Machshavah Lab

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

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, and the tools which will enable them to arrive at their OWN understanding of Judaism and cultivate their OWN relationship with Hashem and His Torah. This podcast is devoted to the shiurim I give which are geared specifically towards that end. As such, the range of topics covered here will be diverse. There will be shiurim on Jewish philosophy, Chumash methodology, aggadic midrashim, maybe even some non-Jewish philosophy as well. Merriam-Webster defines "laboratory" as a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study. I call this podcast "Machshavah Lab" because this is where we will conduct Torah "experiments" by exploring questions, texts, and ideas in an effort to develop our machshavah in a "hands on," exploratory, firsthand manner.

  1. 5 days ago

    Korach: How Did Korach and His Followers Think They Could Get Away With It?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/19/26 titled: Korach: How Did Korach and His Followers Think They Could Get Away With It? Korach and his men claim to be chosen by Hashem. Moshe says, "Let's test it." Korach agrees. They fail the test. One cannot help but wonder: What did they EXPECT to happen? Abravanel offers an answer. ----- The Torah Content for the month of Tammuz is sponsored by Yael Weiss. Thank you, Yael, for your support! It’s people like you who make it possible for me to continue doing what I do. ----- If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone. Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail] Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

    8 min
  2. 6 days ago

    Q&A #48 - Bribery Parameters, Bad/Good Influence on/from Friends, Torah on Inner Work, What is YBT

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length:49 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/18/26), in lieu of morning Mishlei, we had the last Q&A - and last shiur! - of the 2025-2026 season. We took up four questions: (1) What are the parameters of philosophical/ethical bribery? (2) How do you navigate having friends who could potentially have a bad influence on you, and how might you have a good influence on them? (3) What would you say to a person who is unaware that the Torah cares about our inner life? (4) How does one explain our yeshiva when asked about it? (I was actually asked another question about my thoughts on the role of Israel in our Jewish life, but I declined to answer - not only because I keep all my Zionism articles behind a paywall, but because I'm considering writing another one this summer and I don't want to make any statements until I've written it.) This was my last YBT shiur of 2025-2026, and what a great year it's been. I'm looking forward to summer break, but I'm already excited about what next year will bring! ----- מקורות: משלי טו:כז דעות ו:א אבות ב:ט https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/ ----- The Torah Content for the month of Tammuz is sponsored by Yael Weiss. Thank you, Yael, for your support! It's people like you who make it possible for me to continue doing what I do. ----- If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone. Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail] Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

    51 min
  3. 9 Jun

    Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (FULL Article)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/9/26 titled: Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (FULL Article). Sometimes a fish is just a fish, but sometimes it's a euphemism. At least, that's the disagreement in the Gemara. What is the basis of this disagreement, and what does it teach us? Here's my approach. ----- The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman, l’zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, whose yahrzeit is on the 21st of Sivan. ----- If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone. Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail] Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

    13 min
  4. 5 Jun

    Rambam on Divine Knowledge and Hashgachah (Part 2: True Views) Moreh 3:17b-18

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 20 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/5/26), in our last Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women of the season, we concluded the Rambam's INITIAL presentation of the true view of hashgachah, as understood from the Torah by the multitude of Sages, and as understood by the Rambam himself. Because we're going to be pausing our Iyov shiurim for the summer, I had to make it clear - in the shiur and in this synopsis - that what we covered in this shiur will NOT attempt to convey a complete picture of the Rambam's view. For that, we'll need to learn 3:19-21 on Divine knowledge, followed by his "commentary" on Sefer Iyov in 3:22-23, concluding with his final thoughts on hashgachah in 3:51. And for all of that, we'll have to wait until our shiurim resume in the fall. Treat the material we cover in this shiur as the foundation on which the edifice will (God willing) be built when we return. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:יז-יח David Guttman - "Divine Providence: Hopes, Goals, and Fears" https://hakirah.org/Vol%205%20Guttmann.pdf רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה ט:א ----- The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman, l'zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, whose yahrzeit is on the 21st of Sivan. ----- If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone. Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail] Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

    1hr 20min
  5. 5 Jun

    Four Entered the Pardes: An Exploration With An Agenda

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (6/4/26), in our Thursday night Machshavah Lab series for women, was not a shiur but an exploration with an agenda (which I explain toward the beginning and won't divulge here). We read the famous aggadah about the four Tannaim who entered Pardes - R. Akiva, Acher, Ben Zoma, and Ben Azzai - along with several other sources that comment directly or indirectly on it. Our goal was not to conduct a comprehensive analysis, but to read through the facts and think aloud about what we were reading. We certainly accomplished that goal. What remains to be done is to fully develop an understanding of the fate met by each of the four in a manner that enlightens us about the correct and incorrect paths to truth. ----- מקורות: תלמוד בבלי חגיגה דף יד עמוד ב רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות חגיגה ב:א רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים א:לא-לב רשב"ץ - פירוש להגדה של פסח: ארבעה בנים ----- The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman, l'zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, whose yahrzeit is on the 21st of Sivan. ----- If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone. Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail] Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

    1hr 36min

About

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, and the tools which will enable them to arrive at their OWN understanding of Judaism and cultivate their OWN relationship with Hashem and His Torah. This podcast is devoted to the shiurim I give which are geared specifically towards that end. As such, the range of topics covered here will be diverse. There will be shiurim on Jewish philosophy, Chumash methodology, aggadic midrashim, maybe even some non-Jewish philosophy as well. Merriam-Webster defines "laboratory" as a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study. I call this podcast "Machshavah Lab" because this is where we will conduct Torah "experiments" by exploring questions, texts, and ideas in an effort to develop our machshavah in a "hands on," exploratory, firsthand manner.

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