Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

Machshavah Lab

Religion EN ↓ 636 episodes

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss. My goal as a Torah educator is not merely to teach my students my OWN hashkafah. Rather, my goal is to equip them with the foundations, the methodological training, and the tools which will enable them to arrive at their OWN understanding of Judaism and cultivate their OWN relationship with Hashem and His Torah. This podcast is devoted to the shiurim I give which are geared specifically towards that end. As such, the range of topics covered here will be diverse. There will be shiurim on Jewish philosophy, Chumash methodology, aggadic midrashim, maybe even som...

Author

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

Episodes

Chazal's Method of Vanquishing the Yetzer ha'Ra (Lomdeha) 30.10.2020 51:59

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Lomdeha Seminar shiur (10/30/20) we took up the midrash in Berachos 5a about how to vanquish the yetzer ha'ra: "le'olam yargiz adam yetzer tov al yetzer ha'ra etc." We learned through the commentaries of R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam and the Meiri, then attempted to come up with our own cohesiv...

Ibn Ezra's Introduction to Torah (Part 1 of 3) 29.10.2020 1:14:17

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 10/28/20) we began learning the Ibn Ezra's introduction to Chumash. We spent the first part of shiur defining "pshat" according to Ibn Ezra, and then we delved into his intro. Ibn Ezra says that he's going to analyze five approaches to Chumash, and we discusse...

The Mabul vs. Science (Lomdeha) + Follow-up Discussion 23.10.2020 1:16:10

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Lomdeha Seminar shiur (10/23/20) we addressed what some might consider to be a controversial topic: the questions and problems raised by science against the narrative of The Flood in Parashas Noach. We began with an overview of four major problems. After briefly outlining three possible approaches to addressing these proble...

Ralbag's Allegorical Interpretation of Gan Eden Part 2 - Beur ha'Milos on Bereishis 2.4-14 21.10.2020 1:28:48

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In tonight's Chumash shiur (given at YBT on 10/21/20) we began learning the Ralbag's commentary on Gan Eden. We encountered some Aristotelian bumps along the way - most of which had to do with the Active Intellect - but we at least got most of what he was saying. Certainly an original and creative approach! ---------- מקורות: רלב...

The Curious Tale of Sasson and Simchah 16.10.2020 1:06:43

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Lomdeha Seminar shiur (10/16/20) we took up the midrash in Sukkah 48b about the two heretics, Sasson and Simchah. We learned and evaluated three approaches, and concluded with a fourth quasi-original approach, with plenty of methodological insights along the way. -------------------- מקורות: שמואל הנגיד - מבוא התלמוד תלמוד...

Ralbag's Allegorical Interpretation of Gan Eden Part 1 - Preface 15.10.2020 1:43:10

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! The topic of tonight's Chumash shiur (given at YBT on 10/14/20) was the Ralbag's preface to his allegorical commentary on Gan Eden. We began with the Abravanel's objections to taking Gan Eden as a mashal. We then learned through the Ralbag's intro to Gan Eden in which he gives an overview of the ideas in the nimshal. Wh...

Ralbag's Introduction to Chumash (Part 3 of 3) 30.09.2020 1:35:46

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In this third and final installment in this series (given at YBT on 9/30/20) we conclude our learning of the Ralbag's Introduction to Chumash. This was a jam-packed shiur in which we: - revisit the last two paragraphs we rushed through last time, raising questions, giving answers, and providing clarifications along the way - read thro...

Yom ha'Kippurim 5781: Ralbag on the [13] Middos [ha'Rachamim] 27.09.2020 1:34:34

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This is a video of the YBT Sunday shiur on 9/27/20, Erev Yom ha'Kippurim 5781. The aim of this shiur is threefold: (1) to provide a general framework for understanding the 13 middos ha'rachamim in context, (2) to define each middah, and (3) to learn how to incorporate the recitation of these middos into our davening in a manner t...

Ralbag's Introduction to Chumash (Part 2 of 3) 23.09.2020 1:30:30

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (9/23/20) we continued our learning of the Ralbag's Introduction to Chumash, going back to what we skipped last time and finishing the main part of the intro, up until the Mekomos. The Ralbag discusses the limitations on our knowledge of Torah, the interrelationship between the parts of the Torah regimen, and the correspo...

Ralbag's Introduction to Chumash (Part 1 of 3) 17.09.2020 1:23:54

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Out of all the Chumash commentaries I've learned and loved, nothing has impacted me more than the Ralbag's framework, as set forth in the introduction to his Torah commentary. I decided that this would be a fitting place to start my inaugural Chumash shiur at YBT (given on 9/16/20). After a brief intro to who the Ralbag was, we l...

Rosh ha'Shanah 5781: Yom ha'Din vs. Yom Teruah 11.09.2020 48:15

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Today (9/11/20) was our inaugural Lomdeha Friday Seminar shiur! In this shiur we aimed to answer three questions: (1) What, exactly, is the Yom ha'Din? (Judgment Day)? How does the judgment work? (2) Why is the Written Torah silent on the Yom ha'Din aspect of Rosh ha'Shanah? Why is Yom ha'Din only mentioned in the Oral...