An in-depth look into Tefilah: the Siddur, its history, halacha, and perspective. Delivered in Netivot Israel Congregation, Wednesdays at 8:30PM
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My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the hub for all of my shiurim (classes) on Tefilah (Prayer) and related topics, such as Tehilim (Psalms) and Berachos (Blessings)! The shiurim I upload here are given in a variety of formats with different lengths and intended for different audiences. The common theme which unites all of these shiurim is our focus on strengthening our relationship with Hashem through Avodah she'ba'Lev (Service of the Heart). If you have any questions feel free t ...
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Tzadikim - the 13th Beracha
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In this shiur we discuss the limited data we have about this early Beracha, and the history of its evolution from ancient times until the modern era. We also discuss the concept of using liturgy for sociopolitical gains.
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Tehilim 24 REDUX: Sunday's Psalm (Shir Shel Yom Rishon b'Shabbos) (Part 2)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 57 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/11/24), in Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we reviewed our cleaned-up translation of the perek from last time, went over all our questions (raising some new ones in the process), and then we opened the floor for approaches. There were a LOT of great id…
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Tefilah Reexamined: Part 1 - Questions and a First Step
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1:28:35
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 28 minutes Synopsis: This morning (9/6/24), in the first shiur of our NEW Machshavah Lab series for women called "Tefilah Reexamined." Since I'm designing and teaching a year-long course on tefilah for high school students, I decided this summer to investigate the whole subje…
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Birkat HaMinim - The 12th Beracha
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In this class we discuss the Beracha directed against the "heretics", which historically developed a tremendous set of controversies and instances of censorship, both internal and external.
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Tehilim 24 REDUX: Sunday's Psalm (Shir Shel Yom Rishon b'Shabbos) (Part 1)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 57 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (9/4/24), in our first Wednesday night Tehilim shiur of the 2024-2025 season, we began our re-analysis of Sunday's Shir Shel Yom. We learned through this in shiur two years ago (10/26/22, 11/2/22), but found it to be difficult. I don't remember what we s…
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Mishpat - The 11th Beracha
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In this shiur we discuss the complex ancient history of the Beracha of Mishpat, and how variants of Talmud Bavli cast doubt on our conventional understanding of the Beracha.
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The Kinnot Survival Guide
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In this class we learn 10 facts about the Kinnot to hopefully make the experience of using the Sefer HaKinnot more meaningful for everyone. I also provide some tips as to how to read them constructively.
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Kibbutz Galyot - The 10th Beracha
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In this class we discuss the 10th blessing of the Amidah and how and why it was the first blessing to be modified by Liberal and Progressive Jews in Europe.
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Shanim - The 9th Beracha
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In this shiur we study "Barech Aleinu" (Birchat HaShanim). Being one of the most material petitionary prayers, we review some of the enormous corpus of thought about Tefilah and it's role in the fundamentals of any religion.
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Refuah - The 8th Beracha
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In this shiur we learn about the blessing for health, and we study the effects of Rabbinic attempts to safeguard the Nusach of Tefilah.
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Geulah - The 7th Beracha
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In this class we study the Beracha of Redemption/Salvation, and we also discuss the concept of classification.
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Selicha - The 6th Beracha
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In this class we study the blessing of Selicha, the 6th Beracha of the Amidah. We also study how the genre 'Selichot' evolved from Piyyutim designed for this Beracha.
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Teshuva - The 5th Beracha
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In this class we examine the development of the fifth blessing of the Amidah, and some problems with the old versions. We also briefly explore the Jewish theology of repentance.
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In this class we study the 4th blessing of the Amidah, the blessing for Daat. Sometimes translated as 'Guidance' or 'Knowledge' - we explore how this blessing evolved from ancient times until today.
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Azharot: A Shavuot Legacy
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In this class we study the legacy of Piyyut on Shavuot, with a focus on the Azharot. The Azharot are a genre of Piyyut that enumerate the Mitzvot in a didactic list-poem.
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Kedushat Hashem - The 3rd Beracha
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In this class we explore the earliest versions of the Beracha we know as Atah Kadosh, and we discuss the genesis and development of the Kedusha.
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Tehilim 7: Shigayon le'David (Part 3)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 9 minutes Synopsis: Last night (5/29/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we attempted to "land the plane." Since it had been two weeks since our last shiur, we began by reviewing everything - the translations, the questions, and the approaches - and then set out to get…
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Gevurot - The 2nd Beracha
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In this class we explore the origins and development of the second blessing in the Amidah, and we discuss the theologies of resurrection and life-giving.
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In this shiur we begin a study of the individual Berachot of the Amidah. I emphasize how important it is to compare the 2 earliest recensions of the Amidah, and how to study the nature of those recensions. We then learn the relevant sources that constitute the background for the text of the first Beracha.…
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Tehilim 7: Shigayon le'David (Part 2)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 3 minutes Synopsis: Last night (5/16/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we dove into our in-depth analysis of this perek, raising a bunch of questions, making a bunch of observations, and following our intuition. We discussed a few ideas from the meforshim - most nota…
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In this shiur we examine the many approaches taken by scholars throughout the generations to interpret and find meaning in the Amidah.
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Tehilim 7: Shigayon le'David (Part 1)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 2 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (5/8/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began a new and unfamiliar perek. I selected it because it's clearly about David's struggles with his enemies and (unfortunately) that theme continues to be relevant to Jews in Israel and in the Di…
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Origins of the Passover Haggadah
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In this class we take a deep dive into the history of the Passover Haggadah by exploring the development of the Seder and the research that unraveled the complex development of the text. This class was delivered on March 27th, 2023 at the Netivot Israel Congregation, in Brooklyn, New York. To view the slides: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhrNJHCipcpjg6xB_e5…
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Tehilim 113: Beginning of Hallel REDUX (Part 3)
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1:06:03
Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 5 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/17/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we concluded our relearning of Tehilim 113 with the commentary of the Abravanel - and boy did he deliver! I think we ended up in a similar place to where the Radak took us last time, but we arri…
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Nishmat Kol Chai: the Haggadah's confusing end
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In this shiur we study the history of Nishmat Kol Chai and how it became a part of the Haggadah Shel Pesach.
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Shemoneh Esrei: A Historical Introduction
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In this class we begin a lengthy study of the Amidah, most commonly referred to as Shemoneh Esrei. Being that this is the core prayer of Jewish liturgy, we introduce both the history and the scholarship that investigates the history of this essential Tefillah.
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Tehilim 113: Beginning of Hallel REDUX (Part 2)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 58 minutes Synopsis: This evening (4/3/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we continued our relearning of the first chapter of Hallel. After reviewing our translation, our questions, and our approach - which we developed a bit - we decided to start learning the Abravanel's ex…
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Tehilim 113: Beginning of Hallel REDUX (Part 1)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour Synopsis: This evening (3/27/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began a new project: re-learning Hallel! (or at least, the first two chapters) The last time I gave shiur on Hallel was three years ago, and there's been enough distance and enough natural forgetting t…
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Purim, Piyyut, and Parody
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In this class we study the earliest examples of poetry for Purim and their effect on later Piyyut and parody.
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Tehilim 22: Al Ayeles ha'Shachar (Part 3: An Approach)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Note: You are advised to at LEAST listen to Part 2 before this one, but in a pinch, you'll probably still gain if you just listen to Part 3, since we begin with a review of everything we covered in Parts 1 and 2. Length: 1 hour 2 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/20/24), in our Wednesday ni…
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In this shiur we study the development of the second half of Emet V'Yatziv, popularly referred to as Ezrat Avoteinu.
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Tehilim 22: Al Ayeles ha'Shachar (Part 2: Developing an Approach)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Tehilim 22: Al Ayeles ha'Shachar (Part 2: Developing an Approach) Note: In this case, you do NOT need to have listened to Part 1 in order to follow Part 2 Length: 1 hour 4 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/13/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we had a LOT of work to do, since we ba…
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Emet V'Yatziv & the Birth of the Synagogue
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In this shiur we explore the Tefilah of Emet V'Yatziv. We look at how this prayer illustrates the earliest form of communal worship and synagogue prayer.
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Tehilim 22: Al Ayeles ha'Shachar (Part 1: Reading and Translation)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 3 minutes Synopsis: This evening (3/6/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began a new perek: the somewhat lengthy and exceedingly difficult-to-read chapter 22. We chose this because Chazal hold that it's about Esther, but we'll follow our usual approach and attempt …
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Baruch Shem & the Temple Service
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In this class we discuss the history of Baruch Shem, a small doxology recited after the declaration of Shema. We discuss its roots in the Temple service, and it's development in Jewish and Christian liturgies.
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Tehilim 139: You Investigated Me and You Know (Part 3)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 8 minutes Synopsis: This evening (2/28/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we aimed to wrap up our analysis. After a thorough review of what we covered last time, we read the Meiri's commentary on the final six pesukim. This drew us into the esoteric vortex-like topic …
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In this shiur we discuss the 3 words customarily recited before Keriat Shema, by studying the history and the Halachic background. Note: I failed to explain one slide, which was a Gemara that explains that Amen stands for El Melech Ne'eman.
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Tehilim 139: You Investigated Me and You Know (Part 2)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 3 minutes Synopsis: This evening (2/21/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we continued our analysis of Tehilim 139. After reviewing our translation, our questions, and our approaches from last week, we began learning the Meiri's beautiful pasuk-by-pasuk commentary. We…
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Ahava Rabah: An Early Birchat HaTorah
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In this shiur we explore the form, content, and message of the second Beracha of Keriat Shema. We look at it's history and development, while noticing its characteristics of a Birchat HaTorah.
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Tehilim 139: You Investigated Me and You Know (Part 1)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 3 minutes Synopsis: This evening (2/14/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began a new perek, and was it a DOOZY of a perek! Lengthy, poetic, filled with cryptic words and phrases and the abrupt pivot-point of them all. Daunting as it was, we raised a bunch of good …
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The Yotzerot: A Study in Early Jewish Hymnography
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In this class we study the content of the Yotzer Beracha, and unravel its origins in the early era of Piyyut.
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The Berachos of Milah (Tefilah Exploration) Part 2
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 8 minutes Synopsis: Tonight (2/7/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim/Tefilah shiur, we continued our (unprepared) exploration of the berachos said at a bris milah, with a focus on the third berachah. We read through the commentaries of the Rambam (in one of his tshuvos), Rash…
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Kedusha: The Ancient Origins
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In this class we discuss the middle section of the Yotzer Beracha, known as the Kedusha of Yotzer. We speak about its ancient origins and compare it with the rest of the data we have about Kedusha in general.
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The Berachos of Milah (Tefilah Exploration) Part 1
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! NOTE: I made a mistake in my translation of the response to the 2nd berachah, according to the Rambam. It should be: "just as YOU brought him into the covenant, so should you bring him to Torah, to chuppah, and to good deeds." Length: 1 hour 3 minutes Synopsis: This evening (1/31/24), in ou…
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In this class we introduce the Beracha of Yotzer Ohr with a broader discussion about the Berachot of Keriat Shema, studying their purpose and evolution throughout the ages.
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Barechu: An Ancient Call
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In this class we explore the Kaddish and Barechu section of the morning prayer. We search for early evidence of this doxology and we analyze various theories regarding its evolution.
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Tehilim 52: On Doeg-like Bad Guys (Part 2)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour Synopsis: This evening (1/10/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we set out to answer our two most pressing Tehilim questions: (1) What is the main idea of the perek? (2) What is the purpose? Thanks to the commentary of R' Elia di Nola (a.k.a. Shiurei R' Ovadyah Sforno…
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In this class we discuss the closing blessing of the Pesukei d'Zimra: Yishtabach. We try to unravel it's origins by comparing it to other similar blessings.
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Tehilim 52: On Doeg-like Bad Guys (Part 1)
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Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 1 hour 3 minutes Synopsis: This evening (1/3/24), in our Wednesday night Tehilim shiur, we began learning a new perek that I had never seen before. I was drawn to it because it promises to shed new light on the familiar themes of lashon ha'ra and trust in Hashem. Tonight we translat…
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Modern Additions to Pesukei d'Zimra
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In this class we study the development of the Pesukei d'Zimra in the Modern Era, and we also discern which additions or innovations are truly Modern.
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