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PODCAST · religion

Machshavah Lab

by Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

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

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Episodes

  1. Noach: Microlooting and the Mabul

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/16/26 titled: Noach: Microlooting and the Mabul. Chazal say that theft sealed the fate of the Generation of the Flood....

  2. Bereishis: Rav Hirsch vs. the World on Divine “Emotions”

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/8/26 titled: Bereishis: Rav Hirsch vs. the World on Divine “Emotions.” If I had written about this 18 years ago, when…

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  3. Hoshana Rabbah 5787: Ho’il Moshe’s Theory of Hoshana Rabbah

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 10/2/26 titled: Hoshana Rabbah 5787: Ho’il Moshe’s Theory of Hoshana Rabbah. After years and years of Hoshana Rabbah...

  4. Maimonidean Musings: Mitzvos Between Man and God, or Between Man and Himself?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 9/25/26 titled: Maimonidean Musings: Mitzvos Between Man and God, or Between Man and Himself? Is there such a category as...

  5. Rambam on Interpersonal Sin and Teshuvah (REDUX)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 39 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/10/26), in our Thursday night Machshavah Lab series for women, I gave a shiur on a topic I THOUGHT I had never given shiur on before. As it turns out, an hour before shiur I realized that I...

  6. Ki Savo – Is It Really a Great Mitzvah to Be Happy All the Time?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/28/26 titled: Ki Savo – Is It Really a Great Mitzvah to Be Happy All the Time? Rebbe Nachman and the Rambam both make...

  7. Ki Teitzei – Sanitation and Shechinah

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/21/26 titled: Ki Teitzei – Sanitation and Shechinah. I had a radical reading of these two obscure mitzvos and was...

  8. Re’eh: Rav Kook’s Anti-Vegetarian Views

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 8/6/26 titled: Re’eh: Rav Kook’s Anti-Vegetarian Views. This article is my first foray into Rav Kook's stance on...

  9. Eikev: All You Need is Fear

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/31/26 titled: Eikev: All You Need is Fear. According to R. Chanina, Moshe tells us that Hashem asks only fear of us…

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  10. Vaeschanan: Rashba on What “Shema Yisrael” Demands of Us

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/24/26 titled: Vaeschanan: Rashba on What “Shema Yisrael” Demands of Us. There's a lot to think about in the Shema, but...

  11. Tishah b'Av 5786: Kinnah #18 - And You Said ... Why? (or Why We Learn Iyov on Tishah b'Av)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length of audio: 1 hour 16 minutes Synopsis: This is the recording of the Tishah b'Av shiur I gave at the Island Synagogue on 7/23/26. The good news is that this might be the most important Tishah b'Av shiur I've given. It's certainly my...

  12. Devarim: When Judges Are Threatened with Violence

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/17/26 titled: Devarim: When Judges Are Threatened with Violence. What would you do if you were a judge and a litigant...

  13. Masei: The Release of Unintentional Killers

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 7/9/26 (a revised version of an article originally published on 7/25/14) titled: Masei: The Release of Unintentional...

  14. Chukas: Three Radical Takes on the Sin of Moshe and Aharon

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/25/26 titled: Chukas: Three Radical Takes on the Sin of Moshe and Aharon. There are over a dozen theories about which…

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  15. Balak: The Appeal of Baal Peor (and Darwin)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/24/26 (originally on 7/7/17) titled: Balak: The Appeal of Baal Peor (and Darwin). Worshiping an idol by defecating on…

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  16. Korach: How Did Korach and His Followers Think They Could Get Away With It?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/19/26 titled: Korach: How Did Korach and His Followers Think They Could Get Away With It? Korach and his men claim to…

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  17. Q&A #48 - Bribery Parameters, Bad/Good Influence on/from Friends, Torah on Inner Work, What is YBT

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length:49 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/18/26), in lieu of morning Mishlei, we had the last Q&A - and last shiur! - of the 2025-2026 season. We took up four questions: (1) What are the parameters of philosophical/ethical bribery? (2)...

  18. My Graduation Charge to the NEJA Class of 2026

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: Here's the audio recording of the graduation charge I delivered to the NEJA Graduating Class of 2026 on June 14th, 2026. Transcript is available here. ----- The Torah content for this month has been sponsored by Meir Areman,...

  19. Shelach: The Sin of the Spies and the Root of Idolatry

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/11/26 titled: Shelach: The Sin of the Spies and the Root of Idolatry. There are many theories about the cause of this...

  20. Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (FULL Article)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/9/26 titled: Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (FULL Article). Sometimes a fish is just a...

  21. Rambam on Divine Knowledge and Hashgachah (Part 2: True Views) Moreh 3:17b-18

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 20 minutes Synopsis: This morning (6/5/26), in our last Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women of the season, we concluded the Rambam's INITIAL presentation of the true view of hashgachah, as understood from the Torah…

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  22. Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (Part 1: The Question)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 6/5/26 titled: Behaalosecha: Don’t Cry Over Lost Fish / Forbidden Relations (Part 1: The Question). Sometimes a fish is...

  23. Four Entered the Pardes: An Exploration With An Agenda

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 35 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (6/4/26), in our Thursday night Machshavah Lab series for women, was not a shiur but an exploration with an agenda (which I explain toward the beginning and won't divulge here). We read the…

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  24. Naso: Three Explanations of the Chatas ha’Nazir (Nazrite’s Sin-Offering)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 5-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/29/26 titled: Naso: Three Explanations of the Chatas ha’Nazir (Nazrite’s Sin-Offering). Why must every nazir bring a...

  25. Can God Do the Impossible? Teaching High Schoolers the "Limits" of Divine Omnipotence in Iyov

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 2 hours 19 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/17/26), in my last YBT Sunday Shiur of the season, I gave an updated version of my Judaism Demystified episode titled "Can God Do Anything/Everything? Can God Do the Impossible?" The...

  26. Rambam on Divine Knowledge and Hashgachah (Part 1: False Views) Moreh 3:16-17a

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 28 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/15/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we moved on to the next - and last! - subseries within our overarching series on Iyov. Over the course of the next eight...

  27. Bamidbar / Korach: What We Guard in the Mikdash

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/14/26 titled: Bamidbar / Korach: What We Guard in the Mikdash. Why is the Tribe of Levi commanded to guard the Mikdash?...

  28. Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 6: Three Types of Ra)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 25 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/8/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we review what we covered last time, then learned and discussed the rest of the Rambam's Moreh ha'Nevuchim 3:12, in which he...

  29. Behar: The Torah’s Double Standard for Slave Labor

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 7-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 5/7/26 titled: Behar: The Torah’s Double Standard for Slave Labor. In this article (first published in 2024), we examine...

  30. Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 5: Intro to the Types of Ra)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 53 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/1/26), in our shorter-than-usual Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we began with an efficient review of the Rambam's theory of ra which we covered last time in 3:10. We then read and...

  31. Rambam: On the Purpose of the Universe (Moreh 3:13)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 43 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/30/25), in our Thursday night women’s shiur, we learned through the entire chapter in the Moreh ha'Nevuchim in which the Rambam discusses the purpose of the universe. Technically…

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  32. Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 4: Theory of Ra)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 22 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/24/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we began with a review of 3:8 and the satan, then quickly learned through 3:9 while avoiding epistemological potholes, and...

  33. Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 3: Matter as the Cause of Ra)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 22 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/17/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we finally began the "Moreh ha'Nevuchim" portion of our Iyov journey. After a very brief review of matter and form, we read,...

  34. Shemini / Tazria / Metzora: What a REAL Rationalist Would Say About Tumah

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 3-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 4/16/26 title: Shemini / Tazria / Metzora: What a REAL Rationalist Would Say About Tumah. These three parshiyos all deal...

  35. Q&A #47 - Hashgachah Diagnosis, Rambam on Lashon ha'Ra, Dividing Learning Into Thirds

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 28 minutes Synopsis: This morning (4/16/26), in lieu of our usual morning Mishlei, we had a short Q&A session! We discussed three questions: (1) To what degree can we "diagnose" whether something in our life was hashgachah pratis?...

  36. Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 2: The Form of Man)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 7 minutes Synopsis: This Friday morning (3/20/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we were GOING to begin the section of the Rambam's Moreh ha'Nevuchim that will be our focus for the next couple of…

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  37. Rambam on the Satan and Ra (Part 1: Aristotelian Primer on Form and Matter)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 47 minutes Synopsis: Turns out, I accidentally forgot to upload last Friday's Iyov shiur! This past Friday morning (3/13/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, I gave a shiur with the aim of introducing the...

  38. Vayikra: Toward a Theory of Jewish Guilt

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/20/26 title: Vayikra: Toward a Theory of Jewish Guilt. Most people who think they know what the asham talui (suspended...

  39. How to Relate to Arbitrary Halachic Details (Part 2 - Rambam and Rav Kook)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 50 minutes Synopsis: This week (3/19/26), in our Thursday night Machshavah Lab series for women, we continued the topic we embarked on the week before. First, we revised our understanding of the Rambam's approach and my...

  40. Vayakhel / Pikudei: Remembering Minas Tirith … I Mean Mikdash

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/11/26 titled: Vayakhel / Pikudei: Remembering Minas Tirith … I Mean Mikdash. Saadia Gaon states that contemplating the...

  41. How to Relate to Arbitrary Halachic Details (Part 1 - WILL BE REVISED IN PART 2)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! DISCLAIMER: I almost didn't post this shiur because it wasn't as clear as I hoped AND because we revised it in Part 2. I'm happy with Part 2, but I'm posting Part 1 for the sake of thoroughness and transparency. Just know that if you…

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  42. Post-Purim 5786: Operation Growling Bear

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 4-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/11/26 titled: Post-Purim 5786: Operation Growling Bear. This began as a recap of a Mishlei/Megilah/Midrash crossover...

  43. What Modern Orthodoxy Means to Me (or Rabbi Fox’s 2007 NYHS Commencement Address)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 2-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/9/26 titled: What Modern Orthodoxy Means to Me (or Rabbi Fox’s 2007 NYHS Commencement Address). Since NYHS’s annual...

  44. Rabbeinu Yonah on Bitachon (Part 3)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 40 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/5/25), in our Thursday night women’s shiur, we continued our exploration of Rabbeinu Yonah on bitachon. The bad news is that I didn't have a chance to prepare. The good news is that our...

  45. Ki Tisa: Is Shabbos a Day of Simchah?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Synopsis: This is the audio version of the 1-page article I wrote and published on rabbischneeweiss.substack.com/ on 3/5/26 titled: Ki Tisa: Is Shabbos a Day of Simchah? If so, why isn't it presented this way in the Torah and in halacha?...

  46. Q&A #46 - 30 Days Before the Chag, Necessity of Haggadah, Mishlei vs. Gemara, Hodaah Anniversaries

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 31 minutes Synopsis: This morning (3/5/26), in lieu of our usual morning Mishlei, we had a Q&A session! We discussed four questions: (1) What's the nature of the halacha of "learning the halachos of the chag 30 days before the...

  47. The Tail of Vashti and Gavriel ha'Malach

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 26 minutes Synopsis: This morning (2/27/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we capped off our series of shiurim on malachim with a midrash on Megilas Esther about a malach (in preparation for Purim, of...

  48. Rabbeinu Yonah on Bitachon (Part 2)

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 46 minutes Synopsis: This evening (2/26/25), in our Thursday night women’s shiur, we continued our exploration of Rabbeinu Yonah on bitachon. After a lengthy, in-depth review of what we covered last time on Mishlei 3:5, we...

  49. Explaining Arayos (Forbidden Relations) to an Aunt and Her Nephew Who Are In Love

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 2 hours Synopsis: Back in 2022, I gave a shiur on the extremely niche topic of avunculate marriage, that is, an uncle marrying his niece. Two years later, I received an email titled “Avunculate Marriage: Need Some Spiritual...

  50. What are Malachim (Angels) According to the Rambam? (Part 3) Why Depict Angels as Physical?

    Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 26 minutes Synopsis: This morning (2/20/26), in our Friday morning Sefer Iyov series for women, we continued our exploration of the Rambam’s view of angels. After a brief review, a question led us on an unplanned detour...

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

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

HOSTED BY

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Machshavah Lab have?

Machshavah Lab currently has 648 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Machshavah Lab about?

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss. My goal as a Torah educator is not merely to teach my students my OWN hashkafah. Rather, my goal is to equip them with the foundations, the methodological training, and the tools which will enable them to arrive at their OWN understanding of Judaism and cultivate...

How often does Machshavah Lab release new episodes?

Machshavah Lab releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 648 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.

Where can I listen to Machshavah Lab?

You can listen to Machshavah Lab on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Machshavah Lab?

Machshavah Lab is created and hosted by Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss.
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