Q&A #42: Downtime with Rabbeim, God Creating Evil, What Was Given at Sinai, When to Share Learning

Machshavah Lab

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Length: 38 minutes
Synopsis: This morning (3/20/25) we had a rare (this year) Q&A! We discussed the following questions: (1) How should a person use their outside-of-yeshiva "downtime" with their rabbeim: to talk about Torah or about other things? (2) What do we make of the tension between acknowledging God as the cause of evil and the Rambam's position in the Moreh that God doesn't directly cause evil? (3) What, exactly, was given at Sinai? (4) Which principles or factors should determine when, how, and whether to share what we've learned with other people?
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מקורות:
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תלמוד תורה - הקדמה; א:יב
רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות דעות - הקדמה; ו:א-ב
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The Torah content for this week has been sponsored by my friend, Rabbi Dr. Elie Feder. His latest book, Happiness in the Face of Adversity: Powerful Torah Ideas from a Mom's Parting Words, shares the wisdom of Shani Feder a"h, a true Eishes Chayil. This is the kind of Torah I wish more people knew—ideas that directly impact our experience of life. Available now on Amazon.
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