Take One Daf Yomi

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 63, the rabbis discuss the legality of a divorce decree when it is delivered by an agent who sees themselves as having the job of receipt rather than of delivery. What are the different archetypes of agents in popular culture. There is James Bond who is explicitly tied to his country, and Ethan Hunt, who chooses what jobs to take and not to take and is as committed t...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 61 and 62, expresses the importance for Jews to support gentiles in need in the same way that they support Jews in need. Luke Moon from the Philos Project joins us to discuss how his organization promotes positive Christian engagement in the Near East by creating leaders, building community, and taking action to support the Jewish community when they are threatened,...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 59 and 60, the Rabbis ask if we can produce a torah portion by portion, in order to make it easier for a child to learn, or whether it must be produced in full. Hudson Leibovitz joins us to discuss how he best learned, piece by piece or all at once, and tells us his favorite portion of the Torah. Is there a better way to teach our children? Listen and find out. Like...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 58, we hear a tale of an unfaithful wife, an untrusting husband, and a conniving apprentice. The story ends by saying that because of these three actors, the Jewish people were forced to suffer. This actors in this allegory represent God, the Jewish people and the embodiment of all of the Jews enemies. What should we really learn from this strange Talmudic story? Lis...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 57, we learn of a conversation between the translator Onkelos and Jesus of Nazareth. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to dig into this story, and explores the ways that the Talmud focuses on how Jews are to sustain their connection to God once the Temple was destroyed. Why was Onkelos the only character who could have had such a conversation with Jesus in the Talmud? L...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 56, we hear a story of Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai who while visiting with Vespasian at the moment when a messenger arrived to let Vespasian know that he was the new Emperor of Rome. Tevi Troy, former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and the author of Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump, joins us to reflect on the moments in Amer...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 54 and 55, we hear the story of one person using the terms “convert” as an insult against another. The idea of considering a convert less than is difficult to comprehend in these modern times. To respond, we share this piece by Nissim Black from the Unorthodox Conversion episode from 2021 in which he shares his journey to Judaism. What can we learn from the fact tha...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 52 and 53, we hear a story of when Satan came to visit two men who would fight each Shabbat evening. Tevi Troy, former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and the author of Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump, joins us to tell the story of the fraught relationship between New York Times columnist William Sapphire and director of...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 51, it states that a child, be they a minor or an adult is not responsible for the affairs of their parents, as we all find it so difficult to wrap our heads around the experiences of our ancestors. This was deeply felt on a visit to Deadwood, South Dakota, which was included in a recent Across the JEW.S.A. segment of our sister podcast Unorthodox. What were the Jews...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 50, the rabbis discuss the quality of land a woman receives from her marriage contract, and whether the poor quality of land has to do with the greater desire that a woman has to be married then a man does. Podcast producer Quinn Waller returns to discuss the trials and tribulations of finding one of the few good men in New York. Will men ever learn to pick up their...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 49, we learn that when a creditor is to collect land from a debtor, they are only to take the intermediate-quality land, and not their best land, as it is because of this middling land that they needed to take the loan in the first place. Reflecting on the importance of mediocrity, we share an essay that reflects on the thin line between great and good. What do we le...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 47 and 48, we hear the tale of when Reish Lakish was captured by cannibals. Tevi Troy, former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services and the author of Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump, joins us to tell his favorite from the canon of cannibal jokes that teaches us that Jews must be hit first before we hit back. What rules are ther...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 45 and 46, shares a wild story of Rav Ilish who was in prison until told by a bird that he could escape, and his choice of who to trust and who to take with him. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin adjusts our reading of this page to see it as a conversation about rupture, within a family or between God and the Jewish people. What can we learn about trust within a family through...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 44, there is a discussion about a child’s responsibility or lack or responsibility for the penalties assessed to a parent. The Talmud is teaching us that we each have the opportunity to make choices of our own in our relationship with God and Jewish practice. What are the different choices that each of us may make from those of our parents? Listen and find out. Like...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 43, we read an amazing line that indicates that one must stumble in order to understand Torah. Rabbi Lauren Tuchman returns to explore the many places in Jewish learning where we must struggle with a text and return to it again and again in order to begin to comprehend its deeper meaning. How does our struggle help our understanding? Listen and find out. Like the sho...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 42, we read a conversation asking who should be paid if a slave is killed by an ox. This page, which deals with an issue so foreign to our current sensibilities, allows us the opportunity to meditate on the ways that even in our modern lives, we sometimes feel only half-free. What are some lessons we can learn about appreciating freedom? Listen and find out. Like the...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 40 and 41, it is asked if a half-slave can marry. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about the centrality of the obligation to be fruitful and multiply, and how more than just to have children, the commandment is the obligation to give to others. How can we fulfill our most important life goal? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newslett...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 38 and 39, we hear that gentiles hold Jews in high regard. Richard Hurowitz, author of In the Garden of the Righteous: The Heroes Who Risked Their Lives to Save Jews During the Holocaust, joins us to share some of the lesser-known stories of non-Jews who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. Do we spend more time focusing on the perpetrators than the rescuers? Listen a...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 37, the rabbis begin by discussing the definitions of words in a conversation about humility. They follow this up with a discussion of the prosbol, the legal invention of Hillel the Elder which converts individual loans into “loans in the public domain” in order to ensure that the wealthy would continue to lend money in the final years before the sabbatical year. Why...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 36, we hear that the rabbis of the Talmud would sign documents with pictorial marks, or what we would call today, emojis. 🤦 To better understand the potential value of emojis, Unorthodox co-host Stephanie Butnick joins us to explore the ways that emojis can be helpful in sharing complicated ideas succinctly. Of all of the emojis one could choose, which is unquestion...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 35, we read the story of a widow who curses Rav Huna when he refuses to help her collect payment of her marriage contract or support her and her orphaned children. Rav Huna, it is told, believed in the curse, and so immediately attempted to enact the literal curse in order to save himself; TL;DR, it didn’t work. Curses serve a powerful role in our world, and today we...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 33 and 34, we explore the need for a divorce decree to be contingent on the will of the sages. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to explore what is so special about a marriage contract and divorce decree that it must be in accordance with Moshe and the Jewish people when other mitzvot don’t require such stringency. Is the Jewish marriage about the two people involved, o...

In today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 31 and 32, we hear the story of two rabbis who are in conversation when they see a quarrelsome person approaching, and have to choose whether to stand to show honor or not. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to teach us more about this cantankerous person, Geneiva, and how his whole story is told throughout the tractate. What can we learn from the story of Geneiva? List...

In today’s Talmud page, Gittin 30, the rabbis offer a starting bit of legal advice: if a man has done more than can reasonably expected to appease his wife their bill of divorce can be null and void. What does it mean for contemporary couples in trouble? Could the rabbis help one beloved TV and movie star? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at ta...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 29, discusses the transitive property of witnesses when it comes to proving the validity of a divorce decree within Israel, and how each subsequent agent takes responsibility from the previous. Unorthodox co-host Joshua Malina joins us to share his experiences on stage and screen in taking over roles from previous actors. What does he keep and what does he makes his own...