Machshavah Lab

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote, entitled, Vayechi: The Wolf as an Allegory for the Shechinah . This article is about two topics that are near and dear to my heart: the wolf (as as a subject of epistemological epiphanies) and the shechinah. What do they have to do with each other? Listen and find out!  ---...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 46 minutes Synopsis: This morning (1/6/22), in our Friday Q&A, we took up four questions: (1) What do we make of the fact that so much of our Judaism has been influenced by Aristotelian thought? (2) How do I cope with the fact that so much of my time is spent doing unimportant things instead of learning? (3) What advice do you...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (1/5/22), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we began by reviewing what we learned last week, since last week's mishnah is so related to this week's. We then analyzed the new mishnah according to Meiri and Rabbeinu Yonah, which we supplemented with Rabbeinu Yonah's commentary on a related mishnah in chapte...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (1/4/23), in our Wednesday night Tefilah shiur, we took up an exceedingly perplexing and seemingly problematic midrash about Hashem davening and asking for berachos from human beings. The plan was to learn this midrash in accordance with the commentary of the Rashba, but we didn't want to rush things. Tonight we went over...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote, entitled, An Etymological Drash from Rav Hirsch on Jewish vs. Pagan Priests . Yes, this is a TWO page article (as opposed to the usual one page article). Yes, this is on LAST week's parashah (Mikeitz) rather than this week's parashah (Vayigash). But when I saw thi...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (12/29/22), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we began by updating our theory on the purpose and intended audience of Pirkei Avos, in light of an observation made by Moshe Halbertal. Next, we tackled yet another short but practical mishnah about one's relationship with learning. We learned this mishnah according to...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote, entitled, Chanukah 5783: The “Beloved” Mitzvah of Ner Chanukah. What makes Ner Chanukah a "beloved mitzvah"? My current answer to that question draws upon teachings from Rambam, the Rav, and the beautiful definition of "shechinah" given by R' Dovid...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This Friday morning "Machshavah Lab" shiur for women (12/16/22) was something like a follow-up from last week's shiur on "The Meta-Halachic Implications of the Halachos of Fingernail Cutting." Although the topics of dreams, prophecy, and prophetic dreams are fraught with difficulty, they DO have an anchor in two ha...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This morning (12/16/22), in our Friday Q&A, we spent the majority of our time talking about some questions which were important, difficult, and soul-searching ... but we didn't record them, since the "off-the-record" clause was invoked. And it was a good thing, too, since it allowed us to discuss these issues f...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote, entitled, Vayeishev: Should this Rashi be Taught to Children? This title sounds clickbaity but I'm honestly looking for an answer to the question: Can anyone make a convincing argument that it is better to teach Rashi's explanation of Yosef's fate than Ralbag...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (12/15/22), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we learned a short but practical mishnah. After raising all the questions and problems, we actually managed to figure out the main idea by ourselves. After that, we learned three meforshim - all of whom added layers of nuance to the idea we discovered. We ended the shiur by...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Friday morning "Machshavah Lab" shiur for women (12/9/22), we took up an unusual and interesting topic: the halachos of fingernail cutting. "Halachos?" you say. Yes! According to the Rema in the Shulchan Aruch, we don't cut our fingernails in sequence, but instead, we cut them in a specific order -...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This morning (12/9/22), in our Friday Q&A, we addressed three topics: (1) When learning Chumash - or, to be honest, any other area - how do you know what to treat as a "fact" and what to treat as a "theory"? (2) How do curses from other human beings work? (3) How do berachos from other human beings work? A...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (12/8/22), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we learned a very challenging mishnah which partially overlaps with a previous mishnah in Avos and ALSO partially overlaps with a Gemara in Berachos. To make things even more difficult, most of our "go to" meforshim barely commented on anything - except for the Sfor...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote, entitled,  Vayishlach: Can We Talk About Reuven's Sin?  Did Reuven sleep with Bilhah, as the text states? If so, why would the Sages of the Talmud tell us that anyone who makes such a claim is mistaken? How could so many commentators ignore this warning? If you’re inte...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Note: Today's YBT Sunday Shiur (12/4/22) is a  "Take #2" of a shiur I gave on 5/20/22 as part of my "Machshavah Lab" series for women. Synopsis: It would be great to give a comprehensive shiur about how hashgachah pratis, reward and punishment, and Divine justice work. The problem is that these topics are WAY too b...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This morning (12/2/22), in a SPECIAL session of Friday Q&A in lieu of our usual Machshavah Lab shiur for women, we addressed eight topics: (1) How do you know when you're ready to push your own limits and/or take on stringencies? (2) What obligation do we have to bring about the geulah? (3) What do I do if I notice that...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This morning (12/2/22), in our Friday Q&A, we addressed five topics: (1) What kavanah should a person have during the kedushah in the repetition of the amidah? (2) What is the purpose of halacha, and why does it have to be so complex? (3) How can you tell if you are improving or declining in your relationship with Torah? (4)...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (12/2/22), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we learned our next mishnah which is all about yokes: the yoke of Torah, the yoke of malchus, and the yoke of derech eretz. The teaching in the mishnah presents itself in a stark, binary, transactional language - as if these are the terms of the deal which we can either take...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote, entitled, Vayeitzei: The Eyes of Leah in the Eyes of Three Schools of Commentary .  What does the Torah mean when it describes Leah's eyes as "soft" and why does it inform us of this fact? In this 1-page article we reflect on the 13 answers given by three sch...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This morning (11/25/22), in our Friday Q&A, we addressed three topics: (1a) What is the advised course of action when starting a sugya in Gemara? (1b) What methodological differences are there between iyun in Tanach and iyun in Gemara? (2) What are the guidelines for maintaining one's own halachic integrity in the presen...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote, entitled, Toldos: Does God Judge Our Prayers Based on Our Parents?   One would think the answer is "no" were it not for the challenge posed by a Gemara. This article provides a possible answer and - more importantly - an important principle of midrash methodology....

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (11/23/22), in our Wednesday night Tehilim/Tefilah shiur which fell out on Erev Thanksgiving, it would be apropos to take up "inyanei d'yoma" as it were. Since this perek is only five pesukim long, I was fairly confident we might be able to get at least one main idea tonight, and - despite what seemed like a sca...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Friday morning "Machshavah Lab" shiur for women (11/18/22), we approached a broad topic via a narrow focus. Everyone agrees that the Torah shows concern for Tzaar Baalei Chayim (animal suffering), but the parameters and implications are far from simple. This shiur was prompted by an incident that happened in yeshi...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (11/18/22), in our Friday Q&A, we addressed three topics: (1) Is belief/emunah a choice? (2) If we can't have any positive knowledge of Hashem and all the praise we say in davening is, strictly speaking, blasphemy, then what's the difference between our tefilah and the tefilah of an idolater? (3) Is there a way t...