Machshavah Lab

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In last night's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 4/21/21) we took up a the controversial but important topic identified by the title. Since I have neither the qualifications nor the desire to tackle such a weighty issue on my own, I decided to read and discuss Rabbi Marc Shapiro's essay יש חיוב להאמין שהזוהר נכתב על ידי רבי שמעון בר יוחאי with my talmidim in yeshiva and to discuss its implications for our learning. We made it through the first 8 out of 20 pages in Part 1, and בג"ה we will continue tonight.

Disclaimer: Although I think I did a decent job of reading and translating the substance of the essay, I was unfamiliar with many of the chachamim he referenced, and I'm sure I butchered the pronunciation of their names. I was also stumped by some of the roshei teivos. C'est la vie. Je m'excuse.

Please feel free to leave your questions, insights, and feedback in the comments!
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מקורות:
Gershon Scholem - "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism" Lecture #5 Section 2
מלך שפירא - יש חיוב להאמין שהזוהר נכתב על ידי רבי שמעון בר יוחאי
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

This morning's Sunday shiur (4/18/21 at YBT) was inspired by a Richard Feynman anecdote in which he recounts crisis which caused him to abandon Judaism as a kid. I believe that many Jewish educators are setting their students up for a similar crisis - a crisis I refer to as "Midrashic Betrayal." In this shiur I provide an overview of my understanding of the distinction between pshat and drash, and I present my six guidelines for learning midrash aggadah, along with ample evidence from Gaonim, Rishonim, and Achronim.
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מקורות:
אבן עזרא - הקדמה לעשרת הדיברות
רלב"ג - הקדמה לשיר השירים
רשב"א - חידושי אגדה ברכות דף לב עמוד ב
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:מג
אבן עזרא - הקדמה למגילת איכה
שלטי הגבורים - עבודה זרה דף ו בדפי הרי"ף
מהר"י קרא - א' שמואל א:יז
ר' שמואל הנגיד - מבוא התלמוד
Rav S.R. Hirsch: Horeb (Introduction)
Rav S.R. Hirsch: Letter on Aggadata
שו"ת חוות יאיר מר קשישא (ערך גזרה מו.)
אברבנאל - ישועות משיחו (חלק ב, הקדמה)
סעדיה גאון - מובא באוצר הגאונים חגיגה מילואים דף סח
ר' שרירא גאון, מובא בספר האשכול הלכות ספר תורה דף ס עמוד א
ר' שמואל בן חפני גאון - מובא בפירוש הרד"ק לשמואל א' כח:כד
ר' האי גאון - מובא באוצר הגאונים חגיגה סז
אבן עזרא - שמות ב:ט (פירוש הקצר)
רשב"א - חידושים על מסכת מגילה דף טו עמוד א
ריטב"א - חידושים על מסכת שבת דף סה עמוד ב
רמב"ן - חידושים על מסכת יבמות דף סא עמוד ב
רמב"ן - הויכוח
רמב"ם - איגרת לחכמי קהל עיר מארשילייא על ענייני אצטגנינות
רמב"ם - הקדמה לפרק חלק
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

Today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (4/16/21) was about the role of humor in Torah study, as reflected in a statement by Chazal. This shiur is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of the topic, or even a full analysis of this Gemara. Rather, as the name of this series - "Machshavah Lab" - implies, this was just an exploratory introduction to the topic. One might say that we were "playing" with the sugya.
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מקורות:
קהלת ב:ב; ח:טו
תלמוד בבלי - שבת דף ל עמוד ב, פסחים דף קיז עמוד א עם פירוש רש"י
מאירי - בית הבחירה למסכת שבת דף ל עמוד ב
מפרשים שונים המובאים בילקוט ביאורים שבמתיבתא פסחקים דף קיז עמוד א
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
----------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

Tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 4/14/21) is a follow-up to our shiur on Shadal's Opposition to Philosophical Judaism (given at YBT on 4/9/21). At the end of that shiur I was asked, "What is Shadal's approach to Chumash?" I was disappointed that he didn't write a methodological introduction to his commentary on Chumash, but I was delighted to discover his methodological introduction to his commentary on Sefer Yeshayahu, in which he formulates the ten foundational principles of his approach to Biblical Exegesis. We read and discussed all ten principles, but didn't finish the introduction. We may or may not do so next week.

Click here for the shiur on Shadal's Opposition to Philosophical Judaism.
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מקורות:
שד"ל - הקדמה לספר ישעיהו
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

This episode is an "audiobook style" reading of an article I wrote on August 4, 2015 entitled Mussar Without "Should"s and "Shouldn't"s.  Click here to access the article  on my blog. 
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
----------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

Today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (4/9/21) was intended to expand the horizons of my particular students, who (a) have been immersed in a largely Maimonidean Torah framework, and (b) have never been exposed to an anti-Maimonidean polemic. This shiur centered on Shadal's commentary on Devarim 6:5, about ahavas Hashem (love of God), which expressed a number of his criticisms of the philosophical approach to Judaism as taught by many of the Rishonim - especially the Rambam. We read his comments, discussed their strengths and weaknesses, and reflected on the takeaways. Clearly there is a lot more to be said about the many critiques of the Rambam as well as the multifaceted worldview of Shadal, but this shiur was intended to be an introduction - not a comprehensive treatment of either topic.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - משנה תורה, ספר המדע, הלכות יסודי התורה ב:ב
רמב"ם - משנה תורה, ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה י:ו-ז
שד"ל - דברים ו:ה
The Mitzvah to Love God: Shadal's Polemic Against the Philosophical Interpretation, by Prof. Rabbi Marty Lockshin
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
----------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

In today's Iyov class (4/7/20 at Lomdeha) we tackled one of the classic "spicy questions": Can God do the impossible? We examined four "no" answers: one based on logic, and the other three given by various meforshim (Rambam, Saadia Gaon, and the Sefer ha'Ikkarim). Some questions we left unanswered, but hopefully the lesson was sufficiently clear to convey the main points.

I usually don't upload my Iyov shiurim as podcasts, but this topic was enough a standalone that I deemed it uploadworthy.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:טו
סעדיה גאון - אמונות ודעות ב:יג
ר' יוסף אלבו - ספר העיקרים ג:כה
רמב"ן - הויכוח
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
----------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

Length: 43 minutes
Synopsis: In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (3/19/21) we explored one of the most underappreciated themes of Pesach, namely, maror. People talk about the Egyptian slavery and oppression, but not the specific quality of "bitterness." In this shiur we utilize the best Chumash commentary in the entire world to arrive at our understanding of what this "bitterness" is, and why it is a central theme in Pesach. Not only that, but one of my students comes up with a better answer to the second question than the one I prepared!
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מקורות:
הגדה של פסח
שמות א:יג-יד
רש"י – שמות א:יג
בכור שור – שמות א:יד
תלמוד בבלי סוטה דף יא עמוד ב
רלב"ג – שמות א:יג
רמב"ם: הקדמה למשנה תורה
ויקרא כה:לט-מג
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר קנין, הלכות עבדים א:ו
תלמוד בבלי פסחים דף קטז עמוד א
משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:ד
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

Length: 42 minutes
Synopsis: Yesterday a student asked "why chametz is such a big deal" (my words, not hers). In this morning's Jewish Ethics class (3/16/21 at Lomdeha) we answered this question by learning/reviewing an excerpt from "the famous Ramban at the end of Parashas Bo" in which he explains the significance of the signs and wonders that Hashem did for our forefathers when He took them out of Egypt, and importance of our preservation of those events through the mitzvos which commemorate Yetzias Mitzrayim. Most of my students had learned through these ideas in some form or another at some point in their education, but this is definitely a Ramban that is worth reviewing from time to time.

If you're interested in a written version, I wrote up most of these ideas in a blog post entitled: Chametz - Why So Serious?

Please feel free to leave your questions, insights, and feedback in the comments!
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מקורות:
רמב"ן - שמות יג:טז
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Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/

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

[Note: If you have not yet listened to Part 1, it is critical that you listen to it first!]

In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (3/12/21) we continued discussing the topic we raised last week, focusing on the last three out of the seven premises enumerated last time, with one final premise thrown in for good measure. All three premises are rooted in the Rambam's view on how Hashem works with human nature instead of against it, and a large part of today's shiur was spent reading and discussing the chapter of the Guide for the Perplexed in which he elucidates this idea.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:לב,מט
דברים לב:מז
תלמוד ירושלמי פאה א:א
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-time_nuclear_waste_warning_messages
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.
----------
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
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
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/