Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 28, discusses the death penalty in foreign lands, and whether one should assume that a person has been killed if sentenced to death. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explore why this issue is an important factor in relation to the rules of divorce. How have rabbis, ancient and modern, tried to gain clarity on this topic? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 26 and 27, deliver a stark warning against bureaucracy, warning us not to let overly complicated systems, and the people who run them, take over and drain our most basic exchanges of all soulfulness and meaning. Why does Harvard have one administrator per student these days? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeo...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 24 and 25, return once again to the need of a divorce decree to be written specifically and intentionally for it to be valid. Our friend Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to share that the writing of a proper get is one of the 613 mitzvot listed in the Torah, and how that should teach us the importance of doing this act with intention, and that the act of receiving a get...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 23, asks if a bill of divorce can be written by a gentile. The rabbis go on to explain that if a non-Jew wishes to be part of Jewish life, they may do so. In the recent Conversion Episode of Unorthodox, we spoke with Vicki Messler, who works at a Jewish day school, helps with programming at her local JCC, and is raising a Jewish family, all while not being halachically...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 22, asks whether the fruit of a tree that has roots in Israel, but branches outside of Israele is considered produce of the land of Israel. This brings up a larger question of Zionism and whether one can consider themselves a Zionist if they are not in the land of Israel. In the new book Zionism: The Tablet Guide, we find a variety of thinkers with very different views...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 21, explores whether it matters what something is written on when considering if it is in fact a book. Book editor Lisa Ann Sandell joins us to share her fondness for reading ink on paper and shares the ways in which her industry has changed with the invent of the e-reader and computers. Is the experience of reading on a screen different than that of a physical book? Li...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 19 and 20, asks the question of whether a bill of divorce that is tattooed on a slave is valid as it cannot be altered or forged. Producer Josh Kross returns to discuss his tattoos, and the recent experience of getting a tattoo with his son. Should you ever get a tattoo of the Tasmanian Devil? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 17 and 18, ask the question of whether it is better to be under the rule of the Romans or the Persians. Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm returns to make the case for each. While one is great at creating infrastructure, the other is better for religious tolerance. What can we learn from exile? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at t...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 16, questions whether a get (a bill of divorce) is valid if one witness saw it written and another saw it signed. Tablet’s own Jordana La Rosa joins us to share her experiences in court reporting, where the precision of what is written is of the utmost importance, which requires a great deal of concentration and honed listening skills. What are the tips to being a bette...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 15, ask the question of whether two people who share a ritually appropriate amount of water to wash their hands are ritually pure, or if the act of sharing the water, means that neither of them are using the amount needed to fulfill the mitzvah. Rabbi Diana Fersko joins us to explore the ways in which the rabbis made it possible to fulfill a ritual obligation even when...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 14, shares a story that could have come right out of Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola’s master work The Godfather. The story explores the difficult decision that one of the rabbis makes when the other is being beaten up. What does the Talmud and The Godfather teach us about the struggle between doing what is needed and doing what is right? Listen and find out. Like t...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 12 and 13, ask the question of whether there is a difference between someone asking for a get to be written or asking for it to be given. Unorthodox co-host Stephanie Butnick returns to discuss how the plot of the final season of the HBO show Succession mirrors the Talmudic discussion when it comes to the final wishes of the show’s patriarch. How should you handle a re...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 9, 10, and 11, continues to explore the importance of certain documents being written intentionally for a particular person. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, joins us to share how this concept connects to the holiday of Shavuot, and how the learning of Torah should also be done for its own sake. Is there a difference between consumerism and covenant? Listen and find out. Like th...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 8, includes a discussion between the rabbis about where the land ends and the sea begins in relation to the land of Israel and the Mediterranean Sea. Noreen Doyle, the President and CEO of Hudson River Park joins us to share more about her amazing park which is seventy percent in the water. What considerations must one make when blurring the lines between land and water...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 7, asks whether it is better to be feared or loved? Rambam explains that while difficult, there is nothing that you need to do to show love. Love is instinctive and natural; the same is true in our love of God. Are our fears just a manifestation of our love, and our deep need not to ruin it, for God and for each other? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to ou...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 5 and 6, asks a complex question and shares the story of two rabbis trying to make sense of the answer. As we begin this new tractate, we thought it was a good opportunity to follow their example in asking questions. Producer Darone Ruskay was joined by Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin to get back to basics in our first “Talmud Explainer” episode in which they discuss the history...

Today’s Talmud pages, Gittin 3 and 4, ask if a bill of divorce needs to be written specifically for the couple for it to be valid. New Unorthodox co-host Joshua Malina joins us to discuss his process as an actor and whether a script needs to speak personally to him to give his best performance. What was A Few Good Men Villain Colonel Jessup’s favorite joke? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subs...

Today’s Talmud page, Gittin 2, introduces us to a new tractate that’s all about the get, the Jewish divorce document. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with a preview of his absolute favorite tractate, a tractate that is written backwards. What does the fact that we start with the handing over of the divorce decree before we understand the process teach us? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscri...

Today’s Talmud page, Sotah 49, brings us to the end of Tractate Sotah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to reflect on this complicated tractate. This tractate is more than just a treaty on the relationship between a married couple, it is also about how we respond when our faith has been tested. What advice from your rabbi makes them the wisest rebbe? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to...

Today’s Talmud page, Sotah 48, informs us that we mustn't ever question whether God will provide for us tomorrow. How to reconcile this lesson with the rapidly increasing cost of living? And is faith truly a helpful strategy for coping with economic insecurity? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @...

Today’s Talmud pages, Sotah 46 and 47, talk about the different obligations that a person has to walk with another person based on their relationship with them. Michael Waller joins us to explain his work as a Rolfer, and the work that he does to help his patients on their journeys by helping to heal their bodies. What are the ways that we all walk with one another? What Listen and find out? Like...

Today’s Talmud pages, Sotah 44 and 45, talk about what the elders are to do when they come into contact with a dead body in order to indicate that they are not responsible for the death. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain the ritual and explores the need to reflect on the societal responsibility to deal with both the injured and the one who commits the injury. Are we equally responsible for...

Today’s Talmud page, Sotah 43, talks about who is exempt from battle in the case of a war. These include a person who has just built a house, or planted a vineyard, or who has just gotten married. We explore the importance of enjoying the “things” in our lives, even when they might appear to be extravagant. Are the things that we enjoy luxuries, or can they be sacred? Listen and find out? Like the...

Today’s Talmud page, Sotah 42, talks about the personality traits that will keep one from coming close to God. Unorthodox co-host Stephanie Butnick joins us to explore the difference between those things that are always bad (lying and slander), and those things that might have a place in our lives (cynicism and flattery). Do we set ourselves apart by being a cynic or flatterer? Listen and find out...

Today’s Talmud page, Sotah 41, reminds us that when there is something worth celebrating is worth celebrating publicly. Jason Guberman of the The American Sephardi Federation joins us to discuss the 25th New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival and the important films that are premiering at the festival which has just begun. What do we gain when we appreciate beauty and art in public? Listen and fi...