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Machshavah Lab

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

559 episodes

4 days ago

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 thought on Yom ha'Kippurim. Gmar chasimah tovah! ----- The Torah Content...

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Religion & Spirituality,

Society & Culture,

All content for Machshavah Lab is the property of Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 thought on Yom ha'Kippurim. Gmar chasimah tovah! ----- The Torah Content...

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Religion & Spirituality,

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/559)

Machshavah Lab

Eikev: Slowing the Conquest ... For Animals?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 7 minutes 4 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/14/25, titled: Eikev: Slowing the Conquest ... For Animals? The Torah gives a bizarre reason for the slow conquest of Canaan. Two contrary explanations given by Rishonim shed light on how Hashem operates. ----- This week’s Torah Content has been sponsored...

5 days ago

8 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Vaeschanan: The Loneliness of the Jew

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 5 minutes 57 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/8/25, titled: Vaeschanan: The Loneliness of the Jew. Moshe Rabbeinu warns us not to add to or subtract from the Torah, but his reasoning is rather strange. Here’s an explanation I heard from my rebbi. ----- This week’s Torah Content has been sponsored by...

1 week ago

6 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Tishah b'Av 5785: Kinnah #7 - How Can Hashem Not Remember?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of audio: 1 hour 6 minutes Synopsis: This is the recording of the Tishah b'Av shiur I gave at the Island Synagogue on 8/3/25. Two things to note: (1) Unlike most other Tishah b'Av shiurim I've given, I don't think there are any chidushim (novel insights). Instead, I decided to focus on the basics. (2) Towards the beginning of the shiur, we read dthrough the kinnah in Hebrew and English. Unfortunately, the person readi...

2 weeks ago

1 hour 6 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Tishah b’Av 5785: Metaphysical Trauma and the Aftermath of October 7th

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 5 pages Length of audio: 18 minutes 3 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/1/25, titled: Tishah b’Av 5785: Metaphysical Trauma and the Aftermath of October 7th. I’ve revised and combined my four most important pieces on Tishah b’Av into a single article, with a new fifth section reflecting on October 7th. ----- Since this week’...

2 weeks ago

18 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Masei: Leviim as Countercultural Role Models Against Cancel Culture

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2.5 pages Length of audio: 8 minutes 44 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2.5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/24/25, titled: Masei: Leviim as Countercultural Role Models Against Cancel Culture. What can the Levite Cities of Refuge teach us about cancel culture in "progressive" America today? A lot more than you might think! ----- With gratitude to Hashem, I’...

3 weeks ago

10 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Pinchas: Inheritance as a Non-Intuitive Mishpat

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 6 minutes 29 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/18/25, titled: Pinchas: Inheritance as a Non-Intuitive Mishpat. What’s the purpose of inheritance laws? Most don't even ask. They assume the answer is obvious. But the Sefer ha’Chinuch offers a non-intuitive explanation. ----- This week's Torah content i...

1 month ago

7 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Balak: How Bad Omens Can Harm You (Even According to the Rambam)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 9 minutes 5 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/11/25, titled: Balak: How Bad Omens Can Harm You (Even According to the Rambam). Many people believe that bad omens are harbingers of real harm. Rambam is not one of them. But even he might hold by the exception noted by R' Yehuda ha'Nasi. ----- This week...

1 month ago

9 minutes

Machshavah Lab

The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Integrity of the Masoretic Text (Q&A Response) Part 1

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3.5 pages Length of audio: 11 minutes 37 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/9/25, titled: The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Integrity of the Masoretic Text (Q&A Response) Part 1. Here's Part 1 of my response to a high school student's question about whether the Dead Sea Scrolls call into question the reliability of the M...

1 month ago

12 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Chukas: A Maimonidean Explanation for Parah Adumah (from a Different Moshe)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 14 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/4/25, titled: Chukas: A Maimonidean Explanation for Parah Adumah (from a Different Moshe). Yes, even the red heifer has a reason. Rambam paves the way but stops short of delivering. Another Moshe offers a theory that might make Rambam say, "Eureka!" ---...

1 month ago

15 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Korach: Three Types of Machlokess (or “How Korach Wasn’t as Bad as You Think”)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 7 minutes 54 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/26/25, titled: Korach: Three Types of Machlokess (or “How Korach Wasn’t as Bad as You Think”) We’re quick to condemn Korach. But what if his motives weren’t entirely evil? And what if that insight changes how we see machlokess in our own communities? ---...

1 month ago

9 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Shelach: Rabbeinu Bachya on the Meraglim, Mishlei, and the Current War With Iran

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 with Iran, but Rabbeinu Bachya provides one in his intro to Parashas Shela...

2 months ago

8 minutes

Machshavah Lab

The Potentially Problematic Line in Sheva Berachos (and What to Do About It)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 "severe heresy." Thankfully, there are at least three solutions. -----...

2 months ago

18 minutes

Machshavah Lab

My Graduation Charge to the NEJA Class of 2025 (spoken from the heart, with speech tics)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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. ----- 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 marriage of my dear talmidim, Chayim Zifkin and Shira Stein. Though they don’...

2 months ago

10 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Behaalosecha: The Non-Symbolic Trumpets

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 answer is the most compelling. ----- Summer is almost here, and I’m pla...

2 months ago

7 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Translating the Word Ashrei

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 people in different contexts. Tonight, we conducted a survey of the various sourc...

2 months ago

1 hour 1 minute

Machshavah Lab

Naso: Twelve Identical Offerings

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 their methodology. ----- Summer is almost here, and I’m plannin...

2 months ago

15 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Q&A #44: Mishleic Fatalism, Life Decisions, Halakhic Man, Pirkei Avos, What Yeshiva Bochrim Miss

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 cropping up as one enters adulthood? (3) What advice would I give for reading Hala...

2 months ago

48 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Bamidbar: Dust, Sand, and Stars

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 present state? ----- The Torah content from now through Isru Chag...

2 months ago

9 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Bechukosai: Does Hashem Ever Truly Loathe Israel?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 not so simple. ----- The Torah content from now through Isru Chag Shavuos is spon...

2 months ago

9 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Avos 4:14 - Exile Yourself to a Place of Torah

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 boost, this mishnah is for you! ----- מקורות: אבות ד:יד רמב"ם רבינו יו...

2 months ago

1 hour 45 minutes