Machshavah Lab

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

In this morning's shiur (12/25/20 at Lomdeha) we set out to accomplish three objectives:
(1) to learn, on a basic level, the prophecy in Sefer Yechezkel about the event we are commemorating today
(2) understand the transgressions which led to the catastrophe that are being highlighted in this prophecy
(3) to translate these insights into practical ways for us to do teshuvah today

This shiur was given in memory of my student, Yocheved Gourarie (a"h). Because her life was lost to mental illness, I have chosen Amudim as the recipient of my 10th of Teves fundraising. I chose them because they address a broad spectrum of crises and needs in the Jewish community: addiction, depression, eating disorders, suicidal ideation, and more. They are heavily involved in spreading awareness of these issues in the Jewish community, which has been prone to denial and the urge to brush these matters under the carpet.

Today, on Asarah b'Teves, I urge you to give money to ANY organization which helps the downtrodden. But if you would like to consider contributing to this particular campaign, then you will be helping to advance the cause of mental health awareness and assistance which Yocheved was so devoted to during her lifetime.

Here's the link to my original Facebook post with the donation option: https://www.facebook.com/mattschneeweiss/posts/10220660580319322
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מקורות:
רמב"ם – משנה תורה, ספר זמנים, הלכות תעניות ה:א-ב
יחזקאל יא: א-יג; כד:א-טו עם פירוש הרד"ק
משלי א:כ-לב
ישעיהו א:טו-יז; ו:י; נה:ח; נח:א-י
ב' מלכים כד:ד עם פירוש מצודת דוד
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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 
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 shiur (12/18/20 at Lomdeha) was an adventure in "tefilah archaeology" focusing on a curious addition to the end of Al ha'Nissim involving a request for miracles. After surveying the evidence which establishes that this is the authentic version of Al ha'Nissim, we investigate the reason why most Ashkenazim don't include this request. We then analyze the ideas behind each of these approaches and conclude with practical tefilah advice for how to frame our davening during the last tefilah of Chanukah 2020/5781, when our need for miracles is great.
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מקורות:
על הנסים - נוסח אשכנז
על הנסים - נוסח הרמב"ם
על הנסים - סדר רב עמרם גאון
על הנסים - סידור רס"ג
מסכת סופרים כ:ז
שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן תרפ"ב: עם משנה ברורה וערוך השולחן
ספר המנהיג הלכות מגילה עמוד רמז
מהר"ם מרוטנבורג - תשובות פסקים ומנהגים חלק א' סימן תרי"ב
תלמוד בבלי ברכות דף לד עמוד א
אבודרהם - חנוכה
תוספות מדילה דף ד עמוד א
טור אורח חיים תרפב:ג
רמב"ם: משנה תורה, ספר זמנים, הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ג:א
רמב"ם: משנה תורה, ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה ט:ב
בכור שור שבת דף כא 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 
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 tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 12/16/20) we continued R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam's essay on the midrashim of Chazal, completing the 4th and 5th categories of drashos, supplemented by the relevant footnotes in the new edition.

Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068922
Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068943
Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068976
Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7072852
Part 5: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7170874
Part 6: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7284478

I purchased my new edition of this essay on Ebay. Act now, while there are still copies available!
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מקורות:
ר' אברהם בן הרמב"ם - מאמר על דרשות חז"ל
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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 
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 shiur (12/11/20 at Lomdeha) is a continuation of our exploration of the midrash about Hashem transforming into a human barber and cut Sancheriv's hair. After a methodological introduction from the Rambam and Rav Hirsch, we conduct a general overview of seven approaches to the most difficult part of this midrash - one from the Yad Ramah, another from the Ben Yehoyada, and five from the Anaf Yosef. We dive into this seventh approach and attempt to understand every step of the allegory according to the Anaf Yosef's commentary (with an emphasis on the word "attempt"). If there's anything I hope you gain from this wild ride, it's an appreciation of how to approach midrashim like this in GENERAL, and how the ikkarim must serve as the foundations and the fences of whatever approach we take.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם – הקדמה לפרק חלק
רש"ר הירש - על מדרשי אגדה
תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין פרק חלק דף צה:-צו.
מתיבתא סנהדרין צה: - ילקוט ביאורים
ענף יוסף (ר' חנוך זונדעל בן יוסף) פירוש לספר עין יעקב סנהדרין צה:
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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 
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 tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 12/9/20) we continued R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam's essay on the midrashim of Chazal - THIS time with the recently published critical edition. We went back and read a section from the introduction which didn't appear in our version, as well as some jam-packed footnotes from the editor - most notably about R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam's explanation of why Rebbi Yehuda ha'Nassi was called "Rabbeinu ha'Kadosh." We then read about the third category of drashos, which we had already analyzed in a previous shiur, and we started reading about his fourth category, but decided to leave it for next time.

Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068922
Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068943
Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068976
Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7072852
Part 5: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7170874
Part 6: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7284478

I purchased my new edition of this essay on Ebay. Act now, while there are still copies available!

Here's a link to my shiur in which we analyzed the midrash R' Avraham cites as the paradigm of his third category of drashos.
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מקורות:
ר' אברהם בן הרמב"ם - מאמר על דרשות חז"ל
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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 
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 shiur (12/4/20 at Lomdeha) was prompted by a question I was sent by a listener about a statement in the Gemara to the effect that Hashem transformed into a human barber and cut Sancheriv's hair. I was asked what I thought about this Gemara and figured this would make for a good "midrash workshop." In Part 1 we discuss how to approach such statements in GENERAL. This coming Friday, in Part 2, we will attempt to elucidate the midrash itself.
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מקורות:
תלמוד בבלי סנהדרין פרק חלק דף צה:-צו.
רמב"ם – הקדמה לפרק חלק
ר' שמואל הנגיד: מבוא התלמוד
ר' סעדיה גאון – אוצר הגאונים חגיגה מילואים דף סח
ר' שרירא גאון, מובא בספר האשכול הלכות ספר תורה ס.
ר' האי גאון – אוצר הגאונים חגיגה סז
אבן עזרא – שמות ב:ט (פירוש הקצר)
רשב"א – חידושים על מסכת מגילה טו.
ריטב"א – חידושים על מסכת שבת סה:
רמב"ן – חידושים על מסכת יבמות סא:
רמב"ן – הויכוח
רמב"ם – איגרת לחכמי קהל עיר מארשילייא על ענייני אצטגנינות
רמב"ם – משנה תורה, ספר המדע הלכות עבודה זרה וחוקות הגוים פרק ב
רמב"ם – משנה תורה, ספר המדע הלכות יסודי התורה א:ח
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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 
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 tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 12/2/20) we began R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam's essay on the midrashim of Chazal. We covered his introduction, in which he praises Chazal's intellectual honesty and criticizes those people who would accept their non-halachic statements simply because Chazal said them. We then began his explanation of the five categories of drashos, which we will continue next week.

Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068922
Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068943
Part 3: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7068976
Part 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7072852
Part 5: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7170874
Part 6: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1576750/7284478
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מקורות:
ר' אברהם בן הרמב"ם - מאמר על דרשות חז"ל
שמואל הנגיד - מבוא התלמוד
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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 
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 (11/22/20 at YBT) was inspired by a poem by Richard Feynman entitled, "The Universe in a Glass of Wine." Our aim in this shiur was three-fold: (1) to conceptualize the mitzvah of kiddush as "the universe of Torah in a glass of wine," (2) to explain a trio of strange midrashim, and (3) to provide a “sample platter” of ideas to contemplate every week when saying kiddush.
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Link to Feynman's Poem: https://youtu.be/b3_n7TDL7lc

מקורות:
תלמוד בבלי – שבת דף קיט עמוד ב
בראשית ב:א-ג
רמב"ם – משנה תורה, ספר זמנים, הלכות שבת כט:א, ה-ו
ספר החינוך – הקדמה; מצוה ל"א
כתב סופר החדש, בראשית
רמב"ן – סוף פרשת בו
תהלים צב:א-ו
רד"ק - תהלים צב:ב,ה
רמב"ם – מורה הנבוכים ג:כב
רבינו אברהם בן הרמב"ם – מאמר על דרשות חז"ל
רלב"ג – שמות כ:ז, ביאור הפרשה
רמב"ם – מורה הנבוכים ג:מג
שד"ל – שמות כ:ז
כוזרי ג:יג-יז
רבינו אברהם בן הרמב"ם - המספיק לעובדי ה', הקדמה
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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 
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 tonight's Topics in Jewish Philosophy shiur (11/19/20 at YBT) we reviewed the Rambam's Palace Allegory in the Moreh ha'Nevuchim 3:51 in order to see what insights it yielded this time around, and in order to respond to those who accuse the Rambam of being an elitist.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:נא
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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 
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 tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 11/18/20) we learned through the Rashbam's three "introductions" to his commentary. The word "introductions" is in quotations because he doesn't have a formal introduction; rather, these are three sources in which he states his approach and differentiates it from other approaches to Chumash commentary. Afterwards we learned through Saadia Gaon's actual introduction to his Chumash commentary.
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מקורות:
רשב"ם - הקדמה לפרשיות בראשית, וישיב, ומשפטים
סעדיה גאון - הקדמה לפירוש על התורה
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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 
Our Yeshiva: https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
Our Women's Program: https://www.lomdeha.org/