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Machshavah Lab

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

582 episodes

2 days ago

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 12 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/19/25 titled: Mikeitz: And Then They Got DRUNK. Why does the Torah mention that Yosef’s brothers got drunk? Here are four distinct approaches, each with its own methodological aim, and my take on each. ----- SPECIAL CHANUKAH DISCOUNT: For the eight day...

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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: 4 pages Length of audio: 12 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/19/25 titled: Mikeitz: And Then They Got DRUNK. Why does the Torah mention that Yosef’s brothers got drunk? Here are four distinct approaches, each with its own methodological aim, and my take on each. ----- SPECIAL CHANUKAH DISCOUNT: For the eight day...

Show more...

Religion & Spirituality,

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/582)

Machshavah Lab

Vayigash: Hulk Yehuda Threatens to Kill Yosef for Wanting Binyamin as a Sex Slave?!

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 6-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/26/25 titled: Vayigash: Hulk Yehuda Threatens to Kill Yosef for Wanting Binyamin as a Sex Slave?! Despite my preference for peshat, this midrash is so wild and so against the peshat that I couldn't resist the urge to work on it. I may not have answered all the questions, but here are my findings. ----- SPECIAL CHANUK...

2 weeks ago

23 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Mikeitz: And Then They Got DRUNK

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 12 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/19/25 titled: Mikeitz: And Then They Got DRUNK. Why does the Torah mention that Yosef’s brothers got drunk? Here are four distinct approaches, each with its own methodological aim, and my take on each. ----- SPECIAL CHANUKAH DISCOUNT: For the eight day...

3 weeks ago

13 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Prologue to Sefer Iyov - Part 6: Analysis of Iyov's Monologue

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 21 minutes Synopsis: This morning (12/12/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab series for women, we analyzed Iyov's "post-breakdown monologue" in Chapter 3 through the eyes of the Malbim and the Rambam, comparing and contrasting their approaches. Although we answered all the questions we initially asked, there are some outstanding difficulties that remain to be solved. Next on the agenda is Eliphaz's first speech, i...

4 weeks ago

1 hour 22 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Vayeishev: Yosef ha’Tzadik – A Role Model in Sin

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 pages Length of audio: 4 minutes 31 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/11/25 titled: Vayeishev: Yosef ha’Tzadik – A Role Model in Sin. In this short dvar Torah, we compare two readings of Mrs. Potiphar’s attempted rape of Yosef and ask which portrays him as the better role model. ----- This week’s Torah content is sponsore...

4 weeks ago

5 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Avos 1:6 - Rambam on Friendship (Knei Lecha Chaver)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 57 minutes Synopsis: This evening (12/11/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned one of my favorite Rambam passages of all time: his mini-discourse on friendship. I can honestly say that this was the most comprehensive shiur I’ve ever given on the topic. We took the mishnah, raised every question we could, then read the Rambam, raised every question we could on that, and then answered all of t...

4 weeks ago

1 hour 58 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Did Dinah Marry Iyov? + Prologue to Sefer Iyov - Part 5: Iyov's Monologue

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 11 minutes Synopsis: This morning (12/5/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab series for women, we began by reviewing the facts from last time. From there we took up a Vayishlach/Iyov side-quest, examining the midrash that Iyov’s wife was Dinah, a midrash for which I have found zero explanations. After that, we continued reading the sefer through the end of Iyov’s “post-breakdown monologue” in Chapter 3, and we conc...

1 month ago

1 hour 11 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Vayishlach: Does Rashi Slander Dinah and Leah?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 14 minutes 8 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/4/25 titled: Vayishlach: Does Rashi Slander Dinah and Leah? Abravanel takes Rashi to task for blaming Dinah’s rape on Leah’s conduct. While I ordinarily side with the peshat, I’d like to show that I can learn Rashi too. ----- This week’s Torah content i...

1 month ago

14 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Did Rambam Actually Praise Ibn Ezra and Trash the French Jews (for Eating Salsa)?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3 pages Length of audio: 10 minutes 57 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/1/25 titled: Did Rambam Actually Praise Ibn Ezra and Trash the French Jews (for Eating Salsa)? You may have heard that the Rambam endorsed Ibn Ezra’s commentaries. Maybe you even heard he made disparaging remarks about the French. Well, I have some new...

1 month ago

11 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Prologue of Sefer Iyov - Part 4: Ikkarim Clarification and Iyov's Suffering (1:13 - 2:13)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 4 minutes Synopsis: This morning (11/21/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab series for women, we had a shorter shiur in the usual. We spent the first portion clarifying some points from Part 3 - specifically, whether Ralbag would be considered a kofer (heretic) according to the Rambam. We then read through the remainder of the narrative about Iyov's suffering, using Malbim's commentary as our guide. Next time (בג"...

1 month ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Toldos: How Different Were Yaakov and Eisav?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 16 minutes 8 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/21/25 titled: Toldos: How Different Were Yaakov and Eisav? I was tempted to title this "When Teaching Rashi to Children Promotes Kefirah (Heresy)" but I decided that was too bold and relegated it to the subheading. Many thanks to Rabbi Pesach Sommer for...

1 month ago

16 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Prologue of Sefer Iyov - Part 3: Methodology, Avoiding Heresy, and Preface to the Satan (1:6-12)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 27 minutes Synopsis: This morning (11/14/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab series for women, we continued learning through the prologue of Iyov (1:1 - 3:1). We began with a question of Iyov Methodology: Which commentaries would I recommend? This led to another important tangent (the second in three sessions!) about the ikkarim (fundamentals of Judaism). I'm particularly interested in what people think about what...

1 month ago

1 hour 27 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Avos 1:6 - Aseh Lecha Rav - Make a Rav for Yourself (Part 2)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 29 minutes Synopsis: This evening (11/13/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we continued with the clause we worked on last time. We spent the first part of shiur reviewing everything we covered last time, answering the questions we left off with and sharpening some of the insights we had. Then we moved on to the Meiri, who gave us several different interpretations of the first two clauses of the mis...

1 month ago

1 hour 34 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Chayei Sarah: Sarah’s Years — A Peshat-Style Alternative to Rashi’s Midrashic Reading

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 9 minutes 8 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/13/25 titled: Chayei Sarah: Sarah’s Years — A Peshat-Style Alternative to Rashi’s Midrashic Reading. Rashi’s drash on Sarah’s 127 years is well known and conveys profound ideas, but I prefer a different style of drash, one that speaks in my language: pes...

1 month ago

9 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Prologue of Sefer Iyov - Part 2: Iyov's Profile (Iyov 1:1-5)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 4 minutes Synopsis: This morning (11/7/25), in our Friday morning Machshavah Lab series for women, we reviewed the first five pesukim and answered our questions based largely on the Malbim's commentary, setting the stage for the drama that unfolds in the remainder of Chapters 1-2. ----- מקורות: איוב א:א-יב מלבי"ם - איוה א:א-ה --- This week's Torah content is sponsored by Joey and Estee Lichter in commemoration of the ya...

2 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Vayeira: Maybe Lote Wasn’t the Bad Guy Rashi Makes Him Out to Be

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 15 minutes 19 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/7/25 titled: Vayeira: Maybe Lote Wasn’t the Bad Guy Rashi Makes Him Out to Be.In Rashi’s “world of midrash,” Lote’s the bad guy—but in the “world of peshat,” Radak paints a different picture. Which view is more compelling and relevant? ----- The Torah ...

2 months ago

16 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Avos 1:6 - Aseh Lecha Rav - Make a Teacher for Yourself (Part 1)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 29 minutes Synopsis: This evening (11/6/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we went back and learned the beginning of the mishnah we started last week. We spent most of the time mining the depths of Rashi on the first clause-and-half. We then moved on to Rambam and Rabbeinu Yonah, attempting to compare and contrast them to discern how much they overlapped ... but then I got tired because of the clock...

2 months ago

1 hour 29 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Prologue of Sefer Iyov - Part 1: Questions on Iyov 1:1-5 (Plus Rant About Rambam's 13 Ikkarim)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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's 13 ikkarim, as misunderstood by anti-Maimonideans and hyper-Maimonid...

2 months ago

1 hour 17 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Lech Lecha: Shadal on Jewish vs. Egyptian Circumcision

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 of years earlier. What do we make of this? Shadal offers a profound a...

2 months ago

9 minutes

Machshavah Lab

Avos 1:6 - Dan l'Chaf Zechus - Judge Each Person Favorably

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 the topic theoretically and practically, then this shiur will give you plent...

2 months ago

2 hours 1 minute

Machshavah Lab

Noach: Did All Humanity Really Speak One Language?

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! 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 this question in a distinct way. ----- The Torah content for the re...

2 months ago

16 minutes