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PODCAST

Machshavah Lab

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

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

religion & spirituality judaism

All Episodes

68:00

Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 2: The Form of Man)

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/20

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 7 minutes Synopsis: This Friday morning (3/20/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we were GOING to begin the section of the Rambam's Moreh ha'Nevuchim that will be our focus for the next couple of months, beginning with 3:8 on the nature of matter. However, five minutes before shiur, I spontaneously decided to read some Rambams in the Mishneh Torah that I hadn't prepared, but thought would be a good ...

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75:25

Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 1: Aristotelian...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/20

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 47 minutes Synopsis: Turns out, I accidentally forgot to upload last Friday's Iyov shiur! This past Friday morning (3/13/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, I gave a shiur with the aim of introducing the basics of Aristotelian "hylomorphic" thinking, explaining the concepts of "matter" and "form" to lay the groundwork for the Rambam's explanation of the satan and the nature of ra. We began and ended ...

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5:16

Vayikra: Toward a Theory of Jewish Guilt

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/20

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/20/26 title: Vayikra: Toward a Theory of Jewish Guilt. Most people who think they know what the asham talui (suspended guilt-offering) is for are missing an important fact - one that sheds light on the Torah's conception of guilt. ----- This week's Torah content is sponsored by Seth Speiser, in honor of the yahrz...

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111:02

How to Relate to Arbitrary Halachic Details (Part 2 -...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/20

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 50 minutes Synopsis: This week (3/19/26), in our Thursday night Machshavah Lab series for women, we continued the topic we embarked on the week before. First, we revised our understanding of the Rambam's approach and my "Pillow Theory." Then we answered all the questions we raised last time. We then learned through a perek of Rav Kook's Le-Nevukhei ha-Dor, in which he spells out two foundations of the need to be meticul...

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5:10

Vayakhel / Pikudei: Remembering Minas Tirith … I Mean...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/13

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/11/26 titled: Vayakhel / Pikudei: Remembering Minas Tirith … I Mean Mikdash. Saadia Gaon states that contemplating the architecture of the Mishkan earns us reward. What is the nature of this reward? How should this shape our reading? And how does this relate to Boromir? ----- This week’s Torah content is spo...

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108:04

How to Relate to Arbitrary Halachic Details (Part 1 -...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/13

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! DISCLAIMER: I almost didn't post this shiur because it wasn't as clear as I hoped AND because we revised it in Part 2. I'm happy with Part 2, but I'm posting Part 1 for the sake of thoroughness and transparency. Just know that if you listen to it, you should NOT expect the level of clarity that I typically aim for. Length: 1 hour 47 minutes Synopsis: This week (3/12/26), in our Thursday night Machshavah Lab series for women, we took ...

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17:09

Post-Purim 5786: Operation Growling Bear

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/11

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/11/26 titled: Post-Purim 5786: Operation Growling Bear. This began as a recap of a Mishlei/Megilah/Midrash crossover shiur I gave before Purim. Then Operation Roaring Lion, which commenced on Shabbos Zachor, added another dimension. Better late than never! ----- This week’s Torah content is sponsored by Rabbi Dr. Ben ...

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7:33

What Modern Orthodoxy Means to Me (or Rabbi Fox’s...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/09

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/9/26 titled: What Modern Orthodoxy Means to Me (or Rabbi Fox’s 2007 NYHS Commencement Address). Since NYHS’s annual fundraising campaign is in full swing, I figured this would be a good time to share the educational philosophy of the school, as articulated by former head of school R. Bernie Fox. ----- This week’s Tora...

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100:20

Rabbeinu Yonah on Bitachon (Part 3)

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/06

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 40 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/5/25), in our Thursday night women’s shiur, we continued our exploration of Rabbeinu Yonah on bitachon. The bad news is that I didn't have a chance to prepare. The good news is that our review went SO far in-depth that we ended up covering a whole lot that I hadn't planned. In the text of Rabbeinu Yonah, we only read one additional sentence, but our understanding of bitachon was shar...

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4:58

Ki Tisa: Is Shabbos a Day of Simchah?

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/05

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/5/26 titled: Ki Tisa: Is Shabbos a Day of Simchah? If so, why isn't it presented this way in the Torah and in halacha? And if not, then why are there so many references to Shabbos joy in the songs we sing on Shabbos? ----- The Torah content for the month of February is sponsored by the Koffsky family in memory of...

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31:38

Q&A #46 - 30 Days Before the Chag, Necessity of...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/03/05

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 31 minutes Synopsis: This morning (3/5/26), in lieu of our usual morning Mishlei, we had a Q&A session! We discussed four questions: (1) What's the nature of the halacha of "learning the halachos of the chag 30 days before the chag"? (2) How necessary is it for people to read and understand every line of the Haggadah? (3) Why do I prefer Mishlei over Gemara b'iyun? (4) Is there any idea of having a recurring seudas hodaah ...

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86:56

The Tail of Vashti and Gavriel ha'Malach

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/27

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 26 minutes Synopsis: This morning (2/27/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we capped off our series of shiurim on malachim with a midrash on Megilas Esther about a malach (in preparation for Purim, of course). This is a well-known midrash, but the version in the Gemara differs markedly from the version in the popular imagination. After raising questions and problems, we took a detour into the topic ...

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107:10

Rabbeinu Yonah on Bitachon (Part 2)

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/27

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 46 minutes Synopsis: This evening (2/26/25), in our Thursday night women’s shiur, we continued our exploration of Rabbeinu Yonah on bitachon. After a lengthy, in-depth review of what we covered last time on Mishlei 3:5, we began learning his commentary on Mishlei 3:6. If Part 1 focused on the theoretical aspects of bitachon, Part 2 shifted to the practical. We had to examine several premises about how Hashem runs the wo...

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120:34

Explaining Arayos (Forbidden Relations) to an Aunt...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/22

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 2 hours Synopsis: Back in 2022, I gave a shiur on the extremely niche topic of avunculate marriage, that is, an uncle marrying his niece. Two years later, I received an email titled “Avunculate Marriage: Need Some Spiritual Guidance” from an aunt and nephew who were in love and seeking rabbinic guidance about whether their relationship would meet with Divine approval. I responded to the best of my ability. This morning (2/22/2...

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86:14

What are Malachim (Angels) According to the Rambam?...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/20

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 26 minutes Synopsis: This morning (2/20/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we continued our exploration of the Rambam’s view of angels. After a brief review, a question led us on an unplanned detour through his presentation of angels in the Mishneh Torah. We then returned to the central question: Why are angels depicted as physical, and why are those depictions sometimes so wacky? We offered three a...

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9:28

Terumah – The “Where?” “What?” and “Why?” of Shechinah

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/20

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/20/26 titled: Terumah – The “Where?” “What?” and “Why?” of Shechinah. I typically rely on the Rambam's explanation of shechinah in the Moreh 1:25. This time, I'd like to showcase the explanations of two Italian chachamim which I believe are consistent with Rambam. ----- The Torah content for the month of February...

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57:09

What are Malachim (Angels) According to the Rambam?...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/13

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 56 minutes Synopsis: This morning (2/13/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, I had planned to continue our analysis of the Rambam's view of angels. Instead, we did something more important: review and clarification! We did a complete review of all the main points from last time, and raised additional questions which resulted in greater clarity. Given my preface of this shiur, which underscored the importance...

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12:43

Mishpatim – Is there a Conflict Between Trusting in...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/13

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/13/26 titled: Mishpatim – Is there a Conflict Between Trusting in Hashem and Trusting in Doctors? The Torah unequivocally allows us to rely on physicians for healing, but should we regard that allowance as reluctant or as an endorsement? Ibn Ezra and Ibn Kaspi disagree. I side with Rabbeinu Yonah. ----- The Torah cont...

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91:05

What are Malachim (Angels) According to the Rambam?...

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/06

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Synopsis: This morning (2/6/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we initiated the next phase: decoding the allegory of the satan. After reviewing and raising questions about the first few pesukim of the allegory, we turned to the Rambam’s primary treatment of angels in the Moreh, summarizing and analyzing along the way. By the end, we had a clear “Maimonidean” definition of an angel, in sev...

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119:57

Rabbeinu Yonah on Bitachon (Part 1)

Machshavah Lab ·

2026/02/06

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 59 minutes Synopsis: This evening (2/5/25), in our Thursday night women's shiur, we embarked toward an unknown destination, though in very specific waters. Our goal was to understand Rabbeinu Yonah’s take on bitachon (trust, or security, in God). Our journey began with his essay-like commentaries on Mishlei, chapter 3. Tonight, we learned his beautifully nuanced interpretation of Mishlei 3:5, which, in an unplanned deto...

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617 results

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