Avos 1:6 - Dan l'Chaf Zechus - Judge Each Person Favorably Artwork

Machshavah Lab

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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Machshavah Lab

Avos 1:6 - Dan l'Chaf Zechus - Judge Each Person Favorably

October 30, 2025 • Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss • Season 23 • Episode 17

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Length: 2 hours
Synopsis: This evening (10/30/25), in our Thursday night Pirkei Avos shiur for women, we took up the famous precept of being dan l'chaf zechus. We ended up raising twenty questions total and answering most (if not all) of them through our in-depth analysis of Rambam and Rashi. If you're interested in a deep-dive into this topic which addresses the topic theoretically and practically, then this shiur will give you plenty of food for thought!
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מקורות:
אבות ד:טז
ויקרא יט:טו
שבועות דף ל עמוד א
רמב"ם
רש"י
רש"י - שבת דף קכז עמוד א-ב
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות ה:א,
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The Torah content for the remainder of October is sponsored by Yael Weiss in honor of her parents, and in celebration of her father’s birthday (September 25 / 17 Tishrei).

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