Rambam Bekius
My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the podcast for my Rambam Bekius Chavurah at Yeshiva Bnei Torah (YBT). We typically meet four days a week for an hour and learn the writings of the Rambam on a bekius level (i.e. with the aim of covering ground rather than doing an in-depth analysis). Our focus is on the Mishneh Torah, but we will frequently delve into the Sefer ha'Mitzvos, the Peirush ha'Mishnayos, the Moreh ha'Nevuchim, and other writings from the Rambam when our learning takes us there. If you're interested in attaining fluency in the Rambam's Torah, then this is the podcast for you!
Episodes
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Length: 21 minutes 24 seconds
Synopsis: I was originally going to record an episode for tomorrow, Tishah b'Av itself, but I ended up discussing the halachos of seudah ha'mafsekes (the concluding meal before the fast) with my chavrusa this afternoon, and decided to record an episode about that instead, hoping that some people will be able to hear it before Tish...
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Length: 12 minutes 23 seconds
Synopsis: We conclude the fifth chapter of Hilchos Taaniyos with the halachos of tearing our garments when we encounter the Cities of Judah, Jerusalem, and the Mikdash in their states of destruction. The final halacha is about the status of these fast days in the time of Moshiach. I share a beautiful article from Rabbi Joshua Maroof on this...
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Length: 9 minutes 50 seconds
Synopsis: Today's halachos are about the enactments and decrees that Chazal set up to commemorate the destruction of the Mikdash and Yerushalayim. Some of these are familiar to us; others seem to no longer be practiced, or at least, are not as visible. Nevertheless, the halachos are here to guide us in how we should think about the dest...
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Length: 15 minutes 22 seconds
Synopsis: Today we finish the Rambam's halachos of Tishah b'Av itself, stopping to discuss an interesting minority manuscript and its implications. Tomorrow we'll move on to the next topic in the chapter: the commemorative practices that Chazal instituted to recall the destruction of the Mikdash.
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מקורות:
רמב...
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Length: 7 minutes 52 seconds
Synopsis: We continue in Hilchos Taaniyos 5 with the halachos pertaining to the month of Av and Erev Tishah b'Av. As I said, we're keeping this in a "strictly bekius" mode for now to ensure that we finish the chapter before Tishah b'Av itself.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות תעניות...
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Length: 11 minutes 20 seconds
Synopsis: We'll be taking another detour into the Laws of Fasts in order to prepare for Tishah b'Av, "Rambam Bekius style." Today we read the introductory halachos in which the Rambam tells us about each of the national fast days, why we fast on them, and what we're commemorating. Tomorrow we'll read the halach...
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Length: 12 minutes 2 seconds
Synopsis: Today we examine the Rambam's examples of the different ways that different people used to daven. There are some nuances in the Rambam's language that I never noticed before. We end off with a CORRECTED reading of the statement about facing Mikdash (which, turns out, I had been reading and teaching incorrectly for years)....
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Length: 13 minutes 32 seconds
Synopsis: Today we reread the Rambam's formulation of the obligation of tefilah from the Torah and make several inferences from the nuances of his formulation. These nuances help us to know what the actual chiyuv de'oraisa is, and also shed further light on the nature of tefilah. And if anyone has a good answer to the question rai...
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Length: 14 minutes 15 seconds
Synopsis: Well, THIS episode took an unexpected turn! I intended to just review one point we covered yesterday and read ten words from the Meiri on how to "make" God have mercy on you, but that little addition turned into a whole episode which touched upon the fundamental mechanisms of how tefilah works. We'll return to the h...
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Length: 11 minutes 26 seconds
Synopsis: And we're BACK to "actual bekius"! In this episode we cover two topics: (a) my mini-rant on how publishers (a.k.a. doofuses) screwed up the Rambam's division of the mini-halachos, and (b) how to understand the Rambam's use of the phrase "mispalel u'mischanein" in his definition of the Torah ...
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Length: 6 minutes 26 seconds
Synopsis: We conclude this examination of women's obligation in tefilah by reading the Mishnah Berurah, who arrives at a similar conclusion to the Aruch ha'Shulchan but spells out a few more details in terms of practicality.
Note: I recorded this late into the taanis and I had just woken up from a taanis nap; I apologize for t...
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Length: 11 minutes 45 seconds
Synopsis: Today we finish the Aruch ha'Shulchan's analysis of how the machlokess on the mitzvah of tefilah de'oraisa plays itself out for women. After taking up the positions of Rashi, Tosafos, Ramban, and Talmidei Rabbeinu Yonah, the Aruch ha'Shulchan arrives at his practical conclusion.
Note: I recorded this late ...
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Length: 20 minutes
Synopsis: Because today is the 17th of Tammuz, I wanted to take a brief pause in our topic to address inyanei d'yoma, and what better way to do so than to review one thing that the Rambam and the Ramban both agree on: that zaakah b'eis tzarah (crying out to Hashem at a time of trouble) is a mitzvah from the Torah. In this episode we review s...
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Length: 10 minutes 49 seconds
Synopsis: The next step in our analysis of the machlokess between the Rambam and Ramban and its impact on women's obligation in tefilah is to learn Gemara according to both sides. Turns out, this issue is complicated by the fact that there are three different girsaos (textual versions) of the Gemara. Using the Aruch ha'Shulchan as...
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Length: 7 minutes 26 seconds
Synopsis: Instead of continuing what we started yesterday, we're gonna slow down. After three weeks of Rambam Bekius, there's one change I'd like to make.
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The Torah Content for the remainder of July has been sponsored by the Lichters in honor of Jonny Schneeweiss, just "for being Jonny."
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Length: 17 minutes 32 seconds
Synopsis: Guess what? We're taking another detour! Since the machlokess between the Rambam and Ramban on tefilah de'oraisa has a direct bearing on the nature and parameters of women's obligation in tefilah, we're going to take up that topic for the next few episodes. In this episode, we go over the Gemara according to th...
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Length: 20 minutes 8 seconds
Synopsis: Well, I can't put it off any longer: here's the approach my chavrusa and I have been developing to explain the machlokess betweenthe Ramban and the Rambam on tefilah de'oraisa. I did my best to present it clearly, which means that the fact that this episode ended up being 20 minutes is either a good thing or a bad th...
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Length: 9 minutes 13 seconds
Synopsis: Before I share the theory that my chavrusa and I have been working on, I'd like to share what the Aruch ha'Shulchan wrote. Like the Rav, he attempts to minimize the machlokess between these two "pillars of the world." What do you think of his line of reasoning?
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מקורות:
ערוך השולחן פט:א-ה
-...
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Length: 12 minutes 11 seconds
Synopsis: Last time we read the Ramban's critique of the Rambam's view that daily tefilah is a mitzvah from the Torah. Before I share the theory that my chavrusa and I have been working on, I'd like to share a famous explanation given by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (a.k.a. the Rav).
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מקורות:
The Rav on T...
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Length: 21 minutes 29 seconds
Synopsis: Today we'll go over the facts of the Ramban's machlokess with the Rambam regarding the mitzvah of tefilah from the Torah. If you've heard of this machlokess, do yourself a favor: BEFORE you listen to the episode, summarize what you THINK the Ramban's view is, then listen to the episode and see how well your rec...
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