The Jewish History Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

TORCH

Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe started The Jewish History Podcast in 2016 with the goal of making Jewish History interesting and accessible. Over the course of the years, episodes have covered the vast expanse of Jewish history, from Abraham to Moses and Joshua, to great Sages in modern times, to Israeli wars. Each episode is dedicated to either a theme of Jewish history, a great personality of Jewish history, an era of Jewish history, or a transcendent event of our people’s history. We learn about our people’s triumphs and high-points, and of course, our nadirs. The Chosen People have experienced an unprecedented 4,000 year story, and it is gloriously retold in The Jewish History Podcast. Please email any questions, comments, or feedback to rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

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91 episodes
Updated Mar 9, 2025

Episodes91

Newest first

Feb 11, 2020 · 58 min
Ep. 71: Chazon Ish: The Founding Father of the Modern Yeshiva World (Part Two: Making the Spiritual Desert Bloom)
In 1933, Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz – the Chazon Ish – moved to British Mandate Palestine. Prior to his departure, the recognized leader of the Torah world, Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky of Vilna had sent a letter to the leaders of the Yishuv informi...
Jan 28, 2020 · 57 min
Ep. 70: Chazon Ish: The Founding Father of the Modern Yeshiva World (Part One: Torah Renaissance Man)
The destruction of European Jewry during the Holocaust decimated more than the thousands of Jewish communities of Europe. Europe had been the epicenter of Ashkenazic Jewish life for 1,000 years, and with the destruction of the 6 million Jews,
Nov 5, 2019 · 53 min
Ep. 69: The Yom Kippur War (Part Four: Ceasefire and Aftermath)
The turning point in the trajectory of the State of Israel was the Yom Kippur War. In almost every way, the history of the State can be divided into two eras, before and after this pivotal conflict. In the fourth and final installment on the Yom Kippur...
Aug 12, 2019 · 58 min
Ep. 68: The Yom Kippur War (Part Three: The Tide Turns)
The Yom Kippur War is – at least from a military perspective – a tale of two conflicts: The early stages of the war were completely one-sided, with the combined Arab armies of Syria and Egypt dominating the battlefields and making huge gains and inflic...
Jun 5, 2019 · 1 hr 1 min
Ep. 67: The Yom Kippur War (Part Two: Israel on the Brink)
The first few days of the Yom Kippur War were among the most disastrous and devastating days in Israel’s history. Thanks to unprecedented intelligence failures that we detailed in the previous episode, they were ill-prepared for the simultaneous surpri...
May 17, 2019 · 1 hr 3 min
Ep. 66: The Yom Kippur War (Part One: Prelude to War)
On October 6th, 1973 – on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar – a coordinated, surprise attack was launched on the State of Israel by its two great adversaries: Egypt in the South and Syria in the North.
Apr 3, 2019 · 1 hr 6 min
Ep. 65: The Era of the Judges (Part Three: Samson the Mighty) + ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
Support TORCH and The Jewish History Podcast TODAY during our only annual fundraiser. https://www.charidy.com/torch/History EVERY DONATION IS QUADRUPLED Today, TORCH needs your help!! Today YOU can support the thousands of Jewish Houstonians who learn ...
Mar 6, 2019 · 52 min
Ep. 64: The Era of the Judges (Part Two: Gideon and Yiftach)
We pick up the story of the Judges after the miraculous destruction of the enemies of Israel – Yavin and his star general Sisera were vanquished, peace reigned for forty years, but as we have seen previously,
Feb 13, 2019 · 57 min
Ep. 63: The Era of the Judges (Part One: Osniel to Deborah)
After the passing of Joshua, the Jewish nation – newly settled in the land of Canaan, the land of Israel – confronted new realities that spawned new challenges. The leadership of the nation was greatly diminished – their future leaders were not of the ...
Jan 9, 2019 · 44 min
Ep. 62: Joshua and the Conquest of Canaan
After the death of Moses, Joshua was tasked with the leadership of the people and with the invasion, conquest, and division of Canaan. Precisely 3 days after the 30-day mourning period of Moses, the invasion commenced with a rapid flurry of miracles,
Dec 12, 2018 · 53 min
Ep. 61: Joshua: Disciple Par Excellence of Moses
Joshua was the undisputed leader of the Jews after the passing of Moses. Even during Moses’ lifetime, Joshua played an important role as Moses’ aide and confidante and protegé. Among his many accomplishments: He led the war effort and vanquished the Am...
Nov 27, 2018 · 56 min
Ep. 60: Moses: The Quintessential Jewish Leader
Moses was the greatest human of all time. His resume is replete with superlatives: He was the greatest prophet of all time, both qualitatively and quantitatively; He was the humblest man to grace the earth; He ascended to Heaven,
Nov 15, 2018 · 54 min
Ep. 59: The Blueprint of Jewish History
The oft-repeated refrain “history repeats itself” is especially true with respect to the stories of the forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as conveyed in the Book of Genesis. Our Sages have made the bold claim that everything that happened to our ...
Oct 24, 2018 · 46 min
Ep. 58: Abraham: The Birth of Monotheism and the Origins of the Jewish Nation
The story of the Jewish people – and truthfully the story of all monotheists, Christians and Muslims too – begins with Abraham. Abraham is of course the progenitor of the Jewish nation via his son, Isaac and grandson, Jacob, and his other son,
Oct 10, 2018 · 56 min
Ep. 57: A History of Kabbalah (Part Two: The Arizal and His Era)
In the 16th century, the city of Safed in Northern Israel became host to one of the greatest collections of Torah Sages ever assembled, none more transformative or influential as Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, known as the Arizal.
Sep 6, 2018 · 47 min
Ep. 56: A History of Kabbalah (Part One: Fom Sinai to Safed)
Kabbalah is part of the corpus of Oral Torah – like the Mishnah, the Talmud and Halacha – that was given to Moshe at Sinai and transmitted from generation to generation, but unlike the revealed Torah which was disseminated as widely as possible to the ...
Jul 24, 2018 · 52 min
Ep. 55: Techeiles: The History of the Mysterious Blue Dye and its Fringe Benefits
The word “Techeiles” is mentioned dozens of times in the Torah, and is a subject that appears in many places in the Talmud and associated literature. Techeiles is both a color and a material, namely wool dyed with this color,
Jul 4, 2018 · 43 min
Ep. 54: The Entebbe Raid
On the 6th of Tammuz, July 4th 1976, a team of Israeli commandos flew 2500 miles undetected across hostile countries, raided the Entebbe airport in Uganda and rescued 100 Jews who were being held hostage after their commercial plane was hijacked.
Jun 5, 2018 · 49 min
Ep. 53: The Ten Lost Tribes: History, Legends, and Folklore
The story of the Ten Lost Tribes is shrouded in mystery, replete with legends and folklore. At its core it is one of the greatest tragedies of Jewish history. It began with the worst schism and civil war in our history.
May 15, 2018 · 59 min
Ep. 52: The History of the Sanhedrin (Part Two: From Yavneh Onward)
After the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed, the Sanhedrin at Yavneh became the epicenter of Jewish life. Though the pride of the nation – The Holy Temple in Jerusalem which was standing for 420 years – was destroyed,

The Jewish History Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Ep. 71: Chazon Ish: The Founding Father of the Modern Yeshiva World (Part Two: Making the Spiritual Desert Bloom)

Ep. 70: Chazon Ish: The Founding Father of the Modern Yeshiva World (Part One: Torah Renaissance Man)

Ep. 69: The Yom Kippur War (Part Four: Ceasefire and Aftermath)

Ep. 68: The Yom Kippur War (Part Three: The Tide Turns)

Ep. 67: The Yom Kippur War (Part Two: Israel on the Brink)

Ep. 66: The Yom Kippur War (Part One: Prelude to War)

Ep. 65: The Era of the Judges (Part Three: Samson the Mighty) + ANNUAL FUNDRAISER

Ep. 64: The Era of the Judges (Part Two: Gideon and Yiftach)

Ep. 63: The Era of the Judges (Part One: Osniel to Deborah)

Ep. 62: Joshua and the Conquest of Canaan

Ep. 61: Joshua: Disciple Par Excellence of Moses

Ep. 60: Moses: The Quintessential Jewish Leader

Ep. 59: The Blueprint of Jewish History

Ep. 58: Abraham: The Birth of Monotheism and the Origins of the Jewish Nation

Ep. 57: A History of Kabbalah (Part Two: The Arizal and His Era)

Ep. 56: A History of Kabbalah (Part One: Fom Sinai to Safed)

Ep. 55: Techeiles: The History of the Mysterious Blue Dye and its Fringe Benefits

Ep. 54: The Entebbe Raid

Ep. 53: The Ten Lost Tribes: History, Legends, and Folklore

Ep. 52: The History of the Sanhedrin (Part Two: From Yavneh Onward)