Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 4/28/21) emerged from a machlokess Rishonim on how we should divide our learning time. Let's call it Rambam vs. Rabbeinu Tam, for simplicity's sake. Like it or not, most (if not all) of us have been raised in an educational model predominantly influenced by Rabbeinu Tam. Tonight's shiur is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of the entire sugya. Instead, I just want to showc...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 27 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In last week's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (4/23/21) we attempted to do something that, traditionally, we haven't been very good at: learning bekius (i.e. to cover ground). Since Parashas Kedoshim contains SO many fundamental mitzvos, I wanted to attempt to cover as many as possible, and in so doing, to demonstrate a paradigm for familiarizing oneself with mitzvos. We didn't get very far, but I hope we covered enough mitzvos to convey the gen...
Apr 23, 2021•46 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In last night's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 4/21/21) we took up a the controversial but important topic identified by the title. Since I have neither the qualifications nor the desire to tackle such a weighty issue on my own, I decided to read and discuss Rabbi Marc Shapiro's essay יש חיוב להאמין שהזוהר נכתב על ידי רבי שמעון בר יוחאי with my talmidim in yeshiva and to discuss its implications for our learning. We made it t...
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 23 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning's Sunday shiur (4/18/21 at YBT) was inspired by a Richard Feynman anecdote in which he recounts crisis which caused him to abandon Judaism as a kid. I believe that many Jewish educators are setting their students up for a similar crisis - a crisis I refer to as "Midrashic Betrayal." In this shiur I provide an overview of my understanding of the distinction between pshat and drash , and I present my six guidelines for learnin...
Apr 18, 2021•1 hr 38 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (4/16/21) was about the role of humor in Torah study, as reflected in a statement by Chazal. This shiur is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of the topic, or even a full analysis of this Gemara. Rather, as the name of this series - "Machshavah Lab" - implies, this was just an exploratory introduction to the topic. One might say that we were "playing" with the sugya. ---------- מקורות: קהלת ב:ב; ח:...
Apr 16, 2021•55 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 4/14/21) is a follow-up to our shiur on Shadal's Opposition to Philosophical Judaism (given at YBT on 4/9/21). At the end of that shiur I was asked, "What is Shadal's approach to Chumash?" I was disappointed that he didn't write a methodological introduction to his commentary on Chumash, but I was delighted to discover his methodological introduction to his commentary on Sefer Yeshayah...
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr 10 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This episode is an "audiobook style" reading of an article I wrote on August 4, 2015 entitled Mussar Without "Should"s and "Shouldn't"s . Click here to access the article on my blog. ---------- If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. ---------- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ra...
Apr 13, 2021•7 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (4/9/21) was intended to expand the horizons of my particular students, who (a) have been immersed in a largely Maimonidean Torah framework, and (b) have never been exposed to an anti-Maimonidean polemic. This shiur centered on Shadal's commentary on Devarim 6:5, about ahavas Hashem (love of God), which expressed a number of his criticisms of the philosophical approach to Judaism as taught by many of the Ri...
Apr 09, 2021•57 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Iyov class (4/7/20 at Lomdeha) we tackled one of the classic "spicy questions": Can God do the impossible? We examined four "no" answers: one based on logic, and the other three given by various meforshim (Rambam, Saadia Gaon, and the Sefer ha'Ikkarim). Some questions we left unanswered, but hopefully the lesson was sufficiently clear to convey the main points. I usually don't upload my Iyov shiurim as podcasts, but this topic...
Apr 07, 2021•54 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 43 minutes Synopsis: In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (3/19/21) we explored one of the most underappreciated themes of Pesach, namely, maror. People talk about the Egyptian slavery and oppression, but not the specific quality of "bitterness." In this shiur we utilize the best Chumash commentary in the entire world to arrive at our understanding of what this "bitterness" is, and why it is a central theme in Pesach. Not only that,...
Mar 19, 2021•45 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 42 minutes Synopsis: Yesterday a student asked "why chametz is such a big deal" (my words, not hers). In this morning's Jewish Ethics class (3/16/21 at Lomdeha) we answered this question by learning/reviewing an excerpt from "the famous Ramban at the end of Parashas Bo" in which he explains the significance of the signs and wonders that Hashem did for our forefathers when He took them out of Egypt, and importance of our preservat...
Mar 16, 2021•44 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! [Note: If you have not yet listened to Part 1 , it is critical that you listen to it first!] In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (3/12/21) we continued discussing the topic we raised last week, focusing on the last three out of the seven premises enumerated last time, with one final premise thrown in for good measure. All three premises are rooted in the Rambam's view on how Hashem works with human nature instead of against it, and a large...
Mar 12, 2021•50 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (3/11/21 at YBT) I made a mistake. I had a really rough week and was super exhausted. I knew I'd be able to give my Tehilim shiur, but I seriously considered cancelling my haggadah shiur. Unfortunately, my feelings of guilt got the better of me, and I pushed ahead anyway. Bad move. I could barely think during the shiur, and after around 35 minutes, I decided to call it quits. I thought about not uploading it at all, but I de...
Mar 12, 2021•39 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (3/10/21 at YBT) we continued learning through the Ritva's commentary on the Haggadah, focusing on Avadim Hayinu and the various halachos surrounding that portion of the text. ---------- מקורות: פירוש הריטב"א להגדה של פסח תלמוד בבלי פסחים דף קטז עמוד א ---------- If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. ---------- Patreon: https:...
Mar 10, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (3/5/21) we broached a broad, deep, and nuanced topic: what to make of the elements of Torah which seem to be obsolete, or worse. The goal of this shiur was to initiate the conversation and to present my own perspective on how to address such questions and problems. My "answer" involves seven premises about Torah: four of which were discussed in Part 1, and the remaining three of which will be discussed ...
Mar 05, 2021•1 hr 17 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (3/3/21 at YBT) we began our hagadah preparation for the year! We've chosen to focus on the Ritva (for reasons I explain at the beginning of the video), and we began learning his commentary from the beginning. He ended up providing a non-intuitive reading of Ha Lachma Anya which certainly gave us food for thought. We briefly read his commentary on Mah Nishtanah before concluding the shiur. ---------- מקורות: פירוש הריטב"א לה...
Mar 03, 2021•1 hr 16 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! I was about to sit down to reread an article I wrote on Purim two years ago (Purim 5779, 3/21/19) entitled Haman's Ancient Motive , when I thought to myself, "Why don't I just read it out loud, record it, and upload it as a podcast episode?" and so I did! If you're in the mood for 20-minute "audiobook style" shiur to get you into the mindset of Purim, here you go! Here's a link to the written version: https://kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/20...
Feb 25, 2021•21 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (2/19/21) we learned a pischa (or pesichta) - that is, a midrashic introduction to Megilas Esther. We explained the main idea of the midrash and how it serves as a thematic framework for reading the megilah, and we concluding by connecting this theme (albeit with a speculative theory) to the obligation to get drunk on Purim. For a written version of 80% of this shiur, check out my article entitled: Human...
Feb 21, 2021•51 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In tonight's Topics in Jewish Philosophy shiur (2/18/21 at YBT) I attempted to capture and articulate an epistemological upheaval I recently underwent, triggered by my binge-reading of Barry Lopez's award winning wildlife book "Of Wolves and Men" (1978). As I mention at the outset, I was hesitant to give this shiur because I was skeptical of how much value it would be to those who hadn't accompanied me on the wild journey of reading this...
Feb 19, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Note: This is essentially the same shiur I gave in my Rambam Bekius chavurah at YBT on 2/15/21 , but this one is slightly shorter, due to the length of the periods at Lomdeha. Also, I didn't mistakenly refer to the Riaz as the Rid in this shiur! This morning (2/16/21 at Lomdeha) we took up a side-quest: to defend the Rambam against a charge leveled by the Riaz (R' Yeshaya Acharon di'Trani). The Rambam famously held that one who believes ...
Feb 16, 2021•43 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Note: I initially gave this over at YBT as a Chumash Methodology shiur, but since I felt that the Lomdeha version was clearer, I replaced the earlier upload with this one. In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (2/12/21) we examined the question of how the Torah commands our emotions. I am of the opinion that the Torah NEVER commands us to feel or not feel a particular emotion. My view originated with the Ralbag's Introduction to Torah, which...
Feb 15, 2021•50 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This episode is an "audiobook style" reading of an article I wrote on July 2, 2014 entitled Seltzer Theories vs. Jam Theories . Click here to access the article on my blog and click here for a PDF version. ---------- If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. ---------- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss YouTube Channel: https://...
Feb 09, 2021•11 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (2/5/21) we continued our "guided reading" of Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman's book. In the last shiur we covered four out of six guidelines for how to respond to claims, questions, and problems raised by archeologists and scholars of ancient history against the historicity (and validity) of the Torah. In this shiur we tackled the remaining two, the last of which requires much nuance and caution. Link to Part 1...
Feb 05, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In this morning's Jewish Ethics class (2/4/21 at Lomdeha) we resumed our analysis of "know what to respond to an apikores (heretic)." After a brief review, we learned the commentaries of Rashi, Rambam, and Meiri and discussed their practical implications. ---------- מקורות: אבות ב:יד ---------- If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. -------...
Feb 04, 2021•39 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In this morning's Jewish Ethics class (2/2/21 at Lomdeha) we began learning the famous injunction "know what to respond to an apikores (heretic)." As usual, we began by raising all of the questions and problems we could think of, and then started to answer these questions on our own. Tomorrow we'll learn the meforshim. ---------- מקורות: אבות ב:יד ---------- If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Ple...
Feb 02, 2021•40 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In today's Lomdeha Friday Seminar (1/15/21) we tackled a treacherous but important topic: how to respond to claims, questions, and problems raised by archeologists and scholars of ancient history against the historicity (and validity) of the Torah. In this shiur I identify six guidelines to bear in mind when navigating these issues, three of which were covered today and the other three of which will (God willing) be covered when we retur...
Jan 15, 2021•46 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 1/13/21) we finished R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam's essay on the drashos of Chazal. We began by reviewing all five categories of drashah and the four categories of Talmudic anecdotes, raising a few questions and making some clarifications along the way. We then read the last category of Talmudic attitude and his conclusion to the treatise. According to R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam, we now h...
Jan 14, 2021•51 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! There's a reason why my Friday Lomdeha Seminar series is called "Machshavah Lab" - namely, because do experiments in machshavah! In this morning's shiur (1/8/21 at Lomdeha) we examined a "hidden" source in the Rambam, in which he hints at what turns out to be a very egalitarian stance on men and women in relation to their obligation in mitzvos. The first half of this shiur is factual, whereas the last 20 minutes are somewhat speculative....
Jan 08, 2021•57 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In tonight's Chumash Methodology shiur (given at YBT on 1/6/21) we continued R' Avraham ben ha'Rambam's essay on the midrashim of Chazal, beginning his classification of the four types of Talmudic anecdotes. Tonight we made it through the second, third, and fourth category of Talmudic anecdotes, attempting to "decode" some the examples he cited along the way. Next week should be our final installment in this series. Part 1: https://www.b...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! In this morning's shiur (1/1/21 at Lomdeha) we learned the views of five different meforshim on the incident involving Reuven and Bilhah and discussed the methodological implications for learning similar cases. ---------- מקורות: קהלת ז:כ בראשית מט:ג-ד בראשית לה:כב דברי הימים א' ה:א-ב תלמוד בבלי – שבת דף נה עמוד ב רש"י – בראשית לה:כב נצי״ב – בראשית לה:כב; מט:ד רד״ק בראשית לה:כב רמב"ן – בראשית לה:כב רלב"ג – בראשית מט:ד (תועלות) בראשית מב:...
Jan 01, 2021•1 hr 2 min
