Machshavah Lab
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Machshavah Lab episodes

  • What is YOUR Relationship to the Beis Midrash? (Avos 5:14) Part 1

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    This morning (12/27/21), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we took up the mishnah in Pirkei Avos chapter 5 about the four categories of relating to the Beis Midrash (and yes, that phrasing was intentionally vague). We brought a few personal agendas to the table, which we acknowledged at the beginning of shiur. Our plan was to learn through several meforshim and see what insights we can come up with, and we ended up covering two approaches today, leaving two more for next time (God willing). And if you're wondering, "Will this have any application to ME?" The answer is: YES!
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    מקורות:
    רמב"ם - משנה תורה, ספר אהבה, הלכות תפלה וברכת כהנים יא:ט,יד
    אבות ה:יד עם פירוש הברטנורא, ר' יעקב ב"ר שמשון, רשב"ץ, רבינו בחיי, רמב"ם
    רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:נג
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    This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously by a student of mine in support of "a life of increased clarity."
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    1 hr 11 min
  • Rambam's Shitah on Hashgachah Revisited (Part 2)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    This evening (12/16/21), in our Thursday night hashkafah shiur (which is usually not recorded), we continued our multi-part series on the Rambam's shitah about hashgachah, using David Guttman's essay "Divine Providence - Goals, Hopes, and Fears, כי כל דרכיו משפט" as our guide. After reviewing the view of the Atomists and Aristotle, we read through the summaries of the other two false views: that of the Asharites and the Mutazilites. We took a brief detour to discuss the modern day Jewish heir of the Asharite view, as expressed in a popular sefer. We then read and discussed the problems (according to the Rambam) with these views. Next time we'll dive into the deep end, covering the prefatory chapters to the Rambam's own view.
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    Link to David Guttman's essay, "Divine Providence - Goals, Hopes, and Fears, כי כל דרכיו משפט": https://hakirah.org/Vol%205%20Guttmann.pdf
    ----------
    This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously by a student of mine in support of "a life of increased clarity."
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    59 min
  • Vayechi: Yaakov Avinu Was Mummified ... But Did He Die?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    Tonight (12/15/21), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we set out to understand the four pesukim (Bereishis 49:33 - 50:3) which describe the death and mummification of Yaakov Avinu. After learning a few approaches to the basic pshat and a nice little philosophical interpretation from Rav Hirsch, we moved to the famous midrash: "Yaakov Avinu didn't die." We explored a few different approaches but focused on that of the Abravanel, raising a number of methodology points along the way.
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    מקורות:
    בראשית מט:לג - נ:ג
    שד"ל - בראשית נ:ב
    רב הירש - בראשית נ:ב
    תלמוד בבלי - תענית דף ה עמוד ב עם פירוש מיוחס לרש"י
    אבן עזרא - הקדמה לאיכה
    שלטי הגיבורים - עבודה זרה דף ו עמוד א בדפי הרי"ף
    אברבנאל - בראשית נ:א-ד
    ישעיהו סו:כב
    רד"ק - ישעיהו סו:כב
    מלבי"ם - ישעיהו סו:כב
    נצי"ב - בראשית נ:ב עם הרחב דבר
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    This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously by a student of mine in support of "a life of increased clarity."
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    1 hr 10 min
  • Rambam's Shitah on Hashgachah Revisited (Part 1)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    This evening (12/9/21), in our Thursday night hashkafah shiur (which is usually not recorded), we began a multi-part series on the Rambam's shitah about hashgachah, as presented in the Moreh ha'Nevuchim Chelek 3. I have recently come to the realization that I'm due to reexamine the Rambam's view of hashgachah - mostly due to the evolution of my own views of hashgachah, which are a result of my learning and teaching of Tehillim and Tefilah over the past 15 months.

    I know of no better presentation of the pertinent sources than David Guttman's essay "Divine Providence - Goals, Hopes, and Fears, כי כל דרכיו משפט." I would go so far as to say that this essay reads like it was written with ruach ha'kodesh. Even though it is mostly a presentation of direct citations from the Rambam, Guttman's arrangement of the material, his explanation of the premises, and his analysis of the implications are masterful. Every time I read it (which I try to do every few years), I achieve a new depth of understanding of the Rambam's view.

    The plan is to read and discuss the essay together and follow whatever questions and problems arise. Tonight we made it through the summary of the first two out of the five views of hashgachah: that of the Atomists and of Aristotle.

    מקורות:
    David Guttman', "Divine Providence - Goals, Hopes, and Fears, כי כל דרכיו משפט":
    Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics 1:7
    חגיגה ב:א

    This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously with appreciation for all the learning opportunities offered by YBT over Zoom.

    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at
    www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    56 min
  • Vayigash: Yaakov's Brief and Bizarre Conversation with Paroh

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    Tonight (12/8/21), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we set out to explore the extraordinarily weird conversation between Yaakov and Paroh which spans five pesukim (Bereishis 47:7-10). Our main difficulty was aptly expressed by the Radak: "I don't know why this account was written." We learned three types of commentaries: pshat, midrash, and philosophical. We may not have answered all the questions we raised, but we encountered a lot of interesting ideas and methodology insights along the way!
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    מקורות:
    בראשית מז:ז-י
    רד"ק
    רש"י
    תרגום ירושלמי
    שד"ל
    רב הירש
    מלבי"ם
    אברבנאל
    רמב"ן
    ר' יוסף בכור שור
    לקח טוב
    דעת זקנים
    קיצור פענח רזא
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    This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously with appreciation for all the learning opportunities offered by YBT over Zoom.
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    1 hr 19 min
  • Chanukah 5872: The Secret Theme of Al Ha'Nissim

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    FYI, this is being posted in my Machshavah Lab podcast because it's about a holiday and also in my Tefilah podcast because it's about tefilah. It's the same shiur, though.

    This evening (12/2/21), in our tefilah shiur, we attempted to take a fresh look at Al ha'Nissim, and when we did, we discovered a major theme that had been hidden there the whole time. I'm not going to spoil the shiur except to say that once you see it, you'll (hopefully) never be able to look at Al ha'Nissim the same way again.
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    מקורות:
    אבודרהם ב:ב + על הנסים
    ר"י בר יקר - על הניסים
    דברים ו:כ-כה; ז:ו-יא
    תהלים כח:ט; קלו:י-כו; פרקים קיג-קיח
    ישעיהו מב:י-יג
    אבן עזרא, מהר"י קרא, רד"ק, שד"ל - ישעיהו מב:י
    יהושע כד:א-כד
    אברבנאל - יהושע כד:יז
    מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל - שמות טו
    רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר אהבה, סדר התפילה, על הנסים
    רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה ט:ב
    רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות יב:ד
    רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ג:א-ב
    הנרות הללו
    מעוז צור
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    This week's Torah content has been sponsored in memory of Rabbi Dr Leon & Frances Gersten.
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    1 hr 7 min
  • Vayeishev + Miketz: Insights from Yosef and His Brothers on How to Respond to Catastrophe

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    Tonight (12/1/21), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we set out to explore a very, VERY weighty question: how to respond when something bad happens. Our investigation focused on two episodes: the incident of Yosef and Potiphar's wife in Vayeishev, and the response of Yosef's brothers to their predicament in Mikeitz. We began by looking at the seemingly divergent views in the commentaries as to whether Yosef was at fault for being seduced, and then we examined the various explanations given for how the brothers knew that they were being punished for their treatment of Yosef. Thanks to the Ralbag's formulation of his lessons on the parashah and the beautiful opening pages of the Rav's "Kol Dodi Dofeik," we arrived at a theory which shed a new light on both episodes and paved the way for us to deal with catastrophe and suffering in our own lives.
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    מקורות:
    בראשית לט:ו-ז; מב:יח-כא
    רש"י - בראשית לט:ו
    ר' אברהם בן הרמב"ם - בראשית לט:ו-ז; מב:כא
    רד"ק - בראשית לט:ז; מב:כא
    רשב"ם - בראשית מב:כא
    בכור שור - בראשית מב:כא
    ר' בחיי - בראשית מב:כא
    רלב"ג - בראשית מב:כא תועלות ט-י
    Rav Yosef Soloveitchik, "Fate and Destiny:From Holocaust to the State of Israel" pp.1-9
    ----------
    This week's Torah content has been sponsored in memory of Rabbi Dr Leon & Frances Gersten.
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    1 hr 26 min
  • How to Cultivate Humility: Practical Guidelines (Part 2) Haughtiness from Beauty and Strength

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    This morning (11/19/21), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we continued our quest for practical guidelines on how to cultivate humility. After reviewing the sources and questions from last time, and resolving one apparent contradiction which came up, we delved into the Abravanel's ... interesting strategies for combatting arrogance. Today's session focused on two causes of haughtiness: beauty and physical strength. We certainly found what we were looking for, so much so that the shiur went 30 minutes overtime! God willing, we'll continue the series some time in the near future (but not in the next two weeks).
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    מקורות:
    רמב"ם - משנה תורה, ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ב:א-ג
    אברבנאל - אבות ד:ד
    רש"י - קהלת יב:א-ח
    אבות ג:א
    רש"י - תלמוד בבלי סוטה דף י עמוד א
    תלמוד בבלי - נדרים דף ט עמוד ב

    Links to my three Rambam Bekius shiurim on haughtiness and anger: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

    The Stoic Jew Podcast: On Contemptuous Expressions
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    This week's Torah content has been sponsored by Shirley, and since she didn't specify a dedicatory message, then I'm going to dedicate this to the entire Sinclair family - Shirley, David, and Ken.
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    1 hr 33 min
  • Vayishlach: Would Rambam Advocate Davening at the Kever of the Fifth Matriarch?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    Tonight (11/17/21), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we had two objectives: the primary objective was to analyze the Torah's account of the “fifth matriarch” according to both drash and pshat (in that order) and discuss the methodological implications, and the secondary objective was to answer the question: “Would the Rambam advocate davening at her grave?” We spent the first two thirds of the shiur on the first topic, and the final third on the second topic. If you have a different answer or additional sources about the second topic, I'd love to hear!
    ----------
    מקורות:
    בראשית כד: מב-מו, נז-נט; לה:ו-י
    בראשית כד:נז-נט
    רש"י, רמב"ן, ר' אברהם בן הרמב"ם, אברבנאל, מלבי"ם, רלב"ג, שד"ל - בראשית לה:ח
    פירוש התורה לרבינו אברהם בן הרמב"ם: ספר בראשית מהדורת ברקוביץ, עמוד תז הערה קמז
    רמב"ם: משנה תורה, ספר שופטים, הלכות אבל ד:ד
    רמב"ם: משנה תורה, ספר זמנים, הלכות תעניות ד:יח
    ----------
    This week's Torah content has been sponsored by Shirley, and since she didn't specify a dedicatory message, then I'm going to dedicate this to the entire Sinclair family - Shirley, David, and Ken.
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html
    Amazon Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_share

    1 hr 41 min
  • How to Cultivate Humility: a Quest for Practical Guidelines (Part 1)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    This morning (11/12/21), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we began what I hope will be the first shiur in a (non-consecutive) series. Out of all the good middos, anavah (humility) is considered to be the greatest - but is anavah merely a natural result of our learning and our adherence to the Torah, or are there active steps we can take to cultivate it? In this shiur we will proceed on the latter assumption. We will attempt to understand anavah from both a theoretical and a practical standpoint. In this first installment we reviewed the Rambam's approach to gaivah (arrogance) and anavah, as set forth in the Mishneh Torah. We then began our analysis of Pirkei Avos 4:4 with the commentary of the Abravanel. Today's shiur was devoted to setting up the sugya with the facts and questions. Next time we hope to begin answering the questions we raised today.
    ----------
    This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. May Hashem send a refuah shleimah to Margalit Esther bat Ettel and Noam Binyamin Refael ben Dina Nili.
    ----------
    מקורות:
    רמב"ם - משנה תורה, ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ב:א-ג
    אברבנאל - אבות ד:ד
    ----------
    This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. May Hashem send a refuah shleimah to Margalit Esther bat Ettel and Noam Binyamin Refael ben Dina Nili.
    ----------
    If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
    ----------
    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

    If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
    gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
    ----------
    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
    Blog: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmschneeweiss
    "The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
    "The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
    "Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
    "Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
    "The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
    Guide to the Torah Content of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/2021/04/links-to-torah-content-of-rabbi-matt.html

    1 hr 6 min

About Machshavah Lab

From the publisher's feed

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss. My goal as a Torah educator is not merely to teach my students my OWN hashkafah. Rather, my goal is to equip them with the foundations, the methodological training,…

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