Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 28 and 29, get all philosophical: What, the rabbis ask, was the nature of Abraham's Jewish observance, given that he lived before the Torah was given? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to dive deep into the nature of our Patriarchs and their faith, and teach us what this question has to do with how we experience Judaism today. How does family prepare you for religious lif...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 26 and 27, sings the praises of the tribes of Levi and Issachar, which, we're told, are the ones best at deciding halacha. Nomi Kaltmann, the president of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance Australia, joins us to explain how meritocracy and expertise come together to make sure the best-qualified people get the right jobs. Why are all the best baguette bakers, say, F...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 25, kicks things off by talking about the special garments the priests put on as they served in the Temple. Why did they need sacred garments? And what can their meticulous attitude to dressing teach us today? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 24, reminds us yet again the even the most righteous among us are subject to the most petty feelings. Kylie Unell returns to share a story of passion, jealousy, and lottery. What did the Priests in the Temple do to keep their rivalries at bay, and what might their system teach us today? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 23, unfolds like something out of Game of Thrones: in the heat of passion, overcome by religious zeal, one priest murders another. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about this sordid story, and what it can tell us about our own psychologies, desires, and fears. Why are we most fragile when nearing transcendence? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note a...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 21 and 22, sing the praises of...bread. Freshly baked, delicious, aromatic bread. Producer Sara Fredman Aeder joins us to talk about her love of baking, and about the ways bread specifically can unlock powerful memories. Why do we turn to pastries when in need of comforting? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitt...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 19 and 20, kick things off with a thorny question: Who, exactly, do our religious leaders work for? Rabbi Shlomo Zuckier joins us to talk about the Talmud's understanding of the concept of agency, and why it makes sense to have separate branches of religious leadership all in tense conversation with each other. Does the High Priest work for the Jewish People or for God...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 18, revolves around swear words, or more specifically the oath of office taken by the High Priest. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about that ancient ritual, why it was necessary, and what it teaches us about great power and great responsibility today. Why did taking the oath of office make the High Priest weep? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 17, contains the core wisdom of organizational psychology thousands of years before the field of study even emerged. Mark Young joins us to talk about setting up a good structure, defining roles and responsibilities, and other principles necessary for running everything from a family to a multinational business. What can today's CEO learn from the High Priest? Listen an...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 16, gets down to the details of the precise dimensions of the Temple in Jerusalem. Allison Coudert joins us to talk about why these ancient measurements still matter, and what the logic behind them can teach us today. Why have generations of scientists obsessed over Beit HaMikdash? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us o...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 14 and 15, acknowledge that there are things in life that, no matter how hard you contemplate, you'll never truly understand, at least not rationally. Rabbi Haviva Ner-David joins us to talk about the partnership between head and heart, and how it can help us unlock some of the greatest mysteries of life. How should we approach things when we're feeling overwhelmed and...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 12 and 13, deliver a strong and undeniable life lesson: You can study and prepare all you want, but some skills only come with experience. Rabbi Dan Ross joins us to talk about why experience matters, and tell us what it takes for a rabbinical student to truly become a rabbi. What can experience teach you that nothing else can? Listen and find out.  Like the show? Send...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 11, begins with a curious story about a rabbi performing a mitzva and still coming into harm's way, which leads to a meditation on the connection between our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Stacy Berman joins us to talk about how our thoughts and beliefs influence our health, and shares some tips on keeping all of our systems aligned. What little things ca...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 10, contains a curious meditation on the power of the mezuzah to turn a house into a home. Producer Josh Kross returns to tell the story of how and why he, an avowed atheist, was moved to bless his new home with a mezuzah, and how having one changes the way the house feels. What do you tell your children when they ask you about that strange little artifact on the doorpo...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 9, teaches us what might, without much exaggeration, be called the Talmud's most urgent lesson: How to have profound disagreements without devolving into tribalism and needless hatred. This conversation between Liel Leibovitz and Jay Michaelson — two radically divergent thinkers who disagree on everything from Israel to American politics is a lesson in how to put this s...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 7 and 8, deliver a neat meditation on the ways the garments of the priests helped them feel a little bit closer to God. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to tell us about how the tefillin Jewish men are commanded to wear every morning is simply a continuation of the same idea, and how every day contains a few small opportunities to transcend from the mundane to the divine....

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Yoma 5 and 6, contain a strong rabbinic exhortation against sharing information without explicit permission. Stephanie Butnick joins us to take issue with this edict and propose that telling stories to and about each other helps us build a warm, tight-knit community. When, then, should we chat away and when should we keep our mouths shut? Listen and find out. Like the show?...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 4, reminds us that everything worth doing is worth doing with a profound sense of awe. For a long time, our guest today, author Michal Oshman, was struggling with that insight: The granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, she grew up to have a successful career with some of the world's leading tech companies, but couldn't shake off her sense of anxiety and dread. It was m...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 3, couldn't be more timely: It's about the ways in which the priests must sequester themselves to achieve optimal holiness, a feeling that may not be too foreign to those of us who've had to spend long periods of time recently quarantined alone. Anya Lichtenstein joins us to talk about her year of living alone, and what surprising revelations came out of this solitude....

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Yoma 2, introduces us to a new tractate, one that's all about Yom Kippur. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to preview Yoma and give us an idea of what to expect when discussing repentance, observance, and other key themes. What is the real meaning of Yom Kippur? 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 pages, Shekalim 21 and 22, bring this short and strange tractate to its conclusion. What are we to learn from it? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to suggest that Shekalim is a reminder of why it's important to pay your taxes, and how our financial obligations to each other help us build community. Why is it important for each of us to contribute to the collective project? Listen an...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shekalim 19 and 20, contemplate the uncertainty principle: What do we do when life presents us with intricate situations? As an old Hasidic tale reminds us, the point isn't to come up with the best answers, but to learn to ask the right questions. What did the meek student in the tale ask the wise old rabbi that won him the day? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 18, is all about the menorah that burned bright in the ancient Temple. Why do we continue to contemplate it even now, millennia after it was last extinguished? Podcaster Eric Silver joins us to talk about the fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons, and how, like studying the Talmud, it makes you better by forcing you to study the intricate details of alternate realities....

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 17, revolves around a fantastic story that brings to mind the best of Tolkien, about a king climbing to the top of the Temple to return its holy keys to God. Rabbi Raphael Zarum joins us to talk about what the ancient Hebrew king has in common with Frodo, the protagonist of The Lord of the Rings series, and why both tales offer urgently needed insight about humans o...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 16, kicks things off by reminding us of the strong bond between great power and great responsibility. Aliza Landes, host of the new podcast Us Among the Israelis, joins us to talk about why Israelis just went to the polls to vote for the fourth time in two years, and what that has to do with the Talmud's exhortations about accountability. Why do Israelis distrust po...