Take One Daf Yomi

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 about this question, and why it still matters to us today. What was Leo Strauss's take on the debate between faith and doubt? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 Tractate Chagigah. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 person? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 help us to find our own spiritual paths? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 hard? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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 us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 15, finds the rabbis discussing intercourse. Batsheva Marcus returns with more insight on how the Talmud viewed human sexuality, and what advice it gives that we can still apply today. How did the rabbis think about something as combustible as sex? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 14, introduces us to what may be the most famous story in all of Jewish mysticism. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to tell us this Talmudic haunted house story, and what it can teach us about knowing ourselves, others, and God. Why is knowing your own name not as simple as it sounds? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 13, mentions electricity, a few good centuries before Ben Franklin gazed longingly at his kite. DC Comics legend Jordan Gorfinkel joins us to discuss a page full of strange creatures that seem straight out of the X-Men series, and explain how the rabbis of the Talmud knew all about electric light. How is electricity a metaphor for learning? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 11 and 12, give us a master class in lewdness and a throwback to the 1990s. Mark Oppenheimer joins us to talk about the world-historical significance of Zima, and what the ill-fated drink can teach us about human spirituality and sexuality. What is the greater meaning of Zima? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 9 and 10, take to task one of the best-known bits of advice about whether, and how much, practice makes perfect. Stephanie Butnick joins us to talk about her days as an elite collegiate fencer, and what she learned about training to be the best. So, does doing something for 10,000 hours really make you great at it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 8, informs us that the only real joy you could have while eating comes from eating lots and lots and lots of meat. But what is the connection between meat and happiness, precisely? Does it require us to change the ways we think and behave when we feast on flesh? And what common practice is an affront to the rabbis’ teaching about eating meat responsibly? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 7, tells us, in a famous passage, that some things, including some mitzvot, just can’t be measured. Rabbi Mordecai Finley joins us to explain this mystical concept, and how it continues to inspire us today. What in life is so precious we just can’t put a number on it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 6, kicks things off with a charming image of a small child partaking in the festival and taking in the sights and feelings. Historian and our very own Presidentisher Rav Tevi Troy joins us to share some formative childhood memories that shaped our finest presidents, and give parents some advice on how to raise young people to be both great and good. Which TV channel should you insist your kids binge-watch? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 4 and 5, give us a shockingly candid conversation about God’s tears. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to ponder whether the Almighty indeed weeps, and, if so, who might God weep for. What precious relationship advice does today’s page of Talmud deliver? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 2 and 3, introduce us to a brand new tractate, all about the obligation to make the pilgrimage to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem thrice a year and celebrate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain the sweet mysticism of the rabbis passionately debating a ritual they knew they’d never experience firsthand. What can their dedication teach us about faith, hope, and resilience? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

We are about to start a new tractate, masechet Chagigah. It’s the thirteenth 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, Moed Katan 29, brings this gorgeous and mystical tractate to an end. What did it teach us about life, death, and everything in between? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with one final meditation on the wisdom of in-between days. What, exactly, are in-between days, and how may they inspire us to lead richer lives? Listen and find out. Also, please enjoy Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin’s end of masechet article Passing Through on Tablet. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 28, reflects on history and its judgment. Presidential historian Tevi Troy joins us to assess which Oval Office occupants were celebrated in life but reviled by posterity, and which were thought to be duds when elected but heroes from the distance of decades. What did Troy's former boss, George W. Bush, think about history and his place in it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 27, teaches us just how important it is to listen to those less powerful and privileged, and to do whatever you can to ease their anxiety. In this episode, Liel pays tribute to the man who embodied this wisdom better than most, his friend and mentor Todd Gitlin, who passed away this week. What lesson can we learn from the late professor and writer about the transformative power of kindness? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 25 and 26, ponder the question of what happens when a really famous person passes away. Erin Ben Moche, host of the Bagel Report podcast, joins us to talk about why celebrities matter, and why we feel stricken when a famous person we didn't know dies. Why is celebrity journalism a particularly Jewish occupation? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 23 and 24, bring us a heady mixture of sadness and joy, reminding us that for each tragic event, a simcha, or a joyous occasion, is sure to follow. Shira Hecht-Koller, who runs the 929 project of reading the entire Hebrew Bible in a three-year cycle, joins us to talk about why the rabbis tethered grief and elation, and how reading Jewish texts together makes this emotional rollercoaster cohere. Why is our grief never really our own private matter? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 22, contains a particularly curious fashion tip, telling women they're free to mend their clothes immediately after ripping them while mourning a loved one. Leandra Medine Cohen, founder of the popular fashion publication Man Repeller, joins us with a deep dive into the Talmud's view on women, fashion sense, and everything in between. How is the rabbis' obsession with ladies' garments strangely empowering? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 21, reads a bit like the plot of a particularly dark episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Stephanie Butnick joins us to reflect on why we spend so much time minding the different ways we speak to different people in different circumstances, and whether or not all this social awkwardness is merited. Are we placing too much of a premium on keeping it real? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 20, ponders what one must do when a spouse's parent passes away. Rebecca Cynamon-Murphy joins us to share the story of her father's sudden illness and death, and how her family coped with the loss. What can you do to help a loved one grieve? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 18 and 19, kick things off with a stunning cautionary tale about gossip. Karen Swallow Prior, host of the new podcast Jane and Jesus, joins us to talk about what Jane Austen understood about the importance of guarding your tongue, and how her work can be read as a subtle religious commentary on the perils of reckless speech. What would Austen have made of a world riddled with vicious posts on social media? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 16 and 17, warn us against studying Torah with rabbis who aren't pure and upright in their ways. Mark Oppenheimer joins us to share stories from his days as a religion columnist for The New York Times, and reflect on whether or not it's fair to hold our teachers to such high standards. What obligation, precisely, do members of the clergy have to lead impeccable lives? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 15, dives deep into the profound question of how we ought to mourn the passing of a loved one. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to explain what the Talmud teaches us about grief and longing, and why the image of an unmade bed is used to evoke a feeling not only of loss but also of hope. How is grief also an invitation to think about society's outcasts? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 14, raises the question of prison. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why the rabbis compared the prison to a womb, and how this imagery continues to influence our thinking today. How should we think about criminal justice reform, according to the Talmud? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 13, treats us to a reminder that preparing for a festivity is often just as important, if not more so, than the party itself. What might we do to master the art of preparation? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 11 and 12, suggest that important people are just different than you and me and ought to be held to a higher standard. Historian Tevi Troy, the Presidentisher Rav, joins us to talk about two American presidents who grappled with this question, one getting it just right and the other very, very wrong. What did FDR serve for lunch when the Queen of England dropped by for a visit? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 9 and 10, tell a very curious story about the year they canceled...Yom Kippur. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tell us how this miraculous occurrence happened, and what it can still teach us today. Why was there one year of eating and rejoicing rather than fasting and prayer? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 8, introduces us to the Talmudic figure of the professional eulogizer. Rabbi Jonathan Morgenstern joins us to discuss the subtle, spiritual art of saying farewell. How do you meaningfully eulogize someone you didn't even know? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 7, asks the big question: How should we live life? Pursue our own pleasures, no matter what, or sacrifice for the sake of others? Michael Scott Alexander, the author of Making Peace with the Universe: Personal Crisis and Spiritual Healing, joins us to discuss spiritual practice as therapy, and why pleasure and joy are two completely different things. Which surprising bit of ancient wisdom inspired the author at a moment of profound personal breakdown? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 6, finds the rabbis extolling the virtues of taking risks. What happens when you live life with caution always on your mind? What's the price we pay for trying to eliminate risk altogether? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 4 and 5, tell us about Rabban Gamliel and his decision to... overrule the Torah? Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, the executive director of the Steinsaltz Center in Jerusalem, joins us to explain this unlikely occurrence and the man who had the courage to assert his rabbinic authority. What can we learn about leadership from the wise ancient rabbi? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 2 and 3, launch a brand new tractate, all about those magical days in between holidays, which are neither ordinary nor entirely sanctified. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us for a festive lunch and a preview of what's ahead. How does the tractate help us rethink the meaning of time? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 32, brings us to the end of Tractate Megillah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to recap what we've learned, and what powerful lessons the tractate still offers us today. What's the difference between a book and a letter, and why does it matter? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 31, surprises us with a tender insistence that you can't mention God without mentioning his humility. Sheikh Faiyaz Jaffer of NYU's Islamic Center joins us to discuss how the Creator can be both almighty and humble, and what concrete behavioral and psychological lessons this insight offers us today. How does prayer help us remember God's infinite mercy? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 30, brings up one of the thorniest questions in all of Talmud, the question of the dreaded Amalek. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this enemy is so terrible, and why we're still commanded to do war with Amalek's memory. Shall we remember what Amalek did to us, or forget these evil-doers altogether? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 28 and 29, raise the essential question of how to live a long, happy, and healthy life. We went out and asked some of our favorite older folks what they'd recommend to anyone interested in longevity. What's the secret, then? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 26 and 27, raise the surprisingly thorny issue of...nicknames. Presidential historian Tevi Troy joins us to talk about how and why our commanders in chief have always adored nicknames, and what a good monicker can do to keep a political career running. What's behind some of the most famous pet names in White House history? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 25, discusses one of the most difficult decrees in all of the Talmud, the one commanding us to bless the bad things that happen to us just as eagerly as we give thanks for the good. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this difficult idea, and how it can still give us much comfort and joy today. How is being grateful for disasters good for you? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 24, details what we should and shouldn't wear when stepping in front of the ark in shul. Mark Oppenheimer, the Corduroy Rav, joins us to talk about dress codes as spiritual practice, and why what you put on in the morning matters. What did we lose when we stopped dressing up for plane rides? Listen and find out.