claims to be, i.e. the word of God as dictated to Moses. In this class we discuss some of the common questions that arise when people realize that belief in […]

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 presentation we discuss where the world’s flaws lie, and, taking a lesson out of […]

Only two potential answers really exist to the question of who wrote the Torah: 1. The traditional perspective of it being written by Moses as per the dictation of God. 2. It not being written by Moses as per the dictation of God. In recent times a third option was invented that it was divinely […]

“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 instinct – and the world is the playground where these decisions […]

A guiding principle in Jewish philosophy is that when God does something He does it perfectly. Hence, when God gives us instructions for living, aka the Torah, it is the complete book of instructions, instructions for how to live life and what to do in ever possible life scenario or situation regardless of how remote […]

The debate over the authorship of the Torah is a very important one; and not only for us Jews but the majority of humanity accepts this document as the dictation of God to Moses. In this class we continue our quest to logically assess both sides of the arguments as to the authenticity of the […]

The Torah weaves law and instruction with dialogue and narrative; often miraculous and supernatural events and stories like the Exodus narrative of the Ten Plagues, the splitting of the sea into 12 walkable dry paths and the momentous national prophecy at the foot of Mount Sinai. Supernatural narratives are not unique to our religion; rather […]

“From Moshe till Moshe no one arose like Moshe” This epithet which is engraved on the tombstone of Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon, the Rambam, sheds light on the enormity of his impact and influence upon the Jewish people. The mere claim that the Rambam’s contributions and leadership was surpassed only by Moshe Rabbeinu is a testament […]

No mission is as critical to the success of humanity as the mission that began at the Mount Sinai and continues to this very day of transmitting the Torah from generation to generation accurately. After all, the Torah is what differentiates the Jewish people from the nations of the world; it is what we mean […]

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 Talmud, despite that fact the the latter was written 180 years earlier.

Learn about some of the fine details about how courts are constructed, how evidence is presented in Jewish courts, and the incredible efforts that the Torah demands from us to ensure that a just verdict is reached.

What does Judaism say about organ donations, DNRs and euthanasia?

Historically, the Jewish people remained almost completely free of sectarianism, and that is one of the reasons for our continued survival as a people and as a religion against all odds throughout the millennia. Yet in the 19th Century several modern splinter sects sprang up, namely the Reform, the Conservative, and to a lesser extent, the […]

Ever wonder why we fast on the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, Tisha b’av, and on the happiest – Yom Kippur? Listen and learn all about the four minor and two major Jewish fasts.

Learn about Jacob informing his wives’ about his proposed clandestine flight away from his father in law’s home. What lessons can we deduce from the peculiar methods Jacob employs when trying to convince Leah and Rachel of the merits of leaving?

In the book of Numbers we read about the heroic actions of Pinchus who avenged God’s fury and murdered a Jewish leader who was publicly fornicating with Midyanite woman. The Torah accords him with much honor for his courageous acts. What is the deal with this? Are we allowed to take the law into our […]

For more than three millennia now the Jews have remained steadfastly dedicated to Torah study. Even during times when 99% of their non-Jewish neighbors were illiterate, every man, woman and child in the Jewish community was able to read and write – and well versed in Torah. Jewish societies have historically valued Torah knowledge and study […]

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 – takes our hand and guides us to achieving what we desire most.

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 encouraged. What is the rationale for that distinction and why does it mirror the prohibition of arrogance? We also learn that of […]

While humans have seemingly progressed, improved and evolved in many areas of life, in the arena of relationships we are comparatively neanderthals, and we are regressing. Surprisingly, a 3300 year old document will succinctly instruct and guide us in four sentences more successfully than all the relationships and self help books in Barnes and Noble.

There is a fine line between arrogance and a keen understanding of the brutal facts; between humility and delusion. Did Moses – the humblest of men – know that he was the Jewish greatest prophet? Is the smartest guy in the room allowed to know that fact without transgressing on the severe sin of גאוה, haughtiness? […]

The deeper meaning and insight into the various holidays and festivals in the Jewish calendar.

Click HERE for part 1 We continue our exploration of the themes and insights of the progression of a Jewish life.

The words of our Sages in the Talmud were written with the utmost precision and exactitude. Thus, when encountering perplexing statements in the Talmud (as in the subject of this class) it is a grave error to consider that the authors made a mistake or even to only study the statement superficially without straining to understand […]

Us Jews are privy to the most valuable thing on Earth: The Almighty’s precious Torah. All too often we neglect to realize the enormity of this reality, but if you stop for a second and truly analyze it you will recognize how astonishing it is. Mere mortal humans, the most fallible and feeble of all […]

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 not the only reason why change is imperative. Relationship breakdown only occurs due to bad character. Proper parenting […]

Spousal selection is a perplexing and vexing part of life for most people; at least if the rates of failure in marriage are indeed what they are reported to be. The average person does not now where to start, what to do, what to look out for and how not to make a grievous and […]

Three times in the Torah we are commanded to experience the emotion of love: “Thou shall love your fellow as yourself” (Leviticus 19, 18) “Thou shall love the foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10, 19) “Thou shall love Hashem your God with all your hearts, with all your soul […]

Every adult Jew is obligated to perform all 248 positive and 365 negative mitzvahs of the Torah. The sheer volume of mitzvahs can seem overwhelming and that raises a question: why would God in His Infinite wisdom see it necessary to task us with the performance of so many mitzvahs? Would not one mitzvah suffice? […]

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 that most of us have harbored since our youth, and infuse the holidays and rituals of the Jewish year […]

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 that most of us have harbored since our youth, and infuse the holidays and rituals of the Jewish year […]

It is well documented that modern humans fail at marriage at alarming rates. In the United States for example, in any given year the amount of divorces are roughly half the amount of marriages pegging the divorce rate around 50%. Shockingly, 5 out of 10 couples who commit to stay married to each other “until […]

Thinking and contemplating about our own demise is perhaps the most powerful tool we can use to change the way we think about life. When we realize that we too will swallow that bitter pill of death, our life and values appear in a new light. But what actually happens when we die? And what […]

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 America today only 63% of children grow up together with both biological parents. As Jews we […]

If you are ready to go kosher you have come to the right place. Rabbi Wolbe outlines the three easy step involved in transforming from a kosher novice to complete kosher observance. Kosher has never been simpler.

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

Rabbi Wolbe addresses an interesting topic: The status of the Torah before it was given. Did Abraham have Torah? Did the Torah exist before the universe did?

Humans have a physiological innate need to live for something; to have meaning. Our needs go beyond the physical. In Judaism we say that this need is the yearning of the soul for soulful nourishment the same way bodies scream out for their unmet needs. Rabbi Wolbe teaches the Torah’s methods of how to utilize […]

Rambam on גן עדן, משיח, תחיית המתים, ועוה”ב. Definitions and perspectives.

Any pursuit of self perfection and character refinement will invariably be accompanied by two frightening and formidable challenges: 1. Body-Backlash; when the body rejects the agenda of the soul. 2. Heightened Haughtiness; when someone ascends to Mount Pious and declares himself mayor and looks down condescendingly upon others. These two dangers must be approached very […]

When the Torah presents us with parallel stories of people with radically different priorities and spiritual statuses who faced similar challenges with counter-intuitive results, clearly there is an important lesson for us.

We continue with enlightening and sobering guidance from the Torah regarding happiness and Love.

In part 2 we dissect the nature of the different types of Pleasures and explain the Torah’s view on the pros and cons of simple physical pleasures.

We begin this first of a multiple part exposition of major items in Jewish Life, Philosophy and Practice with a controversial but logical conclusion and a question. The conclusion: Life can only have meaning if God exists. The question: When you accept the Jewish definition of God you accept that God lacks nothing; so for […]

The term “overachiever” should not be mistakenly conferred onto people who achieve greatness; greatness can result from great intellect, opportunity and circumstance, overachievers are those who achieve beyond what their peers in circumstance and ability achieve. What is their secret, and how can we emulate them?

In this wide ranging discussion on God and his active participation in history, we ask, and attempt to answer, questions like these: How did 600k Jews mobilize and leave Egypt at a moments notice? Where was God during the Holocaust, Inquisition, the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648? Why does God not do miracles miracles every day? […]

In several places in Jewish Literature and practice we present Adam and Eve as a prototype of a relationship worth emulating. There is only one slight problem with that – Adam and Eve did not seem to have a stable relationship, much less an idyllic and harmonious one. What could the Torah possibly mean when […]

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 God is Merciful, you too be merciful; just as God is […]

Join Rabbi Wolbe as he explores and examines several peculiar curiosities about the forbearer of mankind, Adam. Why was man the only creature created as a single individual; why didn’t create a flock, tribe, gaggle or pride of humans? Why did Adam not have Torah, and how could he possibly have succeeded in his challenge […]

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 traits. In this class we learn the process of how we go about transforming ourselves.

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 anatomy of temptation; focusing on the reason why forbidden fruit (or carbs) is so alluring and […]

If you are interested in a wide ranging discussion on many relevant topics in Jewish thought and wisdom with a healthy sprinkling of decidedly irrelevant yet fascinating tidbits of Jewish knowledge, this is the class for you!

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

Three times in the Torah we are commanded to love someone or something. How is that reasonable?

Jewish Perspective: Puberty > Coming of age > Adolescence > Dating and Courtship > Marriage > Divorce > Parenting > Mid-life crisis > Dying like a Jew > Jewish Burial > תחית המתים (Resuscitation of the dead).

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. Lastly, learn the meaning of the various Jewish holidays and significant times in the calendar […]

Curious to know when Moshiach is coming? Can we – and should we – calculate his arrival? Think you’ve got what it takes to be Moshiach? Rabbi Wolbe answers these questions and outlines the qualifications needed for one to be crowned Moshiach and the accomplishments that Moshiach will achieve. Additionally, in this class we hear […]

Tune in and listen to the definitive Jewish answer to life’s most compelling question: what really happens after you die. One of the few topics where it is hard to speak from experience, Rabbi Wolbe culls from various sources and Jewish traditions to paint a complete picture that clarifies the basis of the discussion: what […]

Sheets with holes, shaved heads, arranges marriages and tattooed Jews excluded from Jewish cemeteries are but some of the misconceptions Jews have about Judaism. In this discussion, Rabbi Wolbe outlines and disproves the following four core and central misconceptions: Judaism is old, ancient, arcane, irrelevant and not contemporary to modern times. Mitzvas are ritualistic, repetitive and […]

“שמח תשמח רעים האהובים כשמחך יצירך בגן עדן מקדם” This statement, part of the Sheva Brachos (Seven Blessings), is recited under the Chuppah ( wedding canopy) of traditional Jewish marriages. Translated into English, we pray: “Gladden the loving couple, like you gladdened your creations (Adam and Eve) in the Garden of Eden years ago.” This […]

Three fascinating and enlightening stories from the Talmud shed light on the two roadmaps to spiritual growth: the typical slow and steady grind, and the expedited way. Are you going to dip your toe in the pool or are you gonna take the plunge?

Learn about the responsibilities of children to honor and respect their parents.

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, we have to ask ourselves the question: are we merely […]

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

Starting with a riveting history lesson for background, Rabbi Wolbe and his team of collaborators attempt to unravel and decipher a particularly complex Mishna.

Discussing the various philosophical angles and aspects of Altruism invariably generates vigorous debate. In this class, Rabbi Wolbe attempts to unravel the very complex Jewish position on the issue.

In this class we learn what distinguishes Man from all other species, about the fascinating Jewish idea of the convergence of the spiritual and the physical and, in a first, Rabbi Wolbe calls out one of the participants as being “flaky”.

Pirkei Avos, or Ethics of the Fathers is a compilation of Rabbinic ethical teachings spanning 500 years of Jewish vibrancy, circa 300 BCE to 200 CE, that, amazingly, retain their relevance to contemporary times. In this class, Rabbi Wolbe outlines the historical background to this fascinating work, explains the structure of the book, and digs […]

A small child rarely wakes up to tend to her crying mother. From the beginning of our lives we are self-centered and care about ourselves only; in our quest to build better relationships, we must learn the tools to rid ourselves of this vile characteristic.

On Purim we are instructed to intoxicate ourselves with wine till we do not know the difference between “Haman is cursed” and “Mordechai is blessed”. What could possibly be the rationale behind such a strange mitzvah?

Rabbi Wolbe addresses this interesting question, and also dabbles with the philosophical problems of an infinite existence and a finite world coexisting, and the paradox of Free Will in the face of an All Knowing God.

Rabbi Wolbe explains the seemingly strange phenomenon where a defendant cannot be executed if the Judges unanimously call for his guilt, and other interesting laws relating to capital punishment.

Is Halacha immutable? Does Halacha adapt to modernity? Did the executioners of the Law have the integrity to stay true and not bend in the face of controversy?

Rabbi Wolbe tackles a puzzling point to ponder relating to Adam and Eve and discusses various elements of Free Will.

Rabbi Wolbe explains the meaning of Moses being the “father of all prophets”, and delineates the profound differences in the veracity of our Revelations vs. all other religions.

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.

In this episode we address the idea of “Bashert” or destined one, the Talmudic sources for it, and outline the plan to find that special one

In this episode we discuss the positive and negative effects of our society, our community and our friends

In this episode, Rabbi Wolbe explains the theory and the practice of prayer and addresses all the philosophical problems with prayer, and  gives us the key to getting our prayers answered.

We all have those moments in life where we are galvanized to change ourselves, our community or the entire world. However, only a select few people actually take the inspiration to the finish line. In this episode, Rabbi Wolbe delineates the fundamental key point that distinguished the great ones from the common-folk. (לע”נ שלמה בן חיים […]

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

What is Mussar and how did it come about? Those questions, coupled with anecdotes and lessons, are the content of this episode.

If we are to believe the statistics, the majority of marriages today end up in divorce. The Torah outlines the five components to a Happy, Harmonious and Stable Marriage , each beginning with the letter “C”. In this episode, Rabbi Wolbe delineates and elucidates these key principles.

Can we really learn real life lessons in our relationships from angels. Indeed we can, and Rabbi Wolbe shows us how.

All Jews know that we do not believe in Jesus, but not many know why. In this episode, Rabbi Wolbe outlines the reasons why Jew do not believe in Jesus, have not done so in the past and will not in the future.