Mishlei 17:3 - The Crucible of the Heart Artwork

The Mishlei Podcast

My name is Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss, and this is the hub for all of my shiurim (classes) on Sefer Mishlei, a.k.a. The Book of Proverbs! Generally speaking we will follow the approach to Mishlei outlined by Saadia Gaon who views Mishlei as a guide for intelligent decision-making in everyday life with the goal of maximizing long-term pleasure and minimizing long-term pain. Each shiur will typically focus on one pasuk (verse), which we will attempt to analyze on our own before turning to the meforshim (commentators). If you have any questions feel free to email me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thanks for listening!

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The Mishlei Podcast

Mishlei 17:3 - The Crucible of the Heart

September 29, 2025 • Rabbi Matt Schneeweiss • Season 19 • Episode 11

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Mishlei 17:3 - The Crucible of the Heart

מַצְרֵף לַכֶּסֶף וְכוּר לַזָּהָב וּבֹחֵן לִבּוֹת יְיָ:

Length: 1 hour 31 minutes
Synopsis: This evening (9/29/25), in our Monday Night Mishlei shiur, we took up another pasuk that formed a core part of my high school curriculum. Like the past two weeks, this made me worried that we wouldn't discover any new ideas. And, like the last two weeks, I was pleasantly surprised! After raising 17 questions on the pasuk, we came up with four theories of our own, then learned three explanations from the meforshim. Many of these happened to be relevant to the period of Aseres Ymei Teshuvah and the upcoming Yom ha'Kippurim. So if you're looking for some Mishlei to get you ready for the ultimate "apex of atonement" (Rambam - Hilchos Teshuvah 2:6), be sure to check out this shiur!
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מקורות:
משלי יז:ג
ר' יוסף קמחי
מצודת ציון
רלב"ג
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה ג:א-ב
מאירי
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The Torah Content for this week is sponsored by Rifka Kaplan-Peck in memory of Shira Malka (a”h) "who taught me that seeking knowledge of God is the greatest gift."

The Torah Content for the month of September is sponsored by Meir Areman in loving memory of his grandmother, Esther Chasha bas Meir Gedalya, who recently passed away on the 25th of Av. Tehei nishmasah tzerurah b’tzror ha’chayim.

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