The Mishlei Podcast

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 14:1 - How Women Build and Destroy their Own Homes (Part 1)   חַכְמוֹת נָשִׁים בָּנְתָה בֵיתָהּ, וְאִוֶּלֶת בְּיָדֶיהָ תֶהֶרְסֶנּוּ: Length: 46 minutes Synopsis: This morning (9/6/23), in our first Morning Mishlei shiur of the 2023-2024 season, we began learning Chapter 14, which is about wise and foolish women. In addition to deve...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 14:16 - Mishleic Wisdom and Foolishness 101 חָכָם יָרֵא וְסָר מֵרָע, וּכְסִיל מִתְעַבֵּר וּבוֹטֵחַ: Length: 1 hour 33 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/4/23), in our first Monday Night Mishlei shiur of the 2023-2024 season, we did a trial run of my introductory Mishlei pasuk - not a full-on Intro to Mishlei shiur, but the first pasuk I...

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! Mishlei 12:24 - Mishleic Diligence and its Opposite יַד חָרוּצִים תִּמְשׁוֹל, וּרְמִיָּה תִּהְיֶה לָמַס: Length: 1 hour 17 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (8/14/23), in our last Monday Night Mishlei Shiur until September (NOT until February, as I accidentally said at the end of shiur), we learned a difficult-to-translate pasuk about diligence an...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:23 - The Cunning Concealment of Knowledge אָדָם עָרוּם כֹּסֶה דָּעַת, וְלֵב כְּסִילִים יִקְרָא אִוֶּלֶת: Length: 1 hour 29 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (8/7/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur (which I decided to give even though I'm sick, since there's no medicine like Mishlei!), we learned a pasuk about when to share...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 28:14 - Mishlei on the Events of Tishah b'Av אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם מְפַחֵד תָּמִיד, וּמַקְשֶׁה לִבּוֹ יִפּוֹל בְּרָעָה: Length: 1 hour 40 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (7/24/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur, we decided to pause our learning of chapter 12 and learn the pasuk cited by Chazal to explain how the Beis ha'Mikdash wa...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:22 - Why Hashem Hates Liars and Favors Truth Doers תּוֹעֲבַת י"י שִׂפְתֵי שָׁקֶר וְעֹשֵׂי אֱמוּנָה רְצוֹנוֹ: Length: 1 hour 14 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (7/17/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur, we learned the LAST pasuk in the thematic unit we've been learning about lying and truth-telling. The pasuk was simple to...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:21 - Righteous Resilience vs. Rasha Reactions לֹא יְאֻנֶּה לַצַּדִּיק כׇּל אָוֶן וּרְשָׁעִים מָלְאוּ רָע: Length: 1 hour 10 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (7/10/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur, we were down to a skeleton crew, with close to ten of our regulars missing! Still, we persevered, tackling a difficult-to-think-about...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:20 - Plotters of Evil vs. Advisors of Peace מִרְמָה בְּלֶב חֹרְשֵׁי רָע וּלְיֹעֲצֵי שָׁלוֹם שִׂמְחָה: Length: Synopsis: Tonight (7/3/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur, we learned a deceptively difficult pasuk - not so much because it was difficult to read or even to answer our questions, but because it was difficult to disc...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:19 - The Intrinsically Unstable Nature of Lies שְׂפַת אֱמֶת תִּכּוֹן לָעַד וְעַד אַרְגִּיעָה לְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר: Length: 1 hour 44 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (6/26/23), in our first Monday Night Mishlei Shiur of the summer session, we learned a pasuk that presented itself as quite straightforward ... a little TOO straightforward, or...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:30-34 - How to Learn Mishlei from Anything (BONUS SHIUR)   (ל) עַל שְׂדֵה אִישׁ עָצֵל עָבַרְתִּי וְעַל כֶּרֶם אָדָם חֲסַר לֵב. (לא) וְהִנֵּה עָלָה כֻלּוֹ קִמְּשֹׂנִים כָּסּוּ פָנָיו חֲרֻלִּים וְגֶדֶר אֲבָנָיו נֶהֱרָסָה. (לב) וָאֶחֱזֶה אָנֹכִי אָשִׁית לִבִּי רָאִיתִי לָקַחְתִּי מוּסָר.(לג) מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִב...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:28-29 - Retributive, Unwarranted, Seductive Testimony (Part 2)   (כח) אַל תְּהִי עֵד חִנָּם בְּרֵעֶךָ וַהֲפִתִּיתָ בִּשְׂפָתֶיךָ. (כט) אַל תֹּאמַר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לִי כֵּן אֶעֱשֶׂה לּוֹ אָשִׁיב לָאִישׁ כְּפׇעֳלוֹ. Length: 44 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/6/23), in our final morning Mishlei shiur of the season, we began by r...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:18 - Stabby vs. Salutary Speech יֵשׁ בּוֹטֶה כְּמַדְקְרוֹת חָרֶב וּלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים מַרְפֵּא: Length: 1 hour 44 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (6/6/23), in our last Monday Night Mishlei Shiur of the season, we learned another pasuk about speech - one which was relatively simple to read, but difficult to decode. We came up with a few...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:28-29 - Retributive, Unwarranted, Seductive Testimony (Part 1)   (כח) אַל תְּהִי עֵד חִנָּם בְּרֵעֶךָ וַהֲפִתִּיתָ בִּשְׂפָתֶיךָ. (כט) אַל תֹּאמַר כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לִי כֵּן אֶעֱשֶׂה לּוֹ אָשִׁיב לָאִישׁ כְּפׇעֳלוֹ. Length: 51 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/5/23), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we began working on a pair of pes...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:27 - What to Do Before You Build Your House (Part 2)   הָכֵן בַּחוּץ מְלַאכְתֶּךָ וְעַתְּדָהּ בַּשָּׂדֶה לָךְ אַחַר וּבָנִיתָ בֵיתֶךָ: Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/30/23), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we began by reviewing and refining some of yesterday's approaches, then segued into the explanations of the...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:17 - Breathing Truth and Testifying Falsely יָפִיחַ אֱמוּנָה יַגִּיד צֶדֶק וְעֵד שְׁקָרִים מִרְמָה: Length: 1 hour 44 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/29/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur, we learned another pasuk which initially seemed cliche and obvious, but once we asked our questions, we knew there had to be new insights to...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:27 - Favoritism in Judgment and Kissy Rebuke (Part 1)   הָכֵן בַּחוּץ מְלַאכְתֶּךָ וְעַתְּדָהּ בַּשָּׂדֶה לָךְ אַחַר וּבָנִיתָ בֵיתֶךָ: Length: 46 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/29/23), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we learned a straightforward, standalone pasuk. This posed a boon and a challenge: on the one hand, we were abl...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:23-26 - Favoritism in Judgment and Kissy Rebuke (Part 2)   (כג) גַּם אֵלֶּה לַחֲכָמִים הַכֵּר פָּנִים בְּמִשְׁפָּט בַּל טוֹב. (כד) אֹמֵר לְרָשָׁע צַדִּיק אָתָּה יִקְּבֻהוּ עַמִּים יִזְעָמוּהוּ לְאֻמִּים. (כה) וְלַמּוֹכִיחִים יִנְעָם וַעֲלֵיהֶם תָּבוֹא בִרְכַּת טוֹב. (כו) שְׂפָתַיִם יִשָּׁק מֵשִׁיב דְּבָרִים נְכֹחִים. Length: 46...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:16 - The Fool Broadcasts His Anger, But the Cunning Conceal Their Disgrace אֱוִיל בַּיּוֹם יִוָּדַע כַּעְסוֹ וְכֹסֶה קָלוֹן עָרוּם: Length: 1 hour 57 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/22/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur, we learned an easy-to-read pasuk carrying a wealth of ideas about how to deal with anger and how to deal wit...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:23-26 - Favoritism in Judgment and Kissy Rebuke (Part 1)   (כג) גַּם אֵלֶּה לַחֲכָמִים הַכֵּר פָּנִים בְּמִשְׁפָּט בַּל טוֹב. (כד) אֹמֵר לְרָשָׁע צַדִּיק אָתָּה יִקְּבֻהוּ עַמִּים יִזְעָמוּהוּ לְאֻמִּים. (כה) וְלַמּוֹכִיחִים יִנְעָם וַעֲלֵיהֶם תָּבוֹא בִרְכַּת טוֹב. (כו) שְׂפָתַיִם יִשָּׁק מֵשִׁיב דְּבָרִים נְכֹחִים. Length: 46...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! One summer in the mid-2000s, Rabbi Moskowitz zt"l and I (and the other students who attended those shiurim during those weeks) worked out an approach to Eishes Chayil (a.k.a. Mishlei 31:10-31). This morning (5/21/23), in honor of his first yahrzeit, I presented his approach and our ideas on the entirety of Eishes Chayil. To listen to...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:21-22 - Fear Hashem AND the King (Part 2)   (כא) יְרָא אֶת י"י בְּנִי וָמֶלֶךְ עִם שׁוֹנִים אַל תִּתְעָרָב. (כב) כִּי פִתְאֹם יָקוּם אֵידָם וּפִיד שְׁנֵיהֶם מִי יוֹדֵעַ. Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/16/23), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we reviewed and refined yesterday's approach, and then we did somet...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 12:15 - The Opposite Paths of the Eveel and the Chacham דֶּרֶךְ אֱוִיל יָשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו וְשֹׁמֵעַ לְעֵצָה חָכָם: Length: 1 hour 57 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/15/23), in our Monday Night Mishlei Shiur, we took up a pasuk which I feared would be too simple or obvious. Thankfully, I was proven wrong! We came up with a good 4-5 beau...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:21-22 - Fear Hashem AND the King (Part 1)   (כא) יְרָא אֶת י"י בְּנִי וָמֶלֶךְ עִם שׁוֹנִים אַל תִּתְעָרָב. (כב) כִּי פִתְאֹם יָקוּם אֵידָם וּפִיד שְׁנֵיהֶם מִי יוֹדֵעַ. Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/15/23), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we began learning the final two pesukim in this section. Every time I se...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Mishlei 24:19-20 - Don't Jealously Compete with Evildoers (Part 2)   (יט) אַל תִּתְחַר בַּמְּרֵעִים אַל תְּקַנֵּא בָּרְשָׁעִים. (כ) כִּי לֹא תִהְיֶה אַחֲרִית לָרָע נֵר רְשָׁעִים יִדְעָךְ. Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/9/23), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we had a VERY fruitful learning session! We began by refining yest...