Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 50 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (6/1/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we learned the final "fence" clause of our mishnah - one which I thought would be too uninteresting for a full shiur, but turned out to be eye-opening and practical in a way that was different from the other clauses. To spice things up even more, we also delved into the topic of emunas chachamim, which we linked back to this clause in our mishn...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 50 min•Season 12Ep. 24
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 16 minutes Synopsis: This is the audio recording of the event held in memory of Rabbi Moskowitz at YBT on Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5783 (5/21/23), on the occasion of his 1st yahrzeit. Here is a list of the speakers in order: - Rabbi Pesach Chait - Mrs. Leya Moskowitz - Racheli Zimmer - Rabbi Aaron Zimmer - Rabbi Leslie Ungar - Rabbi Howie Burstein (letter read by Leslie) - Ann Morhaime - Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman - Rabbi Dave Mark...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 12Ep. 23
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! One summer in the mid-2000s, Rabbi Moskowitz zt"l and I (and the other students who attended those shiurim during those weeks) worked out an approach to Eishes Chayil (a.k.a. Mishlei 31:10-31). This morning (5/21/23), in honor of his first yahrzeit, I presented his approach and our ideas on the entirety of Eishes Chayil. To listen to the original recordings, click here and locate N-135 and N-136. ----- מקורות: משלי לא:י-לא מאירי, מצודת ד...
May 21, 2023•1 hr 59 min•Season 12Ep. 22
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 3 minutes 56 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 5/19/23, entitled: Bamidbar: Moshe's Non-Biological Sons . Who were Moshe's sons? You may be tempted to answer, "Gershom and Eliezer" - but that's not what it says in Bamidbar's census. The answer given by the pesukim sheds light on what makes a good teacher. ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsor...
May 19, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 21
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 44 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/19/23), in our Friday morning Q&A, we took up three questions: (1) What are some guidelines for tefilah in a minyan which davens faster than you prefer? (2) Is it a mitzvah to speculate? (whatever that means) (3) What are we to make of the common narrative that the Torah is the ONLY path to happiness, and if someone claims to be happy without Torah, then they must be deluding themselves? -...
May 19, 2023•45 min•Season 12Ep. 20
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 38 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/18/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we tackled the topic of silence according to the Rambam - learning through his treatment of silence in the Mishneh Torah and in his commentary on the Mishnah - with the aim of understanding both Avos 3:17 and Avos 1:17 (which is the first mishnah to deal with this topic). Miraculously, we answered all of our questions, and gained a lot of insi...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 38 min•Season 12Ep. 19
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 11 minutes 23 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of an article I re-published on 5/15/23 (originally published on Kol ha'Seridim on 5/22/20) entitled: Bamidbar: The Terminal Bachelorhood of Nadav and Avihu . The deaths of Nadav and Avihu are recorded in Shemini, but Bamidbar adds one more clue to their story – a clue which is unpacked in the midrashim, and grants us a different perspec...
May 15, 2023•12 min•Season 12Ep. 18
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 56 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/12/23), in our SECOND Friday Q&A (this time, for women), we took up five questions: (1) What guidelines should govern our decision to partake in forms of entertainment which don't line up with Torah values? (2) To what extent is it our responsibililty to correct people who are mistaken? (3) At what point do you allow lashon ha'ra to color your view of a person? (4) How would one respond to...
May 12, 2023•57 min•Season 12Ep. 17
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/12/23), in our Friday Q&A, we took up four questions: (1) What are some ways to foster an interactive learning environment in a class, especially on Zoom? (2) How does one balance the "proper" allocation of learning time with the consideration of "a person should only learn where his heart desires"? (3) What is the greatest benefit you've gotten as a teacher ASIDE from the teaching and lea...
May 12, 2023•48 min•Season 12Ep. 16
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 14 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 5/12/23, entitled: Behar: The Prohibition to Free a Canaanite Slave . The Torah permits slavery. Many (including myself) hold that Judaism is philosophically anti-slavery. If so, why are we prohibited to free an eved Canaani ? Let me know what you think of my answer. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and ...
May 12, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 16
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 32 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/11/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we continued learning the mishnah we started last week. We began by reviewing, clarifying, and expanding upon the ideas we learned last week concerning "vows are a fence for detachment from worldly pleasures." Then we moved on to the clause about wealth - taking turns analyzing with our own minds and learning what the meforshim had to say. As ...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Season 12Ep. 15
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 6 pages Length of audio: 15 minutes 27 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of an article I re-published on 5/8/23 (originally published on Kol ha'Seridim on 6/3/16) entitled, Bechukosai: Why are Women Worth Less than Men? Fact: in this week's parashah, the Torah assigns greater monetary value to men than to women. Some might be tempted to jump to conclusions. This article models an alternative route: understand...
May 08, 2023•16 min•Season 12Ep. 14
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 15 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/5/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we learned - surprise surprise! - eight different explanations of shaatnez! We began with a simple methodological hack for learning about the reasons for mitzvos, and then we read through eight commentaries on shaatnez and attempted to extract clear understandings of how the mitzvah of shaatnez perfects us. I'm sure there are many more expl...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 12Ep. 13
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/5/23), in our Friday Q&A, we took up three(ish) questions: (1) To what extent should/may a rebbi - or teacher, parent, mentor, etc. - talk about their own personal struggles to help those whom they guide? (2) What are some guidelines for navigating workplace temptations involving members of the opposite sex? (3) To what extent should a person be open about their Judaism among non-Jewish co...
May 05, 2023•46 min•Season 12Ep. 12
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 16 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 5/5/23, entitled: Emor: Why Judaism Punishes Converts . The ending of this parashah has bothered me for years. Thanks to Sforno, Shadal, and Assyriology, I think I finally have an answer - one which sheds light on the Torah's radical stance towards gerim. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my other wri...
May 05, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 12
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 41 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/4/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we began learning a mishnah about five types of fences. After raising questions on the whole mishnah, we decided to focus solely on the clause about nedarim, as explained by Rabbeinu Yonah and the Rambam. We took a deep dive into what, exactly, is meant by "prishus" and whether Rabbeinu Yonah and the Rambam argue on that score. We also analyzed...
May 05, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Season 12Ep. 11
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4.5 pages Length of audio: 11 minutes 31 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of an article I re-published on 4/30/23 (originally published on Kol ha'Seridim on 5/8/20) entitled, Emor: Does Hashem Hate Unibrows? The answer is: Of course not! But then why does the Torah ban a Kohen with a unibrow from serving in Mikdash? Why does the Torah care about physical blemishes in Kohanim? What does this reflect about the...
Apr 30, 2023•12 min•Season 12Ep. 10
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 30 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/28/23, entitled: Kedoshim: Defining Rechilus (Gossip) . The prohibitions against lashon ha'ra and motzi shem ra are relatively easy to define, but the definition of rechilus has eluded me. This year I think I finally have a solid approach. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my other written content),...
Apr 28, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 9
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/28/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we took up a charged topic: arayos. The term "arayos" ("ervah" in singular) refers to the Biblically prohibited sexual relations that are liable for kareis (spiritual excision), including incest, bestiality, homosexual sodomy, adultery, and niddah. These prohibitions form the basis of what is colloquially referred to as the Torah's sexual ...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Season 12Ep. 8
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 48 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/28/23), in our Friday Q&A, we took up five questions: (1) In cases where you are pemitted to speak rechilus or lashon ha'ra, how can one minimize the harm to oneself? (2) What are the benefits of YBT? (3) How should one balance one's choice of work/income with learning? (4) What are the benefits of living in a Jewish community? (5) How can one tactfully justify one's own religiosity withou...
Apr 28, 2023•49 min•Season 12Ep. 7
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 30 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/27/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we learned a mishnah which struck us as different from the other mishnayos we've learned, presenting itself as a mix of etiquette guidelines, workplace advice, and general advice on how to get good results from human interactions. Nevertheless, we were able to get some really nice "Pirkei Avosey" ideas from it, accompanied by lots of real...
Apr 28, 2023•1 hr 31 min•Season 12Ep. 6
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 33 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/21/23, entitled: Tazria: Rambam's Explanation for Why Milah is Done on the Eighth Day . In my article, Lech Lecha: Is Circumcision Mutilation? I wrote about one facet of the Rambam's understanding of milah. This article is about his explanation for why milah is done at the young age of eight days. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my...
Apr 21, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 5
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 27 minutes Synopsis: Earlier this year, I was sent a list of questions about lashon ha'ra, and I began developing a shiur on what I think is a fundamentally different perspective of lashon ha'ra than what many of us currently have. Initially I was planning on giving that shiur today, but I realized that perhaps we are all in need of a review of the BASICS before we're ready for a NEW perspective. This morning (4/21/23), in...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 12Ep. 4
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 21 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/21/23), in our shorter-than-usual Friday Q&A (both because we started late and because I didn't record the last question), we took up three questions: (1) What's the deal with davening for a refuah for other people? (2) Why was Avraham Avinu concerned with his legacy after death, and how does this differ from Koheles's attitude towards legacy? (3) What do we make of "coinicdences" in learn...
Apr 21, 2023•22 min•Season 12Ep. 3
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 54 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/20/23), in our Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur, we tackled a mishnah which was quite intimidating in its scope and the weightiness of its topic: Olam ha'Ba, and how to lose it. In order to drown in a sea of different opinions, we focused on understanding this mishnah according to the Rambam (with a little help from his friends). Miraculously, we ended up answering nearly all of our que...
Apr 21, 2023•1 hr 55 min•Season 12Ep. 2
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 19 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/14/23, entitled: Shemini - Why Can't We Eat Bugs? Sometimes I tackle topics that are too broad or deep for a 1-page article. This was one of those times. Still, I hope that the question and briefly stated answer at least provide food for thought. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my other written content), be sure to subscribe (for f...
Apr 15, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 1
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 8 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/10/23, entitled: Jewish Pedagogy: On Asking Stupid Questions . Some say "there's no such thing as a stupid question." In this article I explain why I disagree, why I think such a message is detrimental for students, and what our Mesorah teaches as an alternative. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my other written content), be sure to ...
Apr 10, 2023•5 min•Season 11Ep. 35
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 10 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/5/23, entitled: Memento Mori and True Human Empathy at the Seder . One of the most underappreciated themes of Pesach - and one of the most universal ones - is subtly reflected in two minhagim, both of which involve reflections on mortality and what it means to live. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my other written content), be sure...
Apr 05, 2023•5 min•Season 11Ep. 34
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 26 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/4/23, entitled: Avadim Hayinu: Would We Still Be Slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt? Ordinarily I don't write up such speculative answers, but this question has been bothering me for so long that I decided to share the best two answer I have in hopes that it'll generate discussion. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my other written content),...
Apr 04, 2023•5 min•Season 11Ep. 33
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 4 minutes 6 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 4/3/23, entitled: Arbaah Banim: The Alternate Version of the Wise and Simple Sons . If you're looking for a discussion catalyst at your seder on the Arbaah Banim, consider bringing up the OTHER answers we give to the wise and simple sons. I guarantee you that discussion will ensue. If you enjoy these 1-page articles (and my other written cont...
Apr 03, 2023•5 min•Season 11Ep. 32
