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 of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 7 minutes 15 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/20/25, titled: Shelach: Rabbeinu Bachya on the Meraglim, Mishlei, and the Current War With Iran. I don't know who needs a Bitachon 101 (Trust in God) refresher course for this war ...
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Length of article: 5 pages
Length of audio: 17 minutes
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/19/25, titled: The Potentially Problematic Line in Sheva Berachos (and What to Do About It). The fourth of the Sheva Berachos is prone to misunderstanding. Abudarham warns it could lead to "...
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Length of transcript: 3 pages
Length of video/audio: 9 minutes 4 seconds
Synopsis: Here's the audio of the graduation charge I delivered to the NEJA Graduating Class of 2025 on June 8th, 2025, complete with all my speech tics.
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This week’s Torah content is sponsored by Chaim and Rifka Peck, the awesome parents of two of my NEJA students, in honor of the ...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 6 minutes 53 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/13/25, titled: Behaalosecha: The Non-Symbolic Trumpets. What’s the reason for the mitzvah of the chatzotzeros (trumpets)? The Sefer ha’Chinuch reminds us that sometimes, the simplest an...
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Length: 1 hour 1 minutes
Synopsis: This Wednesday evening (6/11/25), in our last Tehilim shiur of the 2024-2025 season, we ended up doing a chaotically orderly experimental Chumash exploration instead of Tehilim. If you've ever looked at English translations of the siddur, you may have noticed that the word "Ashrei" is translated differently by different p...
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Length of article: 4.5 pages
Length of audio: 14 minutes 23 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4.5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/6/25, titled: Naso: Twelve Identical Offerings. Why does the Torah repeat the twelve identical offerings in Parashas Naso? This article explores a peshat answer, two midrashim, and...
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Length: 47 minutes
Synopsis: 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 worry - we review it.) (2) What insight can I offer on the types of high-stakes life decisions that tend to start croppin...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 15 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/30/25, titled: Bamidbar: Dust, Sand, and Stars. Hashem reiterates His promise to multiply Avraham’s offspring using three metaphors. What does each mean? How do they shed light on our p...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 9 minutes
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/23/25, titled: Bechukosai: Does Hashem Ever Truly Loathe Israel? Our gut reaction to this question is, "No!" but the verses in the blessings and the curses indicate that the answer is no...
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Length: 1 hour 45 minutes
Synopsis: 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 Matan Toraseinu. If you're someone who plans to relocate or who needs to relocate or whose relationship with Torah is in need of a ...
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Length of article: 1.5 pages
Length of audio: 5 minutes 55 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1.5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/15/25, titled: Lag ba’Omer PSA: The Falsehood of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s Yahrzeit. Mark Twain said, “Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.” Rumors of R...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 41 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/2/25, titled: Kedoshim: “Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself” – Not the Greatest Principle in Torah. R’ Akiva calls “Ve’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha” a great Torah principle. Ben Azzai disagrees. ...
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Length: 1 hour 13 minutes
Synopsis: 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 people are familiar with R' Akiva's famous statement, "This is a great principle in the Torah." Fewer people are fa...
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Length: 1 hour 30 minutes
Synopsis: 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 is quite short, and . We spent the bulk of the time comparing Rabbeinu Yonah's more intuitive reading with Rashi's hi...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 8 minutes 39 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/25/25, titled: Tazria/Metzora: How Niddah Protected Women. What if the laws of niddah weren’t designed to oppress, but to protect? This article examines a leading Leviticus scholar’s th...
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Length of article: 2 pages
Length of audio: 7 minutes 22 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/25/25, titled: Mortimer J. Adler's Mussar for Religious Educators. This excerpt from a lecture by Mortimer Adler to Catholic educators speaks just as powerfully to Jewish educators...
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Length: 45 minutes
Synopsis: 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 Doeg ha'Edomi, who were great chachamim who did evil things? (2) Anti-Israel activists have engaged in malicious editing of Wikipe...
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Length of article: 3 page
Length of audio: 8 minutes 40 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I co-wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/11/25, titled: Egypt Reflections as a Jew (by My Brother). My globetrotting brother’s reflections on his trip to Egypt—poignant words that move me to tears every time I read them, esp...
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Length of article: 3 page
Length of audio: 10 minutes 5 seconds
Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/10/25, titled: Why WE Eat Matzah vs. Why THEY Ate Matzah. Every year we read Rabban Gamliel's explanation for why we eat matzah on Pesach, but why did the Israelites in Egypt eat ma...
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Length: 1 hour 43 minutes
Synopsis: 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 an inherent problem with saying Adir Hu?” The concern is that, on the surface, Adir Hu seems to exemplify the type of excessiv...
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