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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length of audio: 1 hour 6 minutesSynopsis: This is the recording of the Tishah b'Av shiur I gave at the Island Synagogue on 8/3/25. Two things to note: (1) Unlike most other Tishah b'Av shiurim I've given, I don't think there are any chidushim (novel insights). Instead, I decided to focus on the basics. (2) Towards the beginning of the shiur, we read dthrough the kinnah in Hebrew and English. Unfortunately, the person reading the English was sitting far away, and since I was recording on my phone, I don't know if it's audible. No matter, since I recap the refrain, which is what we focused on.-----Since this week's Torah content hasn't been sponsored, I'll use it as a reminder about where to find my stuff. My Substack is the beating heart of my Torah content. Additionally, you can find all my video shiurim on YouTube, my audio shiurim across my five podcasts: Machshavah Lab, Mishlei, Tefilah, Rambam Bekius, and The Stoic Jew. My shiurim are in the process of being uploaded to my page on YUTorah.org. And the best way to stay up-to-date with my current content is to join my WhatsApp group. All the relevant links can be found at the bottom of everything I post.-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/YU Torah: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-SchneeweissPatreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length of article: 5 pagesLength of audio: 18 minutes 3 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/1/25, titled: Tishah b'Av 5785: Metaphysical Trauma and the Aftermath of October 7th. I've revised and combined my four most important pieces on Tishah b'Av into a single article, with a new fifth section reflecting on October 7th.-----Since this week's Torah content hasn't been sponsored, I'll use it as a reminder about where to find my stuff. My Substack is the beating heart of my Torah content. Additionally, you can find all my video shiurim on YouTube, my audio shiurim across my five podcasts: Machshavah Lab, Mishlei, Tefilah, Rambam Bekius, and The Stoic Jew. My shiurim are in the process of being uploaded to my page on YUTorah.org. And the best way to stay up-to-date with my current content is to join my WhatsApp group. All the relevant links can be found at the bottom of everything I post.-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/YU Torah: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-SchneeweissPatreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
Welcome to Daily Bitachon. We are now in the pesukim of Eichah , where Yirmiyah gives us words of chizuk (3,27) יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד וְיִדֹּם כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו Let one sit in solitude and be submissive, for He has laid it upon him. " What does this mean? Rashi says we're referring to someone who is going through a difficult challenge and finds himself completely alone — יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד. That's his situation. The difficulty is the loneliness. What do we tell him to do? וְיִדֹּם / wait, wait, wait… and hope for the future. Why? Because Hashem has placed this upon him. This is not happenstance. The comfort offered here is that this isn't something random, it is by Hashem's will. That's how Rashi explains it. In this context, the word וְיִדֹּם means " to wait ." He even brings a source in Shmuel, where the word יִּדֹּם means " to wait." But the Sefer Lechem Dim'ah offers a different explanation: יִּדֹּם means " to be silent." When someone is in a challenging situation, Yeshev Badad , he should remain silent. Like Aharon HaKohen, when, bar minan, he lost his 2 sons , it says , Vayidom Aharon/ And Aharon was silent. He didn't ask questions. And the Midrash says that Aharon was rewarded for his silence. That's how Lechem Dim'ah explains כִּי נָטַל עָלָ י- by quietly and silently accepting the suffering, the individual merits tremendous reward. The reward of accepting Hashem's will, even without understanding, through silence, כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו /he will be greatly rewarded. Another explanation from the Lechem Dim'ah , quoted in the past few days from Shmuel DeUzidah, citing his teacher — either the Arizal or Rav Chaim Vital — sees it differently. He says Yeshev Badad is not the challenge. The challenge is not that the man is sitting alone because he's suffering. Rather, it's the solution, the advice for how to deal with the challenge: יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד sit alone The word בָּדָד is related to hitbodedut / to contemplate , to think, to be in solitude. When a person is alone, the mind is free to think. And when he thinks, he can begin to process what's happening. So that's the advice: sit alone, and reflect. You can almost use the word " meditate ." Think deeply about your situation and how to respond. Rav Yonatan Eybeschutz offers one more explanation — a totally different one: Yoshev Badad is not referring to someone suffering. It's not advice for coping with challenges. It's words of comfort from the Torah, a vision of peace. It's connected to the Torah's words וַיִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּטַח בָּדָד עֵין יַעֲקֹב — "The Jewish people will dwell in safety, alone — like in the times of Yaakov Avinu." Alone, but protected. Not fearing the nations, not fearing wild animals. This is what will happen in the future. So Yeshev Badad is a promise: Don't worry about the past. The time is coming when Hakadosh Baruch Hu will take care of us וַיִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּטַח בָּדָד . Vayidom, wait, its coming., don't despair. נָטַל עָלָיו /and don't worry. We've already carried so much suffering, we've taken more than our share . So wait for that bright future of יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד . Also, in Ha'azinu , it says: ּ / Hashem will lead them alone ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּו In this world, we were separated, mocked, and unaccepted by the nations. But in the future, because of that, we will be set apart —and no other nation will share in the reward that is coming to Am Yisrael. So this is a positive יֵשֵׁב בָּדָד. We will end with a Kabbalistic note, based on this understanding of Badad/being alone — and the verse ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ. We turn to the Ben Ish Chai, in his hakdamah to Parashat Ha'azinu, where he shares something deep: He explains that there are two names of Hashem: שַׁדַּי אֲדֹנָי When Adam HaRishon sinned, the verse uses the words: /The snake seduced me הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי The word הִשִּׁיאַנִי /he'shiani/ seduced contains the words שַׁי and אֲנִי . What does that mean? The שַׁי left from the name שַׁדַּי is — only the ש and the י remain. The name אֲדֹנָי is left with just אֲנִי — the daled is gone from both names, and our Rabbis say that when you rearrange הִשִּׁיאַנִי , it can be read as יֵשׁ and אֲנִי — it's about " I " and what " I have." It becomes self-centered: I exist, I have — no mention of God. The snake made us focus on ourselves, not on Hashem. That's what knocked out the two daleds , and that's what has led to all our suffering. So how do we fix it? The Ben Ish Chai brings the verse: לִשְׁקֹד עַל דַּלְתוֹתַי יוֹם יוֹם "To to hasten to My doors every day." This simply means to rush to the Bet Midrash . The full pasuk in Mishlei 8:34 says: אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם שֹׁמֵעַ לִי, לִשְׁקֹד עַל דַּלְתוֹתַי יוֹם יוֹם, לִשְׁמֹר מְזוּזוֹת פְּתָחָי " Praiseworthy is the one who listens to Me, who rushes to My doors every day, guarding the doorposts of My entranceways." so this man is in shul every day. But the Ben Ish Chai reads this differently: לִשְׁקֹד עַל דַּלְתוֹתַי to constantly restore the daleds. He is consistently working to bring the daleds back. So it won't just be the name of יֵשׁ and אֲנִי . But rather, restoring Hashem's full names. Yesh Badad- the time will come when the two daleds will return to us . וְיִדֹּם — wait and hope for that day כִּי נָטַל עָלָיו — because we've suffered deeply since that first sin, and we are ready for that future, when Hashem will lead us alone / ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ
The hunter lies in ambush for his unwitting prey, as the exploitative sacrifice their own souls • Stealing robs the victim of his livelihood and is akin to murder
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length of article: 2.5 pagesLength of audio: 8 minutes 44 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2.5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/24/25, titled: Masei: Leviim as Countercultural Role Models Against Cancel Culture. What can the Levite Cities of Refuge teach us about cancel culture in "progressive" America today? A lot more than you might think!-----With gratitude to Hashem, I'm pleased to announce that I am officially listed as a teacher on YUTorah! Special thanks to Alex K., the sponsor of this week's content, for suggesting that I make my debut in conjunction with Nach Yomi's recent start of Sefer Mishlei and for helping make it possible. I'll begin by uploading all 600+ of my Mishlei shiurim, including shiurim on every pasuk in chapters 10–14, 16, and 18–24, as well as most of chapter 15 and assorted other pesukim. After that, I'll upload my other shiurim. For now, if you—or anyone you know—are interested in my Mishlei shiurim, you can find them at: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-Schneeweiss-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/YU Torah: yutorah.org/teachers/Rabbi-Matt-SchneeweissPatreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
One's native sense of justice can protect a person from falling prey to the allure of that which is too good to be true
Evil is self destructive • The speed and thoughtlessness of evil militate towards its unavoidable recklessness
Conscientiously avoid forging friendships with the wicked and reject their ideologies
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length of article: 2 pagesLength of audio: 7 minutes 15 secondsSynopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/20/25, titled: Shelach: Rabbeinu Bachya on the Meraglim, Mishlei, and the Current War With Iran. I don't know who needs a Bitachon 101 (Trust in God) refresher course for this war with Iran, but Rabbeinu Bachya provides one in his intro to Parashas Shelach.-----This week's Torah content is sponsored by Chaim and Rifka Peck, the awesome parents of two of my NEJA students, in honor of the marriage of my dear talmidim, Chayim Zifkin and Shira Stein. Though they don't know the couple personally, the Pecks chose to dedicate their sponsorship to their simchah—a beautiful gesture in a time when Israel and Jews around the world are under attack. “Let there soon be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.”-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
Whitewashing sin: Is it your destiny? • Shared spoils are more fun and give less heartburn
The unknown provides a heightened sense of excitement • Contrasting perspectives on wealth
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 15:30 - Happy Hearts and Fat Bones (Part 2)מְאוֹר עֵינַיִם יְשַׂמַּח לֵב, שְׁמוּעָה טוֹבָה תְּדַשֶּׁן עָצֶם:Length: 47 minutesSynopsis: This morning (6/12/25), in our last morning Mishlei shiur of the season, we began by reviewing yesterday's approaches, then delved into the peshat approach given by Rashi (!) and the Rid (!!), supported by the Rambam (!!!). After that, we took another swing at Metzudas David, and concluded with a quick read-through of the Malbim and some final words from Aristotle's Metaphysics.I can't believe it's been FIVE YEARS since I started giving regular post-HS Mishlei shiurim and recording them! Unlike the past few years, I'm going to take a break from Mishlei shiurim over the summer. God willing, we'll resume in September. I hope you keep learning Mishlei on your own, and if you do, I'm always game to discuss a pasuk!-----מקורות:משלי טו:לרש"ירי"דרמב"ם - שמונה פרקים: פרק חמישימצודת דודמלבי"םAristotle - Metaphysics 1:1----------Summer is almost here, and I'm planning to level up my Substack game. In addition to my weekly article on the parashah, I've got a ton of other topics I want to write about, many of which are experimental (or spicy) enough to keep behind the paywall. I'm looking for sponsors and I'm willing to offer an insane deal: for every WEEK of Torah content you sponsor, I'll comp you a full YEAR of paid subscriber access to my Substack. This offer is good through the end of June or until all my summer content is sponsored, whichever comes first.-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist:
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 15:30 - Happy Hearts and Fat Bones (Part 1)מְאוֹר עֵינַיִם יְשַׂמַּח לֵב, שְׁמוּעָה טוֹבָה תְּדַשֶּׁן עָצֶם:Length: 46 minutesSynopsis: This morning (6/11/25), in our morning Mishlei shiur, we took up a pasuk which I anticipated to be difficult, due to the unfamiliar (and possibly outdated) references in the pasuk. Fortunately, we were able to develop at least one nice approach. We concluded by reading Metzudas David and Rabbeinu Yonah in preparation for tomorrow, which will be our final shiur of the 2024-2025 season.-----מקורות:משלי טו:למצודת ציון/דודתרגום רס"גרמב"ם - פירוש המשניות לברכות ט:ג,הרבינו יונה-----Summer is almost here, and I'm planning to level up my Substack game. In addition to my weekly article on the parashah, I've got a ton of other topics I want to write about, many of which are experimental (or spicy) enough to keep behind the paywall. I'm looking for sponsors and I'm willing to offer an insane deal: for every WEEK of Torah content you sponsor, I'll comp you a full YEAR of paid subscriber access to my Substack. This offer is good through the end of June or until all my summer content is sponsored, whichever comes first.-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
Glorification of victimhood is an intolerably false paradigm of virtue which leads towards the brutish ethos of pragmatic violence
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Length: 47 minutesSynopsis: This morning (6/5/25) we had what will likely be our last Q&A of the 2024-2025 season! We discussed the following five questions: (1) Have my views on Mishleic fatalism changed? (If you're not familiar, don't worry - we review it.) (2) What insight can I offer on the types of high-stakes life decisions that tend to start cropping up as one enters adulthood? (3) What advice would I give for reading Halakhic Man? (4) What are some guidelines for learning Pirkei Avos? (5) What mistakes do I see yeshiva bochrim during their time in yeshiva? (and what regrets do I have about how I used MY time in yeshiva?)-----מקורות:Mishlei 21:11https://rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/p/mishlei-211-mishleic-fatalismGandalf-----Summer is almost here, and I'm planning to level up my Substack game. In addition to my weekly article on the parashah, I've got a ton of other topics I want to write about, many of which are experimental (or spicy) enough to keep behind the paywall. I'm looking for sponsors and I'm willing to offer an insane deal: for every WEEK of Torah content you sponsor, I'll comp you a full YEAR of paid subscriber access to my Substack. This offer is good through the end of June or until all my summer content is sponsored, whichever comes first.-----If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.If you would like to sponsor a day's or a week's worth of content, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.-----Substack: rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/Patreon: patreon.com/rabbischneeweissYouTube Channel: youtube.com/rabbischneeweissInstagram: instagram.com/rabbischneeweiss/"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com"The Mishlei Podcast": mishlei.buzzsprout.com"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: rambambekius.buzzsprout.com"The Tefilah Podcast": tefilah.buzzsprout.comOld Blog: kolhaseridim.blogspot.com/WhatsApp Content Hub (where I post all my content and announce my public classes): https://chat.whatsapp.com/GEB1EPIAarsELfHWuI2k0HAmazon Wishlist: amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/Y72CSP86S24W?ref_=wl_sharel
An invitation to join the mob • The desensitizing effect of repeated bombardment • A warped sense of justice
Being emotionally anchored in the goodness of wisdom affords protection from vulnerability to the seduction of sinfulness
Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour
Is it proper to keep the Tzitzit of one's Tallit Katan inside his clothing, or should he expose them? Twice in his presentation of the laws of Tzitzit (8:11, 24:1), the Shulchan Aruch writes that the Tallit Katan should be worn over one's clothing, so that he sees the Tzitzit at all times and thereby be reminded of the Mitzvot. According to the Shulchan Aruch, the entire garment of the Tallit Katan should be worn over one's outermost garments (like many Chasidim do today). The Mishna Berura (8:26; commentary to the Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, the "Chafetz Chayim," Lithuania, 1835-1933) strongly condemns the practice of those who tuck the Tzitzit inside their pants, rather than leave them exposed (listen to audio for precise citation). He writes that doing so not only undermines the purpose of Tzitzit – "you shall see them and remember all the commandments of God" (Bamidbar 15:39) – but also denigrates the Mitzva. The Mishna Berura adds that a person who received a garment as a gift from a king would proudly expose it for all to see; all the more so, then, should one make a point of exposing the Tzitzit. Those who conceal them, the Mishna Berura writes, will one day make an accounting for this shameful practice. However, the view of the Arizal (famed Kabbalist, Israel, 1534-1572), as recorded and understood by his student, Rabbi Chayim Vital (Israel-Syria, 1542-1620), and by the Chid"a (Rabbi Chayim Yosef David Azulai, Israel, 1724-1806), was that the Tallit Katan – both the garment and the Tzitzit strings – should not be exposed. Chacham Ovadia Hadaya (Israel, 1890-1969), in his work Yaskil Avdi, cites other Kabbalists who followed this view, as well. Therefore, Sepharadim, who generally follow the laws and customs of the Kabbalists, should keep their Tzitzit tucked into their garments. Chacham Bentzion Abba Shaul Z"L (Jerusalem, 1924-1998) cited his mentor, Chacham Ezra Attia Z"L (head of the renowned Yeshivat Porat Yosef in Jerusalem), as remarking that any Sepharadi that exposes his Tzitzit denigrates and casts aspersions on the previous generations of Sepharadim, who followed the practice of keeping the Tzitzit concealed. Rabbi Yehuda Tzadka Z"L (who served as Rosh Yeshiva along with Chacham Ezra Attia Z"L) testified that the esteemed Rabbi Yaakov Chaim Sofer (1870-1939), author of Kaf Ha'chayim Sofer, likewise kept his Tzitzit inside his clothing. The same is said about the prominent Kabbalist Rabbi Efrayim Cohen Z"L, and this is the ruling of Chacham Ovadia Yosef, in his work Yechaveh Da'at (2:1). Thus, in the spirit of the rule "Al Titosh Torat Imecha" ("Do not abandon your mother's teaching" – Mishlei 1:8, 6:20), Sepharadim should follow the time-honored tradition to wear their Tallit Katan and the Tzitzit strings inside their clothing, rather than expose them. It should be noted that Halacha permits allowing the Tzitzit strings to come in contact with one's skin, and one is thus not required to keep them in his pockets or tie them in such a way that they would not touch his skin.