Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Talmud pages, Ketubot 9 and 10, tells us that Jewish soldiers were instructed to prepare a bill of divorce before going to war, in case they were killed or went missing in action. Jacob Siegel, Tablet editor, writer and US Army veteran, joins us to talk about what goes on in a soldier's mind as he prepares to leave civilian life behind and go into battle. Can anything ever prepare you for...

Today’s Talmud page, Ketubot 8, charmingly insists that whenever a new guest enters a party, the attendees must recite all blessings anew in his or her honor. Mark Oppenheimer, our very own Corduroy Rav and a seasoned host, joins us with a touching story from his own childhood as well as some Talmudic hosting tips on how to make all of your guests feel welcomed and loved. Should you ever ask your...

Today’s Talmud page, Ketubot 7, teaches us the blessing we recite at Jewish weddings. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this ancient text begins by mentioning all of the other people who are now forbidden to us, and why Judaism conceives of matrimony as a one-two punch. How is a Jewish wedding like studying Torah? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag....

Today’s Talmud page, Ketubot 6, tells us that a mourner is obligated to fulfill all of the Torah's commandments, except the one requiring him to put on tefillin. Marco Greenberg, who started putting on tefillin at 57 after losing his mother to COVID-19, joins us to share his unlikely spiritual journey and what his mornings feel like now that they begin with the ritual of tefillin. Why did the Talm...

Today’s Talmud pages, Ketubot 4 and 5, focus on the evils of lashon hara, gossip and rumor. The Rabbis discuss the shape of our fingers and the softness of our earlobes in connection to our ability to keep evil speech from our ears. Does this mean that we should shun the news and stop following our favorite social media and blogs? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@table...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Ketubot 2 and 3, kick off a brand new Talmudic tractate, this one dealing with the Ketubah, or marriage contract. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to preview some of the great questions the tractate will cover, and ponder why Judaism opted for a marriage contract that reads like a corporate merger rather than a more personal, intimate, and heartfelt vow. Why do so many people...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 122, brings us to the end of Tractate Yevamot. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to review some of its key insights, and tell us why the rabbis chose to begin their discussion of marriage and family with the grim question of a man dying childless. What does it truly mean to be a member of a family? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.co...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 121, teaches us a lesson in Jewish martial arts. Rabbi Hillel Norry, who also holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, joins us to share the Talmud's philosophy on fighting, and why sometimes it's better to know how to roll with the punches. Why should picking a fight be your last resort? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 120, tells us that the only real way to identify a Jew is by looking at the...nose? Filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum shares her journey of coming to terms with her own nose, and her own mother. Why is the nose such a subject for obsession for so many Jews? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi a...

Today’s Talmud pages, Yevamot 118 and 119, shares Reish Lakish’s popular idiom that “it is better to sit as two, then to sit lonely as a widow.” Show editor and associate producer Quinn Waller joins to share her thoughts on this hot take and shares some of her own experiences navigating the waters of being single in New York, and tells tales of bad dates past. Is it better to be with any spouse, o...

Today’s Talmud pages, Yevamot 116 and 117, make the case that the hardest relationship to endure is between a man and his mother-in-law. Show producer Darone Ruskay joins to explore his own tumultuous relationship with his wife's mother, and help listeners navigate through the thicket that is family ties. Why can your in-laws be so frustrating? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 115, asks what to do in case a husband is missing in action and the wife seeks to marry another man. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about Judaism's approach to agunot, or women left tethered to marriages they cannot annul, and why the Talmud spends so much time exploring the issue, especially when it comes to men missing in a time of war. How did this question...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 114, talks about what happens when world events make us feel, well, like we can't quite cope. Rabbi Yael Hammerman joins us to tell us what pulpit rabbis do when the news seems too awful to bear. How do you reconcile your emotional and spiritual life with an external reality that is too often too harsh? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabl...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 113, makes an audacious claim: Women want to get married so badly they'll say yes to almost anyone. Lisa Ann Sandell, children book author and editor and also wife of host Liel Leibovitz, joins to explore this question and explain why she was far less eager than her husband to say I Do and tie the knot. What changed since Talmudic times when it comes to getting hitched...

Today’s Talmud pages, Yevamot 111 and 112, have the rabbis asking whether a person who can neither hear nor speak is capable of cognition. Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, the first blind person to be ordained as a rabbi, joins us to talk about Judaism's idea of da'at, or reason, and how the rabbis viewed the mental state of people with disabilities. Why does the Talmud differentiate between the blind and th...

Today’s Talmud pages, Yevamot 109 and 110, teach us that even a life of studying Torah non-stop is meaningless unless one also commits oneself to the mitzvot, or righteous deeds. Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone joins us to talk about Judaism's attitude to the relationship between body and soul, and explain why real sanctity is impossible unless it's embodied in deed as well as spirit. Why did the High...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 108, delivers relationship advice from the rabbis: Beware your ex, for he or she knows exactly what makes you tick. Comedy writer Jen Spyra joins us to talk about what to do when relationships go bad, and about the most infuriating thing about breakups. What's the one thing you should always do immediately after being dumped? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send...

Today’s page of Talmud, Yevamot 107, gives us a rousing bit of girl power. Kylie Unell joins us to talk about the Talmud's surprisingly progressive view of women's rights. How does Judaism's emphasis on human dignity continues to inspire us today? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Ta...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 106, delivers an impassioned plea against price gouging. Why does the gig economy, with its reliance on algorithms, ignore the rabbis' wisdom? And what happens, in the long term, where parents and other desperate people are forced to pay exorbitant prices for basic needs? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter...

Today’s Talmud pages, Yevamot 104 and 105, raise a question that's been in the news a lot lately: Do thoughts and prayers actually work? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with insights into this contested phrase, from the Talmud to the Civil War and beyond. What did Lincoln have to teach us about thoughts and prayers in times of tragedy? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@t...

Today’s Talmud pages, Yevamot 102 and 103, make an astonishing claim: The Biblical heroine Yael fornicated no less than seven times with the evil king Sisra, but she was forgiven as she did so in the service of a righteous cause. Dr. Erica Brown joins us to speak of sin, pleasure, and duty, and whether it's ever ok to do bad, bad things for the best of reasons. What profoundly modern lesson does Y...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 101, tells a story about a wayward son as a way of asking a major theological question about doubt, certainty, and their role in the believer's life. The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks addressed this question in one of his memorable talks, and we are privileged to share his insights on the value of radical uncertainty. What is the secret and often misunderstood essence...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 100, asks whether it's rude or polite to live by the adage of “Ladies First”. Unorthodox co-host Stephanie Butnick joins us as a professional lady to talk about how to treat a woman. Is chivalry dead? Should it be? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take O...

Today’s Talmud page, Yevamot 99, asks whether it's possible for the wise and the righteous to stumble in their judgement. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about construction of truth, the relationship between scholarship and reality, and other crucial measures of figuring out what's right. What do pets have to do with justice and peace? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at t...

Today’s Talmud pages, Yevamot 97 and 98, offer us a heart-warming line about Torah, and writing, and the ways we mere mortals could achieve eternal life. What is the secret to immortality, and what does it have to do with writers? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook g...