The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

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The Parsha Podcast with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe was started in 2016 with the goal of making the weekly Parsha accessible and useful. Every Sunday, the Parsha Podcast will feature an hour-long podcast outlining the story, narratives and major themes of that week’s Parsha and offer a selection of valuable and interesting insights from it. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, two more episodes that focuses on one idea, theme, or comment on the Parsha will be released. Please send comments or questions to rabbiwolbe@gmail.com.

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21 episodes
Updated Yesterday

Episodes21

Newest first

Yesterday · 1 hr 3 min
Reeh – Root Force
Idolatry is anathema. Idolatry in the Holy Land is totally intolerable. Multiple times in the book of Devarim, we are exhorted to thoroughly and utterly destroy any remnant of idolatry that we encounter in the Land, be it altars, pillars,
Tuesday · 57 min
Reeh – Idle Tree, Idle Warship, and Falls Profits (5784)
The Torah spends a lot of time cautioning us against idolatry. As the nation is about to cross over the Jordan and enter Canaan, they are repeatedly warned to not fall prey to the idolatrous practices of the indigenous population. Instead,
Sunday · 1 hr
Parshas Reeh (Rebroadcast)
This week’s parsha marks a transition in the Book of Deuteronomy: it is no longer primarily about admonishment and rebuke and warnings, instead we read a bevy of mitzvos – some repetitions and some new ones that have hitherto not been mentioned.
July 30 · 1 hr 2 min
Eikev – Hidden Mechanisms
Several themes seem to be repeating themselves again and again throughout the Book of Devarim. For example, the nation is repeatedly encouraged to not be fearful of the formidable Canaanite Nations waiting for them on the other side of the Jordan.
July 28 · 1 hr 5 min
Eikev – Shock and Awe (5784)
Flashy achievements make the news. Great triumphs, awesome deeds, transcendent moments grab our attention and seize our imagination. Humdrum acts fail to stir excitement. But when we are devising a strategy for how to prepare our ladder of ascension,
July 26 · 59 min
Parshas Eikev (Rebroadcast)
We pick up where we left off last week amid Moshe’s speech to the nation before his passing, and as in the previous few weeks, Parshas Eikev is jam packed with insights and timeless lessons. Moshe pivots between looking back on the conduct of the natio...
July 22 · 1 hr 6 min
Vaeschanan – Denied Entry
Prayer always makes an impact. Moshe’s prayer was exceedingly powerful and made a supercharged impact. But all of Moshe’s prayer, and all of his pleading, and all of his incessant Divine entreatment did not succeed in getting God to change his decree b...
July 21 · 59 min
Vaeschanan – Get a Life (5784)
Moshe was Joshua’s teacher. By any measure, Moshe was a greater leader of the nation than Joshua was. Moshe was the sun to Joshua’s moon. But Moshe was unable to lead the nation across the Jordan; a feat that Joshua pulled off.
July 19 · 1 hr 4 min
Parshas Vaeschanan (Rebroadcast)
This week’s parsha continues Moshe’s monologue to the nation in the weeks preceding his passing. He begins by recounting his repeated efforts in trying to convince God to rescind His decree that Moshe not enter the Land; Moshe then begins the retelling...
July 16 · 1 hr 7 min
Devarim – Og, the Places You’ll Go
A month before his passing, Moshe gathers the nation for a final message. He begins with a two-verse critique of the nation, not excoriating them for their sins, but gently reprimanding them in a veiled and subtle manner.
July 14 · 47 min
Devarim – Citizen of Heaven (5784)
A year after the Exodus Moshe dispatched a contingency of dignified men to scout the land of Canaan prior to the Nation’s invasion. It was a catastrophic debacle. The scouts returned with a devastating, slanderous report about the Land,
July 12 · 49 min
Parshas Devarim (Rebroadcast)
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 rebuking the n...
July 9 · 55 min
Mattos & Masei – Talk is Expensive
Freedom of speech is enshrined in the First Amendment. Our society allows people to say whatever they want so long as they’re not perjuring themselves or making explicit calls to violence. In our society, words don’t carry weight.
July 7 · 35 min
Mattos & Masei – Order of Sisters (5784)
The Book of Bamidbar ends on a bit of a surprising note. The final chapter of our book revisits the somewhat technical narrative relating to the inheritance of the ancestral lands of a man named Tzelafchad.
July 5 · 1 hr
Parshas Mattos & Masei (Rebroadcast)
This year, the Book of Numbers ends with a double parsha – Mattos and Masei. We learn about the laws of vows and oaths; the miraculous war with Midian; the unusual request of the tribes of Gad and Reuben; the Torah delineates the 42 different places th...
July 2 · 1 hr 5 min
Pinchas – Dual Tracks
Certain legends are irreplaceable. There was never a man like Moshe who spoke to God face to face. Aaron, the first high priest, set an incredibly high bar for all high priests who followed. In this week’s Parsha,
June 30 · 53 min
Pinchas – Eggs Not Cheese (5784)
Pinchas, Aaron’s grandson, did a valorous and zealous act of bravery when he skewered the prince of the tribe of Shimon and stopped the plague from wiping out the entire nation. What motivated Pinchas’ behavior?
June 28 · 51 min
Parshas Pinchas (Rebroadcast)
Pinchas was a man of action, a zealot who avenged God’s vengeance and was handsomely rewarded for it. In this parsha we read about his reward, Moses’ succession plan, the methods through which the Land will be divided, and another census is done.
June 25 · 1 hr
Parsha: Chukas & Balak – The Flintystones
This week’s double Parsha is chock-full of fascinating narratives, story lines, and mitzvos. We begin with the great mystery of the red heifer. We then read about the passing of Miriam, sister of Moshe and Aaron, and its repercussions.
June 24 · 55 min
Balak – Donkey Gait Keeper (5784)
In every generation there are malevolent forces seeking to destroy the Jewish people. They have never been successful, nor will they ever be. The Almighty always protects our people and ensures our continuity.