Take One Daf Yomi

In today's Talmud page, Avodah Zarah 20, the sages bring up instructions for a life of meaning. It's a meditation on self-improvement, designed to bring us to a place of humility. What's the first step? Listen and find out.

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 18 and 19, the sages share yet another story of Jewish resistance in the face of Roman cruelty. The harrowing story of the Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon is a tale of unbelievable tragedy, but embedded within is a deeply moving idea about the sacred relationship between Jewish people and the actual physical scroll of a Torah. What is it? Listen and find out. 

On today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 16 and 17, the sages share with us a pretty unbelievable story about a rabbi with a penchant for prostitutes. What happened next, and what lesson can be learned from this seemingly goofy story? Listen and find out.

On today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 15, the rabbis debate the sale of arms. It's an issue that is no less relevant today, and so, in this episode we are featuring an excerpt of a conversation between Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric surgeon, and Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaime in a school shooting, that originally aired on the 20-Minute Health Talk podcast. Can the gun violence epi...

On today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 14, the rabbis discuss the ethical treatment of animals and our relationship to the earth. We sidebar to hear from Joel Salatin, one of the recipients of Tablet's 2025 Sinai Awards. Joel is a farmer from Virginia, and we wanted to share his inspiring acceptance speech at the recent award ceremony. What does today's Talmud page have to do with "food freedom"?...

On today's page  of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 13, the sages discuss the conditions on which a priest is allowed to leave Eretz Yisrael. What beautiful idea do we learn in the conversation that follows? Listen and find out. 

On today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 11 and 12, we learn about the legendary commentator Onkelos, who was born into Roman nobility, but later converted to Judaism. What made him so great? Listen and find out. 

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 9 and 10, we learn about the singular friendship between Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi and the Emperor Antoninus. What does the Talmud teach us about their unlikely alliance? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 8, the Rabbis tell a story of Jewish bravery during the Roman Empire. When the chain of Rabbinic ordination was threatened by the Roman rulers, a group of Rabbis met to ordain students at tremendous risk to themselves. What happened next? Listen and find out. 

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 7, the sages discuss how a person should pray. Should a person first say the Amidah, and then issue  their own personal requests, or should their personal prayers come first? And why does it matter? Listen and find out.  

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 6, the sages continue their discussion of "foreign worship," and parse out what it means for Jewish people to partake of non-Jewish holidays. But hey, what's so bad about New Year's Eve? Listen and find out. 

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Avodah Zarah 4 and 5, the sages relate an incident between two great scholars, Rabbi Abahu and Rav Safra, and a group of heretics. The moral of the story is so simple, but applicable to anybody who cares about building a healthy and diverse society. What is it? Listen and find out.

Today’s Talmud pages, Avodah Zarah 2 and 3, kick off a brand-new tractate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tell us a little bit about what we have in store for the next few weeks. What even is Avoda Zara, "foreign worship," and how does studying help us understand the notion of worship, in general? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 49, the sages draw the tractate to a close. To honor the auspicious event, Rabbi David Bashevkin explores in depth one of the largest themes of Shevuot, the gravity and seriousness of using G-d's name. We know that names access their possessor's essence. When we discuss the name of G-d, what are we really talking about? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 48, the sages approach the end of the tractate. Ahead of tomorrow's final page, we take a step back, and hear from Sivan Rahav-Meir (of Tablet's Sivan Says podcast) as we look for meaning during a particularly difficult time in history. Listen to find out more.

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 47, the sages continue their discussion of oaths, this time focussing, oddly, on different gambling practices. How does this topic fit into the greater themes of the tractate? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 45 and 46, the sages continue their discussion of the seeming nitty gritty of laws pertaining to daily life, and discuss when a boss should pay his workers. When we discuss a boss, we are, of course, also discussing Hashem. What do these laws tell us about our relationship with G-d? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 43 and 44, the sages continue their discussion of oaths, focussing on the magic that can occur when people are in agreement with one another. How does this relate to the amazing life and work of a musician we lost just this week? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 42, we hear from Rav Avi Weiss, who expounds on the teaching. How does the Rabbis legal discussion of deposits connect with today's Israeli soldiers, Rav Avi's grandson among them, going to war? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 41, the sages continue their discussion of oaths. All the laws in the Torah concerning the way people interact with one another require one crucial ingredient. What is it? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 40, the sages continue their discussion of oaths, this time asking how to approach a tricky legal scenario. How do you know when someone is falsely making an oath? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 38 and 39, the sages continue their discussion of oaths, this time focusing on invoking the name of G-d when taking an oath. What makes invoking G-d's name such a powerful act? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 36 and 37, the sages turn to the topic of curses, this time discussing an instance in which a person curses himself. It seems like a harmless practice, but what deeper idea do the rabbis draw from it? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 35, the sages continue their discussion and bring up yet another category - promises. How is a promise different from an oath or a vow? Listen and find out.

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Shevuot 29 and 30, the sages discuss the difference between and oath and a vow, and between and oath made in vain and a false oath. What, exactly, are the differences, and what are the moral implications of each? Listen and find out.