Machshavah Lab

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This is the same shiur I uploaded to my Tefilah podcast, but since more people subscribe to Machshavah Lab, I wanted to upload it here as well. About an hour before I was scheduled to give shiur tonight (5/26/22), I received the terrible news that my rebbi - Rabbi Moskowitz (Meir ben Esther Malka) - will no longer be able to continue dialy...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (5/25/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began concluded (for now) our learning of the Abravanel's hidden miniature treatise (in Parashas Shelach) on kareis, in which he surveys all the views of his predecessors and expresses his objections to them. In this final installment we learn through the A...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/20/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, I gave an experimental shiur about hashgachah. It would be great to give a shiur on how hashgachah pratis, reward and punishment, and Divine justice work. The problem is that these topics are WAY too broad and WAY too deep and WAY too beyond my knowledge level. How...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (5/18/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began continued learning the Abravanel's hidden miniature treatise (in Parashas Shelach) on kareis, in which he surveys all the views of his predecessors and expresses his objections to them, and then presents his own view. After reviewing opinions #1-3, we...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/13/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we had an experimental shiur on the topic of "emunas chachamim." First we defined the quality of emunas chachamim based on R' Yitzchak Kanpanton's methodology sefer. We then compared and contrasted his approach to some of the ideas written about...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (5/11/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began learning the Abravanel's hidden miniature treatise (in Parashas Shelach) on kareis, in which he surveys all the views of his predecessors and expresses his objections to them, and then presents his own view. Tonight we made it through the first three...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/8/22), in my last YBT Sunday Shiur of the season, I shared three "new" (to me) explanations for why the Torah commands us to count the omer. I found all three explanations in a commentary which is not widely learned, which is why I'm fairly confident that these ideas will be new to others as well. In addition...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/6/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we went over three insights I recently had into birkas ha'zman (i.e. shehecheyanu). The first is a basic but beautiful pshat from the Kuzari. The second is an insight I had over Pesach into the unique role played by the shehecheyanu we say at the end of kiddush...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 56 minutes Synopsis: This evening (5/4/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we continued our analysis of the Torah's initial presentation of the shalosh regalim to Klal Yisrael. After attempting to infer whatever we could on our own, we enlisted the Ibn Ezra, the Ralbag, and the Abravanel for guidance - and...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 58 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/27/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began a minor project within a major project. The major project is to understand the mitzvos related to Shavuos as presented by Torah she'bi'Chsav. We were going to start with Emor and Re'eh, where those mitzvos are st...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Etzba Elohim: The Finger of WHICH God?  Most people assume that Egypt first acknowledged Hashem's involvement during the third plague, when Paroh's sorcerers said, "it is the finger of God!" But not everyone agrees. It all depends on who they we...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Tzfarde'a: The Plague that Lasted Forever , which examines two minority opinions on tzfarde'a - that of the Abravanel and the Sforno, both of whom learn that tzfarde'a involved crocodiles (not frogs) and that the effects of the plague were designed t...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Even If We Are All Wise, Understanding, Elders, Those Who Know Torah , which attempts to elucidate the four levels (or five?) that are referenced in Avadim Hayinu, as explained by the Rashbatz. ---------- The content on this podcast has been sponsored by my Patrons...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Chad Gadya: A New Song with an Ancient Theme , in which I state my take on the main idea of this popular song. ---------- The content on this podcast has been sponsored by my Patrons on Patreon. The total cost of maintaining my five podcasts in 2021 amounted to ove...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 14 minutes Synopsis: Last week I gave an "NR" shiur on a pervasive FALSE explanation of what we mean when we call Hashem "Ha'Makom." (That shiur isn't available online, but if you want a link to the video, let me know and I'll send it to you.) This evening (4/7/22), in our tefilah shiur, we...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This shiur was given in my Rambam Bekius chavurah, but it ended up being a Chumash Exploration, so I'm posting it here. This afternoon (4/7/22), in our Rambam Bekius chavurah, we had PLANNED to finish Hilchos korban Pesach. Instead, we took up a tangential question we raised yesterday: What's going on in the short episode involvi...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! I gave this shiur as part of my Rambam Bekius chavurah, but it was sufficiently fundamental and "standalone" to warrant posting in Machshavah Lab as well. This afternoon (4/5/22), in our Rambam Bekius chavurah, we were GOING to finish Hilchos Korban Pesach Chapter 9, but Yosef asked a question which was far more important: What i...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (4/1/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we did a non-halachic Pesach Q&A. All the questions asked were thought-provoking, and our discussions covered a lot of ground as far as seder-prep goes. If you have more (non-halachic!) questions before Pesach, feel free to contact me! ---------- מקורות: רמב&quo...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (3/25/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we concluded our series on the question, "How should we relate to Rabbinic laws vs. Torah laws?" After a quick review of the Ran's answer, we learned whatever we were able to learn from the Ran's three counterarguments to the question he raised,...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 5 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/23/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we took up a very basic question: Why did Hashem redeem us from Egypt? Most of us would answer, "Because He said He would in the Bris Bein ha'Besarim (Covenant Between the Parts)." But not Sforno! And even if we loo...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (3/11/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we continued our quest to answer the question, "How should we relate to Rabbinic laws vs. Torah laws?" Last week we focused on the question: "How can the Ran say that the main reward for Torah is from the Rabbinic laws?" Last week we discussed t...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (3/9/22), in lieu of our usual "Chumash Exploration," we continued our Purim topic from last week. After reviewing our facts and questions, I shared my partially-developed-but-still-incomplete approach, which was based on the Abravanel's commentary on Daniel. We ended up developing this into an idea which we fel...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (3/4/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we continued our quest to answer the question, "How should we relate to Rabbinic laws vs. Torah laws?" After an extensive review of Part 1, which included some new points and clarifications, we moved into the "initial answer" phase to the questio...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (3/2/22), in lieu of our usual "Chumash Exploration," we decided to take up a Purim topic. The midrash in Megilah 12a deals with the question of why the Jews at the time of the Purim story (seemingly) liable for destruction. The answer takes us back to an event recorded in Sefer Daniel. The midrash is perplexing in a...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (2/25/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we began a new topic, prompted by the following question that was sent to me: "What is the impetus for one to follow Halachos d'Rabbanan? When I am sitting alone at night in the privacy of my home, what should motivate me not to eat chicken with cheese?&q...