The Jewish History Podcast - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel, known the world over as the Alter of Slabodka, was and is the greatest builder of Torah of the last several centuries. The burgeoning yeshiva movement today, and indeed the fact that yeshivos did not go extinct a century ago, is due to him more than any one person. He was the first to combine two of the greatest movements of the 19th century into one, formidable, potent, and unstoppable force, when he opened the first Mussar yeshiva, thereby marrying the modern yeshiva framework of Volozhin with the powerful Mussar movement of Reb Yisrael Salanter. This is part one which will focus primarily on the path that he took to building his eponymous yeshiva in Slabodka. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – This podcast is dedicated in honor of Jeffrey and Beth Yarus. Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes, Android, and Stitcher: Podcasts Links: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics: iOS, Android, Stitcher; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish Peoples: iOS, Android, Stitcher; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parshas: iOS, Android, Stitcher; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah: iOS, Android, Stitcher; Eternal Ethics – Drawing Powerful Lessons from Pirkei Avos: iOS, Android, Stitcher.

Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik, the scion of a prestigious rabbinical family, was the father of a new penetrating, incisive, and brilliant approach to Talmudic study and analysis that took the Yeshiva world by storm and is now ubiquitously accepted in the Yeshiva world. In addition to those accomplishments, he was also the paragon of kindness. In this podcast we tell the story of the man, and the method that revolutionized Talmudic study in the yeshiva world. Torah Discoveries Podcast: A podcast by Rabbi Zvi Selevan explaining Torah through discoveries in history, archaeology, geography, and science Website: http://torahdiscoveries.com/ Link to podcast on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/torah-discoveries/id1294158935?mt=2 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

By the 1840s, ferocious winds of changes were sweeping through the Jewish nation, and leaving wreckage and carnage in the wake of their consuming vortexes. The spiritual standing of the nation was under assault from without and vulnerable from within. Several great, innovative leaders rose up and created movements aimed at rebuffing the threats. In this podcast, we tell the remarkable story of Reb Yisrael Salanter and his Mussar Movement. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

To see pictures of the devastation of the TORCH Centre please visit http://rabbiwolbe.com/harvey/ To make a donation to the rebuilding of the TORCH Centre please visit rebuildtorch.com Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin was a man of extraordinary character and scholarship, and the most prominent disciple of the Gaon of Vilna, who succeeded him as leader of Lithuanian Jewry in the first two decades of the 19th Century. The yeshiva that he founded – the Volozhin Yeshiva – came to be known as the mother of all yeshivos because it spawned a revolution whose impact reverberates until today.. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

19th Century German Jewry was faced unprecedented, hitherto unseen threats to its continuity. Due to the rise of Reform and the Haskalah movements bent on drawing Jews away from Torah, coupled with the circumstances – the Emancipation and the relaxing of the hostility towards the Jews all over Europe – that enabled assimilation into the greater world, Jews were abandoning Torah at alarming rates. As had happened numerous times in Jewish history, a great, innovative and genius leader arose to adapt Torah to the ethos of the time, to create a new paradigm, a new Weltanschauung, that would stand as a bulwark against assimilation, and was tailored for the people of the time. His name was Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, and his philosophy was couched in the words of the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos – Torah Im Derech Eretz – Torah together with the way of the world.   – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

The Haskalah movement that swept through European Jewry in the 19th Century, brought about several different responses from what became known as the Orthodox communities. In Hungary, Rabbi Moshe Sofer, known by the name of one his books as the “Chasam Sofer”, championed a zero-tolerance approach of rejecting modernity of all kinds. His motto was – Chadash Assur Min HaTorah, meaning any new innovation is against the Torah. In this podcast we learn about this remarkable figure and his successful efforts to keep the Haskalah at bay. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

The 19th Century was a tumultuous time of fundamental change, opportunity, and upheaval for the Jewish people. For centuries, the Jews of Europe were subject to systemic marginalization: They were second-class citizens, were not granted equal rights or protection, were restricted to ghettos. The Age of Reason, alternatively called the Enlightenment, brought about rapid Emancipation for the Jews, that was not without its challenges. How would the nation respond to the doors of ghetto – and the floodgates of assimilation – opening? – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

Rabbi Eliyahu the son of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Kramer (1720-1797), known to all as the Gaon (genius) of Vilna, or simply the “Gaon”, was a legendary and towering figures of Jewish history. While he never headed a yeshiva, held rabbinic office, or publish in his lifetime, he was universally recognized as the undisputed leader of the nation, and his impact towered above all others in his generation and continues to mold the nation until this day. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707-1746) was a transformative paragon of Kabbalah, Mussar and Jewish theology. Despite living a short and tumultuous life, Ramchal’s writings and teachings were astonishingly prolific, and many of his books became indispensable classics that redefined their genre. In this podcast, we meet a precocious and prodigious youth teaching and practicing Kabbalah; we go on to marvel at Ramchal’s relentless literary output while subject to and fleeing from unforgiving persecution; and we read some samples from his vast library of magisterial works. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah

Belief in the coming of Messiah is a critical component of Jewish faith that is enshrined in Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles of Faith. Sadly, ignorance of what exactly Messiah is, what he supposed to do, and how to vet him, coupled with people’s naiveté, gullibility, and vulnerability, has allowed for several imposters to make false Messianic claims, with disastrous consequences to their adherents and the nation at large. In this podcast, we attempt to clear away some of the misconceptions about Messiah that enable False Messiahs to thrive, define what/who it is and how Messianic claims are verified, and also tell the story of the most harmful False Messiahs in Jewish History, and their aftermath.  – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Please consider making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you! Contact: Website: RabbiWolbe.com; Twitter: @RabbiWolbe; Facebook: Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe; Email: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com. Please SUBSCRIBE, RATE and REVIEW all my podcasts on iTunes and Android: Podcasts Links iOS: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah Podcast Links Android: This Jewish Life – In-Depth Analysis into Critical Torah Topics; The Jewish History Podcast – Telling the Remarkable story of the Jewish People; The Parsha Podcast – A Weekly Analysis and Exploration of the Parsha; TORAH 101 – An Intellectual’s Introduction to Torah