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The Tefilah Podcast

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

243 episodes

6 days ago

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 15 minutes Synopsis: This evening (12/24/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we learned through the Radak's commentary a second time, refining our understanding of the main idea we developed by trying to discern every phrase in every pasuk. We may not have figured out every single nuance, but I am SUPER happy with how our analysis turns out. THIS three-part series is what it looks like to successfully learn a pe...

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Society & Culture,

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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 15 minutes Synopsis: This evening (12/24/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we learned through the Radak's commentary a second time, refining our understanding of the main idea we developed by trying to discern every phrase in every pasuk. We may not have figured out every single nuance, but I am SUPER happy with how our analysis turns out. THIS three-part series is what it looks like to successfully learn a pe...

Show more...

Religion & Spirituality,

Society & Culture,

Episodes (20/243)

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 30: Mizmor Shir Chanukas ha'Bayis le'David (Part 3 - Complete Radak Analysis)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 15 minutes Synopsis: This evening (12/24/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we learned through the Radak's commentary a second time, refining our understanding of the main idea we developed by trying to discern every phrase in every pasuk. We may not have figured out every single nuance, but I am SUPER happy with how our analysis turns out. THIS three-part series is what it looks like to successfully learn a pe...

2 weeks ago

1 hour 15 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 30: Mizmor Shir Chanukas ha'Bayis le'David (Part 2 - Radak's Approach)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 11 minutes Synopsis: This evening (12/17/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began with a quick review, then made it our mission to learn through the entire commentary of the Radak. Thankfully, he states his main idea at the very beginning, so we were able to see how he develops it in his commentary on each pasuk. We went a bit overtime so that we could finish it, and although we didn't quite manage to tie it...

3 weeks ago

1 hour 11 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 30: Mizmor Shir Chanukas ha'Bayis le'David (Part 1 - Translation and First Impressions)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 6 minutes Synopsis: This evening (12/10/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we (read: I) decided that we needed a break from the "Kabbalas Shabbos" series we've been learning. Since Chanukah is right around the corner, we took up the Shir shel Yom of Chanukah, which many people also recite every day. The translation took a bit more effort, so we didn't have a ton of time to develop our theories. Still, we had a ...

1 month ago

1 hour 6 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 98: ANOTHER New Song?!

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour Synopsis: This evening (12/3/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we experienced a small miracle: we learned an entire perek in one sitting! It helped that this chapter clearly builds on the previous two, although that created its own challenge. This one was so similar to the last two that the similarities made our work both easier and harder. By zeroing in on the differences, the main idea emerged, and it ended ...

1 month ago

1 hour 2 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 97: Hashem Malach Tageil ha'Aretz (Part 2: Main Idea)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour Synopsis: This evening (11/26/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we completed our analysis of Tehilim 97. After reviewing what we covered last time in 97 and the ideas we developed in 96, we focused in on the central problems, all of which were in the last three pesukim. Turns out, they held the key for unlocking the entire thing. Not only did we emerge with a meaningful set of insights, but they even connected...

1 month ago

1 hour 1 minute

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 97: Hashem Malach Tageil ha'Aretz (Part 1: Translation, Questions, and Opening Moves)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Tehilim 97: Hashem Malach Tageil ha'Aretz (Part 1: Translation, Questions, and Opening Moves) Length: 1 hour 6 minutes Synopsis: This evening (11/12/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began the next perek in (what we're unofficially calling) the "Kabbalat Shabbat series." I don't know about you, but whenever I've read this one in the past, it's kinda felt more or less like a repetition of the previous one. Well, NOT ANYMO...

1 month ago

1 hour 6 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 96: Shiru la'Shem Shir Chadash (Part 2: Our Approach)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 3 minutes Synopsis: This evening (11/5/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we had something of a “do-over” of last week’s session, which didn’t record because of a hardware failure. Thankfully, this version turned out far better! We managed to explain the entire perek and address all four of our major Tehilim methodology questions. Although we won’t get to go through the perek with one of the meforshim this time...

2 months ago

1 hour 3 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Kavanah Primer: Avos (1st Berachah of the Amidah)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 2 hours 6 minutes Synopsis: The halachah states: “One who davens must have kavanah during all the berachos, but if one is unable to have kavanah in all of them, one should at least have kavanah in Avos” (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 101:1). Last year, in my Machshavah Lab tefilah shiurim for women, I gave an eleven-part series aimed at elucidating each word of the berachah of Avos based on the classical meforshim (1/3/25–5/16...

2 months ago

2 hours 6 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 96: Shiru la'Shem Shir Chadash (Part 1: Translation and Questions)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 2 minutes Synopsis: This evening (10/22/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began the next perek in our "Tehilim we say at Kabbalas Shabbos" series. This one was very ... "Tehilimmy"! As usual, we spent the bulk of the first session translating the perek with all its nuances. I couldn't help but add my commentary as to why this part of the process is so important. We then began our analysis and identified som...

2 months ago

1 hour 3 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

How to Use the Preface to the Vidui Yom ha'Kippurim

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (10/1/25), in place of our Morning Mishlei shiur, we attempted to understand the preface to the Vidui Yom ha'Kippurim: what are we saying, and why? Drawing on the Rambam's framework for teshuvah, we developed an approach that will unlock a new level of functionality in the vidui, for those who follow through. --- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה א:א; ב:ח; ג:א; ו:ג-ד; ז:ז רמב"ם...

3 months ago

48 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 95: Lechu Neranena (Part 2)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 58 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/17/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we (read: I) realized that we're going to miss the next FOUR Wednesdays on account of the Moadim! Given that consideration, I decided to expedite our usual process and attempt to arrive at a main idea and practical takeaway TONIGHT instead of developing an approach with meforshim over the course of two sessions. Thankfully, I believe we succeeded! W...

3 months ago

58 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 95: Lechu Neranena (Part 1)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 56 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/10/25), in our first Wednesday night Tehilim shiur of the 2025-2026 season, we began Tehilim 95, a.k.a. the first perek in Kabbalas Shabbos. I didn't choose it because of Kabbalas Shabbos (though it's always nice to learn perakim we're already somewhat familiar with), but because I noticed during Kabbalas Shabbos last week how many of the perakim deal with Malchus Hashem (God's Kingship). Since...

4 months ago

57 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 123: Shir ha'Maalos for When We're Scorned by the Nations

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 1 minute Synopsis: Tonight (6/4/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we started and finished (?) an extremely short perek about an unfortunately relevant topic: How should we approach Hashem when we, the Jewish people, are held in contempt by the nations of the world in our exile? Since this perek only had four pesukim, we managed to conduct a full analysis and arrive at some beautiful and practical ideas. ...

7 months ago

1 hour 2 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Sforno on Tehilim 45: Philosophy as the Ticket Out of Galus (Part 3)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 57 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/28/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we concluded our experimental learn-through of Sforno and R' Elia di Nola on our perek. We began by clarifying Sforno’s nuanced take on Torah u’Mada, then explored his view of the role Moshiach will play in educating humanity. We wrapped up with a summary of the perek’s purpose, the flow of the four Bnei Korach maskilim we've studied over the ...

7 months ago

57 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Sforno on Tehilim 45: Philosophy as the Ticket Out of Galus (Part 2)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 57 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/21/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we continued our experiment of learning through Sforno (and R' Elia di Nola) on Tehilim 45! After a recap and a re-pitch of the perek, we continued on, making past the pivot point into the next section. It was ... interesting! We definitely gained some ideas about how to engage in debate, as well as a unique model of Torah u'Mada that I've never see...

7 months ago

57 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Amidah Analysis: Avos (Part 11) Melech, Ozer, u'Moshia, u'Magen. Baruch Atoh Hashem, Magein Avraham

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Synopsis: This Friday morning (5/16/25), in our tefilah-focused Machshavah Lab series for women, we finished our analysis of the first berachah! Not that anyone can truly finish it, but we completed THIS round. After a quick review, we spent the bulk of the time analyzing the penultimate clause in the berachah, and rode that momentum through the conclusion. I'll probably do one more recording to summarize ev...

7 months ago

1 hour 30 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Amidah Analysis: Avos (Part 10) v'Zocher Chasdei Avos etc.

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 2 minutes Synopsis: This Friday morning (5/9/25), in our tefilah-focused Machshavah Lab series for women, we took up the entire clause: וְזוֹכֵר חַסְדֵי אָבוֹת, וּמֵבִיא גוֹאֵל לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם, לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ בְּאַהֲבָה. My understanding, based largely on the Tur, is that this multi-part sentence conveys a unified idea - one I hope we managed to unpack in our analysis. All we have left in the berachah is the penultima...

8 months ago

1 hour 2 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Sforno on Tehilim 45: Philosophy as the Ticket Out of Galus (Part 1)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 58 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/7/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we did something experimental. Instead of learning the next perek the way we usually do, entirely from the ground up, we started with the commentary of Sforno (and that of his student, R' Elia di Nola) and focused on THEIR approach. (I explain my reasons for doing this at the beginning of the shiur.) We finished their introduction and got a few pesuk...

8 months ago

58 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Amidah Analysis: Avos (Part 9) MEGA REVIEW plus v'Koneh ha'Kol

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 7 minutes Synopsis: This past Friday morning (5/2/25), in our tefilah-focused Machshavah Lab series for women, we began with a 12-minute mega-review of the main ideas for each phrase in the first berachah up until v'Koneh ha'Kol. We then analyzed that phrase and emerged with three interpretations based on three Rishonim (along with a half-baked idea from the Rambam). Next time (בג"ה), we'll move on to v'zocher chasdei ...

8 months ago

1 hour 8 minutes

The Tefilah Podcast

Tehilim 44: Lamnatzeiach li'Vnei Korach Maskil (Part 2 - Refining of the Theory)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 58 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (4/30/25), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we finished the perek! This was due, in part, to the fact that I didn't have my usual chavrusa this week AND didn't have time to prepare shiur. Nevertheless, we reviewed what we did last time and refined the theory I came up with, running it through the whole perek and bringing it down to the level of the practical. We found support in Saadia Gaon a...

8 months ago

59 minutes