Thinking Talmudist Podcast · Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe

The Talmud (Ta’anit 21a) teaches the life-attitude of “Gam Zu L’Tovah” – this too is for the good – through the unforgettable figure of Nachum Ish Gamzu, a tzaddik who was blind, without hands or legs, and covered in boils, yet insisted that even his own horrific suffering was for the best because he once delayed helping a starving man and accepted the punishment as atonement. When the Jews sent him to Caesar with a chest of jewels, thieves replaced it with dirt overnight; instead of despairing, Nachum declared “Gam zu l’tovah.” Elijah the Prophet then appeared, convinced Caesar the dirt was Abraham’s miraculous earth that turns into swords and arrows, Rome conquered an invincible city, and Nachum returned loaded with even greater treasures – proving that when a person genuinely sees every event as coming from a loving God, even apparent disasters become the vehicle for open miracles.

The deeper message is that we live in two dimensions at once: the visible, physical world of cause-and-effect, and the hidden spiritual layer that ultimately controls everything. Money can disappear in a moment, empires rise and fall, health comes and goes – it’s all a wheel (galgal chozer). Torah study, Shabbat, and the unwavering declaration “Gam zu l’tovah” are the spiritual coating that protects us and turns even pain, loss, or a chest full of dirt into the greatest blessing. When we live with that faith, like Nachum Ish Gamzu and like the Jewish people protected on all six sides in the desert, Heaven rearranges reality itself so that everything – truly everything – becomes for the good. Gam zu l’tovah!
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The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud.
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This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan Marbin

Recorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios to a live audience on October 24, 2025, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on November 28, 2025
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In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist Podcast on Brachot 60b, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe teaches the foundational mindset for confronting life’s challenges: “Kol mah d’avid Rachmana l’tav avid”—everything the Merciful One does is for the best. Drawing from Rabbi Akiva’s journey, he arrives in a town seeking lodging but is refused everywhere; he sleeps in a field with his rooster (alarm clock), donkey (transport), and lamp (for Torah study). A wind extinguishes the lamp, a cat eats the rooster, and a lion devours the donkey. Each time, Rabbi Akiva declares, “Everything Hashem does is for the best.” That night, an army raids the town—had the lamp glowed, the donkey brayed, or the rooster crowed, Rabbi Akiva would have been captured. By morning, the town is in ruins, but he is safe. Rabbi Wolbe explains we cannot see Hashem’s “face” (the future plan), only the “back” (how events tie together in hindsight). Like Moshe seeing the knot of tefillin, we eventually recognize divine orchestration.

Rabbi Wolbe connects this to modern resilience, citing released hostages who, after 900+ days in tunnels, immediately sought lulav, tefillin, and prayer—one hostage heard his mother’s radio interview through a sleeping guard’s device, a miraculous sign he wasn’t forgotten. Another refused conversion despite torture, emerging prouder in his Judaism. Rabbi Wolbe urges embracing identity openly (kippah, tzitzit) and taking personal growth steps—no “all or nothing.” He contrasts 365 prohibitive mitzvot (fulfilled by not doing—e.g., avoiding slander fulfills 17) with 248 performative mitzvot (proactive—e.g., delighting in Shabbos with fine wine and meat, which Hashem repays). Quality matters: light Hanukkah candles with passion, use olive oil for dignity, build a sukkah with love. Find your “spark” mitzvah (like one Houstonite who builds sukkot for free) and spread that flame. Prayer should be heartfelt but concise before God (“Let your words be few”), avoiding complaints while pouring out privately.
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The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud.
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This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan Marbin

Recorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios to a live audience on October 17, 2025, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on November 21, 2025
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In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist Podcast on Bava Metzia 85a, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe delves into the profound theme of suffering, mercy, and redemption through the stories of Rebbe (Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi) and Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon. Rebbe, inspired by Rabbi Elazar’s preserved body due to accepted suffering, voluntarily endured 13 years of excruciating illness—six of tzmirta (a beet-based treatment for urinary stones) and seven of tzfarna (thrush)—to attain spiritual merit. Despite his stableman’s wealth and the deafening noise of feeding animals to mask Rebbe’s cries, seafarers heard his agony. Yet Rabbi Elazar’s suffering was deemed superior: it “came through love and left through love,” while Rebbe’s stemmed from a specific incident. A calf, led to slaughter, sought refuge in Rebbe’s garment and wept; Rebbe dismissed it, saying, “Go, for this you were created.” Heaven responded: no mercy shown, no mercy received. Thirteen years later, Rebbe’s maid swept baby weasels; he intervened, citing Psalm 145:9—“His mercy is upon all His works”—and Heaven declared, “Since he shows mercy, We will show mercy.” His afflictions vanished.

The Gemara contrasts their merits: during Rabbi Elazar’s years in the attic, no one died prematurely; during Rebbe’s 13 rainless years, the earth stayed saturated—radish holes brimmed with water—proving the tzaddikim’s pain sustains the world. Rabbi Wolbe highlights the mystical power of 13 (love, unity, the 13 Attributes of Mercy, Torah hermeneutics), noting Rebbe’s 13-year ordeal mirrored this divine framework. Posthumously, Rebbe sought Rabbi Elazar’s son—a stunningly handsome youth prostituted by harlots—and entrusted him to his uncle for Torah study. Though the boy initially resisted, he grew into a sage; Rebbe applied Proverbs 11:30—“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life”—to both teacher and student. Burial dramas underscored merit: Rabbi Elazar joined his father Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in the cave (earned by shared suffering), but his son was barred by a serpent—Heaven clarified it was due to lacking cave-endured pain, not lesser righteousness.

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The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud.
_____________
This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan Marbin

Recorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios to a live audience on October 3, 2025, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on November 14, 2025
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In this Friday Thinking Talmudist episode on Talmud Bava Metzia 84b, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Rebbe Elazar ben Rebbe Shimon, a sage whose body remained undecayed in his attic for 18–22 years after death due to his unparalleled righteousness—his vessel solely for Torah and mitzvot, not worldly indulgence. The Talmud recounts how his absence as community marshal prevented women from receiving halachic rulings on purity, halting procreation, echoing stories like Rav Moshe Feinstein's eight-year childless period without a mikvah. Rebbe Elazar's wife observed blood when hairs fell and a worm from his ear, which he explained in a dream as minor punishment for once failing to protest slander against Torah scholars, teaching the grave obligation to defend the righteous and halt lashon hara—worse for the listener who enables its spread than the speaker.

The narrative highlights Rebbe Elazar's posthumous miracles: a heavenly voice from the attic resolved disputes, interpreted as divine inspiration guiding just settlements; his unburied body protected the city from wild animals; and a serpent guarded his father's cave until burial. Parallels include the Gaon of Vilna's perfectly preserved body and the Chafetz Chaim's gravesite preventing miscarriages, underscoring burial's sanctity over cremation, which denies body-soul reunion at resurrection. Rabbi Wolbe passionately advocates for tahara (purification rites) by the Chevra Kadisha as a profound mitzvah, preparing the deceased for heavenly judgment, and recommends Rabbi Doron Kornbluth's book Cremation or Burial? for spiritual and environmental insights.

Ultimately, the Gemara contrasts Rebbe Elazar's humility and self-imposed suffering to spare Jewish pain with Rebbe Shimon ben Gamaliel's self-description as a "lion son of a fox," proving true anavah (humility) among greats like the Bnei Beteira and Yonatan ben Shaul. Rabbi Wolbe ties this to defending Torah scholars amid Israel's yeshiva draft debates—spiritual pillars merit protection like Pharaoh exempted learners—urging pride in Judaism as Rosh Hashanah approaches, crowning Hashem as eternal King with majesty far surpassing earthly royalty.

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The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud.
_____________
This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan Marbin

Recorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios to a live audience on September 19, 2025, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on November 7, 2025
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In this episode of the Thinking Talmudist Podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe continues the discussion of Tractate Bava Metzia 84b, focusing on Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon’s emotional and spiritual struggle after executing a guilty laundryman (referenced from a prior episode, likely tied to the “vinegar, son of wine” incident). The episode explores themes of guilt, divine justice, Torah study, and the efficacy of prayer, connecting them to personal anecdotes and broader Jewish responsibilities. Key points include:

• Rabbi Elazar’s Guilt and Suffering: Rabbi Elazar, a marshal who executed a disrespectful laundryman (justified by the man’s capital offense), feels lingering guilt despite following the law. Like a police officer experiencing PTSD after a justified shooting, Rabbi Elazar cannot rely on his reasoning to absolve himself and accepts physical suffering as atonement. He suffers a severe illness, losing blood and pus nightly, but recovers after his wife prepares 60 types of fig-based food (lifta). He converses with his afflictions, inviting them at night but dismissing them in the morning to avoid disrupting Torah study, showing his dedication despite pain (0:26–3:32).
• Wife’s Reaction and Wealth: His wife, frustrated by his self-imposed suffering and believing he squandered her father’s wealth, leaves for her father’s house. Sixty sailors then bring Rabbi Elazar 60 slaves with 60 money bags, preparing 60 types of lifta, restoring his wealth. He tells his daughter to inform her mother that “ours is greater than theirs,” citing Proverbs 31:14 (from Eishet Chayil) to affirm that Torah brings sustenance from afar. His wife’s absence allows him to return to the study hall (3:32–6:45).
• Rabbinic Rulings and Validation: In the study hall, Rabbi Elazar examines 60 blood samples from women checking for ritual purity (tahar) during their seven clean days post-menstruation. He declares all samples pure, enabling marital resumption after mikvah. Other rabbis question the statistical likelihood of all 60 being pure, suggesting an error. Rabbi Elazar prays that if his rulings are correct, the women will conceive boys (who cannot become niddah); if incorrect, at least one girl (who can become niddah) will be born. All 60 babies are boys, named after him, validating his rulings and demonstrating divine confirmation (7:07–14:21).
• Transmission of Halacha: Rabbi Wolbe explains the expertise required to identify impure blood, a skill transmitted from Moshe at Sinai through generations of rabbis, including himself, underscoring the mesorah (oral tradition). This parallels other halachic details (e.g., temple offerings) requiring precise training, like distinguishing colors of blood (8:39–11:27).
• Prayer’s Efficacy: Addressing his daughter’s question, Rabbi Wolbe shares a personal story of praying at the Western Wall for a son to fulfill Pidyon HaBen (redeeming the firstborn), which was granted, and accepting Hashem’s choice of a daughter for his second child. He clarifies that Hashem answers all prayers, but not always as requested, citing “Ein Tfilason Chozeres Reikam” (no prayer returns empty). Answers may be “no” or “wait,” tailored to what’s best, as seen in Rabbi Elazar’s answered prayer (15:04–17:08).
• Broader Lessons: The episode emphasizes human sensitivity in upholding justice (Rabbi Elazar’s guilt), the transformative power of Torah study despite physical suffering, and the communal responsibility to trust expert rabbinic rulings. Rabbi Wolbe connects this to the upcoming holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, post-October 8, 2025), urging listeners to carry forward spiritual growth and good deeds.

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The Thinking Talmudist Podcast shares select teachings of Talmud in a fresh, insightful and meaningful way. Many claim that they cannot learn Talmud because it is in ancient Aramaic or the concepts are too difficult. Well, no more excuses. In this podcast you will experience the refreshing and eye-opening teachings while gaining an amazing appreciation for the divine wisdom of the Torah and the depths of the Talmud.
_____________
This Podcast Series is Generously Underwritten by David & Susan Marbin

Recorded at TORCH Meyerland in the Levin Family Studios to a live audience on September 12, 2025, in Houston, Texas.
Released as Podcast on October 31, 2025
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