Machshavah Lab Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

Q&A #38: Shefoch, Split-Hallel, Babies, Begin w/Degradation, Baruch ha'Makom, Haggadah Methodology

Length: 1 hour 3 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (4/18/24), in our pre-Pesach women's Q&A, we took up six questions: (1) What's the deal with the "shefoch chamasecha" intro to Hallel? (2) Why do we interrupt Hallel at the seder with the meal? (3) The focus of the seder should be young children, but what can be done for babies? (4) Series of questions on the halacha that our telling of the story of the Exodus should "begin with degradation and end with praise." (5) What is the idea that "Baruch ha'Makom" is a quasi-birkas ha'Torah? (6) What is the methodology for learning the Haggadah? Since this was a Q&A, the answers I gave were partial and not based on comprehensive research. Still, we managed to take a few nice steps for each of these questions, and now we have plenty to think about!

Please feel free to leave your questions, insights, and feedback in the comments! 
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מקורות:
אברבנאל - הגדת זבח פסח, הללויה, שפוך
ירושלמי פסחים י:א:ז
רלב"ג - סוף פרשת בשלח
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר קרבנות, הלכות קרבן פסח ח:טו
רד"ק - תהלים קיז
Rabbi Yosef B. Soloveitchik, "The Seder Night: An Exalted Evening," p,7
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:ד
ריטב"א - פירוש ההגדה: ארבעה בנים, שפוך
אבודרהם - פירוש ההגדה: ארבעה בנים, שפוך
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The Torah content for this week has been sponsored by Isaac, out of Hakaras HaTov to Hashem for giving him a new job that will enable him to continue to learn and to grow.
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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.
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Length: 1 hour 35 minutes
Synopsis: This evening (4/18/24), in lieu of our usual Thursday night women's Pirkei Avos shiur, we decided to do a deep dive into one of the most cryptic derashos in the Haggadah: the drashah on the phrase "and numerous," which quotes a pair of perplexing pesukim from Sefer Yechezkel. We raise a few questions, familiarize ourselves with Chazal's interpretation, raise a few more questions, read through the entire perek, and attempt to formulate an answer. Did we succeed in answering all of our questions? No. But I'm pretty sure we arrived at SOME insight, and steps we took will give you plenty to think about. At the very least, I can guarantee you that you'll never look at this part of the Haggadah in the same way again!
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מקורות:
הגדה של פסח: ארמי אובד אבי
יחזקאל פרק טז
רש"י - יחזקאל טז:א
בראשית מז:כז
שמות א:ט,יב
דברים י:כב
תהלים קה:כג-כד
רש"י - שמות יב:ו
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The Torah content from now through Pesach has been sponsored by the Koffsky family, in loving memory of Adira (a"h), who loved big ideas and asking big questions.
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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. 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. 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.
-----
Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
YouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Old Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H
Amazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_

Length of the article: 1 page
Length of the audio: 3 minutes 54 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/12/24 (originally written on 3/18/14), entitled: Haftaras Tazria: Charging Money for Miracles. How would you react if a Jewish holy man did a miracle for you? How might your opinion change if he charged you money? This week's haftarah shows Elisha's view. As a navi, he's certainly qualified.
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The Torah content from now through Pesach has been sponsored by the Koffsky family, in loving memory of Adira (a"h), who loved big ideas and asking big questions.
-----
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. 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. 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.
-----
Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
YouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Old Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H
Amazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_

Length: 1 hour 25 minutes
Synopsis: This evening (4/4/24), in lieu of our usual Thursday night women's Pirkei Avos shiur, we decided to prepare ourselves for the upcoming solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 by learning through enough key sources to develop an authentically "Jewish" framework for our eclipse experience. We began by examining the mitzvah to study the eclipse and examined the greatest model among the Rishonim of someone who devoted his life to this mitzvah. Next, we compared and contrasted Judaism's orientation towards eclipses with the idolatrous view. In the main part of the shiur we focused on the problematic statements of Chazal which explicitly identify eclipses as bad omens. We talked about our preferred methodology of learning aggadic passages such as these, and we applied these methodologies to the first of these statements. We concluded by translating what we learned into a practical way to gain the most from the upcoming eclipse. This was an impromptu shiur, but I hope you find it as thought-provoking as I did!
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מקורות:
Bernard R. Goldstein - "Medieval Observations of Solar and Lunar Eclipses"
Meachem Kellner - "Torah in the Observatory: Gersonides, Maimonides, Song of Songs"
תלמוד בבלי שבת דף עה עמוד א
רש"י שם
מאירי שם
ר"י מלוניל שם
רד"ק - ישעיהו ה:יא-יב
Rebecca Boyle - "In Mesopotamia, Being ‘King for a Day’ Could be Deadly"
שד"ל - בראשית א:יד
רש"י - ירמיהו י:ב
אברבנאל - שם
תלמוד בבלי סוכה דף כט עמוד א
רש"י שם
רמב"ם – איגרת לקהל מרשילייא, על אצטגנינות ומזל
R' Samson Raphael Hirsch - Trusting the Torah's Sages
רמב"ן - בראשית ט:יב-יז
פירוש עץ יוסף - ברכת קידוש לבנה
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Once upon a time, there was a podcast called The Stoic Jew. Its creator made episodes every weekday for the entirety of its first year. The frequency switched to weekly, then monthly, until eventually, the flow trickled to a stop. I know I'm not the only one who has missed this podcast and would like it to continue. I have a modest goal for getting it going again: one episode each week for the month of April. For starters. If you, too, were a fan of TSJ and are willing to be a sponsor, I have a feeling that a sponsorship might provide just the right measure of accountability to help me get the podcast back on its feet.
-----
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. 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. 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.
-----
Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
YouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes):

Length of the article: 1 page
Length of the audio: 4 minutes
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/4/24 (originally written on 3/21/14), entitled: Shemini: DUI (Davening Under the Influence). Nadav and Avihu's punishment seems harsh, especially if their sin was drinking a little wine. An analysis of the philosophy behind the prohibition of DUI reveals why their penalty was so severe.
-----
Once upon a time, there was a podcast called The Stoic Jew. Its creator made episodes every weekday for the entirety of its first year. The frequency switched to weekly, then monthly, until eventually, the flow trickled to a stop. I know I'm not the only one who has missed this podcast and would like it to continue. I have a modest goal for getting it going again: one episode each week for the month of April. For starters. If you, too, were a fan of TSJ and are willing to be a sponsor, I have a feeling that a sponsorship might provide just the right measure of accountability to help me get the podcast back on its feet.
-----
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. 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. 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.
-----
Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
YouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Old Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H
Amazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel

Length of the article: 3 pages
Length of the audio: 11 minutes 8 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/29/24, entitled: Tzav: Heavenly Fire and Hidden Miracles. Purim may not always fall out during the week of Parashas Tzav, but there is a thematic connection between the theme of Purim and the reason for a perplexing mitzvah at the beginning of the parashah.
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This week's Torah content has been sponsored anonymously. When I asked the donor what they'd like their dedicatory message to say, they responded: "You can say it was because of your Dennis Rodman breakthrough" (referring to a point I made in a recent Megilah shiur). I love feedback like this because it shows me that people enjoy and gain from the sometimes eclectic Torah I share. Thank you for your support!
-----
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. 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. 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.
-----
Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
YouTube: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Old Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H
Amazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel