Podcasts about mishlei

As we get closer to Yom Kippur, the feelings of awe and trembling intensify. We are trying harder and harder to be better, to make teshuvah , but the list of averot is long—many we don't even remember we did. Bittul Torah, Lashon Hara, Onat Devarim —and the list goes on. We are afraid to be judged for our actions, just as we say in Tehillim : אִם־עֲו‍ֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמָר־קהּ ה' מִי יַעֲמֹד "Hashem, if You will take all of our sins into account, who will be able to stand before You?" The pasuk in Mishlei (17:23) says: שֹׁחַד מֵחֵק רָשָׁע יִקָּח לְהַטּוֹת אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּט Rashi explains that this means Hashem, so to speak, accepts "bribery" from the rasha and changes his judgment from bad to good. Similarly, the Midrash Shocher Tov on Tehillim (17) says: Hashem tells us, "My children, while the gates of tefillah are open, do teshuvah , because in this world I will accept bribery. But once I sit in judgment in the future, I will no longer accept it." The Midrash concludes that the time Hashem accepts shochad is right now—during the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah. It sounds like from the Midrash that the bribery Hashem accepts is teshuvah, tefillah, and tzedakah. Whereas in an earthly court, if the person on trial says he's sorry, it doesn't change anything—if he's guilty, he's guilty. But in Hashem's court, if the person says, "I'm sorry," then Hashem lets him off. However, the Chafetz Chaim explains, based on Chazal, that it goes much further than this. The Tomer Devorah says similarly: when a person has mercy on others, even though he was wronged by them, that brings the mercy of Hashem upon him, even though he did wrong to Hashem. When we overcome our evil inclination to take revenge, to bear a grudge, or to hate an individual that harmed us—even though he may deserve it—but instead we forgive, that is the bribery Hashem accepts. He will then give us mercy and blessing, even though we don't deserve it. During the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah we say: המלך המשפט . The Mareh Yechezkel asks seemingly, it would be better for us to say the usual: מלך אוהב צדקה ומשפט . Why would we switch now and only speak about Hashem being the King of mishpat, which is strict justice? The rabbi answered: all year long, we say that Hashem loves both tzedakah and mishpat. He loves giving us tzedakah, but He also loves justice being carried out, and we don't know which one He loves more. Now, during these days, we declare המלך המשפט —Hashem is the King over mishpat. He is the only ruler and decider about how the rules of mishpat will be carried out, and we are hoping that He will override the regular rules and use His power as King to pardon us. But that will depend on whether we give Him, so to speak, the ability to do so. And He told us how: we must overlook and forgive those who wronged us. A couple of hundred years ago in Lithuania, there was a family blessed with four boys who all became outstanding talmidei chachamim, each one a gadol b'Yisrael. The most famous of them was Rabbi Yechiel Michal Heller z"l, author of the sefer Amudei Or. He was a tremendous gaon. Each one of his brothers also wrote sefarim and served as rabbis leading massive congregations. Rabbi Yechiel used to sign his name " העלוב יעקב מיכל בן ר' אהרן "—"the downtrodden or humiliated one, Yechiel the son of Aaron." One of the rabbi's grandchildren related why he signed his name that way. Rabbi Yechiel's grandfather was an extremely wealthy man who traveled from city to city doing business, leaving his daughter in charge of his store. Many unscrupulous people were jealous of his wealth and spread a false rumor that his daughter had committed a terrible sin. When the time came for shidduchim, nobody in the community would marry her. She grew older, and nothing changed. Her father was distraught. They knew the truth—that she had done nothing wrong—but nothing they said could change people's minds. The father couldn't bear to watch his daughter grow older with no hope of a shidduch. He decided to inquire about a young man named Aharon Shmeisser, the son of a wagon driver. Aharon would sit near his father, and when the man who whipped the horse grew tired, Aharon was the backup. He knew no Torah and worked the lowest of jobs. But the wealthy man could not allow his daughter to continue suffering. He told his daughter his plan, and with no better alternative, she agreed. The wealthy man asked the wagon driver if he would allow his son to marry his daughter. At first he hesitated, but after some thought, he agreed, and after just one meeting the wedding date was set. On the day of the wedding, the bride whispered a tefillah to Hashem: "You know the truth that I am completely innocent. I believe this was all orchestrated by You, that this man is my zivug, and that there was no other way my father would have ever agreed to let him marry me. Therefore, I don't hold anyone accountable for this. I will not hate anyone or hold a grudge against them. But please, Hashem, give me children who will be outstanding talmidei chachamim ." Her prayer was answered. She merited to have four sons who became among the greatest chachamim of their time. She overlooked the wrong done to her and believed it was all from Hashem, and that opened the heavens to shower blessing upon her. This is why her son signed his name העלוב —for his mother, the aluvah. It was in her merit that all of his Torah came to be. The power of overlooking and forgiving is wondrous.

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 17:3 - The Crucible of the Heartמַצְרֵף לַכֶּסֶף וְכוּר לַזָּהָב וּבֹחֵן לִבּוֹת יְיָ:Length: 1 hour 31 minutesSynopsis: This evening (9/29/25), in our Monday Night Mishlei shiur, we took up another pasuk that formed a core part of my high school curriculum. Like the past two weeks, this made me worried that we wouldn't discover any new ideas. And, like the last two weeks, I was pleasantly surprised! After raising 17 questions on the pasuk, we came up with four theories of our own, then learned three explanations from the meforshim. Many of these happened to be relevant to the period of Aseres Ymei Teshuvah and the upcoming Yom ha'Kippurim. So if you're looking for some Mishlei to get you ready for the ultimate "apex of atonement" (Rambam - Hilchos Teshuvah 2:6), be sure to check out this shiur!-----מקורות:משלי יז:גר' יוסף קמחימצודת ציוןרלב"גרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה ג:א-במאירי-----The Torah Content for this week is sponsored by Rifka Kaplan-Peck in memory of Shira Malka (a”h) "who taught me that seeking knowledge of God is the greatest gift."The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.-----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

We introduce and begin the study of the Book of Proverbs, Solomon's collection of wisdom for the ages.

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 25:1-2 - Kavod Elohim vs. Kavod Melachim (Part 2)גַּם אֵלֶּה מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר הֶעְתִּיקוּ אַנְשֵׁי חִזְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה:כְּבֹד אֱלֹהִים הַסְתֵּר דָּבָר וּכְבֹד מְלָכִים חֲקֹר דָּבָר:Length: 45 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/26/25), in our Morning Mishlei shiur, we continued learning the first two pesukim of Mishlei Chapter 25 after a few days off. After reviewing and refining what we came up with last time, we focused on Malbim and Rashi (!), who take this pasuk to be about metaphysics and other areas of Torah that ought to be concealed. We spent the rest of shiur developing these ideas, recruiting other non-Mishlei commentators like the Rambam and Ramban. It'll be interesting to see how "Mishleic" in their subject matter the pesukim in Chapter 25+ feel going forward. Either way, I'm sure the ideas will be good!---מקורות:משלי כה:א-בשד"למאיריר"י אבן כספי פירוש שנימצודת דוד - ישעיה יא:א-גמצודת דודאבן עזרא - קהלת ה:ארבינו בחיי אבן פקודה - חובות הלבבות א:ימלבי"םרמב"ם - פירוש המשניות ב:ארש"ירש"י - ויקרא יט:יטרמב"ן - ויקרא יט:יט-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.-----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_share

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 25:1-2 - Kavod Elohim vs. Kavod Melachim (Part 1)גַּם אֵלֶּה מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה אֲשֶׁר הֶעְתִּיקוּ אַנְשֵׁי חִזְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה:כְּבֹד אֱלֹהִים הַסְתֵּר דָּבָר וּכְבֹד מְלָכִים חֲקֹר דָּבָר:Length: 47 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/22/25), in our Morning Mishlei shiur, we began a new chapter AND a whole new section of Mishlei! After briefly getting the peshat of the introductory 25:1, we analyzed 25:2, which is stylistically different from most of the Mishlei we've learned over the past 4+ years (as will be the case for the remainder of the sefer). We came up with a few half-baked approaches, one of which was solid. I shared my own intuition which ended up being supported by Metzudas David, and the other solid approach was similar to what the Ralbag said. I'm curious to see what we find in the other meforshim, but we'll have to wait until after Rosh ha'Shanah for that.---מקורות:משלי כה:א-בתרגום רס"גמצודת ציון/דודרלב"ג-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.-----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

The Value of the Soul Over the Body Welcome to the Chovot HaLevavot series. We are on Cheshbon 29 , a deep introspection that prompts us to consider the value of our soul over our body. This idea helps us understand why some people hold more weight than others, not in a physical sense, but in their spiritual and moral worth. The Gemara says that a certain person is as valuable as a thousand people. For instance, Moshe Rabbeinu was considered to be worth 600,000 people. This wasn't because he was physically strong, but because of his immense spiritual stature. The Chovot HaLevavot author proves this point by quoting a verse from Shmuel II , chapter 18, verse 3. When King David was going to war, his people insisted he stay behind, saying, " You are worth ten thousand of us ." Targum Yonatan explains this was because David would pray for them. This shows that King David's true value was in his spiritual strength, not his physical might. The Importance of Inner Beauty The same principle applies to a beautiful woman. Her true quality isn't just her physical beauty. If a person is physically beautiful but lacks intellect or has poor character traits, they ultimately aren't attractive. The author quotes a verse from Mishlei (Proverbs): " A gold ring in a swine's snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. " This verse, "Isha yafah v'sarat ta'am," means her beauty is worthless because she is "missing her flavor"—her proper character traits and actions. Another verse from Mishlei, "Sheker ha-chein v'hevel ha-yofi," teaches that charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting. Physical beauty, which is tied to the body, only has true value when it is accompanied by a beautiful soul. Once we realize this, we understand that our true value is our spiritual worth. You Are Not Your Body To illustrate this point, consider the story of actor Christopher Reeve, who played Superman. After a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed, he fell into a deep depression. For a year, he withdrew from the public eye. When he finally re-emerged, he was asked what gave him the strength to do so. His answer was profound: " I realized I'm not my body. " This is a powerful statement we should all internalize. Our true qualities are spiritual. When we understand this, we realize the importance of prioritizing our soul over our body. When God looks at us, He sees the merits and blemishes of our souls. He looks at our midot tovot (good character traits), and our choices to follow either our good or evil inclinations. What makes us special is what's inside, not what's outside. A Spiritual Spa As we prepare for the High Holidays, our focus must be on our spiritual well-being. Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz once said, " Elul is a spa. " The month of Elul and especially the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah (Ten Days of Repentance) are like going to a spa. Just as a physical spa uses massages, salts, and minerals to make the body stronger and healthier, these 40 days are a spiritual spa. They give us the ability to enhance and improve everything about ourselves. We must tend to our soul more than our body, knowing that it is easier to cure our body from a grave disease than to heal our soul from the sickness of sin and the yetzer hara (evil inclination). Another verse from Mishlei, "Ru'ach ish y'chalkeil machaleihu, v'ru'ach n'ka'ah mi yisa'ena," translates to: " A person's spirit can endure a physical ailment, but who can bear a crushed spirit? " This teaches us that a spiritual ailment is far more difficult to bear than a physical one. This is why another verse in Mishlei says, "Mi-kol mishmar, netzor libecha," —" Guard your heart above all else. " We put fences, gates, and security around our homes, our money, and other valuables. But the most precious commodity we have is our heart and spirit. It needs the most guarding and protection of all.

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 15:33 - Mishlei's Definition of Yiras Hashem (Part 2)יִרְאַת יְיָ מוּסַר חׇכְמָה וְלִפְנֵי כָבוֹד עֲנָוָה: Length: 44 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/18/25), in our Morning Mishlei shiur, we ended up going in a different direction than I anticipated. As usual, we started with a review of yesterday's findings, adding some points here and there for clarification. We then took another stab at elucidating Metzudas David, and although we gained greater clarity, we still didn't manage to figure him out. We then read a huge paradigm-proposing peirush from the Malbim which we attempted to work out. This led us to review one of my favorite passages in Saadia Gaon's introduction, which in turn, led to a discussion of what Mishlei is doing, how it's doing it, and what "mussar" and "tochachah" are in Malbim's lingo. Sadly, we didn't have time to complete our analysis of the Malbim. All in all, we had some great ideas, but no conclusions beyond yesterday's excellent ideas.---מקורות:משלי טו:לגתרגום ופירוש רס"גנוה לשוםמצודת דודמלבי"םרס"ג - הקדמה לספר משלי-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.-----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!Mishlei 15:33 - Mishlei's Definition of Yiras Hashem (Part 1)יִרְאַת יְיָ מוּסַר חׇכְמָה וְלִפְנֵי כָבוֹד עֲנָוָה: Length: 47 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/17/25), in our Morning Mishlei shiur, we learned what I consider to be one of the most important pesukim in Sefer Mishlei. If I had to name the subject of Sefer Mishlei, I'd say it's yiras Hashem (as indicated in 1:7), and our pasuk defines yiras Hashem according to Mishlei. In elucidating this, we also defined the levels of yirah below and above Mishlei. The main idea we came up with, reflected in Saadia Gaon, presents one of the best arguments for why we all need to learn Mishlei. We even came up with a second interpretation that provides a nice mechanism for taking what comes at you in life and turning it into a source of insight and benefit. Tomorrow (בג"ה) we'll delve into the meforshim. ---מקורות:משלי טו:לגתרגום ופירוש רס"גזרחיה חןתרגום כתוביםמשלי א:ז; לא:לרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות יסודי התורה ב:א-ב; ד:יבמצודת דוד-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----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/

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 17:2 - Intelligent Servant vs. Embarrassing Sonעֶבֶד מַשְׂכִּיל יִמְשֹׁל בְּבֵן מֵבִישׁ וּבְתוֹךְ אַחִים יַחֲלֹק נַחֲלָה:Length: 1 hour 42 minutesSynopsis: This evening (9/15/25), in our Monday Night Mishlei shiur, we took up a pasuk that I was worried was too obvious. We ended up raising eighteen (!) question on it, then came up with eight approaches on our own and learned four interpretations from the classical commentaries. I was pleased with the diversity of approaches and applications, considering the highly specific scenario described in the pasuk. We even concluded with an idea that will prove instrumental to doing teshuvah!-----מקורות:משלי יז:בתרגום רס"גמצודת דודרבינו יונהמלבי"םמאירי----------The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----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

Today's daf is sponsored by Tova and David Kestenbaum in loving memory of Tova's father, Rabbi Dr. Israel Rivkin z”l, on the occasion of his first yahrzeit. "My father was a pillar of strength and love for our family, a passionate learner of Torah, and a man whose chessed for his community and Klal Yisrael knew no bounds. He was deeply grateful to be living in Israel, together with my mother, surrounded by generations of descendants — a dream he cherished and fulfilled with joy and pride. יהי זכרו ברוך" Today's daf is sponsored by Judy Shapiro in memory of her mother Deera Tychman, Tzvia Bracha bat Mordechai v'Chaya Tova, on her 12th yahrzeit. "My mother was a lover of Israel and the Hebrew language. May her memory be a blessing." Today’s daf is dedicated to my brother Jonathan Cohen on his 50th birthday! He has been learning daf yomi with me since Masechet Nidda of the last cycle. The bull offering of the kohen gadol precedes the bull offering of the community. This is derived both from a verse in the Torah and a logical argument. The bull offering of the community (sin offering) precedes the bull offering of the community in a case of idol worship (burnt offering), as a sin offering precedes a burnt offering, as is derived from a verse regarding the sliding scale offering when two birds are offered - one as a sin offering and one as burnt offering. The Gemara brings several other rulings regarding which sacrifice precedes another and the source for it in the Torah. Only in one case is there a tannaitic debate.  If there are two lives to save or two people to feed or two people taken hostage, on what basis do we decide who to save, feed, or redeem first? The Mishnayot list who comes first, and a braita explands on this list.  Lineage plays a key role in determining precedence, but a Torah scholar overrides this and comes before even a mamzer, as is derived from a verse in Mishlei 3:15. What things cause one to forget one’s Torah, and what can one do to restore forgotten Torah? What are ten things that are detrimental to Torah study? A braita delineates the rules for showing respect for the Nasi, Av Beit Din and Chacham – each in a different manner. This differentiation was instituted by Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel (the nasi) on a day that Rabbi Natan, the Av Beit Din, and Rabbi Meir, the Chacham were not in the Beit Midrash.

Today's daf is sponsored by Tova and David Kestenbaum in loving memory of Tova's father, Rabbi Dr. Israel Rivkin z”l, on the occasion of his first yahrzeit. "My father was a pillar of strength and love for our family, a passionate learner of Torah, and a man whose chessed for his community and Klal Yisrael knew no bounds. He was deeply grateful to be living in Israel, together with my mother, surrounded by generations of descendants — a dream he cherished and fulfilled with joy and pride. יהי זכרו ברוך" Today's daf is sponsored by Judy Shapiro in memory of her mother Deera Tychman, Tzvia Bracha bat Mordechai v'Chaya Tova, on her 12th yahrzeit. "My mother was a lover of Israel and the Hebrew language. May her memory be a blessing." Today’s daf is dedicated to my brother Jonathan Cohen on his 50th birthday! He has been learning daf yomi with me since Masechet Nidda of the last cycle. The bull offering of the kohen gadol precedes the bull offering of the community. This is derived both from a verse in the Torah and a logical argument. The bull offering of the community (sin offering) precedes the bull offering of the community in a case of idol worship (burnt offering), as a sin offering precedes a burnt offering, as is derived from a verse regarding the sliding scale offering when two birds are offered - one as a sin offering and one as burnt offering. The Gemara brings several other rulings regarding which sacrifice precedes another and the source for it in the Torah. Only in one case is there a tannaitic debate.  If there are two lives to save or two people to feed or two people taken hostage, on what basis do we decide who to save, feed, or redeem first? The Mishnayot list who comes first, and a braita explands on this list.  Lineage plays a key role in determining precedence, but a Torah scholar overrides this and comes before even a mamzer, as is derived from a verse in Mishlei 3:15. What things cause one to forget one’s Torah, and what can one do to restore forgotten Torah? What are ten things that are detrimental to Torah study? A braita delineates the rules for showing respect for the Nasi, Av Beit Din and Chacham – each in a different manner. This differentiation was instituted by Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel (the nasi) on a day that Rabbi Natan, the Av Beit Din, and Rabbi Meir, the Chacham were not in the Beit Midrash.

Ignoring Wisdom will undermine potential excellence and result in dire consequences

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 15:32 - The Consequences of Loosening or Negating Mussar (Part 2)פּוֹרֵעַ מוּסָר מוֹאֵס נַפְשׁוֹ וְשׁוֹמֵעַ תּוֹכַחַת קוֹנֶה לֵּב:Length: 30 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/11/25), in our Morning Mishlei shiur, we began with a quick review of what we covered yesterday, including a more developed analysis of Ralbag, in which we reviewed some fundamental ideas about why perfection of middos is a prerequisite for perfection of intellect. Since my shiur today had to be cut short, we only had time to explore two additional commentaries: Immanuel ha'Romi and Malbim. Even though we didn't get to fully develop those approaches, we still gleaned some nice insights!---מקורות:משלי טו:לברמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה ב:דרלב"גרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תלמוד תורה ד:אעמנואל הרומירבינו יונה - משלי א:גמלבי"ם-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----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:

Chovot HaLevavot: Introspection on Money Welcome to our introspection series on Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart). We're now on the 20th introspection, which focuses on your relationship with money. Your bank account is the trigger for this powerful exercise. Look at your balance and ask yourself three key questions: How did you earn this money? How do you plan to spend it? Do you use it to fulfill your obligations to God and to other people? Re-evaluating Ownership The core of this introspection is to challenge our fundamental assumption about money. Do you see it as yours , or do you see it as a deposit that God has entrusted to you? This is a difficult concept to grasp. We tend to view our money as our own, safely in our bank account, a result of our own efforts. But the true perspective is that God is the owner, and we are merely the custodians of what He has placed in our care. He can add to it or remove it as He sees fit. This shift in perspective has profound implications. When you understand that the money isn't truly yours, you're no longer paralyzed by the fear of losing it. A bank teller doesn't worry when a customer withdraws money because they know it was never theirs to begin with. Similarly, you can be grateful to God for as long as the money remains with you, and you can accept any changes to your financial status without despair. This perspective also makes it easier to use your money for good. When you view your money as a divine deposit, giving charity becomes less about sacrificing your own funds and more about returning what was always meant for someone else. Money and Humility The Torah portion in Shemot 22:24 says, "If you lend money to My nation, the poor man who is with you." The simple meaning is that you should help the poor in your community. However, there is a deeper interpretation: "The poor man's money is already with you." This suggests that when you give, you're not giving from your own wealth, but rather distributing what God placed with you for the benefit of the needy. Rabbeinu Yonah discusses this in Sha'arei Teshuvah , explaining that a proper attitude toward money is essential for developing good character. He warns against looking down on those who are less fortunate. He quotes Mishlei 17:5 , which says, "He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker." Someone who looks down on the poor reveals a dangerous arrogance. They believe their success is a result of their own power and wisdom, a perspective described in Devarim 8:17 as "My strength and the might of my hand made me this wealth." This person believes they are self-made and therefore scorns those who failed to achieve similar success. In reality, they are cursing God, the true source of all wealth. As Mishlei 22:2 says, "The rich and the poor meet together; the Lord is the Maker of them all." An individual with a proper understanding of money—viewing it as a deposit from God—will never look down on the poor. This perspective, Chovot HaLevavot concludes, is one of the most powerful causes for cultivating positive character traits and eliminating negative ones. This introspection on money is not just about our finances; it's a vital part of shaping our entire spiritual and ethical being.

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 15:32 - The Consequences of Loosening or Negating Mussar (Part 1)פּוֹרֵעַ מוּסָר מוֹאֵס נַפְשׁוֹ וְשׁוֹמֵעַ תּוֹכַחַת קוֹנֶה לֵּב:Length: 43 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/10/25), in our Morning Mishlei shiur, we learned a pasuk that was clearly connected to the theme of the local cluster. On the surface, it seemed obvious, but we soon got a foothold that led to a real chidush in mussar! We then turned to Metzudas David, which we didn't figure out, then Rabbeinu Yonah, where we got another idea, and finally Ralbag, where we saw another path. Tomorrow we'll see what the other meforshim have to say! (בג"ה)-----מקורות:משלי טו:לבמצודת ציון/דודתרגום אונקלוס - שמות לב:כהרבינו יונהרלב"ג----------The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----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!Mishlei 17:1 - A Dry Piece of Bread vs. a House Filled with Meatטוֹב פַּת חֲרֵבָה וְשַׁלְוָה בָהּ, מִבַּיִת מָלֵא זִבְחֵי רִיב:Length: 1 hour 42 minutesSynopsis: This evening (9/8/25), in the first Monday Night Mishlei shiur of the 2025–2026 season, we began Chapter 17. The challenge was that I've given so many classes on so many pesukim in this chapter that I knew it would be hard to find chidushim (new ideas) I hadn't seen before. Thankfully, we had a powerhouse crew tonight, consisting of longtime Mishlei students alongside new faces, and we managed to come up with nine original interpretations, plus two more from the meforshim. Suffice it to say, it was a good haul, and we learned both great ideas and core Mishlei methodology! If you're looking to introduce someone to Mishlei, this shiur makes an excellent starting point!-----מקורות:משלי יז:אמצודת דודתרגום רס"גמלבי"םרבינו יונהזרחיה חןמשלי כב:יג; כה:יאאבות ב:ז-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----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:

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 15:31 - How Non-Chachamim Can Get Into the Chachamim Club (Part 2)אֹזֶן שֹׁמַעַת תּוֹכַחַת חַיִּים, בְּקֶרֶב חֲכָמִים תָּלִין:Length: 45 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/5/25), in our Morning Mishlei shiur, we began by reviewing the questions and approaches from yesterday, refining some and discarding others. Then we delved into the meforshim, learning a TON of fundamental ideas: from Rabbeinu Yonah, Malbim, Metzudas David, Ralbag, and our NEW friend, Immanuel ha'Romi! Not only was this shiur an excellent sample of what it's like to learn Mishlei, but it also happened to be a great "advertisement" for WHY we all need to learn Mishlei on a regular basis!-----מקורות:משלי טו:לאאבן כספי פירוש שנירבינו יונהרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות יסודי התורה ד:יגרמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תלמד תורה ה:גמלבי"םעמנואל הרומימצודת דודרלב"ג-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----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/wishli

Wisdom implores us to remove impediments and allow its continously flowing spirit to resonate within us

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 15:31 - How Non-Chachamim Can Get Into the Chachamim Club (Part 1)אֹזֶן שֹׁמַעַת תּוֹכַחַת חַיִּים, בְּקֶרֶב חֲכָמִים תָּלִין:Length: 30 minutesSynopsis: This morning (9/4/25), in our first Morning Mishlei shiur of the 2025-2026 yeshiva year, we picked up where we left off in June. This one happens to be a favorite of my rebbi, Rabbi Moskowitz zt"l. Since my schedule this year necessitates a shorter Thursday shiur slot, we only had time for the questions and initial approaches. Tomorrow we'll delve into the meforshim, בג"ה. -----מקורות:משלי טו:לאמצודת ציוןמשכלי א:כ-כא-----The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b'tzror ha'chayim.My Zoom account has been sponsored for the entire year by Isaac and Aviva Lichter, with hakaras ha'tov to Hashem in honor of Navonah's first birthday: “We couldn't have known how much joy and wonder she'd bring into our lives. רבות מחשבות בלב איש, ועצת ה' היא תקום."-----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

The first steps toward Wisdom entail cultivating healthy receptivity by freeing ourselves from various bonds that prevent enlightenment

A person should be receptive to truth, yet discerning, like a city with an open gate.

Wisdom is a source of paternal protection • Should Torah be taught in the marketplace?

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

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

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 16:1 - From Hashem is the Tongue's Reply (Part 2)לְאָדָם מַעַרְכֵי לֵב, וּמֵיְיָ מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן:Length: 1 hour 1 minutesSynopsis: This afternoon (7/24/25), we continued our analysis of the pasuk we began yesterday. After a quick review and some elaboration on Saadia Gaon, I shared my interpretation, which we examined through three sources: (1) Meiri's commentary on Mishlei 10:3, (2) the chapter of Moreh ha'Nevuchim that Rambam considered most important to pay attention to, and (3) the commentary of R' Sheishes ben Yitzchak Gerondi on our pasuk. As usual, we covered some fundamental methodological points along the way and (I hope) walked away with a few eminently practical ideas.-----מקורות:משלי טז:ארמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ב:דמאירי - משלי י:גרמב"ם - מורה הנבוכים ב:מחר' ששת בן יצחק גרונדיאבות ב:ד-----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:https://www.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 Wishlis

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text!Mishlei 16:1 - From Hashem is the Tongue's Reply (Part 1)לְאָדָם מַעַרְכֵי לֵב, וּמֵיְיָ מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן:Length: 1 hour 2 minutesSynopsis: This afternoon (7/23/25), in an unexpected plot twist, I was asked to give a two-part SUMMER Mishlei shiur! I chose the one pasuk from Chapter 16 that we skipped this year. Since this was a special shiur with some Mishleic neophytes, I decided to be a bit more explicit about Mishlei methodology than usual. We began by translating the pasuk, raising all the questions, and then developing our own theories. One of those theories lined up with Saadia Gaon's commentary, so we pivoted to analyzing that instead. Tomorrow, after a quick review, I'll share my own interpretation and the meforshim who led me there.-----מקורות:משלי טז:אמצודת ציוןתרגום ופירוש רס"גתרגום כתוביםתרגום השבעיםתרגום אונקלוס - בראשית ב:זhttps://rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/p/the-five-types-of-dvar-torah-----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.  -----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:

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

Glorification of victimhood is an intolerably false paradigm of virtue which leads towards the brutish ethos of pragmatic violence

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

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.