130 episodes
Machshavah Lab Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss
-
- Religion & Spirituality
-
-
4.6 • 5 Ratings
-
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.
-
Chanukah 5872: The Secret Theme of Al Ha'Nissim
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.
----------
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
----------
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 -
Vayeishev + Miketz: Insights from Yosef and His Brothers on How to Respond to Catastrophe
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.
----------
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 -
How to Cultivate Humility: Practical Guidelines (Part 2) Haughtiness from Beauty and Strength
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).
----------
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
----------
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 -
Vayishlach: Would Rambam Advocate Davening at the Kever of the Fifth Matriarch?
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 -
How to Cultivate Humility: a Quest for Practical Guidelines (Part 1)
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 -
Vayeitzei: Practical Insights from Yaakov Avinu's Neder
Tonight (11/10/21), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we attempted to understand the puzzling neder (vow) that Yaakov Avinu took the morning after his dream. After raising a number of questions, we ended up focusing on three aspects of his neder: (1) its conditionality, which made it seem like he was in doubt about whether Hashem would keep HIS promises; (2) his decision to make a neder in the first place, in light of Judaism's generally negative attitude towards nedarim; and (3) the specific clause of "if You will give me bread to eat and a garment to wear." We emerged with practical insights from each of these three topics.
Tehilim 116: Part 1 and Part 2
----------
מקורות:
בראשית כח:טז-כב
בראשית רבה ע:א,ד
אברבנאל - הקדמה לפרשת ויצא
רמב"ן - בראשית טו:ח; כח:כ
תוספות חולין דף ב עמוד ב ד"ה אבל אמר הרי עלי לא
רב הירש - בראשית כח:כ
רב הירש - חורב תע"א
ר' אברהם בן הרמב"ם - בראשית כח:כ-כא
ר' אברהם בן הרמב"ם - המספיק לעובדי ה' פרק י
----------
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