Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! I'm sharing this recording on all five of my podcasts, regardless of their subject matter, because Rabbi Moskowitz is responsible for all the Torah I learn and teach. This is the audio of the eulogy I gave for my beloved rebbi, Rabbi Morton Moskowitz zt"l on Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5782 (May 30th, 2022). For the video, click here . I plan on typing up the transcript of the abridged version of the eulogy (which is the one I gave), as well...
May 30, 2022•10 min
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/27/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we examined the very strange dialogue between Naomi, Orpah, and Rus. The major question we had was: What was Naomi trying to accomplish here? Thanks to the Ralbag's commentary, backed by the Rambam's presentation of the halachos, we were able to make sense of Naomi's words and actions AND we gained insight into (ahem) Judaism's nuanced attitude towards converts. We even ad...
May 27, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 8Ep. 11
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This is the same shiur I uploaded to my Tefilah podcast, but since more people subscribe to Machshavah Lab, I wanted to upload it here as well. About an hour before I was scheduled to give shiur tonight (5/26/22), I received the terrible news that my rebbi - Rabbi Moskowitz (Meir ben Esther Malka) - will no longer be able to continue dialysis. Because I couldn't manage to take my mind off of the imminent implications of this, I decided t...
May 27, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 8Ep. 10
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (5/25/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began concluded (for now) our learning of the Abravanel's hidden miniature treatise (in Parashas Shelach) on kareis, in which he surveys all the views of his predecessors and expresses his objections to them. In this final installment we learn through the Abravanel's own view, along with his proofs and refutations of the objections. We raised some of our own objections,...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 8Ep. 9
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/20/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, I gave an experimental shiur about hashgachah. It would be great to give a shiur on how hashgachah pratis, reward and punishment, and Divine justice work. The problem is that these topics are WAY too broad and WAY too deep and WAY too beyond my knowledge level. However, there are many statements of Chazal which seem to presuppose that the average Jew WILL be able to frame ...
May 20, 2022•1 hr 46 min•Season 8Ep. 8
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (5/18/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began continued learning the Abravanel's hidden miniature treatise (in Parashas Shelach) on kareis, in which he surveys all the views of his predecessors and expresses his objections to them, and then presents his own view. After reviewing opinions #1-3, we then learned opinions #4-6, along with the Abravanel's objections to them, plus our objections to his objections. ...
May 19, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 8Ep. 7
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/13/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we had an experimental shiur on the topic of "emunas chachamim." First we defined the quality of emunas chachamim based on R' Yitzchak Kanpanton's methodology sefer. We then compared and contrasted his approach to some of the ideas written about by Ralph Waldo Emerson in his speech, "The American Scholar." Judging by the discussion we had, this exercise resulted in some ni...
May 13, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 8Ep. 6
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (5/11/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began learning the Abravanel's hidden miniature treatise (in Parashas Shelach) on kareis, in which he surveys all the views of his predecessors and expresses his objections to them, and then presents his own view. Tonight we made it through the first three views: (1) Saadia Gaon and Ibn Ezra, (2) Rashi, and (3) Tosafos. We have three more views to go before we get to th...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/8/22), in my last YBT Sunday Shiur of the season, I shared three "new" (to me) explanations for why the Torah commands us to count the omer. I found all three explanations in a commentary which is not widely learned, which is why I'm fairly confident that these ideas will be new to others as well. In addition to understanding these taamei ha'mitzvos on a theoretical level, we will also attempt to find ways to make the ide...
May 08, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Season 8Ep. 4
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (5/6/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we went over three insights I recently had into birkas ha'zman (i.e. shehecheyanu). The first is a basic but beautiful pshat from the Kuzari. The second is an insight I had over Pesach into the unique role played by the shehecheyanu we say at the end of kiddush at the seder. The third is an answer given by the Rav to the question: Why don't we say shehecheyanu on sefiras ha...
May 06, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 8Ep. 3
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 56 minutes Synopsis: This evening (5/4/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we continued our analysis of the Torah's initial presentation of the shalosh regalim to Klal Yisrael. After attempting to infer whatever we could on our own, we enlisted the Ibn Ezra, the Ralbag, and the Abravanel for guidance - and they delivered! Although we didn't explain EVERYTHING, we at least came up with a working theory about the foundat...
May 05, 2022•58 min•Season 8Ep. 2
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 58 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/27/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we began a minor project within a major project. The major project is to understand the mitzvos related to Shavuos as presented by Torah she'bi'Chsav. We were going to start with Emor and Re'eh, where those mitzvos are stated, but we figured it would make sense to begin with the Torah's first presentation of the shalosh regalim, which occurs in...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 8Ep. 1
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Etzba Elohim: The Finger of WHICH God? Most people assume that Egypt first acknowledged Hashem's involvement during the third plague, when Paroh's sorcerers said, "it is the finger of God!" But not everyone agrees. It all depends on who they were talking about when they said "God." ---------- The content on this podcast has been sponsored by my Patrons on Patreon...
Apr 15, 2022•5 min•Season 7Ep. 25
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Tzfarde'a: The Plague that Lasted Forever , which examines two minority opinions on tzfarde'a - that of the Abravanel and the Sforno, both of whom learn that tzfarde'a involved crocodiles (not frogs) and that the effects of the plague were designed to last forever. ---------- The content on this podcast has been sponsored by my Patrons on Patreon. The total cost ...
Apr 14, 2022•5 min•Season 7Ep. 24
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Even If We Are All Wise, Understanding, Elders, Those Who Know Torah , which attempts to elucidate the four levels (or five?) that are referenced in Avadim Hayinu, as explained by the Rashbatz. ---------- The content on this podcast has been sponsored by my Patrons on Patreon. The total cost of maintaining my five podcasts in 2021 amounted to over $2000 - all of ...
Apr 13, 2022•6 min•Season 7Ep. 23
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote entitled, Chad Gadya: A New Song with an Ancient Theme , in which I state my take on the main idea of this popular song. ---------- The content on this podcast has been sponsored by my Patrons on Patreon. The total cost of maintaining my five podcasts in 2021 amounted to over $2000 - all of which would have come out of my own pocket were it not for your generosity. Thank y...
Apr 12, 2022•5 min•Season 7Ep. 22
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 14 minutes Synopsis: Last week I gave an "NR" shiur on a pervasive FALSE explanation of what we mean when we call Hashem "Ha'Makom." (That shiur isn't available online, but if you want a link to the video, let me know and I'll send it to you.) This evening (4/7/22), in our tefilah shiur, we attempted to arrive at a TRUE understanding - one which is consistent with the yesodei ha'Torah, the Mesorah, and reason. I believe we...
Apr 08, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 7Ep. 21
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This shiur was given in my Rambam Bekius chavurah, but it ended up being a Chumash Exploration, so I'm posting it here. This afternoon (4/7/22), in our Rambam Bekius chavurah, we had PLANNED to finish Hilchos korban Pesach. Instead, we took up a tangential question we raised yesterday: What's going on in the short episode involving Tziporah and Bris Milah? We were led here by the Rambam's halachos about the prohibition of an uncircumcise...
Apr 07, 2022•55 min•Season 7Ep. 20
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! I gave this shiur as part of my Rambam Bekius chavurah, but it was sufficiently fundamental and "standalone" to warrant posting in Machshavah Lab as well. This afternoon (4/5/22), in our Rambam Bekius chavurah, we were GOING to finish Hilchos Korban Pesach Chapter 9, but Yosef asked a question which was far more important: What is avodas Hashem? Since this is Rambam Bekius, we focused on the Rambam's answer, as expressed in the two place...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr•Season 7Ep. 19
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (4/1/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we did a non-halachic Pesach Q&A. All the questions asked were thought-provoking, and our discussions covered a lot of ground as far as seder-prep goes. If you have more (non-halachic!) questions before Pesach, feel free to contact me! ---------- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:ד הגדה של פסח ערוך השולחן: אורח חיים תנג:ד-ה רמב"ם - ספר המצוות, עשה ק...
Apr 01, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 7Ep. 18
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (3/25/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we concluded our series on the question, "How should we relate to Rabbinic laws vs. Torah laws?" After a quick review of the Ran's answer, we learned whatever we were able to learn from the Ran's three counterarguments to the question he raised, followed by the answer he cited in the name of Rabbeinu Yonah. We concluded the shiur with a summary of the three-part answer to ...
Mar 25, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 7Ep. 17
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 5 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/23/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we took up a very basic question: Why did Hashem redeem us from Egypt? Most of us would answer, "Because He said He would in the Bris Bein ha'Besarim (Covenant Between the Parts)." But not Sforno! And even if we look at the pesukim without Sforno, the answer is not simply "because He said He would in the bris." In tonight's shiur we go th...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 7Ep. 16
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (3/11/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we continued our quest to answer the question, "How should we relate to Rabbinic laws vs. Torah laws?" Last week we focused on the question: "How can the Ran say that the main reward for Torah is from the Rabbinic laws?" Last week we discussed the Ran's statement that because Klal Yisrael "voluntarily" accepted Rabbinic mitzvos upon themselves, then they deserve greater re...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 7Ep. 13
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (3/9/22), in lieu of our usual "Chumash Exploration," we continued our Purim topic from last week. After reviewing our facts and questions, I shared my partially-developed-but-still-incomplete approach, which was based on the Abravanel's commentary on Daniel. We ended up developing this into an idea which we felt explained around 90% of the midrash, but didn't QUITE feel complete. The good news is that we emerged with a deep...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 7Ep. 12
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (3/4/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we continued our quest to answer the question, "How should we relate to Rabbinic laws vs. Torah laws?" After an extensive review of Part 1, which included some new points and clarifications, we moved into the "initial answer" phase to the question: "How can the Ran say that the main reward for Torah is from the Rabbinic laws?" We gave our own answers and then learned his. T...
Mar 04, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 7Ep. 11
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (3/2/22), in lieu of our usual "Chumash Exploration," we decided to take up a Purim topic. The midrash in Megilah 12a deals with the question of why the Jews at the time of the Purim story (seemingly) liable for destruction. The answer takes us back to an event recorded in Sefer Daniel. The midrash is perplexing in a number of ways, but since it promises to shed light on the entire Purim salvation, I've long desired to under...
Mar 03, 2022•54 min•Season 7Ep. 10
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (2/25/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we began a new topic, prompted by the following question that was sent to me: "What is the impetus for one to follow Halachos d'Rabbanan? When I am sitting alone at night in the privacy of my home, what should motivate me not to eat chicken with cheese?" In today's shiur, Part 1 of the series, we laid the groundwork by reviewing, on a factual level, the scope and nature of...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 7Ep. 9
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This evening (2/23/22), in our aptly named "Chumash Exploration," we continued learning the Sefer ha'Chinuch's introduction to Mikdash. After reviewing what we covered last time, we learned the Sefer ha'Chinuch's explanation of Seir l'Azazel, which we compared and contrasted with the Rambam's in the Moreh ha'Nevuchim, and with the Sefer ha'Chinuch's explanation of the Avodas Yom ha'Kippurim. Although there's more left in this mitzvah, we...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 7Ep. 8
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! The full title of this YBT Sunday Shiur (given on 2/20/22) is "Midrashic Embellishment: Why Did Chazal Villainize 'the Bad Guys' and Vindicate 'the Good Guys' and What are the Educational Implications for Us?" It is a sequel to the shiur I gave on 4/18/21 entitled: " Midrashic Betrayal: the Detrimental Effects of the Failure to Distinguish Between Pshat and Drash ." You are advised to watch (or, bedieved, listen to) that shiur before thi...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 58 min•Season 7Ep. 7
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (2/18/22), in our "Machshavah Lab" series for women, we concluded our multi-part series on R' Akiva's loaded-with-fundamental-ideas-about-human-existence statement in Pirkei Avos. After reviewing ALL the facts and ideas from Parts 1 and 2 and learning Chazal's statements about erech apayim which were cited by the Rambam, we arrived at The Main Idea: a new way of viewing human existence which has a practical impact on how we ...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 7Ep. 6
