Machshavah Lab

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Synopsis: This evening (11/2/23), in Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we moved on to the next clause in our mishnah about the interrelationship between binah and daas. We tackled what I believe is one of the most difficult Rambam's I know. With Hashem's help - after a crash-course style review...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 36 minutes Synopsis: I've heard it said that "Amalek" refers to any nation or group which harbors an antisemitic ideology and poses an existential threat to the Jewish people (e.g. the Nazis, or Hamas). This position is ascribed to the Rav (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik) in the name of his father, R' Moshe...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/27/23, entitled: Lech Lecha: Avraham’s Origin Story and the Torah’s Silence . For years I've been bothered by the Torah's silence on Avraham's backstory....

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: This YBT Sunday Shiur (10/23/23) is an updated version of a shiur I gave two years ago (10/23/21), the goal of which is to understand each and every step in Avraham's dialogue with Hashem about the fate of Sedom as explained by Sforno, and to extrapolate ideas about God's righteousness and just...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 3 pages Length of the audio: 11 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/20/23, entitled: Noach: Searching for Meaning in the Post-Diluvian Genealogy . I set out to write an article on a small question but ended up writing one abo...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 23 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (10/19/23), in Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we began a new mishnah. Each clause follows the pattern of "without X, there is no Y, and without Y, there is no X." Tonight we analyzed the first of these: "without derech eretz, there is no Torah, and without Torah, there...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 27 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/13/23, entitled: Bereishis/Noah - Why God Hates Hamas (חמס and حماس) . I may have taken liberties, cut corners, strayed into next week's parashah, and al...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 12 minutes Synopsis: This morning (10/12/23), in our first Machshavah Lab (for Women) Q&A of the year, we took up six questions: (1) What are the different ways people "cry out" to Hashem when in dire straits? (2) What can we do when we feel so powerless in situations of crisis like this? (3) What do we mean wh...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 37 minutes Synopsis: This morning (10/12/23), in our first Q&A of the year, we took up six questions: (1) What is idea of an "eis ratzon"? (2) Is there any connection between the COVID pandemic and the current war in Israel? (3) How do we achieve practical and emotional balance in our lives, given the situation in Isr...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 7 minutes 28 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/11/23 entitled Thoughts on the Role of Jewish Educators at a Time of War . I began writing this article on Monday (10/9/23). I wrote it primarily for myself,...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 3.5 pages Length of the audio: 11 minutes 48 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3.5-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/9/20 - yes, you read that right! - entitled: Shemini Atzeres 5781: The Festival of Holding On . I wrote this during the Fall of 2020, as we headed into t...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 3 pages Length of the audio: 11 minutes 10 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/29/23, entitled: This is Your Mind on Lulav: The Psychoactive Properties of the Four Species (Part 1) . I believe that the four species we take on Sukkos have...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 1 page Length of the audio: 4 minutes 39 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/26/23, entitled: The Beneficial Effects of Torah Wine on Metaphysical Heart Rate Recovery . Looking for a VERY weird article to prepare you for the upcoming hol...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 5 minutes 53 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/22/23, entitled: Shabbos Shuvah 5784: How to Do Teshuvah, Little by Little . Have you ever felt intimidated by teshuvah? Have you felt pressured to radically c...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour Synopsis: This morning (9/22/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we reviewed the halachos of interpersonal teshuvah in the Rambam and raised a bunch of questions - several of which were new to me this year. These new questions gave rise to a new theory of interpersonal teshuvah which, I believe, answers all of the q...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 2 minutes Synopsis: This morning (9/15/23), in our first Machshavah Lab series for women this season, we decided to review the Rambam's procedures for regular teshuvah and teshuvah on interpersonal sins. Even though many of us have learned this before, I certainly feel like we arrived at a greater level of clarity than...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/14/23), in our first Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur of the season, we tackled a long and difficult mishnah filled with mixed metaphors. TBH, I didn't have a clear understanding of the main idea when I started giving shiur. Thank God, with the help of the Meiri, we managed to successfull...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 12 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/8/23, entitled: Nitzavim: What Would Teshuvah Look Like If It Were Easy? This may very well be the most radical idea about teshuvah I've ever written abou...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 45 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/5/23, entitled: Ki Tavo: Lone Learning vs. Group Learning . In this (late) dvar Torah article, we examine a drashah from Chazal about the superiority of group-...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 6 minutes 48 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/3/23, entitled: Some Thoughts on Rabbi Moskowitz's Unveiling . I was unable to attend the Hakamas Matzeivah (Unveiling) of my rebbi, Rabbi Morton Moskowit...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 6 minutes 23 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/25/23, entitled: Ki Teitzei: Ramban - On Cruelty to Animals . What are we to make of the halachos and principles in the Torah which are geared towards the huma...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of audio: 47 minutes Synopsis: Have you been what I'll be up to this coming year?  Have you heard me allude to a MAJOR update that I said I'd announce about my professional life in the near future? Are you aware of one of these updates, but not the other? Well, if none of this interests you, then by all means, feel free to...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 20 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/18/23, entitled: Shoftim: Trusting Hashem in Poverty and Jurisprudence . The last mishnah in Peah compares the bitachon of a poor person who refuses tzedakah t...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/11/23, entitled: Re’eh: The Meaning of Mixing Milk and Meat for a Modern Maimonidean . According to the Rambam, there are many mitzvos which were commanded in...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 18 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/4/23, entitled: Eikev: When Avodah Zarah Works (and Why) . How does Judaism account for miracles done for and by the practitioners of other religions? My favor...