#17: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People: An Introduction to Jewish Theodicy

#5: An Unprecedented Eternal Nation: We explore some predictions in the Torah that have come true and ponder how a human author could have known the future. ——– This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torchweb. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

45 min listen

#6: Incontrovertible Evidence to the Divinity of the Torah: We explore the intricate interrelationship between written and oral Torah and determine that the creation of such a labyrinthine tapestry is beyond the capacity to man. ——– This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

39 min listen

#12: The Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith: God as Creator and Sustainer: The clearest, most universally accepted articulation of the Principles of Jewish Belief are the Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith. This list of Thirteen Principles were codified in his commentary on Mishnah in the introduction to Chapter 10 of the ... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

58 min listen

#1: Who Wrote the Torah: The authorship of the Torah is a highly consequential matter to clarify. If it is – as Jews have traditionally believed – the word of God, then it holds eternal absolute value for all. If it is not the word of God then it is no different than any othe... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

49 min listen

#2: The Fallacy of the Bible Critics: We continue our dissection of the various options regarding the authorship of the Torah. ——- This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

45 min listen

#9: Clear and Convincing Evidence to the Error-Free Transmission of the Oral Torah: The integrity of Jewish law, and by extension the dream of a great Jewish destiny, hinged upon the accurate transmission of an enormous body of law orally for 1400 years. Indeed, a fundamental principle of Jewish faith is that the same Torah given to M... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

58 min listen

#22: God Alone is Worthy of Worship: In the fifth of the Thirteen Principles of Faith, Rambam codifies that God alone is worthy of our worship and that we ought not worship anything else, nor worship God via intermediaries. What is the general concept of worshipping God and why it is such... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

60 min listen

#17: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People: An Introduction to Jewish Theodicy: Our nation is no stranger to suffering. Jewish history is a litany of pogroms, holocausts, expulsions, blood libels, and all manners of persecution and oppression. We believe that the Almighty is in full control of everything that transpires in the wor... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

61 min listen

#7: Introduction to Oral Torah: What are the four components of Oral Torah? What are the four elements of the Oral Torah that are not sourced in the Written Torah? What are some of the classical pieces of evidence proving the existence of the Oral Torah? by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

48 min listen

#30: What is Oral Torah?: When Rambam lays out the Eighth Principle of his Thirteen Principles of Faith, that the Torah is divine, he includes believing in not only the Written Torah but also the Oral Torah as a necessary belief for Jews. But what exactly is Oral Torah? by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

41 min listen

#13: Does God’s Creation of the Universe Conflict with the Principle of God’s Perfection?: This podcast attempts to reconcile a knotty philosophical dilemma: The First Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Faith teaches us that God, Creator of heaven and earth, is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Perfect. If God is Perfect and lacks nothing, by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

52 min listen

#3: Implications of the Authorship of the Torah: Why it matters who wrote the Torah. ——- This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Houston, TX. Please visit torcweb.org for program details and to make a donation. If you enjoy this podcast please subscribe and check out my other podcasts: ... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

46 min listen

#36: What is Talmud?: The Talmud, or how it is often called, “Gemara”, is an ancient set of books written as commentary and elaboration of Mishnah. Despite being 1500 years old, the Talmud is still studied today by millions of people worldwide. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

57 min listen

#8: Why Moses Didn’t Simply Write Down the Oral Torah?: For nearly a millennia and a half, the entire corpus of Oral Torah was transmitted orally from generation to generation; parents to their children and teachers to their students. Moreover, a fierce prohibition was established to prevent its writing and... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

52 min listen

#16: How can Humans have Free Will if God is in Total Control?: In the previous podcast we discussed the Second Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Faith, that God is the sole Singular Power. How can that precept be reconciled with another pillar of Jewish faith – that man is in control of his own destiny and c... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

58 min listen

#18: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People: Three Torah Perspectives on this Vexing Problem: The question of theodicy is one that all people of faith grapple with. The Talmud records multiple conversations between Moses and the Almighty on this subject, and even the ministering angels, and Adam before his Sin weighed in on it. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

56 min listen

#14: Faith vs. Emunah: Understanding the Difference between Intellectual and Instinctual Belief in God: The Thirteen Principles of Faith are the foundations of our religion. Just as the foundation of a structure is indispensable for ensuring the integrity of the building; these principles are necessary prerequisites for Jewish faith. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

56 min listen

#27: Mosaic Prophecy: The prophecy of Moses differs from all other prophecies. In fact, Rambam tells us that they are only nominally similar – in truth, they are two totally different experiences. When we break down the subject we find that the differences fall into several... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

44 min listen

#20: Creation Ex Nihilo and the Age of the Universe Question: In the Fourth of the Thirteen Principles of Faith, Rambam codifies the distinction between God and everything else and the manner through which God effectuated Creation Ex Nihilo. In doing so, Rambam departs from the positions of Plato and Aristotle an... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

55 min listen

#23: The Parameters of Divine Providence: A central tenet of Jewish theology is that the same Creator who created the Heavens and the Earth also supervises His creation on an ongoing basis. Moreover, that supervision, that oversight is personal and down to the most minute detail. As such, by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

60 min listen

#4: The Cognitive Dissonance to the Veracity of the Torah and why Sinai Denial is on Shakier Intellectual Grounds than Holocaust Denial: We face internal resistance to the notion of a God-given Torah because that can create a divide between our beliefs and behaviors. How do we respond to the tumult caused by this revelation? ——- This podcast was recorded live at the TORCH Centre in Hous... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

44 min listen

Thanks a Million!: 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, by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

33 min listen

#10: Codifying the Oral Torah: At the end of the second century of the common era a fateful decision was made to commit the Jewish Law, known as Mishna, to writing. What prompted this dramatic change? What are the unique methodologies employed in this project? by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

54 min listen

#39: What is Kabbalah?: Kabbalah, the hidden, mystical parts of the Torah, is arguably the most misunderstood area of Torah. It is a subject rife with misconceptions and misinterpretations; it is also a subject that is bursting with charlatans seeking to take advantage of the... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

59 min listen

#19: The Incorporeality of God: The Third Principle of the Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith states that God is incorporeal: He has no body, nor does He behave in a bodily way, and all indications in Scripture and other Torah literature to the contrary must be understood as analogi... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

44 min listen

#21: Torah and Science: Can they be Reconciled?: There are many areas where Torah and the consensus of modern scientists seem to irreconcilably differ. The Torah indicates that the first man, Adam, lived around 6,000 years ago, and the universe is roughly that age. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

58 min listen

#34: Torah Under Siege: The Grounds for Codification of Oral Torah: The final century of the Second Temple and the one that followed its destruction were pivotal ones of Jewish history. It was an era replete with absolute Torah giants – Hillel the Elder, Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai, by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

54 min listen

#11: Lost in Transmission: What Happens When Errors Occur in Oral Torah: The Jewish nation is entrusted with the task of preserving and perpetuating the Torah mistake-free. We have previously seen the vast ordinances in place to prevent errors. Yet humans are fallible and mistakes happen. by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

67 min listen

#15: The Singularity of God: The Second Principle of Jewish Faith declares that God is One. But not like one of a pair; and not like one of a group; and not like one person that can be divided into many [smaller] units; and not like a thing which is numerically one but can be infi... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

54 min listen

#37: What is Aggadah?: The Talmud is comprised of two general formats: The Halachic portions (known in Talmudic parlance as, “shemaytza“), and the non-Halachic portions which are called “Aggadah”, or “Aggadata” or “Hagada”. These two parts of the Talmud cannot be more differ... by TORAH 101 - With Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe

55 min listen

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#17: Why Bad Things Happen to Good People: An Introduction to Jewish Theodicy

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