Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shekalim 14 and 15, get back to the basic question that haunts us all: Why do bad things happen to good people? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about the unlikely figure of Nehunya the ditch digger, a righteous man punished for reasons unknown, and what his story can tell us about the mechanics of Divine justice. What is the deeper meaning of an empty hole? Listen an...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shekalim 12 and 13, deliver a beautiful passage of admiration to our educators, particularly poignant as it acknowledges that no matter how dedicated the teacher, us students are bound to disappoint. Rabbi Benji Levy joins us to talk about Jewish education, and the hard-earned wisdom he'd acquired as a young principle of a day school. How do you create an ecosystem that ena...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 11, we meet a Talmud sage so special that he's known as Shimon Ha'Tzadik, or Shimon the Righteous. Why did he merit that singular nickname? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to unlock the mystery and give us a taste of the wise rabbi's teachings, still very relevant to us today. How should we deal with sweeping, far-reaching changes? Listen and find out. Like the show?...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 10, extolls the unique sanctity of the Land of Israel, which is intricately tied to the Omer. Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern joins us to talk about the Omer, why we count it, and what the experience can teach us about Eretz Yisrael and about repairing the world. Why is counting the Omer the antithesis of, say, riding your Peloton exercise bike? Listen and find out. Like t...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shekalim 7, 8 and 9, warn us that anger is akin to idol worship, and that there are few sins as grave as rage. Mark Oppenheimer returns to share his secret to never holding onto anger, and his observations on why staying mad is blasphemy. What can the Talmud teach us about anger management? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shekalim 5 and 6, bring up an interesting mystical connection between the funds we're all expected to pay for our communal welfare and the sin of the golden calf. Rabbi Mark Dratch, the executive vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America, joins us to talk about that ancient transgression and what it still has to teach us today. What profound wisdom about money mig...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 4, asks a thorny question: Just what is the inherent value of money? Hedge fund manager Ben Samuels joins us to talk about bitcoin and other cryptocurrency, and the shifting ways in which we think about cash. Is cryptocurrency good or bad for the Jews? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyom...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 3, reminds us that we have a collective responsibility for each other's wellbeing. Felicia Herman, President of Natan, joins us to talk about Jewish philanthropy and the principles that guide today's most notable individuals and foundations when thinking of public welfare. What was the Rambam's philosophy of charity, and why does it still matter today? Listen and fi...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shekalim 2, kicks off a brand new tractate, Shekalim. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to introduce its key themes, and tell us how this one is different from all tractates that precede it in the Talmud. Why so much talk about money? 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...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 120 and 121, bring our journey through the tractate to an end. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to help us sum up everything we've learned, and give us a bird's-eye-view of Judaism's wildest, most inspiring holiday. How is Passover a reenactment of our collective childhood? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twit...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 118 and 119, warn us against engaging in the sin of lashon hora, or slander. Alana Newhouse, Editor in Chief of Tablet Magazine, joins us to talk the lines that separate journalism from gossip, and how social media have become lashon hora machines. What question might we ask ourselves to help us determine if we're about to speak maliciously and needlessly? Listen a...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 117, muses on the ways Jews see the world, in good times and bad, and the words they choose to describe their reality. Author Menachem Kaiser joins us to talk about his new book, which tells the story of a clandestine memoir his relative wrote while imprisoned in a Nazi camp that became a target for a gaggle of treasure hunting enthusiasts. What power do words have...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 116, gets to the heart of the Passover family drama, talking about fathers and sons and mothers and daughters and the ways we learn from and teach each other. Celebrated actress Tovah Feldshuh joins us to talk about her new memoir, Lilyville, which tells the story of her own mother and how her childhood experiences prepared her for life on stage and screen. How do y...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 115, sings the praises of everyone's favorite Passover treat, the Hillel Sandwich. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to tell us about the snack's origins, and why it remains such a beloved part of the Passover tradition. How does this one sandwich symbolize Judaism's approach to life? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 113 and 114, give us some sparkling words to live by. Mark Gerson, author of the newly published book The Telling: How Judaism's Essential Book Reveals the Meaning of Life, joins us to argue that the Haggadah is our faith's greatest hits collection, and shares some choice bits of ancient wisdom that are ever so relevant today. Why was the Haggadah written in such a...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 111 and 112, has the rabbis doing battle with demons. Andrew Fox, author of a new novel about a Jewish demon haunting and helping save New Orleans, joins us to talk about how living in the city during Hurricane Katrina felt like a long bout of the evil eye, and what faith and superstition have to teach each other. What happens when a Jewish demons falls in love wit...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 110, kicks things off with talk of demons, evil eyes, and other superstitious beliefs. Lisa Sandell and Aimee Friedman, the hosts of Tablet Magazine's new podcast, Anxiously, join us to talk about growing up with superstitious parents, and about why some of these ancient folk beliefs persist till today. Why exactly do we knock on wood? Listen and find out. Like the...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 109, parse the true meaning of joy: surprise surprise, the rabbis believe it involves meat and wine. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us for a full-bodied conversation about eating and drinking, and why meat alone matters so much. How is throwing a steak on the grill entering into a partnership with God? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@table...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 108, talks about that least understood of all Passover rituals, reclining. Rabbi Willie Balk joins us to talk about just how we're supposed to recline, and what exactly it means. How does the way we sit at dinner a manifestation of our emotional and spiritual state? 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, Pesachim 106 and 107, find the rabbis in a snooty mood, particularly when it comes to beer. Why does the anti-beer snobbery persist? Jeremy Cowan, founder and CEO of the Shmaltz Brewing Company, makers of He'Brew beer, joins us to talk about making beer stand up to the standards of wine connoisseurs and about using Biblical ingredients to make his brews. What's in his hoppy...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 104 and 105, give some love to the Havdalah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to tell us about his love for the ritual, and why it's even more special to him than making Kiddush on Friday evening. How does Havdalah sanctify the rest of the week? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and joi...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 103, gives us strange mnemonics, including one that is making a star turn this year. Dr. Chaya Sima Koenigsberg joins us to talk about the rabbis' love of acronyms, and why one acronym in particular inspired Jewish artists to illustrate Haggadot with, of all things, scenes from the rabbit hunt. What's with Jews and bunnies? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send u...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 102, warns us against trying to bundle our mitzvot. Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm joins us to talk about the importance of taking life one good deed at a time. Why should we be mindful not only of what we do but of how we do it? 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...

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 101, sings the praises of the Shabbat meal, a dinner like no other in the week. Hudson Leibovitz, 7 years old, joins us to talk about the Shabbat table in his home, and why having some challah and a few dips really transforms the evening into something truly special. When do we start preparing for Shabbat dinner? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at...

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 99 and 100, gives us the rabbis' wisdom to live by: it’s better to say nothing and be thought wise, than to speak and prove the opposite. John Podhoretz, the editor of Commentary Magazine, joins us to speak about the burden of being paid to always have an opinion and about living in a world where silence is far less than golden. How do we cure this inflation of hot...