The Parsha Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

The Princes of the Tribes make several notable contributions at the inauguration of the Tabernacle: They contribute 12 oxen and 6 covered wagons to aid the Levites in the transportation of the Tabernacle and each Prince donates a tribute of 21 animals, a silver basin and bowl brimming with flour and oil, and a gold […]

In the longest parsha in the Torah by verses, we continue to read about the Levite families and their responsibilities, we learn about the three tiers of the Nation’s encampment, the laws of a suspected adulteress, the laws of the Nazir, the Priestly blessings, and we read a very wordy account of the gifts of […]

At first glance, Parshas Bamidbar seems like a snoozefest: it’s very technical, counting the people, assigning the tribes to their encampments, counting the Levites separately, designating the responsibilities of the Levites in the transportation of the Tabernacle and its vessels. But upon further examination, our Parsha guides us with the instructions of how to become […]

The Book of Ruth – and its eponymous heroine – are true enigmas. The Book contains no new laws and its story, while inspirational and poignant, bears no easily discernible connection to the Festival of Shavuos, when it is read. The Book’s protagonist, Ruth, has a decidedly checkered pedigree, yet becomes the matriarch of the […]

We kickstart the Book of Numbers with a census of the twelve tribes of Israel – not including the tribe of Levi who is counted independently – conducted by Moses, Aaron, and the most distinguished leaders of said tribes. Subsequently, we read about the banners of the tribes and their assigned encampments, the transference of […]

This past week our nation underwent an unprecedented calamity. At our people’s largest annual festival, the celebration of Lag ba’Omer in Meron, a crowd crush resulted in the death of 45 of our brethren. How do we respond to such a tragedy? What is the way to process such a disaster. In this Parsha Podcast […]

This week’s double-Parsha closes out the Book of Leviticus. Parshas Behar begins at Mount Sinai, where the Almighty instructed Moshe to convey a series of laws to the Jewish people. The first is the mitzvah of Shemittah, the prohibition of engaging in any agricultural work every seven years. In two chapters in the Torah (Leviticus […]

Our parsha contains the first recorded instance of capital punishment in Jewish history. A disgruntled man, the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man blasphemed and was executed as a result. What is the significance of this story? Why do we have the narrative about the blasphemer in middle of the Book of […]

Parshas Emor contains a staggering 56 mitzvos, nearly all of them relating to either to the Kohanim, the priests, or to the Festivals, and the parsha ends with a very unusual episode that happened at Sinai. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Our Nation has always had bad neighbors. The Midrash in our Parsha states that the Egyptians and the Canaanites, both nations that our people lived in close proximity to, are the most morally deficient of all the world’s nations. Moreover, the specific areas in those lands where the Jews resided contained that worst offenders of […]

This week’s double-parsha contains a smorgasbord of mitzvos. The three chapters of Parshas Acharei cover three general categories. First we read about the Yom Kippur sacrifices and procedures; then we learn about the prohibitions against the consumption of blood among other ritualistic and sacrificial laws, and the final chapter is oriented around the many prohibited […]

Tzaraas, the spiritual leprosy whose laws are detailed in our Parsha, appeared in three different areas: the befell sinners’ skin, clothing, and house. How common was Tzaraas of the house? The Talmud reveals that it actually never happened even once and it will never happen in the future. If it never happened, why does the Torah delineate […]

A very large percentage of Torah is dedicated to the laws of purity and impurity. This week’s double Parshas of Tazria and Metzora largely deal with these laws. One variant of impurity that is discussed in both parshas is that of a metzora, A metzora is someone who is stricken with the tangible illness of tzaraas […]

The 8th day of the Tabernacle’s Inauguration was supposed to be a day of total, exuberant jubilation. The laborious months of preparation were complete, and now God will dwell in our midst. Moshe washes, clothes, and anoints his brother, Aaron and Aaron’s four sons, and a Heavenly fire descends and consumes Aaron’s sacrifices from atop […]

The beginning of our parsha details the intricate processing of the Olah offerings. The animal is slaughtered, its blood is sprinkled on the Altar walls, it is divided into parts, the parts are elevated to the top of the altar and placed on the fire to burn the whole night. The next morning, a Kohein […]

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

Bezalel was the architect of the most consequential building project of all time. He was tasked with the responsibility of building the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, the dwelling place for God on this earth. What special skills did Bezalel have that primed him to undertake this ambitious project? Why was Bezalel chosen for this task? When […]

Last chance to Support the TORCH Fundraiser Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be DOUBLED Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Please support The TORCH Podcasts and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the TORCH Podcasts and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Please support The Parsha Podcast and the annual TORCH fundraiser at giveTORCH.org Every donation will be TRIPLED Show your support for TORCH and the Parsha Podcast and donate to the annual fundraiser at giveTORCH.org – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – […]

Besides being brothers, Moshe and Aaron were both leaders of the Jewish people: Moshe was the king and Aaron was the high priest. These brothers had different, but complimentary, skills and characteristics, that were each independently necessary for the nation. In this special edition of The Parsha Podcast, we do a very deep dive into […]

On Purim we read the Book of Esther, which tells the story of the Purim miracle. The Persian king Achashverosh conspires with his Amalekite viceroy Haman to eradicate the entire Jewish nation, but God refused to allow their plans to unfold. Queen Esther, together with her relative Mordechai, spearhead the effort to turn the plan on […]

In the epicenter of the Tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, was the Ark of the Covenant. This golden vessel was the receptacle of the Tablets, both the First Tablets which Moshe shattered at the foot of Mount Sinai in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf, and the Second Tablets which endured. […]

The end of our Parsha revisits the Sinai Revelation of Parsha Yisro and recounts some of the preparations for the Ten Commandments. In the negotiations and deliberations in the runup to Sinai, the Nation declares that they will do and they will listen to all the commandments. This statement, we will do and we will […]

The protagonist of our parsha, Jethro, underwent a long and fruitful spiritual journey. When the journey began, Jethro was a idolater who worshipped every pagan deity in the world. At its conclusion, Jethro was give great distinction as a believer in God and a purveyor of His Torah. What went into that transformation? What is […]

Parshas Beshalach is arguable the most action-packed Parsha in the Torah. It starts with the Jews hightailing out of Egypt – only to have Pharaoh follow in hot pursuit, and it ends with the nation’s first war. In between these two bookends, there are all kinds of interesting things that happen. In this special podcast […]

The Jewish nation was in the dumps. They had spent hundreds of years in Egypt, and the possibility of ever leaving and reconstituting as an independent nation, the dream of Abraham, was long abandoned. But something dramatic happened. The Almighty unleashes Ten Plagues on Egypt and with the Death of the Firstborn, the Egyptians usher […]

The Jewish people undergo a stunning transformation in our Parsha: It begins with the nation walling in misery; when Moshe offers a plan for salvation, they cannot even hear his comforting message. Yet very quickly they merit a miraculous Exodus, and only fifty days later they experience national prophecy at Sinai. How did this happen? […]

Moses is the greatest leader of our history and the archetype of a great, transformative leader. Why was he chosen for the role? What was his training to become the leader he became? What are the Torah’s guidelines for leaders and people of influence. In this podcast we examine the Torah’s retelling of the protracted […]

The Book of Genesis is replete with interesting stories. We follow the narrative about Adam and Noah and their families, Abraham and his odyssey and trials, Isaac and his family’s challenges and triumphs, and of course Jacob and Joseph and their stories capture our imagination and curiosity. “Torah” means instruction. As part of the Torah, […]

In Parshas Vayigash, the Joseph trilogy comes to a close. The saga that began when Joseph was 17 ends when Jacob is reunited with his favorite son, now viceroy of Egypt. In this special edition of the Parsha Podcast, we offer three interesting observations: On Yocheved’s border-crossing birth, on Jacob’s second bargain with Esau, and […]

Joseph is one of the most impressive figures in Jewish history. His accomplishments are vast: His holiness under spiritually treacherous conditions are legendary, his faith in God remained unwavering, he is the paragon of seeing God’s Handiwork in the bad deeds of others. His accomplishments extend beyond the spiritual: At the age of 30 he […]

Joseph is one of the greatest heroes of Jewish history. His greatest deed was when he resisted temptation and rebuffed the seductions of his master, Potiphar’s, wife. Our Sages tell us that thanks to this valorous deed, Joseph became the viceroy of Egypt and merited to sustain the entire world! The Midrash tells us that […]

This a unique edition of The Parsha Podcast that you dont want to miss. Instead of the usual one big idea that we typically cover in a Parsha podcast, in this version there are FIVE groundbreaking insights that can change your life. We learn about a remarkable staff and its powers, about the pliability of […]

As the father of all four of Jacob’s wives, Laban is in effect the father in law of the Jewish people. If we examine Laban’s story, he seems to have both qualities and shortcomings. He is constantly invoking God, he seems to be gracious and hospitable. But he also had a dark side. He is greedy […]

Jacob’s twin brother Esav is one of the worst villains in Jewish history. He seems to be an unending litany of bad character. Our parsha ends with Esav dead set on committing fratricide by actually murdering his own brother. Esav is just one bad apple. But is it possible that things could have ended up […]

The Torah dedicates an unusually large amount of verses in the beginning of this week’s parsha to describe a real estate transaction between Abraham and a gentleman named Ephron. Sarah has passed and Abraham seeks to buy Ephron’s cave to inter her in. Initially, Ephron acts with supposed generosity and offers it to Abraham for […]

Abraham was the most influential person in human history. He changed the tides of history, he popularized Monotheism in the world, he is the father of many nations, and fittingly his story is told at considerable length in the Torah. In this very special edition of the Parsha Podcast we study his relationship and interactions […]

Abraham is the Torah’s first protagonist. The entirety of this parsha and the subsequent one are following the forefather of our nation. Why does the Torah spend so much time telling the story of this ancient figure? In this life-changing episode, we study Abraham’s odyssey to find the precise guidelines to fulfill our latent potential. […]

Noah is arguably the most enigmatic figure in the Torah. The Torah is lavish in his praise: He was a prophet who found favor in Hashem’s eyes and selected to survive the Flood and repopulate the world afterwards. Noach is also the only person that the Torah characterized as a tzadik. Yet Rashi and the […]

Welcome to YEAR FIVE of The Parsha Podcast. It is such a momentous day! It is a total pleasure to begin studying the weekly parsha with the best audience in the podcast universe. In this episode, we debuted a new segment called, “Answers and Questions”, “A&Q”. Thank you for downloading and please share with a […]

What is the most important verse that we need to convey to our children? Perhaps that is a difficult question for us to speculate upon. Thankfully, the Talmud gives a definitive answer: In an interesting citation in Sukkah 42a, we are told that the fourth verse of our Parsha, together with the first verse of […]

The Shabbos before Yom Kippur, when we read the penultimate parsha, Parshas Ha’azinu, is known as “Shabbos Shuva”, the Shabbos of Repentance. On this day, we are urged to get into the spirit of repentance ahead of Yom Kippur, the day of repentance. But Yom Kippur – and repentance in general – seem challenging to […]

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 same Isaac […]

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 […]

The Jewish nation is unlike every other nation. We are the “Chosen People”. We are “The Nation of God”. What does it mean to be the nation of God? In this podcast we discover that the Jewish people are bound together in the deepest fashion. Each one of us has a portion of our Soul […]

Of all the episodes that I have recorded over the years, this will be perhaps the most unique one. For one, it will be released simultaneously on all 6 channels that I am fortunate enough to host: The Parsha Podcast, The Jewish History Podcast, The Mitzvah Podcast , This Jewish Life, The Ethics Podcast, and […]

Perhaps the most intriguing question of all is” What actually happens after we die? Everyone is curious to know the answer to that question. In this unique Parsha Podcast we venture a peek into a Kabbalistic take on that question. The format is also quite interesting. The Torah is multidimensional, meaning that each verse and […]

The Yetzer Hara is described in Jewish Literature as a skillful and dangerous enemy that we must make war with. And unless we devise a comprehensive strategy, our enemy will triumph. How does a winning battle plan look like? In this unique Parsha Podcast we lay out the three distinct steps needed to achieve total victory. […]