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The Stoic Jew

Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss. I am, first and foremost, an Orthodox Jew. My primary area of focus is the teachings of Shlomo ha'Melech (King Solomon) in Mishlei (Proverbs) and Koheles (Ecclesiastes). I also consider myself to be a student of the Stoic masters: Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius. Over the past two decades I have been exploring the relationship between Judaism and Stoicism - where they overlap, where they differ, and how they complement each other. This year I started a daily reading of Marcus Aurelius with an aim to explore these questions. I'll read a passage from Aurelius's Meditations and then muse (or meditate aloud) on my thoughts about what he said and what the Torah would have to say. As Seneca taught: "Each day acquire something that will fortify you against poverty, against death, indeed against other misfortunes as well; and after you have run over many thoughts, select one to be thoroughly digested that day" (Letter #2). If this podcast serves that purpose, then it will have been of value.
Episodes
A Stoic Approach to the Aseres Ymei Teshuvah (Aurelius - Meditations 5:11)September 13, 2023
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Aurelius and Rav Soloveitchik on the Problem with Vidui (Aurelius - Meditations 10.30)September 10, 2023
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How My First Week Went, Thanks in Part to Epictetus (Enchiridion 1, 7, 17, 21)September 03, 2023
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Stoic Jew Thoughts on the First Day at a New SchoolAugust 28, 2023
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Two MAJOR Professional/Life Updates for the 2023-2024 Academic YearAugust 23, 2023
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A Judean Ransacking of Roman StoicismAugust 16, 2023
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How to Take a Gratitude BathAugust 14, 2023
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The Burning of Lahaina, Lyons, and Yerushalayim (Seneca - Letter #91: On the Lesson to be Drawn From the Burning of Lyons)August 11, 2023
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Know Thy (Sick) Self: Three Lessons from Recent Sick DaysAugust 10, 2023
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Two Years (Plus) of Gratitude, 300 (Plus) Episodes, and Smashing Through Podcaster's Block (Plus)August 09, 2023
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Freddie Mercury, Shadal, and the Crisis of Human FinitudeJuly 12, 2023
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TSJ Interlude: “Where Have You Been?” Secret Episode, Instagram, and More!May 15, 2023
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Vows to Hashem for Salvation and Gratitude (Seneca - Letters #73, 31)April 11, 2023
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Pesach During the Holocaust (Aurelius – Meditations 4:49,8)April 05, 2023
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Recap and Update on My Relation to Meditation (Epictetus – Enchiridion 20; Aurelius – Meditations 4:3; Seneca – Letter #2)March 22, 2023
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Blaming My Insomnia on Satan (Aurelius - Meditations 5:20)March 16, 2023
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My Eulogy for PopoMarch 13, 2023
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Purim, Providence, and 600 Days of Gratitude (Epictetus – Enchiridion 5,8,20; Discourses 1:6)March 07, 2023
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Three Models of Grieving: Aurelius, Epictetus, and Rambam (Epictetus - Enchiridion 3)February 16, 2023
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Preparing to Grieve for Popo, My 98-Year-Old Grandmother (Seneca – Letters #23,26,101, On the Shortness of Life, Consolation of Marcia 10:4)February 01, 2023
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Reflections on My 39th Birthday, New Years 2023, and 2nd Semester (Seneca – Letter #83)January 11, 2023
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Dan l’Chaf Zechus: a Practical Stoic Technique for Judging Someone Favorably (Epictetus – Enchiridion 5)January 02, 2023
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Insights Gleaned from My 30-Day Coffee Replacement Experiment (Epictetus - Discourses 2:18; Seneca - Consolation to Helvia 11:14; Letter #39)December 14, 2022
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Musings on OpenAI in Light of Stoic and Jewish Concepts of the Soul (Aurelius – Meditations 2:2,17; 3:16)December 07, 2022
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Reflection on Counting 52 Weeks of My Life (Seneca – On the Shortness of Life)December 01, 2022
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