Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 5 and 6, teach us that the Jewish people refused a prohibition on working on Purim. Michael Eisenberg, one of Israel's most successful investors and the author of The Tree of Life and Prosperity: 21st Century Business Principles from the Book of Genesis, joins us to talk about what labor meant back in Talmudic times and what it means now, and whether universal basi...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 4, gives us a bright moment of compassion when laws take a back seat to charity. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to talk about what happens when halacha comes up against pressing human needs, and why we should always keep the neediest in mind. What do the poor have to do with Purim? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 3, kicks things off with warnings of talking to demons at night. Keith Thomas and Rafi Margules, the director and producer of the Jewish-themed horror movie The Vigil, join us to talk about finding bone-chilling inspiration in Jewish tradition. Why is Judaism so rich in ghost, ghouls, and creepy-crawlies? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 2, launches a brand new tractate, devoted to Megillat Esther. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us for a preview of what's ahead. What to make of the only book in the Bible that doesn't mention God? 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 group....

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 30 and 31, bring to a close Tractate Taanit. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to sum it all up. What did we learn about mourning and yearning, together and apart? 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 group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibo...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 28 and 29, tell us a heartbreaking story of the priests mourning the destruction of the Temple. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why they tossed the Temple's keys heavenward, and what this heartbreaking gesture can still teach us today. What does this story tell us about our relationship with God? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 27, informs us that, on Shabbat, we're gifted with just a touch of extra soul. Rabbi Yosie Levine joins us to explain this mystical concept, and how it can inspire even the most ardent rationalists among us. Why should you never fast on a Sunday? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and j...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 26, advises us that we should never give thanks to God when we're hungry. Magazine editor and author Dorothy Kalins joins us to talk about what she learned about living, loving, and believing from watching some of the world's greatest cooks in action. What is the connection between stomach and soul? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletm...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 25, gives us a lovely domestic miracle, making vinegar burn as long as oil throughout Shabbat in a scene reminiscent of the famous story of Hanukkah. What does this little tale teach us about the Festival of Lights? And why did the rabbis change a bloody story of military victory into an intimate one that takes place indoors? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 23 and 24, introduce us to the magical Choni Ha'Me'agel, one part Gandalf and one part Rip van Winkle. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss Choni's super-sized character, and what this Talmudic hero still has to teach us today. Did Choni really force God to make it rain? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on T...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 21 and 22, tell us the gruesome story of Nahum of Gam Zu, who prayed to God to amputate his limbs, make him blind, and cover him with boils. Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone joins us to shed some light on this tale, and teach us what we, too, can learn from Nahum about the true meaning of charity. What does God expect us to do when it comes to kindness? Listen and find out...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 20, gives us a deeply moving story about beauty, pride, and sin. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to parse this magical tale and remind us that, often, our toughest critics are we ourselves. Why should we learn the subtle art of being as soft as a reed? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi ...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 19, tells us a beautiful legend about a man whose charitable heart was so great God himself rewarded him with not one miracle but two. Who was Nakdimon Ben Gurion, and why was he only one of three people in the Bible to make time itself flow backwards? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 18, kicks things off with a story of a vanquished enemy of the Jews, the general Nicanor, and his brutal end. Jonathan Schanzer, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the author of a new book about Israel's 2021 conflict with Hamas, joins us to talk about war, moral obligations, and Israel's military and political choices. Why so...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 16 and 17, inform us that God is suffering when we suffer. Rabbi Leon Wiener Dow joins us to explain this difficult idea, and why two different interpretations give us two radically different accounts of the Divine. Is God merely by our side, or does God, too, suffer? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 14 and 15, give us an extraordinarily powerful image that unleashes a deep theological discussion. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to speak about the nature of prayer, how it works, and when we need it most. Is prayer a special occasion or a daily occurrence? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeone...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 13, compels unmarried women to make themselves attractive even when mourning the death of a loved one. Shira Hecht Koller joins us to make sense of this uncomfortable exhortation, and explain what it says about the rabbis' concept of living life to the fullest. Is it a good idea to try and set up romantic matches at a shiva? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send u...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 12, finds the rabbis debating that most pressing of all halachic questions: What, exactly, does one mean by "taking a nap"? Stephanie Butnick and Mark Oppenheimer, co-hosts of Unorthodox, join us to parse the difference between napping, dozing, and closing your eyes, and discuss the metaphysical importance of shut-eye. What, exactly, is a "ha-shoo"? Listen and find ou...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 11, instructs us that the righteous always choose to suffer together with their fellow Jews, even when they can extricate themselves and escape into comfort. Justin Hayet, host of a new podcast searching for modern-day tzadikim, or righteous people, joins us to talk about community, compassion, and making the world a kinder place. Are there really 36 hidden tzadikim w...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 9 and 10, make us a strange financial promise: Give ten percent of your wealth to charity, and you'll become rich quick. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this strange idea, its origins, and why it remains the best piece of financial advice you'll ever get. Why is God asking us to test Him? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tablet...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 7 and 8, warn us that studying Torah alone makes you foolish. What is the Hevruta method, and what advantages does it have, according to a recent Korean study about education? 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 group. Take One is hoste...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 6, tells us that rain is at its most blessed when it is not angry but compassionate. Adit Romano, the founder of Israel's Freedom Farm Sanctuary, joins us to discuss why we should listen to today's daf and refrain from eating meat. What does a vegan lifestyle have to do with being Jewish? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Fo...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 5, shares a charming little story about one rabbi blessing another that he may be like a tree. Shuli Karkowsky, Executive Vice President at Hazon, joins us to explain this blessing, and what it means to Jewish environmental activists today. How is caring about the earth essential to Judaism? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com....

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Taanit 4, asks us a thorny question: Can studying Torah make you angry? Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky joins us to unpack this problematic provocation, and deliver a lesson that feels particularly timely. How can anger be a good motivator for righteous change? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 2 and 3, usher in a new tractate, Tractate Taanit. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain what this unfortunately named tractate is about, and how it is acutely relevant for us moderns. Why pray for rain? 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 Fa...