Machshavah Lab

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...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (2/23/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we continued learning the Sefer ha'Chinuch's introduction to Mikdash. After reviewing what we covered last time, we learned the Sefer ha'Chinuch's explanation of Seir l'Azazel, which we compared and contrasted with the Rambam's in the...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! The full title of this YBT Sunday Shiur (given on 2/20/22) is "Midrashic Embellishment: Why Did Chazal Villainize 'the Bad Guys' and Vindicate 'the Good Guys' and What are the Educational Implications for Us?" It is a sequel to the shiur I gave on 4/18/21 entitled: " Midrashic Betrayal: the Detrimental Ef...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (2/18/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we concluded our multi-part series on R' Akiva's loaded-with-fundamental-ideas-about-human-existence statement in Pirkei Avos. After reviewing ALL the facts and ideas from Parts 1 and 2 and learning Chazal's statements about erech apayim which were c...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (2/11/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we continued in our multi-part series on R' Akiva's loaded-with-fundamental-ideas-about-human-existence statement in Pirkei Avos. After reviewing the facts from last time, we delved into one of the deepest sections of the Rambam's Shemoneh Perakim, w...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (2/9/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we continued learning the Sefer ha'Chinuch's introduction to Mikdash. Tonight we learned his radical explanation of what it means to say that the shechinah (divine presence) is in the Mikdash. After that we learned the three pshat explanations he gives for...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: On Day #5 of my January 2022 solo cabin retreat, I got a call from my Rosh ha’Yeshiva. The subject? Hashgachah pratis. This longer-than-normal episode is my recollection of that conversation, supplemented by my own extensive footnotes and reflections. I’m posting this as an episode of The Stoic Jew Podcast AND the Machshavah Lab...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (2/4/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we began a multi-part analysis of what is - according to the Rambam - one of the most profound mishnayos in Pirkei Avos. Today we began going over the facts: reading and translating the mishnah, raising all of our questions, and learning the Rambam's commentary...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (2/2/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began learning the Sefer ha'Chinuch's introduction to Mikdash, in which he spells out his theory of the purpose of the Mikdash as a whole and offeres explanations of the reasons for many of the particular elements which comprise it. In our first install...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Note: I've uploaded this shiur to Machshavah Lab AND The Tefilah Podcast because it's relevant to both and I can spare the minutes this month. This evening (1/11/22), in our tefilah shiur, we tackled a bunch of fundamental questions on tefilah, including but not limited to: (1) How "poetic" are the Torah's songs, D...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 24 minutes Synopsis: This morning (1/7/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we took up two very basic questions: (1) Who carried out the Plague of the Firstborn? (2) What is the purpose of the Korban Pesach? The average Jew who has attended Pesach sedarim would probably have ready answers to both of these...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 12 minutes  Synopsis: This morning (12/31/21), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we had a SURPRISE shiur on the parashah! (It was a "surprise" in the sense that I didn't prepare a shiur. This began as a Q&A and turned into a shiur.) The question was: "What's the deal with Hashem...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (12/31/21), in our Thursday night hashkafah shiur (which is usually not recorded), we continued our multi-part series on the Rambam's shitah about hashgachah, using David Guttman's essay "Divine Providence - Goals, Hopes, and Fears, כי כל דרכיו משפט" as our guide. Tonight we focused on the difficult and abs...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In this morning's (12/26/21) YBT Sunday Shiur we examine four common expressions that are used in reference to the deceased: (1) "aliyah / l'iluyi nishmas" - may the soul have an elevation, (2) "zechus" - in merit of, (3) "zichrono li'vracha" - may their memory be for a blessing, (4) "karap...

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (12/24/21), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we continued on the topic we began last week on the four ways that people relate to the Beis Midrash. After reviewing the two approaches we learned last time (Rashi and Rambam) we learned two more: the Meiri's explanation which focused on learning and Rabbein...