Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

The Mishlei Podcast

Religion EN ↓ 724 episodes

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the hub for all of my shiurim (classes) on Sefer Mishlei, a.k.a. The Book of Proverbs! Generally speaking we will follow the approach to Mishlei outlined by Saadia Gaon who views Mishlei as a guide for intelligent decision-making in everyday life with the goal of maximizing long-term pleasure and minimizing long-term pain. Each shiur will typically focus on one pasuk (verse), which we will attempt to analyze on our own before turning to the meforshim (commentators). If you have any questions feel free to email me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Than...

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Author

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

Episodes

Mishlei 19:11 - How to Remove Anger: a Mishleic Hack 11.01.2021 45:57

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! שֵׂכֶל אָדָם הֶאֱרִיךְ אַפּוֹ וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ עֲבֹר עַל פָּשַׁע: The pasuk we learned this morning (1/11/20 at YBT) teaches an extremely beneficial strategy for dealing with anger. Rabbeinu Yonah maintains that "extremely beneficial" isn't enough. The difference between these two approaches to the pasuk reveals an important i...

Mishlei 19:10 - The Role of Pleasure and Honor in the Life of a Chacham 07.01.2021 45:18

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! לֹא נָאוֶה לִכְסִיל תַּעֲנוּג אַף כִּי לְעֶבֶד מְשֹׁל בְּשָׂרִים: The pasuk we learned this morning (1/7/20 at YBT) was perplexing and led us to consult the meforshim sooner than we usual do. We couldn't quite figure out what Metzudas David was getting at, but Rabbeinu Yonah's approach proved to be fruitful - especially when we a...

Mishlei 19:9 - Testifying Falsely and Spouting Lies ... AGAIN?! 06.01.2021 36:34

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! עֵד שְׁקָרִים לֹא יִנָּקֶה וְיָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים יֹאבֵד: This morning (1/6/20 at YBT) we experienced some serious déjà vu! Today's pasuk was EXACTLY the same as Mishlei 19:5, which we learned last week, with the exception of one word. We've seen pesukim which resemble other pesukim in PART, and we've seen pesukim which are ent...

Mishlei 19:8 - How to Acquire Good Middos 05.01.2021 45:33

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! קֹנֶה לֵּב אֹהֵב נַפְשׁוֹ שֹׁמֵר תְּבוּנָה לִמְצֹא טוֹב: This morning (1/5/20 at YBT) we revisited yesterday's pasuk with the aim to understand Rabbeinu Yonah's explanation. First we took up the "machlokess" between Rabbeinu Yonah and R' Yosef ibn Kaspi on whether one should interpret the sequencing and juxtapositi...

Mishlei 10:11 - Righteous and Wicked Mouths 05.01.2021 1:36:15

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! מְקוֹר חַיִּים פִּי צַדִּיק וּפִי רְשָׁעִים יְכַסֶּה חָמָס: In our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (1/4/20 with Lomdeha, hosted by YBT) we had yet ANOTHER pasuk whose second half was a verbatim repetition of a pasuk we learned two weeks ago! This pasuk had a lot more "moving parts" and raised a lot more questions than the last. As usu...

Mishlei 19:8 - The Compound Effects of Intellectual Diligence and Laziness 04.01.2021 40:52

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! קֹנֶה לֵּב אֹהֵב נַפְשׁוֹ שֹׁמֵר תְּבוּנָה לִמְצֹא טוֹב: This morning (1/4/20 at YBT) we learned a very generic sounding pasuk about the pursuit of knowledge. The challenge was to interpret it in a manner that accounted for its generality but offered an idea that still felt like a chidush (novel insight). We came up with three approaches,...

Mishlei 19:7 - How to Lose Friends and (Not) Influence People 31.12.2020 44:54

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! כָּל אֲחֵי רָשׁ שְׂנֵאֻהוּ אַף כִּי מְרֵעֵהוּ רָחֲקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ, מְרַדֵּף אֲמָרִים [לוֹ] (לא) הֵמָּה: This morning (12/31/20 at YBT) we learned yet another pasuk about poverty and its detrminents. The challenge was that the first half of this pasuk was very similar to 19:4, which also dealt with the phenomenon of a poor person being abando...

Mishlei 19:6 - The Illusory Correlation Between Generosity and Popularity 30.12.2020 33:44

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! רַבִּים יְחַלּוּ פְנֵי נָדִיב וְכׇל הָרֵעַ לְאִישׁ מַתָּן: This morning (12/30/20 at YBT) we continued our analysis of yesterday's pasuk, seeking more guidance from the meforshim. The Malbim's explanation was the closest to our own approach, but led us to a new insight. In the last 10 minutes of shiur we started the next pasuk, w...

Mishlei 19:6 - Selective vs. Indiscriminate Generosity 29.12.2020 41:01

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! רַבִּים יְחַלּוּ פְנֵי נָדִיב וְכׇל הָרֵעַ לְאִישׁ מַתָּן: This morning (12/29/20 at YBT) we tackled what appeared to be a "cliche" Mishlei pasuk about generosity which provided us a good opportunity to practice "de-clicheifying" the pasuk by focusing on the nuances and looking for chidushim (novel insights). We develop...

Mishlei 10:10 - Two Pitfalls in Communication 29.12.2020 1:35:01

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! קֹרֵץ עַיִן יִתֵּן עַצָּבֶת וֶאֱוִיל שְׂפָתַיִם יִלָּבֵט: In our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (12/28/20 with Lomdeha, hosted by YBT) we found ourselves confronted with a pasuk whose first half was strange and difficult to translate and whose second half was a verbatim repetition of a pasuk we learned two weeks ago. Needless to say, this led...

Mishlei 19:5 - Two Types of Disregard for Truth 28.12.2020 43:26

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! עֵד שְׁקָרִים לֹא יִנָּקֶה וְיָפִיחַ כְּזָבִים לֹא יִמָּלֵט: This morning (12/28/20 at YBT) we learned an interesting pasuk. It's interesting because it's difficult to tell whether the pasuk is TOO general or TOO specific. We ended up learning two ideas: one based on seeing the nuance in what would otherwise be a conventional Mis...

Mishlei 19:4 - Wealth, Poverty, and Friendship (Part 2) 24.12.2020 45:38

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! הוֹן יֹסִיף רֵעִים רַבִּים וְדָל מֵרֵעֵהוּ יִפָּרֵד: This morning (12/24/20 at YBT) we continued our analysis of the pasuk we began yesterday. We found support for both of the approaches we started yesterday. I interjected with a pitch for why the activity of watching movies makes for an excellent supplement to Mishlei, and quoted a scene...

Mishlei 19:4 - Wealth, Poverty, and Friendship (Part 1) 23.12.2020 17:41

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! הוֹן יֹסִיף רֵעִים רַבִּים וְדָל מֵרֵעֵהוּ יִפָּרֵד: This morning (12/23/20 at YBT) we began analyzing the next pasuk in our perek, raising the few questions on this straightforward pasuk and taking a few steps in the direction of a few possible approaches. -------------------- מקורות: משלי יט:ד -------------------- If you have questions,...

Mishlei 19:3 - Foolish Anger at Hashem (Part 2) 22.12.2020 44:57

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! אִוֶּלֶת אָדָם תְּסַלֵּף דַּרְכּוֹ וְעַל ה' יִזְעַף לִבּוֹ: This morning (12/22/20 at YBT) we continued working on the pasuk we started yesterday. Like last time, we began with a non-Mishlei Mishlei commentary on the pasuk - this time from the Rambam, in the Moreh ha'Nevuchim 3:12. After reading the second half of that chapter an...

Mishlei 10:9 - The Security of Integrity 22.12.2020 1:16:10

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! הוֹלֵךְ בַּתֹּם יֵלֶךְ בֶּטַח, וּמְעַקֵּשׁ דְּרָכָיו יִוָּדֵעַ: In our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (12/21/20 with Lomdeha, hosted by YBT) we learned one of those pesukim that looks simple on the surface. Thankfully, using our Mishleic methodology principles and the combined teamwork of our group, we were able to come up with THREE interpret...

Mishlei 19:3 - Foolish Anger at Hashem (Part 1) 21.12.2020 45:26

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! אִוֶּלֶת אָדָם תְּסַלֵּף דַּרְכּוֹ וְעַל ה' יִזְעַף לִבּוֹ: This morning (12/21/20 at YBT) we returned to Chapter 19 where we encountered what looks like a very fundamental pasuk - fundamental in understanding Mishleic foolishness, and fundamental in understanding (or, more accurately, not misunderstanding) one's relationship wit...

Mishlei 6:23 - Mitzvah is a Lamp and Torah is Light (Part 2) 18.12.2020 28:20

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! נְצֹר בְּנִי מִצְוַת אָבִיךָ וְאַל תִּטֹּשׁ תּוֹרַת אִמֶּךָ. קׇשְׁרֵם עַל לִבְּךָ תָמִיד עׇנְדֵם עַל גַּרְגְּרֹתֶךָ. בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ בְּשׇׁכְבְּךָ תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ וַהֲקִיצוֹתָ הִיא תְשִׂיחֶךָ. כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר. This morning (12/18/20 at YBT), in our shorter-than-usual Mish...

Mishlei 6:23 - Mitzvah is a Lamp and Torah is Light (Part 1) 17.12.2020 44:33

Mishlei 24:19-20 - The Candle of the Wicked (Part 2) 11.12.2020 28:05

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! אַל תִּתְחַר בַּמְּרֵעִים אַל תְּקַנֵּא בָּרְשָׁעִים: כִּי לֹא תִהְיֶה אַחֲרִית לָרָע נֵר רְשָׁעִים יִדְעָךְ: This morning (12/11/20 at YBT) we continued our "Chanukah pesukim" from yesterday. We attempted to refine our understanding of the Rabbeinu Yonah, and got it a LITTLE bit clearer, but not by much. We did, however, find a...

Mishlei 24:19-20 - The Candle of the Wicked (Part 1) 10.12.2020 43:32

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! אַל תִּתְחַר בַּמְּרֵעִים אַל תְּקַנֵּא בָּרְשָׁעִים: כִּי לֹא תִהְיֶה אַחֲרִית לָרָע נֵר רְשָׁעִים יִדְעָךְ: This morning (12/10/20 at YBT) we decided to take a break from our ordinary Mishlei and take up the pesukim about Chanukah. Obviously there are no pesukim which are ACTUALLY about Chanukah, but there are three pesukim which utili...

Mishlei 19:2 - Ignorance is ... Bad? (Part 2) 09.12.2020 36:21

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! גַּם בְּלֹא דַעַת נֶפֶשׁ לֹא טוֹב וְאָץ בְּרַגְלַיִם חוֹטֵא: In our morning Mishlei shiur (12/9/20 at YBT) we continued working on Mishlei 19:2, starting with a fresh approach. We concluded by reading through both interpretations featured in Rabbeinu Yonah. -------------------- מקורות: משלי יט:ב תרגום רס"ג - משלי יט:ב רבינו יונה - מש...

Mishlei 19:2 - Ignorance is ... Bad? (Part 1) 08.12.2020 47:46

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! גַּם בְּלֹא דַעַת נֶפֶשׁ לֹא טוֹב וְאָץ בְּרַגְלַיִם חוֹטֵא: In our morning Mishlei shiur (12/8/20 at YBT) we started working on Mishlei 19:2, which is a good example of what I call a "Duh!" pasuk - one which seems so general and obvious on the surface that it didn't even need to be said. But these pesukim also tend to be th...

Mishlei 10:8 - How Do You Take Your Mitzvos? 08.12.2020 1:11:56

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! חֲכַם לֵב יִקַּח מִצְוֺת וֶאֱוִיל שְׂפָתַיִם יִלָּבֵט: In our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (12/7/20 with Lomdeha, hosted at YBT) we learned a pasuk about mitzvos. One of the central questions was: Which mitzvos? The mitzvos of Hashem in the Torah? The "mitzvos" of Shlomo ha'Melech in Mishlei? "Commandments" from peop...

Mishlei 19:1 - Sometimes You're Better Off Being Poor 07.12.2020 44:45

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! טוֹב רָשׁ הוֹלֵךְ בְּתֻמּוֹ, מֵעִקֵּשׁ שְׂפָתָיו וְהוּא כְסִיל: In our morning Mishlei shiur (12/7/20 at YBT) we began Chapter 19 ... not that the chapter numbers really matter, especially according to Rabbeinu Yonah on 19:1. This pasuk was difficult to crack, given its non sequitur nature. Nevertheless, we came up with two ideas: one on t...

Mishlei 18:24 - A Wealth of [Imaginary] Friends 03.12.2020 42:46

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! אִישׁ רֵעִים לְהִתְרֹעֵעַ וְיֵשׁ אֹהֵב דָּבֵק מֵאָח: In our morning Mishlei shiur (12/3/20 at YBT) we learned Mishlei 18:24 - the last pasuk in our perek! This one was difficult to translate. In a relatively rare occurrence, we ended up concurring with the Malbim's minority opinion on how to read and explain the pasuk. We also learned...