This Jewish Life - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

“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 junctures in our lives. We are formed and placed in utero; then we are born into the world; then we live our life; then we die; and finally we are resurrected to give an accounting for our actions. All these happen against our and only because the Almighty mandates it. During four of these five junctures we cannot make choices that affect our life and legacy. Only during our lifetime, when we have free choice to determine our destiny, can we do anything to improve or regress. By examining the transformations that occur during each of these five points in time we gain a greater understanding of our essential makeup and the purpose of the middle juncture – life. 

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 studied and transmitted without being formally written down? Is there a possibility that errors and deviations happened along the way? How is the transmission of the Oral Torah different than the game of broken telephone where the message gets progressively distorted the more people it has to filter through? In this lecture we outline rational approaches that make the necessary acceptance of the accurate transmission of the Oral Torah reasonable and logical. Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 21

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 of the mishna in the end of the Second Century, the Sages began applying it to writing. Ultimately, most areas of Oral Torah were written down and formalized in canon. Why was the Torah given in this dual format and not simply written down entirely? In this lecture we present nine answers to that question. Encoded message referenced in the lecture: .-. .- -… -… .. / .— ..- -.. .- …. / – …. . / .–. .-. .. -. -.-. . / — ..- .-. / …. — .-.. -.– / – . .- -.-. …. . .-. / .– .-. — – . / – …. . / — .. … …. -. .- …. .-.-.- / ..-. .-. — — / – …. . / – .. — . / — ..-. / — — … …. . / ..- -. – .. .-.. / — ..- .-. / …. — .-.. -.– / – . .- -.-. …. . .-. –..– / -. — / — -. . / …. .- -.. / .– .-. .. – – . -. / .- / .– — .-. -.- / ..-. .-. — — / .– …. .. -.-. …. / – …. . / — .-. .- .-.. / .-.. .- .– / .– .- … / .–. ..- -… .-.. .. -.-. .-.. -.– / – .- ..- –. …. – .-.-.- / .-. .- – …. . .-. –..– / .. -. / . .- -.-. …. / –. . -. . .-. .- – .. — -. –..– / – …. . / …. . .- -.. / — ..-. / – …. . / -.-. — ..- .-. – / — .-. / – …. . / .–. .-. — .–. …. . – / — ..-. / – …. . / – .. — . / .– .-. — – . / -.. — .– -. / ..-. — .-. / …. .. … / .–. .-. .. …- .- – . / ..- … . / -. — – . … / — -. / – …. . / – .-. .- -.. .. – .. — -. … / …. . / …. .- -.. / …. . .- .-. -.. / ..-. .-. — — / …. .. … / – . .- -.-. …. . .-. … –..– / -… ..- – / …. . / – .- ..- –. …. – / .. -. / .–. ..- -… .-.. .. -.-. / ..-. .-. — — / — . — — .-. -.– .-.-.- / … — / – — — –..– / . .- -.-. …. / .. -. -.. .. …- .. -.. ..- .- .-.. / .– .-. — – . / -.. — .– -. –..– / .- -.-. -.-. — .-. -.. .. -. –. / – — / …. .. … / .- -… .. .-.. .. – -.– –..– / .–. .- .-. – … / — ..-. / – …. . / . -..- .–. .-.. .- -. .- – .. — -. / — ..-. / – …. . / – — .-. .- …. / .- -. -.. / — ..-. / .. – … / .-.. .- .– … / – …. .- – / …. . / …. .- -.. / …. . .- .-. -.. –..– / .- … / .– . .-.. .-.. / .- … / – …. . / -. . .– / — .- – – . .-. … / – …. .- – / -.. . …- . .-.. — .–. . -.. / .. -. / . .- -.-. …. / –. . -. . .-. .- – .. — -. –..– / .– …. .. -.-. …. / …. .- -.. / -. — – / -… . . -. / .-. . -.-. . .. …- . -.. / -… -.– / – .-. .- -.. .. – .. — -. –..– / -… ..- – / …. .- -.. / -… . . -. / -.. . -.. ..- -.-. . -.. / -… -.– / .- .–. .–. .-.. -.– .. -. –. / – …. . / – …. .. .-. – . . -. / .–. .-. .. -. -.-. .. .–. .-.. . … / ..-. — .-. / .. -. – . .-. .–. .-. . – .. -. –. / – …. . / – — .-. .- …. –..– / .- -. -.. / …. .- -.. / -… . . -. / .- –. .-. . . -.. / ..- .–. — -. / -… -.– / – …. . / –. .-. . .- – / .-. .- -… -… .. -. .. -.-. .- .-.. / -.-. — ..- .-. – .-.-.- / … ..- -.-. …. / …. .- -.. / .- .-.. .– .- -.– … / -… . . -. / -.. — -. . –..– / ..- -. – .. .-.. / – …. . / – .. — . / — ..-. / — ..- .-. / …. — .-.. -.– / – . .- -.-. …. . .-. .-.-.- Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 20

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 final podcast on the three families of forebears of the Jewish people.

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 him food. What is the meaning of the Torah’s portrayal of Isaac and Rebecca and what indeed are their lasting legacies?

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/ PART 4: http://rabbiwolbe.com/why-shavuos-is-the-holiday-of-the-giving-of-the-torah/ PART 5: http://rabbiwolbe.com/overwhelming-evidence-to-the-divinity-of-the-torah-and-its-ramifications/ PART 6: http://rabbiwolbe.com/is-believing-in-the-supernatural-irrational-how-to-build-a-rational-life-philosophy/ Core Beliefs of Judaism with Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe – Torah Part 18

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 change and actually implement grand ideas from the common folk who do not influence the world for the better. What are these qualities and how do we harness their power? In this podcast, Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe outlines the process and methodologies needed for any change and issues a clarion call for pursuit of greatness.

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 their eternal legacies? Join Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe as we ponder the story of these intellectual, spiritual and behavioral giants, and draw from it lessons for living.