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Machshavah Lab
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 some non-Jewish philosophy as well. Merriam-Webster defines "laboratory" as a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study. I call this podcast "Machshavah Lab" because this is where we will conduct Torah "experiments" by exploring questions, texts, and ideas in an effort to develop our machshavah in a "hands on," exploratory, firsthand manner.
Episodes
531 episodes
Q&A #44: Mishleic Fatalism, Life Decisions, Halakhic Man, Pirkei Avos, What Yeshiva Bochrim Miss
Length: 47 minutesSynopsis: This morning (6/5/25) we had what will likely be our last Q&A of the 2024-2025 season! We discussed the following five questions: (1) Have my views on Mishleic fatalism changed? (If you're not familiar, don't...
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Season 20
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Episode 41
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48:13
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Bamidbar: Dust, Sand, and Stars
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 8 minutes 15 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/30...
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Season 20
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Episode 40
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9:11
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Bechukosai: Does Hashem Ever Truly Loathe Israel?
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 9 minutesSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/23/25, titled...
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Season 20
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Episode 39
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9:57
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Avos 4:14 - Exile Yourself to a Place of Torah
Length: 1 hour 45 minutesSynopsis: Tonight (5/22/25), in our final Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women of the 2024-2025 season, we took up a mishnah that is relevant to us all, and is particularly appropriate as we approach Zman Mata...
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Season 20
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Episode 38
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1:45:15
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Lag ba’Omer PSA: The Falsehood of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s Yahrzeit
Length of article: 1.5 pagesLength of audio: 5 minutes 55 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 1.5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on ...
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Season 20
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Episode 37
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6:52
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Kedoshim: “Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself” – Not the Greatest Principle in Torah
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 8 minutes 41 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/2/...
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Season 20
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Episode 36
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9:38
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Kedoshim: Ve'Ahavta l'Reiacha Kamocha Reexamined
Length: 1 hour 13 minutesSynopsis: This past Thursday night (5/8/25), in lieu of our usual Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we took up a topic in Parashas Kedoshim - arguably the most important mitzvah mentioned therein. Many peo...
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Season 20
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Episode 35
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1:14:02
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Avos 4:13 - When Mistakes in Learning are Considered Intentional
Length: 1 hour 30 minutesSynopsis: Last night (5/1/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we resumed our learning of Chapter 4, after nearly a month's hiatus. (Yes, I skipped 4:12, in case you were wondering.) This mishnah ...
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Season 20
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Episode 34
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1:31:12
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Tazria/Metzora: How Niddah Protected Women
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 8 minutes 39 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/25...
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Season 20
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Episode 33
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9:36
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Mortimer J. Adler's Mussar for Religious Educators
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 7 minutes 22 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/25...
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Season 20
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Episode 32
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8:19
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Q&A #43: Evil Chacham, Wiki-Wars, World of Midrash, Zohar, Mind vs. Emotions, Mishleic Schadenfreude
Length: 45 minutesSynopsis: This morning (4/24/25) we had Q&A! We discussed the following six questions: (1) If perfection of middos is a prerequisite to perfection of the intellect, how do we explain individuals like Achitophel and Doe...
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Season 20
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Episode 31
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46:09
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Egypt Reflections as a Jew (by My Brother)
Length of article: 3 pageLength of audio: 8 minutes 40 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I co-wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/...
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Season 20
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Episode 30
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9:36
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Why WE Eat Matzah vs. Why THEY Ate Matzah
Length of article: 3 pageLength of audio: 10 minutes 5 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/10/...
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Season 20
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Episode 29
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11:02
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Adir Hu: Praiseworthy Paean or Sacrilegious Screed?
Length: 1 hour 43 minutesSynopsis: Last night (4/4/25), in our Thursday night women's shiur, we explored a question posed to me by two of my students (shout out to Moshe and Shmarya) about a song found at the end of most Haggadot: “Is there...
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Season 20
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Episode 28
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1:43:33
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Mit’chilah: Defining Avodah Zarah and Avodas Hashem
Length of article: 1 pageLength of audio: 4 minutes 31 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/4/2...
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Season 20
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Episode 27
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5:28
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Q&A #42: Downtime with Rabbeim, God Creating Evil, What Was Given at Sinai, When to Share Learning
Length: 38 minutesSynopsis: This morning (3/20/25) we had a rare (this year) Q&A! We discussed the following questions: (1) How should a person use their outside-of-yeshiva "downtime" with their rabbeim: to talk about Torah or about oth...
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Season 20
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Episode 26
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39:08
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Ki Tisa: Shadal’s Anti-Rationalist Rational Explanation of Ayin ha’Ra (the Evil Eye)
Length of article: 3 pagesLength of audio: 11 minutes 6 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/17...
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Season 20
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Episode 25
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12:03
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Tetzaveh: Philosophical Pants
Length of article: 3 pagesLength of audio: 10 minutes 53 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/7...
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Season 20
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Episode 24
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11:50
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Ralbag's Lessons from Megilas Esther: Part 4 (#36-40)
Length: 1 hour 23 minutesSynopsis: Tonight (3/6/25), in lieu of our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we continued learning the Ralbag's toalos ("beneficial lessons") on Megilas Esther, picking up were we left off last year, at th...
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Season 20
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Episode 23
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1:23:20
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Emulating a Vengeful God: ve'Halachta bi'Drachav and E-l Nekamos
Length: 1 hour 52 minutesSynopsis: Thoughts of vengeance have been on the minds of Jews worldwide since October 7th. In less than two weeks, we’ll celebrate Purim — a holiday in which vengeance is a dominant theme. We are commanded to emula...
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Season 20
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Episode 22
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1:52:45
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Mishpatim: Judaism's Stance on (Extrajudicial) Witch Hunts
Length of article: 3 pagesLength of audio: 11 minutes 33 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/2...
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Season 20
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Episode 21
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12:30
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Mishpatim: Judaism's Take on [Literal] Witch Hunting (Shiur Version)
Length: 1 hour 27 minutesSynopsis: This evening (2/20/25), in lieu of our regularly scheduled Pirkei Avos Shiur for women, we took up the topic that I'm currently writing about for my Friday substack article. We began by asking all the ques...
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Season 20
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Episode 10
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1:28:06
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Yisro: Shadal’s Unfortunate Stance on Idolatry, Belief, and the Value of Knowledge
Length of article: 4 pagesLength of audio: 13 minutes 53 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/...
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Season 20
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Episode 9
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14:49
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Beshalach: What Did the Splitting of the Sea Look Like?
Length of article: 3 pagesLength of audio: 10 minutes 30 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/9...
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Season 20
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Episode 8
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11:07
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Avos 4:11 and 5:17 - Meiri on Machlokess
Length: 1 hour 53 minutesSynopsis: Last night (2/6/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we did something a little unusual: analyzing TWO mishnayos with only ONE commentary. When I sat down to prepare for this shiur, I not...
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Season 20
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Episode 7
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1:53:55
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