Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 12 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/8/23, entitled: Nitzavim: What Would Teshuvah Look Like If It Were Easy? This may very well be the most radical idea about teshuvah I've ever written about. I'm not even certain that it's correct, but if it is, it's a game-changer. I'd love to hear what you t...
Sep 08, 2023•9 min•Season 14Ep. 5
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 45 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/5/23, entitled: Ki Tavo: Lone Learning vs. Group Learning . In this (late) dvar Torah article, we examine a drashah from Chazal about the superiority of group-learning, as interpreted by the Maharal with some help from Ralbag and Maharsha. ----- The Torah Con...
Sep 05, 2023•10 min•Season 14Ep. 4
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 6 minutes 48 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/3/23, entitled: Some Thoughts on Rabbi Moskowitz's Unveiling . I was unable to attend the Hakamas Matzeivah (Unveiling) of my rebbi, Rabbi Morton Moskowitz zt"l, but here are my personal thoughts on the inscription and the timing of the event in my own life. ...
Sep 03, 2023•8 min•Season 14Ep. 3
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 6 minutes 23 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/25/23, entitled: Ki Teitzei: Ramban - On Cruelty to Animals . What are we to make of the halachos and principles in the Torah which are geared towards the humane treatment of animals? In this article we examine the Ramban's view, with some input from Rambam. ...
Aug 25, 2023•7 min•Season 14Ep. 2
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of audio: 47 minutes Synopsis: Have you been what I'll be up to this coming year? Have you heard me allude to a MAJOR update that I said I'd announce about my professional life in the near future? Are you aware of one of these updates, but not the other? Well, if none of this interests you, then by all means, feel free to skip this. But if you are at all curious about my exciting plans for 2023-2024, then here is the FULL story. I...
Aug 23, 2023•48 min•Season 14Ep. 1
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 20 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/18/23, entitled: Shoftim: Trusting Hashem in Poverty and Jurisprudence . The last mishnah in Peah compares the bitachon of a poor person who refuses tzedakah to that of a judge who adjudicates truthfully. What does this mean? To answer, we must understand wha...
Aug 18, 2023•9 min•Season 13Ep. 16
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/11/23, entitled: Re’eh: The Meaning of Mixing Milk and Meat for a Modern Maimonidean . According to the Rambam, there are many mitzvos which were commanded in order to uproot idolatrous beliefs and practices. How do we find meaning in these today? Here are fo...
Aug 11, 2023•9 min•Season 13Ep. 15
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 18 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/4/23, entitled: Eikev: When Avodah Zarah Works (and Why) . How does Judaism account for miracles done for and by the practitioners of other religions? My favorite answer is given by Sforno, Rambam, and R' Akiva - one which raises a major question for us Jews....
Aug 04, 2023•9 min•Season 13Ep. 14
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 7 minutes 51 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/28/23, entitled: Vaeschanan: Mezuzah – Caffeine for the Soul . If you're in the mood for a weird, homiletical, practical, scientific, quasi-Maimonidean explanation of how a mezuzah is supposed to work, then have I got a dvar Torah for you! ----- The Torah con...
Jul 28, 2023•9 min•Season 13Ep. 13
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This afternoon (7/27/23), immediately after my Tishah b'Av shiur on Kinnah #11, we initiated a new shiur/chavurah on a midrash about the sin that destroyed the city of Beitar. After analyzing that midrash, we compared it to the Gemara's view of which sin destroyed Beitar. We took up a few more topics and questions after that, but then my body signaled to me that after giving 5.5 hours of shiur over the course of Tishah b'Av morning and a...
Jul 28, 2023•1 hr 33 min•Season 13Ep. 12
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! This morning (7/27/23), after giving over my annual Tishah b'Av shiur at Shevet Achim (a.k.a. The Island Synagogue), I gave it over again on Zoom. This year's focus was Kinnah #11, which (I argue) is a contender for one of the most important kinnos, since it was instituted by none other than Yirmiyahu himself, a couple of decades prior to the destruction of the Beis ha'Mikdash. This kinnah required a considerable amount of background inf...
Jul 28, 2023•2 hr 19 min•Season 13Ep. 11
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 7 pages Length of the audio: 23 minutes 56 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 7-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/25/23, entitled: The Sin of Columbus, Yehoyakim, and American Jewry . This article began as 4th of July musings about Columbus which illuminated my understanding of Yehoyakim, then morphed into a reflection on our values as American Jews in preparation for T...
Jul 25, 2023•25 min•Season 13Ep. 10
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 3 pages Length of the audio: 10 minutes 2 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/23/23, entitled: Devarim: The Idolatry of Showing Favoritism in Judgment . If you think you know what the Torah means when it says, "Do not show favoritism in judgment," then either think again, or explain it to me! According to Chazal, this is NOT an intuiti...
Jul 21, 2023•11 min•Season 13Ep. 9
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 7 minutes 27 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/17/23, entitled: No Excuses in Talmud Torah: Ralbag’s Conclusion to Sefer Bamidbar . Have you ever made excuses for not teaching or learning? I know I have. You know who didn't? The Ralbag, Rambam, Rema, and many others. We can learn from them, and probably s...
Jul 17, 2023•8 min•Season 13Ep. 8
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 4 pages Length of the audio: 12 minutes 32 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/12/23, entitled: Freddie Mercury, Shadal, and the Crisis of Human Finitude . What do Freddie Mercury and Shadal have in common? And what does this have to do with us? More than one might imagine. I'm certainly speaking for myself, but I hope I'm speaking for...
Jul 12, 2023•13 min•Season 13Ep. 7
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of the article: 2 pages Length of the audio: 8 minutes 21 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/7/23, entitled: Pinchas: The Biological Kohen (and Why I Identify as a Levi) . The article I spent all of 17th of Tammuz writing didn't come together, so I churned out this one in 3.5 hours. It's a bit more meandering and associative than usual, but I hope it...
Jul 07, 2023•9 min•Season 13Ep. 6
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 31 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/5/23, entitled: 17th of Tammuz 5783: Which Tamid Ceased (Part 1: Questions) . I came up with some juicy questions on this topic, but no answers. I wrote up these questions and am sharing them on the 16th of Tammuz hoping we can find answers by (or on) the 17th. ----- ...
Jul 06, 2023•5 min•Season 13Ep. 5
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 7 minutes 8 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/3/23, entitled: Become the Best by Accepting that You Aren’t . I was recently asked how I integrate Torah and movies/TV - but that's not why I wrote this article. I wrote it because I can't stop thinking of this scene from The Bear , and its Torah implications. ----- ...
Jul 03, 2023•8 min•Season 13Ep. 4
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3 pages Length of audio: 11 minutes 5 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/30/23, entitled: Chukas: Ultra-Pure Cave Babies, Taylor Swift, and Enriched Uranium . In this article (which needed more than a single page to do it justice) we explore the rationale behind some of the strangest laws of Parah Adumah - strange enough to warrant an equ...
Jun 30, 2023•12 min•Season 13Ep. 3
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 7 pages Length of audio: 19 minutes 48 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 7-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/28/23, entitled On Why I Value 18Forty and the Orthodox Conundrum Podcasts . My two favorite Jewish podcasts are 18Forty (Rabbi David Bashevkin) and the Orthodox Conundrum (Rabbi Scott Kahn). The writings of Barry Lopez helped me realize what I value in their work. ...
Jun 28, 2023•21 min•Season 13Ep. 2
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 7 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/23/23, entitled: Korach: To Guard and Revere the Mikdash . In my ongoing effort to mine this parashah for topics OTHER than the saga of Korach, I've decided to take up a difficult question about an obscure topic. My thanks to Rabbi Yoni Sacks for his insight. ----- Thi...
Jun 23, 2023•5 min•Season 13Ep. 1
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 11 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 6/16/23, entitled: Shelach: That Time the Letter Yod Pleaded Before Hashem . I never know where an article will end up once I begin writing. This one began as an analysis of a midrash about Yehoshua's name, but ended up being a humbling lesson in the methodology of midrash. ----- This week's Torah content h...
Jun 16, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 33
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 15 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/9/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we attempted to answer as many of the questions we raised last time as possible. This time we focused on the approach of the Ralbag - well, at least, the approach we managed to tease out of the few comments where addressed our questions. What emerged was a more nuanced view of portrait of the nazir than what many of us previously knew. I ha...
Jun 09, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 12Ep. 32
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 50 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/9/23), in our last Friday morning Q&A of the year, we took up six questions: (1) How does a person balance their mission in life as a Jew and a human being with their mission as an individual? (2) To what extent is work a lechatchila or a bedieved? (3) If you'll be attending consecutive weddings, how can you maximize being joyful and present at each? (4) What are some guidelines for teachi...
Jun 09, 2023•51 min•Season 12Ep. 31
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 46 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 6/9/23, entitled: Behaalosecha: The Shechinah Isn't a Dog Person . I am not a dog person. I have no problem with dog people UNLESS they're insensitive to those who aren't dog people. According to Chazal, the shechinah has my back. Take heed, O dog people! ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored b...
Jun 09, 2023•6 min•Season 12Ep. 30
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 12 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (6/8/23), in our last Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur of the season, we learned that God "loves" all human beings, but He loves Israel more, and may love certain members of Israel even more than that. Tonight we relied exclusively on the Sforno as our guide. By learning his commentaries on Avos, Bereishis, and Devarim, we were able to arrive at an understanding which was clear, practical, and ...
Jun 09, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 12Ep. 29
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 7 pages Length of audio: 16 minutes 1 second Synopsis: This is the audio version of an article I re-published on 6/7/23 (originally published on Kol ha'Seridim on 6/1/18) entitled: Behaalosecha: Moshe's View of Miracles . There's an uncomfortable moment when Moshe seems to question Hashem's Omnipotence. This article unpacks the Ran's explanation of that incident, and its implications for our understanding of miracles. ...
Jun 07, 2023•17 min•Season 12Ep. 28
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 23 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote on 6/2/23, entitled: Naso: Confessing to an Omnipotent God . Do YOU know the source in the Written Torah for the mitzvah of vidui (confession of sins)? And if you do, can you explain why it's presented in this context? Here's my attempt to answer that question ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored...
Jun 02, 2023•5 min•Season 12Ep. 27
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 15 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/2/23), in our Machshavah Lab series for women, we revisited the nazir: a topic which many feel they have SOME familiarity. We began by taking stock of what we know (or think we know). We then read through all the pesukim in detail, formulating question after question on the institution of nazir as a whole and on the many details and nuances we never noticed in our prior cursory (in comp...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 12Ep. 26
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 47 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/2/23), in our Friday morning Q&A, we took up five questions: (1) How should a person relate to teshuvah on aveiros one no longer does? (2) What is the Torah's stance on speaking about a person in an embarrassing way in the context of tochachah, considering how the pesukim openly talk about the faults of individuals? (3) What is svara? (4) What are the parameters of giving "drush" on halach...
Jun 02, 2023•48 min•Season 12Ep. 25
