Take One Daf Yomi

On today’s page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 55, a Roman general’s question about God’s “jealousy” opens the door to parables about human nature, trust, and why even pain seems to follow rules. But why would God let hardship happen at all? Listen and find out.

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 53 and 54, the sages continue their discussion on the laws of idol worship. Today, however, we zoom out for a more philosophical conversation. For example, if idol worship is forbidden, why does G-d allow it to exist? Within the context of the discussion, what is the nature of G-d, nature, and our own free will? Listen and find out. 

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 51 and 52, our sages continue their discussion of idol worship. The conversation raises questions around who may gain monetary benefit from different forms of idolatry. We take a pause to zoom in on a very specific contemporary innovation: podcasts. What connection does our host make between the world of podcasts and idolatry? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 50, the sages continue their discussion regarding idol worship, and whether objects once used toward idolatry can, once discarded, transcend their former status. Surely some old rocks once used in an altar can eventually be used to build a road, no? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 49, the sages continue their discussion regarding idolatry. It's a classically talmudic conversation, with a lot of details around whether a small fragment, or even pebble, which may or may not have been part of a shrine for the god Mercury, still holds the status of a prohibited idol. Are we overthinking things? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 48, we pause to focus on one of the greats of the Talmudic era, Rav Sheshet, who was blind, and who possessed great intellectual prowess. Today we learn about an 'ashera', a tree that is used for idol worship, which is permitted to walk underneath, if there's no other way to reach one's destination. Rav Sheshet was fully permitted to walk underneath the tree...

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 46 and 47, the sages continue their conversation about idol worship. Their discussion is far reaching; what happens when your home shares a wall with a place of idol worship? What if the wall collapses? Can that space next to that shared wall be used for, say, a bathroom? Listen and find out. 

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 44 and 45, the sages continue their discussion about idol worship. The conversation gives rise to another, which seeks to clarify whether it's kosher to contemplate matters of Torah in the bathhouse. And what's the issue? We can perceive it as an insult to G-d, but can't it also be a way to elevate the mundane? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 43, the sages continue their discussion regarding objects used for idolatry, returning again to the question of who may revoke the idolatrous status of an object. As usual, there's a lot of nuance in their conversation, but at the heart of it all, what unexpectedly inspiring lesson can we learn from somebody who loses their idol? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 42, the sages continue their discussion of forbidden idols, or objects used in idol worship. Who has the right to revoke the status of an object in question? And what is our relationship to that object? And finally, what is the deeper meaning of the discussion? Listen and find out.

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 41, the sages continue their discussion of pagan idol worship. They decode which statues are idols and which are merely ornamental, based on contextual clues, such as setting, or what the figure depicting is holding. But then a strange question is raised, and nobody can answer it. What does it mean? Listen and find out. 

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 39 and 40, the sages open the third chapter of the tractate with a discussion on statues and idols. The sages explore which statues are permitted and which are forbidden, whether jewelry is permitted, whether an object that was once used in idol worship can be used for something else, and more. The topic of idol worship is, of course, taken extremely seriou...

In today's pages, Avodah Zarah 37 and 38, we meet one of the great heroes of the Talmud, Rabbi Yose ben Yoezer. Although we meet him as he weighs in on whether the consumption of a certain breed of locust is permitted (Rabbi Yose ben Yoezer says yes), the shadow he casts on the whole tradition of the study of Jewish law is, in fact, massive, and very much with us today. What makes him so influenti...

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 36, the sages continue their discussion on halachot pertaining to goods made by gentiles, and whether Jewish people can consume them. There's a larger discussion here, one about tradition and continuity. For further insight, we are including this week's episode of our sister podcast 'Sivan Says'. This week's double parsha, Matot-Masei, contains a list of 42...

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 35, the sages continue their discussion of laws pertaining to which items Jewish people can consume, if they are manufactured by people who are not Jewish. But the teaching contains a metaphor, comparing a Torah scholar to a container containing a good scent. But what broader application does this metaphor have? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 34, we hear a story in which Rabbi Akiva visits a faraway city and is asked three seemingly unrelated yet straightforward questions by the folks who lived there. We're told that he did not know the answers. What's going on here? Listen and find out. 

In today's Talmud pages, Avodah Zarah 32 and 33, the sages broaden their conversation about wine made by gentiles. A fascinating discussion follows, about whether or not shards from an earthenware vessel which originally held non-kosher wine may be used for other purposes. We further deepen the discussion with a personal story from our producer Josh Kross. His anecdote shares a question with today...

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 30 and 31, the sages turn their discussion to a topic close to Liel's heart: booze. We know there are rules and prohibitions around whose wine Jews can or can't drink, but what about beer? Listen and find out.

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 29, the sages discuss all kinds of practical remedies for good health. Many suggestions are made - foods to eat, foods to avoid, good habits, bad habits. What other good advice does the Talmud have for us? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 28, the sages continue their discussion about relationships between Jewish and Gentile people, and the value of trust. Today we are joined by the esteemed Tevi Troy, whose favorite topics include the Talmud and American Presidential history. How does he connect today's page with the history of presidents who betray the trust of their people? Listen and find...

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 27, the sages continue their discussion about relationships between Jewish and Gentile people. When the threat of anti-Jewish violence exists, who is to be trusted? And what really lies beneath what may, at first, seem to be paranoia? Listen and find out. 

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 25 and 26, the sages have a discussion that hits close to home. The conversation concerns the threat of anti-Jewish violence, and it's chilling to consider how familiar it all feels. But what lesson can we take from today's pages? Listen and find out.

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 23 and 24, the sages explore the biblical obligation to honor one's parents. The story of Dama ben Natina is shared, to illustrate the mitzvah of filial piety. What else can we learn from this story? Listen and find out.

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 22, the sages continue their discussion about business dealings between Jewish and Gentile people. If they own a business together, can the Jewish partner accept profits from work done on Shabbat? But we also learn about two great luminaries of the Talmud - Rava and Ravina. What can we learn from their conduct? Listen and find out.

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 21, the sages discuss laws that may make modern audiences uncomfortable - laws that concern business dealings between Jewish and Gentile folks. How do we make sure business we both run and frequent uphold our values? Listen and find out.