Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

Length: 1 hour 35 minutes
Synopsis: Tonight (6/4/26), in our Thursday night Machshavah Lab series for women, was not a shiur but an exploration with an agenda (which I explain toward the beginning and won't divulge here). We read the famous aggadah about the four Tannaim who entered Pardes - R. Akiva, Acher, Ben Zoma, and Ben Azzai - along with several other sources that comment directly or indirectly on it. Our goal was not to conduct a comprehensive analysis, but to read through the facts and think aloud about what we were reading. We certainly accomplished that goal. What remains to be done is to fully develop an understanding of the fate met by each of the four in a manner that enlightens us about the correct and incorrect paths to truth.
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מקורות:
תלמוד בבלי חגיגה דף יד עמוד ב
רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות חגיגה ב:א
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים א:לא-לב
רשב"ץ - פירוש להגדה של פסח: ארבעה בנים
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The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman, l'zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, whose yahrzeit is on the 21st of Sivan.

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If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

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 6/5/26 titled: Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (Part 1: The Question). Sometimes a fish is just a fish, but sometimes it's a euphemism. Part 1 of this article presents the facts and the question. My answer will be forthcoming in Part 2 (God willing).

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The Torah content for the month of Iyyar is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz Rothschild in memory of her mother, Breindel Bracha bas Mordechai z”l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 8th of Iyyar. She learned and lived Torah, and was a tremendous baalas chesed.

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If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/29/26 titled: Naso: Three Explanations of the Chatas ha’Nazir (Nazrite’s Sin-Offering). Why must every nazir bring a chatas? I knew about the diametrically opposed answers given by the Rambam and Ramban, but I recently found a third and intermediate explanation in the Sefer ha'Chinuch.

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The Torah content for the month of Iyyar is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz Rothschild in memory of her mother, Breindel Bracha bas Mordechai z”l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 8th of Iyyar. She learned and lived Torah, and was a tremendous baalas chesed.

-----

If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

Length: 2 hours 19 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (5/17/26), in my last YBT Sunday Shiur of the season, I gave an updated version of my Judaism Demystified episode titled "Can God Do Anything/Everything? Can God Do the Impossible?" The shiur had three parts: (1) in the first hour of the shiur, I presented seven approaches to answering the question, "Can God create a rock He can't lift?" largely based on firsthand sources in the Rishonim; (2) I raise and respond to the two most common objections to the approach of these Rishonim; (3) I share my current understanding of why the Rambam broaches this topic as part of his discussion of theodicy. If you've seen or listened to a treatment of this topic before, I guarantee you'll still gain new insights, and if this is your first time thinking about this question, prepare yourself for a wild ride!
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מקורות:
R. Norman Lamm, Eulogy for the Rav
ספר החינוך - הקדמה
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:יב,טו
ר' משה נרבוני - פירוש למורה ג:טו
רס"ג - אמונות ודעות ב:יג
ש"ע או"ח רל:א
מאירי - משלי יד:טו
רשב"א - שו"ת ד:רלד
ר' יוסף אלבו - ספר העיקרים א:כב; ג:כה
רמב"ן - הויכוח
Marc B. Shapiro, The Limits of Orthodox Theology, pp.
Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank, Illuminating Jewish Thought pp.232-234
שם טוב - פירוש למורה ג:טו
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The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman, l'zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, whose yahrzeit is on the 21st of Sivan.

-----

If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

Length: 1 hour 28 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (5/15/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we moved on to the next - and last! - subseries within our overarching series on Iyov. Over the course of the next eight chapters, the Rambam presents his views on God's knowledge, hashgachah, and Sefer Iyov. Today we covered his overview of the false views: what led the philosophers to deny God's omniscience, and the four false views of hashgachah held from ancient times. Next time (בג"ה) we'll learn through the Rambam's presentation of the Torah's view and his own take on it.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:טז-יז
Lenn E. Goodman and Phillip I. Lieberman, "The Guide to the Perplexed: A New Translation"
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The Torah content for the month of Iyyar is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz Rothschild in memory of her mother, Breindel Bracha bas Mordechai z”l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 8th of Iyyar. She learned and lived Torah, and was a tremendous baalas chesed.

-----

If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

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 5/14/26 titled: Bamidbar / Korach: What We Guard in the Mikdash. Why is the Tribe of Levi commanded to guard the Mikdash? Do the Rambam and Torah Temimah disagree? And what relevance does this mitzvah have to the current state of the Jewish people?

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The Torah content for the month of Iyyar is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz Rothschild in memory of her mother, Breindel Bracha bas Mordechai z”l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 8th of Iyyar. She learned and lived Torah, and was a tremendous baalas chesed.

-----

If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

Length: 1 hour 25 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (5/8/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we review what we covered last time, then learned and discussed the rest of the Rambam's Moreh ha'Nevuchim 3:12, in which he outlines the three types of ra that befall human beings. In addition to the points explicitly raised by the Rambam, we also discussed why these types of ra MUST exist. This may be our last shiur in this "Rambam on the Satan and Ra" subseries within our larger series on Iyov.
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ג:יב
R. Natan Slifkin: https://www.rationalistjudaism.com/p/back-pain-and-toothache
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This week's content is sponsored by Benjy Weiss, currently a student at Yeshivat Migdal HaTorah. The vast majority of my talmidim over the past six years learned at Migdal, and the rabbeim there clearly do an excellent job fostering their development. Migdal promotes the same approach to Torah study that my own rabbeim have bequeathed to me: asking questions and pursuing answers that make sense. If you've gained from my shiurim these past six years, you've also benefited from Migdal, consider making a contribution. Campaign runs through Monday: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/benjy-weiss

The Torah content for the month of Iyyar is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz Rothschild in memory of her mother, Breindel Bracha bas Mordechai z”l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 8th of Iyyar. She learned and lived Torah, and was a tremendous baalas chesed.

-----

If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
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Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
YU Torah: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-Schneeweiss
Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
YouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Old Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 7-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/7/26 titled: Behar: The Torah’s Double Standard for Slave Labor. In this article (first published in 2024), we examine three approaches to understanding why the Torah forbids us to work a Jewish slave with oppressive labor but permits it for a non-Jewish slave.

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This week’s content is sponsored by Benjy Weiss, currently a student at Yeshivat Migdal HaTorah. The vast majority of my talmidim over the past six years learned at Migdal, and the rabbeim there clearly do an excellent job fostering their development. Migdal promotes the same approach to Torah study that my own rabbeim have bequeathed to me: asking questions and pursuing answers that make sense. If you’ve gained from my shiurim these past six years, you’ve also benefited from Migdal, consider making a contribution: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/fundraising/benjy-weiss

The Torah content for the month of Iyyar is sponsored by Naomi Schwartz Rothschild in memory of her mother, Breindel Bracha bas Mordechai z”l, whose yahrzeit falls on the 8th of Iyyar. She learned and lived Torah, and was a tremendous baalas chesed.

-----

If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
-----
Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/
YU Torah: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-Schneeweiss
Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss
YouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweiss
Instagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Old Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/
WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0H