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The Mishlei Podcast

Philosophy Podcasts

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the hub for all of my shiurim (classes) on Sefer Mishlei, a.k.a. The Book of Proverbs! Generally speaking we will follow the approach to Mishlei outlined by Saadia Gaon who views Mishlei as a guide for intelligent decision-making in everyday life with the goal of maximizing long-term pleasure and minimizing long-term pain. Each shiur will typically focus on one pasuk (verse), which we will attempt to analyze on our own before turning to the meforshim (commentators). If you have any questions feel free to email me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thanks for listening!

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the hub for all of my shiurim (classes) on Sefer Mishlei, a.k.a. The Book of Proverbs! Generally speaking we will follow the approach to Mishlei outlined by Saadia Gaon who views Mishlei as a guide for intelligent decision-making in everyday life with the goal of maximizing long-term pleasure and minimizing long-term pain. Each shiur will typically focus on one pasuk (verse), which we will attempt to analyze on our own before turning to the meforshim (commentators). If you have any questions feel free to email me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thanks for listening!

Location:

United States

Description:

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the hub for all of my shiurim (classes) on Sefer Mishlei, a.k.a. The Book of Proverbs! Generally speaking we will follow the approach to Mishlei outlined by Saadia Gaon who views Mishlei as a guide for intelligent decision-making in everyday life with the goal of maximizing long-term pleasure and minimizing long-term pain. Each shiur will typically focus on one pasuk (verse), which we will attempt to analyze on our own before turning to the meforshim (commentators). If you have any questions feel free to email me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thanks for listening!

Language:

English

Episodes

Mishlei 20:7 - Parenting Advice for Tzadikim

5/13/2021
מִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּתֻמּוֹ צַדִּיק אַשְׁרֵי בָנָיו אַחֲרָיו: This morning (5/13/21 at YBT) we learned a new pasuk which first struck us as ambiguous on a number of levels. Once we started analyzing it, everything clicked into place, and we emerged with a nice idea. Unfortunately, since this is the last Mishlei shiur we're having before Shavuos, we won't have time to look into the meforshim. ---------- מקורות: משלי כ:ז ---------- If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to...

Duration:00:41:52

Mishlei 20:6 - How to Earn a Reputation for Kindness (Part 3)

5/12/2021
רׇב אָדָם יִקְרָא אִישׁ חַסְדּוֹ וְאִישׁ אֱמוּנִים מִי יִמְצָא: This morning (5/12/21 at YBT) we wrapped up our learning of the pasuk we've been focusing on this week. We learned the explanations of Rabbeinu Yonah and, to a lesser extent, the Meiri, and although we gained some insights here and there, we didn't find anything to rival our first explanation. Tomorrow we will plan to move on to a new pasuk. ---------- מקורות: משלי כ:ו רבינו יונה - משלי כ:ו מאירי - משלי כ:ו ---------- If...

Duration:00:32:10

Mishlei 20:6 - How to Earn a Reputation for Kindness (Part 2)

5/11/2021
רׇב אָדָם יִקְרָא אִישׁ חַסְדּוֹ וְאִישׁ אֱמוּנִים מִי יִמְצָא: This morning (5/11/21 at YBT) we continued learning the pasuk we began yesterday on how people advertise the chesed they do. First we refined our own approach. Next, we had a brief discussion about my "Mishlei Power Rankings" and why I include Metzudas David, Rabbeinu Yonah, and Meiri in the S tier. We then learned the Metzudas David's pshat, which differed from ours. The plan for tomorrow is to look into some other meforshim,...

Duration:00:39:42

Mishlei 10:23 - Should You Think This is a Joke?

5/10/2021
כִּשְׂחוֹק לִכְסִיל עֲשׂוֹת זִמָּה וְחׇכְמָה לְאִישׁ תְּבוּנָה: In our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (5/10/21 with Lomdeha, hosted by YBT) we learned what looked to be a very confusing pasuk, both linguistically and conceptually. To be honest, I was a little worried during our questioning period whether this would be a fruitful learning session. Thankfully, it was. We came up with three different approaches during shiur, a fourth which I had prepared ahead of time, and a fifth during the...

Duration:01:24:05

Mishlei 20:6 - How to Earn a Reputation for Kindness (Part 1)

5/10/2021
רׇב אָדָם יִקְרָא אִישׁ חַסְדּוֹ וְאִישׁ אֱמוּנִים מִי יִמְצָא: This morning (5/10/21 at YBT) we began learning one of the few pesukim in Mishlei that has anything to do with chesed (kindness). It shouldn't come as a surprise that Mishlei takes a very Mishleic approach to the topic of chesed. (I won't spoil that tautology by expanding on what it means here.) I should also mention that as the result of an honest and open discussion with my talmidim this past Shabbos, I wive decided that I...

Duration:00:43:54

Mishlei 20:5 - The Only Way to Get Good Advice

5/6/2021
מַיִם עֲמֻקִּים עֵצָה בְלֶב אִישׁ וְאִישׁ תְּבוּנָה יִדְלֶנָּה: This morning (5/6/21 at YBT) we went back to our regularly scheduled Mishlei programming, continuing where we left off in Chapter 20. At first glance, today's pasuk looked fairly straightforward, but we soon discovered that it could be read in different ways even with the same translation and syntax. After coming up with our own idea, we learned the Rabbeinu Yonah's approach, which connected our pasuk with the topic we've been...

Duration:00:43:28

Mishlei 6:6-11 - Go to the Ant, You Lazy Person! (Part 4)

5/5/2021
(ו) לֵךְ אֶל נְמָלָה עָצֵל רְאֵה דְרָכֶיהָ וַחֲכָם. (ז) אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהּ קָצִין שֹׁטֵר וּמֹשֵׁל. (ח) תָּכִין בַּקַּיִץ לַחְמָהּ אָגְרָה בַקָּצִיר מַאֲכָלָהּ. (ט) עַד מָתַי עָצֵל תִּשְׁכָּב מָתַי תָּקוּם מִשְּׁנָתֶךָ. (י) מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִבֻּק יָדַיִם לִשְׁכָּב. (יא) וּבָא כִמְהַלֵּךְ רֵאשֶׁךָ וּמַחְסֹרְךָ כְּאִישׁ מָגֵן. This morning (5/5/21 at YBT) we continued our analysis of the Meiri's "derech ha'nistar" approach to our pesukim about laziness. We learned...

Duration:00:33:12

Mishlei 6:6-11 - Go to the Ant, You Lazy Person! (Part 3)

5/4/2021
(ו) לֵךְ אֶל נְמָלָה עָצֵל רְאֵה דְרָכֶיהָ וַחֲכָם. (ז) אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהּ קָצִין שֹׁטֵר וּמֹשֵׁל. (ח) תָּכִין בַּקַּיִץ לַחְמָהּ אָגְרָה בַקָּצִיר מַאֲכָלָהּ. (ט) עַד מָתַי עָצֵל תִּשְׁכָּב מָתַי תָּקוּם מִשְּׁנָתֶךָ. (י) מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִבֻּק יָדַיִם לִשְׁכָּב. (יא) וּבָא כִמְהַלֵּךְ רֵאשֶׁךָ וּמַחְסֹרְךָ כְּאִישׁ מָגֵן. This morning (5/4/21 at YBT) we continued our analysis of the cluster of pesukim in Mishlei 6 about laziness. After reviewing what we covered...

Duration:00:41:47

Mishlei 10:22 - Hashem's Blessing is the Source of Wealth

5/3/2021
בִּרְכַּת יי הִיא תַעֲשִׁיר וְלֹא יוֹסִף עֶצֶב עִמָּהּ: In our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (5/3/21 with Lomdeha, hosted by YBT) we learned a pasuk which was an anomaly in that it focused on Hashem's actions, without any reference to Mishleic personalities. After working out the translation of the pasuk and reviewing what it means when Mishlei talks about Hashem, we came up with two approaches which were reflected in the Rabbeinu Yonah and the Meiri. At the very end we also learned the Ibn...

Duration:01:22:41

Mishlei 6:6-11 - Go to the Ant, You Lazy Person! (Part 2)

5/3/2021
(ו) לֵךְ אֶל נְמָלָה עָצֵל רְאֵה דְרָכֶיהָ וַחֲכָם. (ז) אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהּ קָצִין שֹׁטֵר וּמֹשֵׁל. (ח) תָּכִין בַּקַּיִץ לַחְמָהּ אָגְרָה בַקָּצִיר מַאֲכָלָהּ. (ט) עַד מָתַי עָצֵל תִּשְׁכָּב מָתַי תָּקוּם מִשְּׁנָתֶךָ. (י) מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִבֻּק יָדַיִם לִשְׁכָּב. (יא) וּבָא כִמְהַלֵּךְ רֵאשֶׁךָ וּמַחְסֹרְךָ כְּאִישׁ מָגֵן. This morning (5/3/21 at YBT) we continued our analysis of the cluster of pesukim in Mishlei 6 about laziness. After reviewing what we covered...

Duration:00:31:19

Mishlei 6:6-11 - Go to the Ant, You Lazy Person! (Part 1)

4/29/2021
(ו) לֵךְ אֶל נְמָלָה עָצֵל רְאֵה דְרָכֶיהָ וַחֲכָם. (ז) אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהּ קָצִין שֹׁטֵר וּמֹשֵׁל. (ח) תָּכִין בַּקַּיִץ לַחְמָהּ אָגְרָה בַקָּצִיר מַאֲכָלָהּ. (ט) עַד מָתַי עָצֵל תִּשְׁכָּב מָתַי תָּקוּם מִשְּׁנָתֶךָ. (י) מְעַט שֵׁנוֹת מְעַט תְּנוּמוֹת מְעַט חִבֻּק יָדַיִם לִשְׁכָּב. (יא) וּבָא כִמְהַלֵּךְ רֵאשֶׁךָ וּמַחְסֹרְךָ כְּאִישׁ מָגֵן. This morning (4/29/21 at YBT) we took a detour to a cluster of pesukim from the Introduction to Mishlei, as per the Meiri's suggestion in his...

Duration:00:32:52

Mishlei 20:4 - Too Lazy to Plow in the Cold

4/28/2021
מֵחֹרֶף עָצֵל לֹא יַחֲרֹשׁ [וְשָׁאַל] (ישאל) בַּקָּצִיר וָאָיִן: This morning (4/28/21 at YBT) we learned another relatively straightforward pasuk - thanks, in no small measure, to the definition of laziness provided by Saadia Gaon in his introduction to Mishlei. The insight we gained was still valuable, and we would like to give more thought to the topic tomorrow. ---------- מקורות: משלי כ:ד תרגום רס"ג - משלי כ:ד פירוש רס"ג - הקדמה לספר משלי מאירי - משלי כ:ד רבינו יונה - משלי...

Duration:00:34:36

Mishlei 20:3 - How (Not) to Defend Your Honor

4/27/2021
כָּבוֹד לָאִישׁ שֶׁבֶת מֵרִיב וְכׇל אֱוִיל יִתְגַּלָּע: This morning (4/27/21 at YBT) we learned a pasuk that was refreshingly straightforward and easy to interpret, yet just as rich and practical as the other ideas in Mishlei. We even managed to connect it to yesterday's pasuk, "Rabbeinu Yonah style" (in quotation marks because Rabbeinu Yonah, himself, didn't connect it in this way). ---------- מקורות: משלי כ:ג תרגום ופירוש רס"ג - משלי כ:ג מצודת ציון/דוד - משלי כ:ג מאירי - משלי...

Duration:00:40:10

Rabbeinu Yonah on the Naar, the Pesi, and the Ksil

4/27/2021
My understanding of several Mishleic personalities has been shifting as of late, and I wanted to explore some of these insights with my Monday Night Mishlei group. For this reason, we took a break from our pasuk-by-pasuk learning of Mishlei Chapter 10 in our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (4/26/21 with Lomdeha, hosted by YBT) in order to refine our understanding of three Mishleic archetypes: the naar (misguided youth), the pesi (naive simpleton), and the ksil (the seasoned pleasure-addict), as...

Duration:01:33:11

Mishlei 20:2 - Managing the King's Wrath

4/26/2021
נַהַם כַּכְּפִיר אֵימַת מֶלֶךְ מִתְעַבְּרוֹ חוֹטֵא נַפְשׁוֹ: This morning (4/26/21 at YBT) we learned a pasuk that was quite similar to Mishlei 19:12, which we learned earlier this year. We arrived at two ideas here: one based on a creative reading which was aimed at the king (and anyone who is in a position of eminent leadership), and the other based on the pshat which was aimed at the subject (and anyone who is in a subordinate role to a powerful leader). For a fuller picture on this...

Duration:00:42:34

Mishlei 20:1 - The Relationship Between the Leitz, Wine, and Chochmah (Part 3)

4/22/2021
לֵץ הַיַּיִן הֹמֶה שֵׁכָר וְכׇל שֹׁגֶה בּוֹ לֹא יֶחְכָּם: This morning (4/21/21 at YBT) we wrapped up our analysis of yesterday's pasuk. We managed to resolve the problems we had with the Metzudas David's interpretation yesterday. We then learned Rabbeinu Yonah's explanation, which (it turns out) was where I got half of mine from. Lastly, we explored a metaphorical interpretation based on the Yalkut Shimoni. ---------- מקורות: משלי כ:א מצודת דוד - משלי כ:א רבינו יונה - משלי כ:א ילקוט...

Duration:00:45:55

Mishlei 20:1 - The Relationship Between the Leitz, Wine, and Chochmah (Part 2)

4/21/2021
לֵץ הַיַּיִן הֹמֶה שֵׁכָר וְכׇל שֹׁגֶה בּוֹ לֹא יֶחְכָּם: This morning (4/21/21 at YBT) we continued our analysis of yesterday's pasuk. First we reviewed and refined two of the approaches from yesterday. The second of those approaches gave rise to a third, which we also explored. We then began working on the Metzudas David's explanation, which I felt was missing something but which others in the shiur weren't bothered by. We intend to continue working on that approach tomorrow, and then...

Duration:00:38:05

Mishlei 20:1 - The Relationship Between the Leitz, Wine, and Chochmah (Part 1)

4/20/2021
לֵץ הַיַּיִן הֹמֶה שֵׁכָר וְכׇל שֹׁגֶה בּוֹ לֹא יֶחְכָּם: This morning (4/20/21 at YBT) we began learning a VERY difficult-to-translate pasuk. We were immediately confronted with six or seven different ways to translate it. Nevertheless, we were able to make some headway in our understanding, and began developing several approaches. Tomorrow we'll try to clarify today's insights, and then consult the meforshim. ---------- מקורות: משלי כ:א תרגום רס"ג - משלי כ:א מצודת ציון - משלי...

Duration:00:46:34

Mishlei 10:21 - The Foundational Egotism of the Eveel (Pleasure-Seeking Fool)

4/19/2021
שִׂפְתֵי צַדִּיק יִרְעוּ רַבִּים וֶאֱוִילִים בַּחֲסַר לֵב יָמוּתוּ: In our Monday Night Mishlei shiur (4/19/21 with Lomdeha, hosted by YBT) we came up with two ideas. The first was a nice, standard Mishleic idea which followed Saadia Gaon's translation. The second was a foundational insight into the personality of the eveel (Pleasure-Seeking Fool) with far-reaching implications. Let this stand as an example of how the most basic questions should continue to be asked, and the most...

Duration:01:31:33

Mishlei 19:29 - How Leitzim (Scoffers) and Ksilim (Fools) are Punished

4/19/2021
נָכוֹנוּ לַלֵּצִים שְׁפָטִים וּמַהֲלֻמוֹת לְגֵו כְּסִילִים: This morning (4/19/21 at YBT) we learned a pasuk which seems to be fundamental in our understanding of leiztim and ksilim. We explored several different approaches and refined them to around the 75-90% complete range. There are still some questions that remain to be answered and some ideas that remain to be developed, but at least we managed to gain some insights. ---------- מקורות: משלי יט:כט תרגום רס"ג - משלי יט:כט רבינו...

Duration:00:45:22

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