Rambam Bekius
401 episodes - English - Latest episode: 8 months ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsMy name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the podcast for my Rambam Bekius Chavurah at Yeshiva Bnei Torah (YBT). We typically meet four days a week for an hour and learn the writings of the Rambam on a bekius level (i.e. with the aim of covering ground rather than doing an in-depth analysis). Our focus is on the Mishneh Torah, but we will frequently delve into the Sefer ha'Mitzvos, the Peirush ha'Mishnayos, the Moreh ha'Nevuchim, and other writings from the Rambam when our learning takes us there. If you're interested in attaining fluency in the Rambam's Torah, then this is the podcast for you!
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Episodes
Two MAJOR Professional/Life Updates for the 2023-2024 Academic Year
August 23, 2023 13:00 - 48 minutes - 33.2 MBLength of audio: 47 minutes Synopsis: Have you been what I'll be up to this coming year? Have you heard me allude to a MAJOR update that I said I'd announce about my professional life in the near future? Are you aware of one of these updates, but not the other? Well, if none of this interests you, then by all means, feel free to skip this. But if you are at all curious about my exciting plans for 2023-2024, then here is the FULL story. I intended to make this short, but failed miserably bec...
Rambam on the Purpose of OTHER Human Beings (Introduction to the Mishnah)
June 08, 2023 18:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBLength: 24 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (6/8/23), in our last Rambam Bekius mini-shiur (ever?), we read Rambam's answer to the question: "If the purpose of human beings is to perfect ourselves, in knowledge and in action, what is the purpose of all those people who are not involved in perfecting themselves?" After offering our own answers, we read the two-part answer given by the Rambam. Although there are still questions on this entire Rambam we haven't answered, I'm glad we took it up ...
Rambam on the Purpose of Human Beings (Introduction to the Mishnah)
June 07, 2023 18:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBLength: 42 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (6/7/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we FINALLY got to the part where the Rambam talks about the purpose of the human species. We read through his main answer, encountering a few questions and problems along the way. Tomorrow (בג"ה), in our last Rambam Bekius shiur of the season, we'll attempt to finish the section, beginning with the Rambam's answer to the question: "What is the purpose of human beings who DON'T fulfill their purpose?" ----...
Why Chazal Concealed Ideas in Midrashim (Introduction to the Mishnah)
June 05, 2023 19:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBLength: 25 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (6/5/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we INTENDED to learn the Rambam's interpretation of the midrashic statement, "The only thing Ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu has in this world is the four cubits of halacha alone" (Berachos 8a). But we decided to start earlier to get some context and spent the whole time on the Rambam's explanation of why midrashim are written cryptically. Interesting discussion, though! We'll see where get to tomorrow! (בג"ה) ----- מ...
Chukos ha'Goyim (Part 4) - a Shiur from the Kuntress
June 01, 2023 18:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (6/1/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we finished the shiur on Chukos ha'Goyim, answering all the questions that were raised, and walking away with a newfound appreciation for the Torah's war against avodah zarah! ----- מקורות: למקדח ולמחרוז במשנה תורה להרמב"ם - חוקות הגוים רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ה:א ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored by Isaiah Blanks and Joey & Estee Lichter in honor of Tamar Lichter Blanks r...
Chukos ha'Goyim (Part 3) - a Shiur from the Kuntress
May 31, 2023 18:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBLength: 30 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/31/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we continued in the Kuntress shiur we started yesterday, and took the first step in answering our questions. This involved a BIG idea, and there's a lot more to flesh out, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: למקדח ולמחרוז במשנה תורה להרמב"ם - חוקות הגוים ויקרא יח:ג; כ:כג דברים יב:ל רמב"ם - ספר המצוות, לא תעשה מ"ז תוספות ד"ה דאי - עבודה זרה דף יא עמוד א רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, ...
Chukos ha'Goyim (Part 2) - a Shiur from the Kuntress
May 30, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MBLength: 21 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/30/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we continued in the Kuntress shiur we started yesterday, getting through all the questions - some major and some minor. Tomorrow, after a brief review, we'll begin the answers/ideas! ----- מקורות: למקדח ולמחרוז במשנה תורה להרמב"ם - חוקות הגוים רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות עובדה זרה וחוקות הגוים פרק יא; יב:א שולחן ערוך יורה דעה קעח:א-ג; קעט:יז הג"ה רש"י - סנהדרין דף צב עמוד א ----- This week's Tora...
Chukos ha'Goyim (Part 1) - a Shiur from the Kuntress
May 29, 2023 18:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBLength: 28 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/29/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we began learning through another shiur in The Kuntress. We chose to do the shiur on Chukos ha'Goyim because Rambam Yomi began Hilchos Avodah Zarah today. We got through the first two questions in the shiur because we ended up doing all the sources inside. We plan on continuing tomorrow and finishing either at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. ----- מקורות: למקדח ולמחרוז במשנה תורה להרמב...
Sidran shel ha'Mitzvos - a Shiur from the Kuntress
May 25, 2023 13:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBLength: 45 minutes Synopsis: This morning (5/25/23), in lieu of a Mishlei shiur, we learned through the first shiur in The Kuntress, which is about the order of mitzvos in the Sefer ha'Mitzvos vs. their order in the Mishneh Torah. We figured this would be a good topic to take up on Erev Shavuos - and it was! ----- מקורות: למקדח ולמחרוז במשנה תורה להרמב"ם - פתיחה ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored by the following individuals: - by Marci in loving memory of Rabbi Moskowitz zt...
Rambam vs. Rav Moshe on Standing for the Aseres ha'Dibros (Tshuvah #263)
May 24, 2023 18:00 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBLength: 37 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/24/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, on the day before Erev Shavuos, we decided to learn through the Rambam's tshuvah on the question of whether one should stand when the Aseres ha'Dibros are being read during Krias ha'Torah. After reading his answer (spoiler alert: it's a "NO!"), we read Rav Moshe Feinstein's tshuvah on the matter, in which he takes the opposite position. ----- מקורות: תשובות הרמב"ם רס"ג רש"י - ברכות דף יב עמוד א שו"ת אגרות...
Being Dependent on Tzedakah (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:18-19)
May 23, 2023 19:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/23/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we completed this year's learn-through of the halachos of tzedakah. The final halachos discussed the various sides of dependency on tzedakah: when it's bad, when it's necessary, and how to tell the difference. בריך רחמנא דסיען ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זרעים, הלכות מתנות עניים ד:יד,טז; י:יח-יט רד"ק - ירמיהו יז:ה-ח ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored by the following individuals: ...
Giving Tzedakah to Your Own [Expanded] Household (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:16-17)
May 22, 2023 18:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/22/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we returned to Hilchos Matnos Aniyim Chapter 10 after a three month (!) hiatus. Today learned the halachos about supporting your children, your parents, and your other relatives - and, most importantly, the poor, whom you should treat as members of your household. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זרעים, הלכות מתנות עניים י:ז,טז-יז ישעיהו פרק נח מלבי"ם - ישעיהו נח:ז משלי לא:יט-כ ----- This week's Tora...
Other Kingly Prohibitions and Privileges (Hilchos Melachim u'Milchamos 3:6-10)
May 18, 2023 21:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBLength: 17 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/18/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we finished learning about the king's prohibitions and privileges in chapter 3. Although there's another chapter which is part of this topic, we're going to go back to Hilchos Matnos Aniyim and complete it - hopefully before Shavuos! (בג"ה) ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות: סנהדרין ב:ד רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ג:ו-י יהושע א:טז-יח ----- This week's Torah content has been sponso...
The King's Prohibitions: Women, Horses, and Wealth (Hilchos Melachim u'Milchamos 3:1-4)
May 16, 2023 19:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBLength: 15 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/16/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we continued with the halachos of kings, learning about the three lo taasehs stated in the Torah, and the positive injunction about what a king SHOULD occupy himself with. Tomorrow we'll aim to finish the chapter (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: תשובות רדב"ז על משנה תורה מלכים ומלחמות ג רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ג:א-ד כסף משנה שם רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות: סנהדרין ב:ד ----- The Torah content fo...
The King's Sefer Torah (Hilchos Tefilin, u'Mezuzah, v'Sefer Torah 7:1-2)
May 15, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBLength: 22 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/15/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we wrapped up (I think?) the sugya of the king's mitzvah to write a second sefer Torah for himself, in addition to the one he had as a civilian. There were a few questions we weren't able to answer, but such is the nature of Rambam Bekius! We concluded with an unrelated (somewhat recent) discovery of Cairo Genizah fragments featuring the writing of the Rambam in a Romance dialect! ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - מש...
How "Write this Song" Means "Write a Torah Scroll" (Hilchos Tefilin, u'Mezuzah, v'Sefer Torah 7:1-2)
May 11, 2023 18:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBLength: 30 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/11/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we reviewed and wrapped up the Aruch ha'Shulchan from yesterday, then read the first couple halachos in the Rambam about the mitzvos of writing a Sefer Torah, then we finished reading the Torah Temimah we started, who raised OUR question but then gave an answer which we appreciated but didn't feel fully satisfied by, then we read the Ralbag's approach to the drashah, which we DID like, and we concluded by...
The Mitzvah to Write a Sefer Torah ... or Buy Books from a Publisher? (Sefer ha'Mitzvos #18)
May 10, 2023 19:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBLength: 26 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/10/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we went on a fun detour (from our already fun detour). We planned to learn about the mitzvos unique to a king, the first of which is to write a second Sefer Torah for himself. First, we had to learn about the mitzvah for EVERY Jewish male to write a Sefer Torah. We started with the Rambam's Sefer ha'Mitzvos, which led us to the Torah Temimah's explanation of the drashah, which led us to the view of the Tu...
Kavod ha'Melech Continued (Hilchos Melachim u'Milchamos 2:5)
May 09, 2023 18:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBLength: 22 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/9/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we learned the chapter in the Mishneh Torah about the halachos of celebrating Lag ba'Omer. The Rambam's shitah about the size of the bonfire ... HA! GOTCHU! We continued on in the halachos about honoring a king - but first, we read the psak of the Aruch ha'Shulchan ha'Asid on the halacha we learned last week about hereditary leadership. After that, we learned about kavod-interactions between the king and o...
Kavod ha'Melech (Hilchos Melachim u'Milchamos 2:1-5)
May 04, 2023 19:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBLength: 18 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/4/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we began with a discourse from the honorable Dutchman Monarchist, Yoel Schaper, who helped us to understand the rationale behind hereditary positions of leadership. We then read the first few halachos about honoring a king, which (בג"ה) we will continue next week. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ב:א-ה ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored by Moshe Zucker in ho...
Anointing a King (Hilchos Melachim u'Milchamos 1:6-12)
May 03, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBLength: 21 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/3/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we continued learning the halachos in the first perek of Hilchos Melachim u'Milchamos. First we learned through the remaining halachos about who may be apointed, and then we learned the halachos about anointing a king, and how the malchus is passed down. Tomorrow the plan is to find something else on this topic which is interesting to learn (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות מלכים ...
The Mitzvah to Appoint a King (Hilchos Melachim u'Milchamos 1:1-5)
May 02, 2023 19:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MBLength: 18 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (5/2/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we took up a rather timely topic: the halachos of appointing a king. (Timely because the coronation of King Charles III will take place this weekend.) We learned through the first few halachos about the mechayev (ugh that word looks horrible when transliterated) of the mitzvah and began learning the somewhat controversial halachos of who may NOT be appointed to the monarchy or to any appointment. We will c...
Four Examples of Avak Lashon ha'Ra Hilchos (Hilchos Deios 7:4)
April 27, 2023 19:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBLength: 15 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (4/27/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we learned through the halachos of avak lashon ha'ra (the "dust" of evil speech). We were able to understand the first three categories, but not the fourth. We began reading the Yad Peshutah but only got through his commentary on the first case. The rest will have to wait until next week (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר קדושה, הלכות איסורי ביאה כב:יט רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ז:ד...
Lashon ha'Ra as Homicide-Suicide (Hilchos Deios 7:3)
April 26, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBLength: 21 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (4/26/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we focused on Chazal's statement cited by the Rambam that "lashon ha'ra kills three people: the one who says it, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom it is said - and the one who accepts it more than the one who says it." We looked up the source in the Gemara, got confused by Rashi, came up with our own approach, solicited some help from the Yad Peshutah, and ended with a tshuvah from the Rambam...
Lashon ha'Ra = Avodah Zarah, Gilui Arayos, Shfichus Damim (Hilchos Deios 7:3)
April 25, 2023 21:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MBLength: 15 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (4/25/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we began by reviewing our definitions yet again - albeit very briefly! We then attempted to take up the question of what it means that the Meraglim spoke lashon ha'ra about the land of Israel, only to discover that the topic was too big for us. We ended by attempting to analyze Chazal's equation of lashon ha'ra with AZ, GA, and SD, but didn't quite manage to complete our analysis. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - פי...
Refining Our Definitions of Rechilus and Lashon ha'Ra (Hilchos Deios 7:1-3)
April 24, 2023 18:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (4/24/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we refined our definitions of rechilus and lashon ha'ra from last week and segued into the Rambam's discussion of the severity of lashon ha'ra, which we'll continue tomorrow (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - ספר המצוות, הקדמה; לא תעשה ש"א רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ז:א-ב תורה תמימה - ויקרא יט:טו-טז, הערה 105 רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות אבות א:טז ----- This week's Torah content has been sponsored by m...
A Tentative Approach to Defining Rechilus (Hilchos Deios 7:1-2)
April 20, 2023 18:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBLength: 20 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (4/20/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we did a comprehensive review of yesterday - since nobody who was in shiur yesterday was here today, and the only person in shiur today wasn't there yesterday - and then we followed the Rambam's directive to "go and learn what happened to Doeg, the Edomite." After doing that, we produced a ROUGH draft of our definition of rechilus according to the Rambam. I characterize it as "rough" because it's messy, s...
"Do Not Go As Gossipmonger" (Hilchos Deios 7:1-2)
April 19, 2023 18:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (4/19/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we decided to revisit the halachos about lashon ha'ra. I didn't initially plan on doing this, but the guys in the shiur wanted to, and I'm definitely game! Today we read through the basic sources on the Rambam's understanding of Lo Taaseh #301. Tomorrow we'll attempt to define rechilus. I gave shiur on these topics on 7/27/21 - 8/2/21, but I've decided not to relisten to those shiurim so I can approach th...
Rambam on Tzaraas from Lashon ha'Ra (Hilchos Tumas Tzaraas 16:10)
April 18, 2023 18:00 - 17 minutes - 11.7 MBLength: 16 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (4/18/23), in our first Rambam Bekius mini-shiur after Pesach, I decided that before we return to complete Hilchos Matnos Aniyim, I'd like to start with something relevant to this week's parashah. I learned with someone this week who had never been through the "hidden" Rambam on lashon ha'ra at the end of Hilchos Tumas Tzaraas (only "hidden" because we tend not to learn ANYTHING in Sefer Taharah), and I figured that there are likely others who eith...
Rambam's Yachatz (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 8:6)
March 29, 2023 18:00 - 23 minutes - 16.4 MBLength: 23 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/29/23), in our last Rambam Bekius mini-shiur before Pesach, we learned through a piece (ha!) in Hararei Kedem on the Rambam's view that yachatz is done AFTER Magid, rather than before. Note: if you're listening to this shiur and you share in our confusion towards the end, then I'll give you a spoiler alert: we realized after finishing the piece that we (read: I) accidentally skipped an entire paragraph! After we went back and read that paragraph...
Mezigas ha'Kos as a Kiyum in Seder - Part 2 (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 8:1)
March 28, 2023 19:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBLength: 20 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/28/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we finished the Hararei Kedem piece we started yesterday and learned more about the kiyum of pouring each of the four cups. We also learned the source (well, a source) for the basis of minhag to pour for each other. ----- מקורות: ר' מיכל שורקין - הררי קדם חלק ב סימן עה רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ח:א שולחן ערוך אורח חיים תעג:ב,ז ----- The Torah content from now until Pesach has been spon...
Mezigas ha'Kos as a Kiyum in Seder - Part 1 (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 8:1)
March 27, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBLength: 21 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/27/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we started learning a piece in Hararei Kedem about the first halacha in the Rambam's seder procedure: mixing the cup. We plan on finishing the piece tomorrow (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: ר' מיכל שורקין - הררי קדם חלק ב סימן עה רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:ט; ח:א רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר אהבה, הלכות ברכות ז:טו ברכות דף נא עמוד א - רש"י ד"ה חי ----- The Torah content from now until Pesach has been...
Charoses and Maror (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 7:11-13)
March 23, 2023 19:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBLength: 23 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/22/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we learned about the strangely structured mitzvah of charoses, and the botanically ambiguous mitzvah of maror. We concluded by answering a question we raised last week about whether a person would be obligated in sippur if they don't have matzah and maror in front of them. Next week (בג"ה) will be devoted to chapter 8! ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:יא-יג רמב"ם - פירוש המשניו...
Requirements for the Four Cups (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 7:9-10)
March 22, 2023 19:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/22/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we began by going over one more idea about haseivah and another idea about Mah Nishtanah. We then learned the remaining halachos of the four cups, taking some brief detours to see if there was overlap with other halachic cup requirements. Tomorrow we'll aim to finish the perek. ----- מקורות: Rav Yosef Dov ha'Levi Soloveitchik, Festival of Freedom: Essays on Pesach and the Haggadah רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר ...
Four Cups and Reclining (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 7:7-8)
March 21, 2023 19:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBLength: 16 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/21/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we moved on to the two topics of the four cups and reclining. We covered most of the halachos, with a brief detour into the Rambam's procedure for the obligatory eatings of the night in Chapter 8. Tomorrow we'll continue, with the goal of finishing Chapter 7 by the end of the week. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:ז-ח; ח:ו-ח תוספות פסחים דף צט עמוד ב ד"ה ואפילו עני שבישראל לא י...
The Meaning of Pesach and Cheirus (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 7:5)
March 20, 2023 18:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/20/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we didn't focus We started off with a halacha we learned last week, but only so that I could make sure that everyone was familiar with the two ways to translate the word "Pesach." This led us to look into the pesukim, the Targum, and some Rashis. We then finished reading the halacha in the Rambam, which prompted me to share my favorite explanation of the type of freedom we are celebrating on Pesach. Tomo...
Liros vs. Leharos: the FULL Story (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 7:6)
March 16, 2023 19:00 - 19 minutes - 13.4 MBLength: 18 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/16/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we took up the classic question of liros vs. leharos in the Rambam. I hope I was able to take it a little further than it's usually taken, thanks to all the resources on AlHaTorah, plus R' Qafih and the Yad Peshutah. I also did teshuvah for inadvertently speaking lashon ha'ra about Rav Nachman. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:ו עם פירוש ר' קאפח והיד פשוטה רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספ...
Yad Peshutah's Answers to Our Questions on Sippur (Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah 7:1-5)
March 15, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBLength: 22 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/15/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we read through select portions of the Yad Peshutah's commentary which provided insights into the halachos we learned last week, and answered some of our questions. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:א-ה עם פירוש היד פשוטה רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר אהבה, הלכות קריאת שמע א:ג עם פירוש היד פשוטה רמב"ם - ספר המצוות, עשה קנ"ז (תרגום הר"י קאפח + תרגום ר"ח הליר) סנהדרין דף לח עמוד ב פסחים ...
Rambam's Definition of "Hagadah" (Hilchos Chametz u'Matza 7:1-5)
March 09, 2023 22:00 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MBLength: 26 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/9/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, our goal was to cover all the halachos which the Rambam collectively refers to as "hagadah," so that we can get the big picture - and we did just that! Next week (בג"ה) we'll either delve into the questions we raised or we'll do more bekius. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות חמץ ומצה ז:א-ה רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר אהבה, הלכות קריאת שמע א:א-ג רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות יסודי התורה א:ו...
Mitzvas Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim (Aseh #157; Hilchos Chametz u'Matza 7:1)
March 08, 2023 19:00 - 39 minutes - 27.5 MBLength: 39 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/8/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we kicked off our Pesach-prep by reviewing the Rambam's four formulations of the mitzvah of sippur: (1) in the Sefer ha'Mitzvos, (2) in the Mishneh Torah's minyan ha'mitzvos, (3) in the koseres for Hilchos Chametz u'Matzah, and (4) in the first halacha in chapter 7. We raised the major questions and problems that arose from his differences in formulation, and even got a little bit of Ritva Bekius in there....
Rambam on Matanos la'Evyonim - Part 2 (Hilchos Megilah v'Chanukah 2:17; Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:5)
March 02, 2023 20:00 - 26 minutes - 18.2 MBLength: 26 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/2/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we had one mission: to gain insight into the idea of emulating the shechinah by increasing our matanos la'evyonim and by giving tzedakah to aniyim in a manner that enlivens their souls. It took us longer than I anticipated to go through the facts, and we didn't have time to develop a full idea, but we did come up with an approach which I hope to be able to refine on Monday (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנ...
Rambam on Matanos la'Evyonim - Part 1 (Hilchos Megilah v'Chanukah 2:16-17)
March 01, 2023 19:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MBLength: 21 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (3/1/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we attempted to understand the halachos of matanos la'evyonim, but ended up with more questions than answers. Tomorrow our goal is to understand Yeshayahu 57:15 in context, now that we know it's a universal principle in relating to the poor and downtrodden and not just a particular halacha about Purim. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ב:טז-יז יד פשוטה שם נחמיה ח:ט-י רמב"ם - מש...
Rambam on Mishloach Manos - Part 2 (Hilchos Megilah v'Chanukah 2:15)
February 28, 2023 20:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBLength: 20 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/28/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we concluded this year's analysis of the Rambam's shitah on mishloach manos. We finished reading the Yad Peshutah and attempted to answer our remaining questions and tie up the loose ends. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ב:טו יד פשוטה שם מגילה דף ז עמוד א-ב רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות עירובין א:א ----- The Torah content for the rest of Adar has been sponsored by my...
Rambam on Mishloach Manos - Part 1 (Hilchos Megilah v'Chanukah 2:15)
February 27, 2023 22:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBLength: 22 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/27/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we continued on in the halachos of Purim with the mitzvah of mishloach manos. We learned through the Rambam, raised several questions, and then began reading the Yad Peshutah. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זמנים, הלכות מגילה וחנוכה ב:טו יד פשוטה שם מגילה דף ז עמוד א-ב ----- The Torah content for the rest of Adar has been sponsored by my friend and chavrusa Zack, with the following dedicatory mess...
Yad Peshutah's Methodology Applied to the Rambam on Purim Drinking (Hilchos Megilah v'Chanukah 2:15)
February 23, 2023 21:00 - 25 minutes - 17.9 MBLength: 25 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/23/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we spent the first 15 minutes of shiur reading excerpts from Avraham Feintuch's article about the methodoloy of R' Nachum L. Rabonivitch in his Yad Peshutah commentary on the Rambam. We then read his Yad Peshutah on the halacha in the Rambam about the Purim seudah and Purim drunkenness and saw his methodology in action. We were left with a clear impression of how different his approach is from the Brisker...
Mishteh vs. Simchah (Hilchos Megilah v'Chanukah 2:13-15)
February 23, 2023 02:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBLength: 17 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/22/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we took our first steps into THIS year's understanding of Simchas Purim. We read through an excerpt on the Yad Peshutah's commentary which we used as the basis for understanding the "classic" problem of how the Rambam can hold that drunkenness is antithetical to simchah - yet, still require us to get drunk on Purim. We didn't work everything out, but I'm happy with the steps we took today. ----- מקורות: ר...
Mitzvas Yom 14 and Yom 15 (Hilchos Megilah v'Chanukah 2:14)
February 21, 2023 20:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBLength: 20 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/21/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we began our review of Hilchos Megilah. Since we only have (בג"ה) seven sessions of Rambam Bekius before Purim, and since we wanted to examine the halachos of the mishteh and matanos la'evyonim, we figured it would be good to start with the halachos about the days of Purim as ymei mishteh v'simchah. Today we read the first halacha, along with some other cross-references, and our goal going forward will be...
The Eight Levels of Tzedakah - Halacha l'Maaseh (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10.8-15)
February 20, 2023 19:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBLength: 19 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/20/23), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we learned through the Aruch ha'Shulchan on the Rambam's eight levels of tzedakah with the goal of reviewing, refining, and filling in the gaps of some practical questions we had. I'd say we met these goals. Seeing as how we're at a natural stopping point and Rosh Chodesh Adar is tomorrow, we will be taking another break from Hilchos Matnos Aniyim to learn Hilchos Megilah. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה:...
The Eight Levels of Tzedakah - Facts (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10.8-15)
February 16, 2023 19:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBLength: 16 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/16/22), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we had one goal: to read through the halachos of the eight levels of tzedakah in order to get the facts - and we succeeded! We raised some questions and posited some ideas along the way, but we'll have to wait until next week to dig in deep (בג"ה). ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זרעים, הלכות מתנות עניים י:ח-טו ----- The Torah content for this week has been sponsored by Sarah and Moshe Eisen, with t...
The Reward for Enforcing Tzedakah (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:6-8)
February 15, 2023 19:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBLength: 20 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/15/22), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we spent most of the time discussing a short but interesting halacha in the Rambam about the relative rewards for giving tzedakah vs. getting other people to give tzedakah. After that, we began the section on the eight levels of giving tzedakah. We read through the first two, and (בג"ה) we'll read the remaining levels tomorrow. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זרעים, הלכות מתנות עניים י:ו-ח ----- The...
How (Not) to Interact with the Poor - Part 2 (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 10:4-5)
February 14, 2023 20:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBLength: 18 minutes Synopsis: This afternoon (2/14/22), in our Rambam Bekius mini-shiur, we revisited the halachos we learned yesterday about how to and not to interact with aniyim. We gained more clarity today and answered most of our questions. We plan to move on tomorrow. ----- מקורות: רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר זרעים, הלכות מתנות עניים י:ד-ה רש"י - דברים ג:כג (ריש פרשת ואתחנן) ----- The Torah content for this week has been sponsored by Sarah and Moshe Eisen, with the following message: "Dedi...