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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
516 episodes
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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39:01
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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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11:56
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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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11:43
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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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1:23:13
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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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1:52:38
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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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12:23
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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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1:27:59
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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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14:42
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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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11:00
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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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1:53:47
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Beshalach: Moshe’s Role in the Mahn Confusion and its Implications for Teachers
Length of article: 5 pagesLength of audio: 17 minutes 27 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/7...
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Season 20
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Episode 6
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18:16
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Shemos: Two Views of Hishtadlus
Length of article: 4 pagesLength of audio: 15 minutes 29 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/1...
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Season 20
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Episode 5
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16:19
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Vayechi: How Never to Be Angry at Anyone or Hate Anyone (Part 1: Questions)
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 7 minutes 38 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/9/...
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Season 20
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Episode 4
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8:28
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Vayigash: Who Sent Yosef to Egypt? (Part 1: The Questions)
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 8 minutes 19 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/3/...
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Season 20
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Episode 3
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9:08
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Avos 4:11 - Angelic Advocates and Accusers (Reexamined)
Length: 1 hour 35 minutesSynopsis: Tonight (1/2/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we took up an intriguing mishnah about the effects of mitzvos and aveiros. We ended up with two solid interpretations - one that emerged...
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Season 20
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Episode 2
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1:35:29
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The Rabbi Schneeweiss Substack Update: 66 Changes I'm Considering for January 2025
Length of article: 3 pagesLength of audio: 9 minutes 12 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/1/...
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Season 20
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Episode 1
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10:01
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Vayishlach: Bnei Yaakov at Beis-El and Bnei Yisrael at Sinai (Part 1: Questions)
Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 8 minutes 59 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/1...
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Season 19
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Episode 11
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9:49
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Avos 4:10 - Minimize Business and Busy Yourself With Torah ... and Two Related (?) Clauses
Length: 1 hour 36 minutesSynopsis: This evening (12/12/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned another mishnah about how to achieve the proper learning-work balance. This mishnah was strange in that each clause se...
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Season 19
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Episode 10
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1:36:40
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Vayeitzei: Yaakov's (Scandalous?) Kiss (?)
Length of article: 3 pagesLength of audio: 12 minutes 36 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/...
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Season 19
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Episode 9
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13:25
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Avos 4:9 - Devotion to Torah in Poverty
Length: 1 hour 31 minutesSynopsis: Last night (12/5/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned a mishnah about the relationship between wealth, poverty, and living a life of Torah. Even though we only fully learned o...
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Season 19
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Episode 8
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1:31:26
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Bereishis: (How) Did Hashem Speak to Kayin?
Length of article: 1 pageLength of audio: 4 minutes 58 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/22...
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Season 19
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Episode 7
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5:48
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Avos 4:8 - Don't Judge Alone
Length: 1 hour 21 minutesSynopsis: Last night (11/14/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned the next mishnah. Like the previous one, this mishnah is a warning to judges not to judge alone, no matter what their le...
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Season 19
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Episode 6
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1:37:14
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Vayeira: Vox Intellectus Vox Dei (The Voice of the Intellect is the Voice of God)
Length of article: 1 pageLength of audio: 4 minutes 19 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/15...
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Season 19
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Episode 5
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5:09
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Lech Lecha: Avraham Avinu – a Vial of Perfume in a Cemetery
Length of article: 3 pagesLength of audio: 10 minutes 50 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/...
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Season 19
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Episode 3
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11:40
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Avos 4:7 - Why Judges Should Avoid Judging
Length: 1 hour 21 minutesSynopsis: Tonight (11/7/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we continued learning Chapter 4. On its surface, this mishnah is directed at judges, but the advice it gives is counterintuitive. Despi...
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Season 19
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Episode 4
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1:21:06
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