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Machshavah Lab

Machshavah Lab

By: Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss
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My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss. My goal as a Torah educator is not merely to teach my students my OWN hashkafah. Rather, my goal is to equip them with the foundations, the methodological training, and the tools which will enable them to arrive at their OWN understanding of Judaism and cultivate their OWN relationship with Hashem and His Torah. This podcast is devoted to the shiurim I give which are geared specifically towards that end. As such, the range of topics covered here will be diverse. There will be shiurim on Jewish philosophy, Chumash methodology, aggadic midrashim, maybe even some non-Jewish philosophy as well. Merriam-Webster defines "laboratory" as a place providing opportunity for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study. I call this podcast "Machshavah Lab" because this is where we will conduct Torah "experiments" by exploring questions, texts, and ideas in an effort to develop our machshavah in a "hands on," exploratory, firsthand manner.© 2026 Machshavah Lab Judaism Philosophy Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Q&A #48 - Bribery Parameters, Bad/Good Influence on/from Friends, Torah on Inner Work, What is YBT
    Jun 18 2026

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    Length:49 minutes
    Synopsis: This morning (6/18/26), in lieu of morning Mishlei, we had the last Q&A - and last shiur! - of the 2025-2026 season. We took up four questions: (1) What are the parameters of philosophical/ethical bribery? (2) How do you navigate having friends who could potentially have a bad influence on you, and how might you have a good influence on them? (3) What would you say to a person who is unaware that the Torah cares about our inner life? (4) How does one explain our yeshiva when asked about it? (I was actually asked another question about my thoughts on the role of Israel in our Jewish life, but I declined to answer - not only because I keep all my Zionism articles behind a paywall, but because I'm considering writing another one this summer and I don't want to make any statements until I've written it.)

    This was my last YBT shiur of 2025-2026, and what a great year it's been. I'm looking forward to summer break, but I'm already excited about what next year will bring!
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    מקורות:
    משלי טו:כז
    דעות ו:א
    אבות ב:ט
    https://www.yeshivabneitorah.org/
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    The Torah Content for the month of Tammuz is sponsored by Yael Weiss. Thank you, Yael, for your support! It's people like you who make it possible for me to continue doing what I do.

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    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

    Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

    Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

    Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

    WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

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    51 mins
  • Shelach: The Sin of the Spies and the Root of Idolatry
    Jun 12 2026

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/11/26 titled: Shelach: The Sin of the Spies and the Root of Idolatry. There are many theories about the cause of this catastrophic sin. Sforno aims to explain the Israelites' perplexing accusation: that Hashem hates them. Their error is more insidious than it seems.

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    The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman, l’zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, whose yahrzeit is on the 21st of Sivan.

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    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

    Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

    Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

    Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

    WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

    Show more Show less
    8 mins
  • Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (FULL Article)
    Jun 9 2026

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!

    Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/9/26 titled: Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (FULL Article). Sometimes a fish is just a fish, but sometimes it's a euphemism. At least, that's the disagreement in the Gemara. What is the basis of this disagreement, and what does it teach us? Here's my approach.

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    The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman, l’zeicher nishmas Zelda bas Ziesel, his grandmother, whose yahrzeit is on the 21st of Sivan.

    -----

    If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.

    Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail]

    Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram

    Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast

    WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist

    Show more Show less
    13 mins
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