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
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Length: 1 hour 17 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (10/31/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab series for women, we began our unit on what I call the Prologue to Sefer Iyov (1:1 - 3:1). The initial plan was to have a brief introduction, then read and translate the entire Prologue, then analyze 1:1-5. Instead, our intro led to a rant (on my part) about the Rambam'...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 45 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/31/25 titled: Lech Lecha: Shadal on Jewish vs. Egyptian Circumcision. Contrary to what some might assume, circumcision did not originate with Jews. It was practiced in Egypt thousands ...
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Length: 2 hours
Synopsis: This evening (10/30/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we took up the famous precept of being dan l'chaf zechus. We ended up raising twenty questions total and answering most (if not all) of them through our in-depth analysis of Rambam and Rashi. If you're interested in a deep-dive into this topic which addresses t...
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Length of article: 4 pages
Length of audio: 15 minutes 24 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/24/25 titled: Noach: Did All Humanity Really Speak One Language? Though Malbim, R. Mecklenburg, and Rav Hirsch shared a common milieu and similar educational aims, each approached thi...
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Length: 40 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (10/23/25), in lieu of our usual morning Mishlei, we had a Q&A session! We discussed the following three questions: (1) According to the Rambam, if Olam ha'Ba is non-physical, and if our desires only relate to physical enjoyments, how can we desire Olam ha'Ba? (2) What do we mean in the short vidui when we say ti&ap...
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Length of article: 5 pages
Length of audio: 14 minutes 57 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/10/25 titled Sukkos 5778: I Hate Sukkah (In a Good Way). Here's a newly edited version of my first (and favorite) article on Sukkos, originally published on 10/4/17. It captures ...
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Length of article: 1 page
Length of audio: 3 minutes 46 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/6/25 titled: Sukkos 5786: Musings on the “Branding” of Chag ha’Sukkos.
Two years ago, a student of mine asked a question about Sukkos using one quirky word that set off a cascade o...
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Length of article: 3 pages
Length of audio: 11 minutes 24 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/5/25 titled: Haazinu: What If You Find Torah Empty? Chazal would respond, “The fault is yours—you didn’t toil in Torah.” But what about those who have toiled and still find Torah empt...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 9 minutes 18 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/1/25, titled: Yom ha’Kippurim 5786 / Acharei Mos: The Order of Vidui. Here’s a quick article I wrote this morning. The idea isn’t fully developed, but I hope it gives some food for tho...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 36 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/29/25, titled: Approaching the “Sweet Secret” of Ha’Melech ha’Mishpat. Does the grammatically anomalous "ha'Melech ha'Mishpat" contain a secret? Some Rishonim think ...
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Length: 1 hour 26 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (9/26/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab series for women, we concluded (I think?) the introductory portion of our Iyov shiurim by taking up the question of when and whether Iyov lived. We read through the ten plus opinions in the Gemara, raised questions on what Chazal were trying to do, and then tried to answer th...
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Length of article: 3 pages
Length of audio: 12 minutes 25 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/25/25, titled: Vayeilech: When Hashem Hides His Face. Twice in this parashah Hashem says He will hide His face: once for sin, and again even after we admit we were wrong. Here are five...
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Length: 1 hour 10 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (9/19/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab sreies for women, we began with a comprehensive review of what we covered in Part 1, adding and clarifying the points we previously discussed. It was so comprehensive, in fact, that it took up the majority of our shiur! We used the remaining time to wrap up the question of Se...
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Length: 1 hour 43 minutes
Synopsis: This evening (9/18/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we took up the first of two mishnayos in our perek about the relationship between Olam ha'Zeh and Olam ha'Ba. At first, we thought the mishnah was obvious. Then, after learning through four meforshim, we found ourselves with eight points that needed to...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 20 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/16/25, titled: Nitzavim: Was Moshe Rabbeinu Pro-Philosophy or Anti-Philosophy? This article's intended audience is those who feel strongly either way, those who think they know my ...
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Length: 1 hour 33 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (9/12/25), in this year's first Friday morning Machshavah Lab shiur for women, we began our (hopefully) year-long series on Sefer Iyov! I began by recapping my prior experience with Iyov, but to my delight, this turned into a really great discussion about the various challenges of learning the sefer. We then attempted...
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Length: 1 hour 48 minutes
Synopsis: This evening (9/11/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned the next mishnah in our chapter. This one was more practical, more approachable, and less metaphysical than the last. After raising a ton of questions, we learned the explanations of three commentaries: Rambam, Meiri, and Sforno. I believe we did just...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 28 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/5/25, titled: Ki Teitzei: Ibn Kaspi's Radical Rationale for Sending Away the Mother Bird. He'd sum up the rationale by saying: "You're nothing but a lowlife ass, a c...
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Length: 1 hour 48 minutes
Synopsis: This evening (9/4/25), in our first Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women of the 2025-2026 season, we took up a mishnah that happens to be on the same topic as Sefer Iyov, which will be a major focus of mine this year! In fact, this mishnah seems to undermine Iyov in its entirety! Thankfully, Sforno came to the rescue with a lengt...
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Length of FREE article: 2 pages (PAID version is 3 pages)
Length of FREE audio: 7 minutes 44 seconds (PAID version is 11 minutes 37 seconds)
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the FREE version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/20/25, titled: Re’eh: The Torah Temimah’s Counterintuitive Take on the Mitzvah to Live in...
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