Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 13 minutes 53 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/14/25, titled: Yisro: Shadal’s Unfortunate Stance on Idolatry, Belief, and the Value of Knowledge . Perhaps this article will expose me as a fool, an ignoramus, a haughty dilettante—or all three. But I had to write it, if only to be shown how wrong I am. E...
Feb 14, 2025•15 min•Season 20Ep. 9
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3 pages Length of audio: 10 minutes 30 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/9/25, titled: Beshalach: What Did the Splitting of the Sea Look Like? After seeing this magnificent photo, I was inspired to write a bonus article on Beshalach - an article I've been meaning to write for years. Surprise! ----- The Torah content for the ent...
Feb 09, 2025•11 min•Season 20Ep. 8
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 53 minutes Synopsis: Last night (2/6/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we did something a little unusual: analyzing TWO mishnayos with only ONE commentary. When I sat down to prepare for this shiur, I noticed the parallel wording in 4:11 and 5:17. When I read the Meiri, I saw that he gave a similar interpretation of both, but it was JUST different enough to raise a host of problems. Our goal was to em...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 54 min•Season 20Ep. 7
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 5 pages Length of audio: 17 minutes 27 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 2/7/25, titled: Beshalach: Moshe’s Role in the Mahn Confusion and its Implications for Teachers . This article explores one of the most perplexing narratives in Shemos, addressing a key question: How was Moshe at fault for the fiasco with the mahn? It conclu...
Feb 07, 2025•18 min•Season 20Ep. 6
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 4 pages Length of audio: 15 minutes 29 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/16/25, titled: Shemos: Two Views of Hishtadlus . Intended to write a short dvar Torah article about Yocheved as model of bitachon (trust in Hashem), but I ended up writing out my entire "hishtadlus rant." ----- It’s a new year on the Gregorian calendar, a ...
Jan 17, 2025•16 min•Season 20Ep. 5
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 7 minutes 38 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/9/25, titled: Vayechi: How Never to Be Angry at Anyone or Hate Anyone (Part 1: Questions) . Yes, this is the second week in a row that I've written a "questions only" article. Unlike last time, I plan on writing Part 2 (for paid subscribers). I published th...
Jan 09, 2025•8 min•Season 20Ep. 4
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 8 minutes 19 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/3/25, titled: Vayigash: Who Sent Yosef to Egypt? (Part 1: The Questions) . Yosef answers this question three times, and we assume we know what he meant, but Ibn Kaspi hints at a different interpretation in the Rambam - one that raises a few problems of its ...
Jan 03, 2025•9 min•Season 20Ep. 3
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (1/2/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we took up an intriguing mishnah about the effects of mitzvos and aveiros. We ended up with two solid interpretations - one that emerged during the shiur, and another based on an article I wrote back in 2012 - as well as a fundamental discourse on reward and punishment according to Rabbeinu Bachya, which we (sadly) didn't have time to...
Jan 03, 2025•1 hr 36 min•Season 20Ep. 2
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3 pages Length of audio: 9 minutes 12 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 1/1/25, titled: The Rabbi Schneeweiss Substack Update: 66 Changes I'm Considering for January 2025 . After last year's cabin retreat, I made three writing-related anti-resolutions for 2024. In this post, I examine this year went, and what I envision for 2025....
Jan 02, 2025•10 min•Season 20Ep. 1
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 8 minutes 59 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/13/24, titled: Vayishlach: Bnei Yaakov at Beis-El and Bnei Yisrael at Sinai (Part 1: Questions) . This week's article contains questions: "traditional" questions as well as the literary analysis questions taken up by "the Gush Tanakh Method." If you have a...
Dec 13, 2024•10 min•Season 19Ep. 11
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 36 minutes Synopsis: This evening (12/12/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned another mishnah about how to achieve the proper learning-work balance. This mishnah was strange in that each clause seemed to be an idea that wasn't a chidush because it's already been covered elsewhere in Pirkei Avos. Additionally, the relationship between the three clauses wasn't apparent. Thankfully, we were able ...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Season 19Ep. 10
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3 pages Length of audio: 12 minutes 36 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 12/6/24, titled: Vayeitzei: Yaakov's (Scandalous?) Kiss (?) . How, exactly, did Yaakov kiss Rachel? This article explores the full spectrum of interpretations—from Ibn Kaspi to the Hasidic masters—through the lenses of methodology and sociology. ----- This w...
Dec 06, 2024•13 min•Season 19Ep. 9
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 31 minutes Synopsis: Last night (12/5/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned a mishnah about the relationship between wealth, poverty, and living a life of Torah. Even though we only fully learned one commentary (Rabbeinu Yonah), the ideas we discussed here are relevant to most of us, and have major implications for how we structure our lives. ----- מקורות: אבות ד:ט רש"י רמב"ם רבינו יונה מאירי ר...
Dec 06, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 19Ep. 8
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 58 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/22/24, titled: Bereishis: (How) Did Hashem Speak to Kayin? In lieu of an article on Chayei Sarah, I've decided to publish an article on Bereishis which is a sequel to last week's article on Vayeira. If you thought that Radak was controversial, check this ou...
Nov 22, 2024•6 min•Season 19Ep. 7
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 21 minutes Synopsis: Last night (11/14/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we learned the next mishnah. Like the previous one, this mishnah is a warning to judges not to judge alone, no matter what their level of expertise, and what not to do once they're on a court with peers who aren't experts. After familiarizing ourselves with the facts about the cases in which one is permitted to judge alone, we le...
Nov 15, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Season 19Ep. 6
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 1 page Length of audio: 4 minutes 19 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/15/24, titled: Vayeira: Vox Intellectus Vox Dei (The Voice of the Intellect is the Voice of God) . Avimelech clearly sinned against Avraham and Sarah, but in what sense did he sin against God? Radak's answer expresses what it truly means to be a "rationalis...
Nov 15, 2024•5 min•Season 19Ep. 5
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3 pages Length of audio: 10 minutes 50 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/8/24, titled: Lech Lecha: Avraham Avinu – a Vial of Perfume in a Cemetery . This week's article is part Mishlei, part midrash, and part insight into the pshat of the parashah - all thanks to Rabbeinu Bachya's introductory drashah, which centers upon a str...
Nov 08, 2024•12 min•Season 19Ep. 3
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 21 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (11/7/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we continued learning Chapter 4. On its surface, this mishnah is directed at judges, but the advice it gives is counterintuitive. Despite the seemingly narrow audience, we were able to derive practical insights for us normal folk, as well as perspectives on halachic jurisprudence. ----- מקורות: אבות ד:ז רש"י רמב"ם רבינו יונה מאירי רמ...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Season 19Ep. 4
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 37 minutes Synopsis: This morning's YBT Sunday shiur (11/3/24) was a bit different than usual, focusing more on reading and discussing sources than in-depth analysis. This was intentional, since this shiur was intended to be a setup for the REAL shiur. My original goal was to present Sforno’s view that the nachash in Gan Eden represents the yetzer ha’ra. However, I realized two preliminary issues needed to be addressed: (a...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Season 19Ep. 2
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 8 minutes 18 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 11/1/24, titled: Noach: Why Was Noach's Family Saved? I've always assumed they were saved because of Noach's righteousness, or for the sake of repopulating the world. According to Sforno, neither is true. ----- This week's Torah content is sponsored by Ayala,...
Nov 01, 2024•9 min•Season 19Ep. 1
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 21 minutes Synopsis: This morning (10/11/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women (rescheduled to Friday morning, Erev Yom ha'Kippurim), we took up the final clause of the first mishnah in chapter 2 because it mentions the concept that all our deeds our written in a book. I chose this because I hoped it would shed light on all the book-talk at around this time of year, and if not, then at least it'll be instr...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Season 18Ep. 7
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 16 minutes Synopsis: This Erev Rosh ha'Shanah morning (10/2/24), I gave an incomplete shiur on the phrase "ha'Melech ha'Mishpat" with which we conclude the 11th berachah of the Amidah during the Aseres Ymei Teshuvah. Last year I wrote 3/4ths of an article on this topic - everything but the main idea, which didn't come together in time. This year, I had planned on finishing the article in time to post on Erev RH, but that h...
Oct 02, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 18Ep. 6
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 7 minutes 22 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/27/24, titled: Nitzavim/Vayeilech: Teshuvah as a Ledge . We're about to enter the Aseres Ymei Teshuvah (Ten days of Repentance) once again, and I find myself asking the same question I ask every year: Is teshuvah really as easy as Moshe Rabbeinu claims? ---...
Sep 27, 2024•8 min•Season 18Ep. 5
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 31 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/26/24), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we took up the next mishnah in the fourth chapter, where we left off in June. This one certainly struck us as odd, speaking of Torah almost like a voodoo doll. We raised a ton of questions and successfully learned two approaches from three meforshim (Rashi, Rambam, and Meiri), which answered all our questions. We also attempted to le...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 18Ep. 4
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 19 minutes Synopsis: This evening (9/19/24), in lieu of our regularly scheduled Pirkei Avos Shiur for women, we took up a question on the parashah that I'm trying to write about for this week's article. This is a good example of how, if you keep asking questions even when you think you've reached the end of the line, you'll sometimes break through to a new vista with new discoveries waiting to be made. I set out to give a ...
Sep 20, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Season 18Ep. 3
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 8 minutes 12 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/6/24, titled: Shofetim: Three Philosophies of Bal Tashchis (Wasteful Destruction) . Some mitzvos have well-hidden reasons. Others suffer the opposite fate: everyone assumes they understand their reasons without bothering to learn what the Torah says. Bal ta...
Sep 06, 2024•9 min•Season 18Ep. 2
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 39 minutes Synopsis: Last night (9/5/24), in our first Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women of the 2024-2025, we took up a tefilah-related Mishnah from chapter 2, since I've been in tefilah mode all summer and I wanted to share some ideas. If you're looking for an eye-opening perspective on tefilah filled with potential, be sure to listen all the way to the end of the shiur, when we learn the Meiri's interpretation. ...
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Season 18Ep. 1
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 6 minutes 14 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I originally wrote on 8/14/15, which I edited and republished on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/30/24, titled: Re'eh: MEAT IS MURDER!!! P.E.T.A. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) equates slaughtering animals for food with murder. Does Judaism agree? The answer may surprise you! ----- The Torah conten...
Aug 30, 2024•7 min•Season 17Ep. 14
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 2 pages Length of audio: 8 minutes 44 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/23/24 titled: Eikev: When to Disregard Tznius (Modesty) and Act Like an Animal . Yes, this is an article about a case in which Chazal permit us to totally disregard the laws of tznius and explicitly encourage us to behave like animals ... but probably not in the way ...
Aug 23, 2024•10 min•Season 17Ep. 13
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of article: 3 pages Length of audio: 10 minutes 11 seconds Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I originally wrote on 8/4/14, which I edited and republished on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/14/24 entitled: Vaeschanan: Ayn Rand, Art, and Avodah Zarah . Like her or hate her, Ayn Rand's definition of art sheds light on why the Torah prohibits the making of representative statues even for aesthetic purposes....
Aug 16, 2024•11 min•Season 17Ep. 12
