The Stoic Jew

A Stoic Perspective on Tishah b’Av (Seneca – Letter #18: On Festivals and Fasting)

July 18, 2021 Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss Season 5 Episode 6
The Stoic Jew
A Stoic Perspective on Tishah b’Av (Seneca – Letter #18: On Festivals and Fasting)
Show Notes

This week's Torah content is sponsored by a generous donor who wishes to remain anonymous, and told me, "No thanks needed!" so I'm not going to thank them. 

Synopsis: In today’s (unplanned, longer-than-usual) episode I share some (unorganized, more meandering-than-usual) thoughts about how to apply Seneca’s Stoic technique of Premeditatio Malorum (“the premeditation of evils”) to the observance of Tishah b’Av. 

Related Content:
- The Induction of Metaphysical Trauma (article and podcast)
- The Necessity of Metaphysical Trauma for National Teshuvah (article and podcast)
- Seneca - Letter #18: On Festivals and Fasting (Part 1)
- Seneca - Letter #18: On Festivals and Fasting (Part 2)

Sources:
- Seneca, Letter #18
- Aurelius, Meditations 4:8; 2:11; 7:22
- R’ Yosef Kara on Eichah 3:38-40
- Rambam: Hilchos Teshuvah 5:2
- Elie Wiesel, Night
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago
----------
If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider contributing to my Patreon at
www.patreon.com/rabbischneeweiss. Alternatively, if you would like to make a direct contribution to the "Rabbi Schneeweiss Torah Content Fund," my Venmo is @Matt-Schneeweiss, and my Zelle/Chase QuickPay and PayPal are mattschneeweiss at gmail.com. Even a small contribution goes a long way to covering the costs of my podcasts, and will provide me with the financial freedom to produce even more Torah content for you.

If you would like to sponsor an article, shiur, or podcast episode, or if you are interested in enlisting my services as a teacher or tutor, you can reach me at rabbischneeweiss at
gmail.com. Thank you to my listeners for listening, thank you to my readers for reading, and thank you to my supporters for supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone.
----------
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rabbischneeweiss
"The Mishlei Podcast": https://mishlei.buzzsprout.com
"The Stoic Jew" Podcast: https://thestoicjew.buzzsprout.com
"Rambam Bekius" Podcast: https://rambambekius.buzzsprout.com
"Machshavah Lab" Podcast: https://machshavahlab.buzzsprout.com
"The Tefilah Podcast": https://tefilah.buzzsprout.com
Guide to Torah Content of Rabbi Schneeweiss: http

Support the show