Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 23, teaches us a master class in labor relations, reminding us that our domestic workers deserve special protection precisely because they are so often seen as just part of our family life. Law professor, employment discrimination attorney, and union representative Tim Oppenheimer joins us to survey the state of the law, and suggest a few ways to make sure we protect...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 22, casually informs us that the moment a person converts to Judaism, his or her non-Jewish family should be forgotten. Rebecca Cynamon-Murphy joins us to talk about her own conversion, and about how her observant Christian family came to feel about her journey back home to Judaism. What can be gained by inviting your non-Jewish family to be a part of your Jewish lif...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yevamot 20 and 21, tell us that listening to our sages is a mitzvah, or a commandment. Reverend Sarah Condon, an Episcopal priest at Rice University and a participant in our month-long multi-faith experiment, The Tent, joins us to talk about learning how to hear wisdom when it's buzzing in our ears, why you should absolutely take your kids to church or shul, and why childre...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yevamot 18 and 19, bring up a question that hasn't gotten any less complicated since the days of the ancient rabbis, the question of consent. Quinn Waller, this show's editor and a young woman currently converting to Judaism, joins us to talk about love, marriage, the patriarchy, and other pressing matters. What do guys on the dating scene these days think about gender role...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 17, touches on one of the most hotly debated topics in Jewish life: Intermarriage. Keren McGinity, author and interfaith specialist at the USCJ, joins us to discuss what we're getting wrong--and right--when we talk about interfaith marriage. What is the one thing that most people just don't get about the reality of intermarriage? Listen and find out. Like the show? S...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 16, tells us a long and charming story about three rabbis setting out to learn why a respected elder reportedly went rogue in his teachings. How do the three famed wise men handle the delicate situation? And what superpower did the great Rabbi Akiva have that we could all use today? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow u...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 15, tells a moving little story about empathy. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to talk about why being honest about your feelings and other people's intentions is the key to a happier, kinder life. Why did the starving rabbi turn down a delicious offering of olives? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeo...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yevamot 13 and 14, deliver a powerful reminder that we oughtn't let factionalism get the better of us. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to explain this idea in depth, and tell us why we ought to stay together rather than divide ourselves into disparate tribes. What does partisanship have to do with mourning? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletm...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yevamot 11 and 12, warn us against the sin of being wasteful. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with a heartwarming story from his childhood that teaches us a desperately needed lesson. Why did the esteemed educator rummage through the garbage in front of all his students? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @tak...

Today’s Daf Yomi page,Yevamot 10, forces us to deal with difficult questions. And as we celebrate Purim, the Talmud asks us to contemplate the toughest bits of the Esther story, the part about the Jews killing 75,000 of their foes. Why celebrate a festival revolving around mass murder? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafy...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 9, kicks things off with a desperately needed reminder: Even those who hold the highest office in the land must be held accountable. Garrett M. Graff, the author of Watergate: A New History joins us to shed new light on the ultimate story of power and those who abuse it, and tell us why the real story of Watergate is so much stranger than the one we think we know. Wh...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 8, is all about marriage, particularly in the aftermath of widowhood or divorce. Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern, the editor of Esther in America, joins us to discuss that other Queen mentioned in the book of Esther, namely Vashti, whether she was killed or banished, and might her fate make a difference. Did Vashti really have a tail? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send u...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yevamot 6 and 7, introduce us to the concept of Hechsher Mitzvah, a situation in which a righteous deed can only be fulfilled by violating a prohibition. Lenny Dykstra, a member of the Mets team that won the 1986 World Series, joins us to talk about why it's always better to ask for forgiveness than for permission, reflect on his achievements and his mistakes, and ponder th...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yevamot 4 and 5, kick things off with some deep questions, like what's the nature of knowledge and can religion be trusted to deliver anything approaching concrete truth. Jeffrey Bloom, the editor of the new book Strauss, Spinoza, and Sinai: Orthodox Judaism and Modern Questions of Faith, joins us to discuss what one of the 20th Century's best-known thinkers had to say abou...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 3, makes one curious caveat to its list of forbidden relationships, making us ask what, precisely, defines us as people: Is it the labels and categories that make up what we call Big Data, or the simpler, fleeting, and unreplicable human experiences? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi a...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yevamot 2, introduces us to a new tractate that's all about love, marriage, and family dynamics. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with a preview of what to expect, and a meditation on why Judaism is just as much of a family as it is a religion. How is being Jewish a bit like checking into the Hotel California? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@table...

We are about to start a new tractate, masechet Yevamot. It’s the fourteenth tractate, out of the sixty three in the Talmud. Before we start, join us to get a sense of the topics that we will explore and the guests we will be learning with.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 27, brings our beloved Tractate Chagigah to an end. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to sum it up, and teach us a very timely lesson about the difference between information and experience. Who was that mysterious woman who showed up wailing at a reclusive rabbi's funeral? Listen and find out. Plese enjoy the article Feeling Seen, Rabbi Bashevkin's reflections on Trac...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 25 and 26, reflect on the importance of having a permanent residence. Shams DaBaron, also known as Da Homeless Hero, joins us to talk about his years of living on the streets and about how he overcame rage and despair to become one of the most consequential activists in the struggle to end homelessness. What should we keep in mind next time we meet a homeless perso...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 23 and 24, tell a story of a rabbi who begged generations past to forgive him for not being sufficiently respectful. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explore this moving tale, and what it can teach us about being more respectful of our elders. Why might dismissing parents and grandparents turn your mouth black? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at...

In today's Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 22, the rabbis deliver a poetic teaching about how putting all of our vessels together in one big basket can make them all pure. Tablet Editor-in-Chief Alana Newhouse joins us to introduce a new month-long project, The Tent, which, like Uber for religion, brings faith on demand to people of all traditions. How can coming together with people of different faiths h...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 21, wants us to think about keeping our vessels clean. Stephanie Butnick, mother of seven-month-old Edith, joins us to talk about washing bottles and gaining a new appreciation for the Talmudic interest in purity. How does living with a newborn train you to think like a Talmudic rabbi? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Foll...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 20, kicks things off with a cautionary tale of just how important it is to stay focused and mindful. But isn't such a level of intentionality, like, really hard? And isn't it reserved only for the few and the saintly? A beloved hassidic tale helps us clear things up. How can each and every one of us achieve the highest level of spiritual focus without trying too har...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 18 and 19, ruminate on ritual bathing. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to muse on the physical and spiritual cleansing you get when you dunk in a mikvah, and whether the ocean counts. What did the rabbis understand about surfing? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversat...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 16 and 17, gift us one of the most beautiful insights in all of the Talmud: When offered a lot of something or a little, always go for the latter. Rabbi Diana Fersko joins us to explain this counterintuitive bit of wisdom, and how it can guide us in anything from prayer to business. Why is opting for less the key to growth? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send...