Machshavah Lab

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 30 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/28/23, entitled: Kedoshim: Defining Rechilus (Gossip) . The prohibitions against lashon ha'ra and motzi shem ra are relatively easy to define, but the definition of rechilus has eluded me. This year I...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/28/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we took up a charged topic: arayos. The term "arayos" ("ervah" in singular) refers to the Biblically prohibited sexual relations that are liable for kareis (spiritual excision), including incest, bestiality, homosexual so...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 48 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/28/23), in our Friday Q&A, we took up five questions: (1) In cases where you are pemitted to speak rechilus or lashon ha'ra, how can one minimize the harm to oneself? (2) What are the benefits of YBT? (3) How should one balance one's choice of work/income with learning? (4) What ar...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/27/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we learned a mishnah which struck us as different from the other mishnayos we've learned, presenting itself as a mix of etiquette guidelines, workplace advice, and general advice on how to get good results from human interactions. Neve...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 33 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/21/23, entitled: Tazria: Rambam's Explanation for Why Milah is Done on the Eighth Day . In my article, Lech Lecha: Is Circumcision Mutilation?   I wrote about one facet of the Rambam's understanding of milah. This article is about...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 27 minutes Synopsis: Earlier this year, I was sent a list of questions about lashon ha'ra, and I began developing a shiur on what I think is a fundamentally different perspective of lashon ha'ra than what many of us currently have. Initially I was planning on giving that shiur today, but I realized that perhaps we...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 21 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/21/23), in our shorter-than-usual Friday Q&A (both because we started late and because I didn't record the last question), we took up three questions: (1) What's the deal with davening for a refuah for other people? (2) Why was Avraham Avinu concerned with his legacy after death, a...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 54 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/20/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we tackled a mishnah which was quite intimidating in its scope and the weightiness of its topic: Olam ha'Ba, and how to lose it. In order to drown in a sea of different opinions, we focused on understanding this mishnah according to th...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 19 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/14/23, entitled: Shemini - Why Can't We Eat Bugs?   Sometimes I tackle topics that are too broad or deep for a 1-page article. This was one of those times. Still, I hope that the question and briefly stated answer at least provide food...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 8 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/10/23, entitled: Jewish Pedagogy: On Asking Stupid Questions . Some say "there's no such thing as a stupid question." In this article I explain why I disagree, why I think such a message is detrimental for students, and what ou...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 10 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/5/23, entitled: Memento Mori and True Human Empathy at the Seder . One of the most underappreciated themes of Pesach - and one of the most universal ones - is subtly reflected in two minhagim, both of which involve reflections on mortality a...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 26 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/4/23, entitled: Avadim Hayinu: Would We Still Be Slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt?  Ordinarily I don't write up such speculative answers, but this question has been bothering me for so long that I decided to share the best two answer I have i...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 6 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/3/23, entitled: Arbaah Banim: The Alternate Version of the Wise and Simple Sons . If you're looking for a discussion catalyst at your seder on the Arbaah Banim, consider bringing up the OTHER answers we give to the wise and simple sons....

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 2 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/2/23, entitled: Maaseh b’Rebbi Eliezer: Abravanel’s Framing of Insomnia on Pesach Night . Ever wonder why we talk about the Sages in Bnei Brak staying up all night? Better question: Have you ever gotten a bad sleep after the seder? If the ans...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: As I mention in the introductory disclaimer for the shiur I gave this morning (3/31/23) in our Machshavah Lab series for women, I wasn't sure how this shiur would turn out. At best, it could yield some earthshattering insight into the four cups and how we relate to them; at worst, it would just be a...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (3/31/23), in our Friday Q&A, we took up four questions: (1) If you know you're closeminded in a certain area, whether in learning or in life, what steps can you take to overcome that closemindedness? (2) What can be done to maximize the potential for chidushim in learning, as opposed to r...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 20 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 3/29/23, entitled: Tzav: Korban Todah – Thanking God with a Chametz and Matzah Party . Even though we are currently unable to bring korbanos, the ideas are as relevant to our lives as ever, provided we ask the right questions and look for the...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 4 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 3/26/23, entitled: Vayikra: Shadal's View of Korbanos . 67% of this article was written by Shadal. Yet, I wanted to highlight Shadal's radical theory, compare and contrast it with Rambam's view, and use it to answer a common ques...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Synopsis: The shiur I gave this morning (3/24/23) in our Machshavah Lab series for women was inspired by a pet-peeve of mine: symbolic explanations of the mitzvos regarding chametz on Pesach. The first hour of the shiur is devoted to my presentation of why the NON-symbolic understanding of chametz is fundamental -...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (3/24/23), in our Friday Q&A, we spent the first 25 minutes on an excellent question posed by Rabbi Scott Kahn: (1) "Why are you Orthodox?" Everyone gave their own answers, which we discussed and debated, and then I gave my own answer. In the remaining 20 minutes we tackled three more...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/23/23), in lieu of our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we did a Chumash Exploration shiur on Sforno's view that the Egyptian exile was NOT decreed by Hashem, but was entirely our fault, and could have been avoided. We read and discussed Sforno's commentary on the first fourtee...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 30 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 3/17/23, entitled: Vayakhel: The Meaning of the Mirror Donation . I only had enough space in this article to convey a simple idea. For an elaboration on the ideas here, check out the 3/17/23 shiur I gave (on YouTube or my Machshavah Lab podcas...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 19 minutes Synopsis: This morning (3/17/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we tackled a topic that I've been working on for my article this Friday: the women's donation of the bronze mirrors to make the laver and its base in the Mishkan. We examined two approaches - that of Rashi and R' Avraham ben h...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 46 minutes Synopsis: This might be the best Q&A of the year. At the very least, it was the most practical. This morning (3/17/23), in our Friday Q&A, we took up a single VERY multi-faceted question (at least seven parts!) about how to deal with a situation (in the past, present, and future) where you're with a group of...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 34 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/16/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we learned a mishnah in Pirkei Avos which was much more oriented towards the practical than many other mishnayos we've learned. Part of what made this so practical is that it discussed behaviors that many of us engage in, such as sleep...