Take One Daf Yomi

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 [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, 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 cryptic and often difficult manner? 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, 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 with the family she was supposed to torment? 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, 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 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, 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 [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, 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 [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, 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 tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg? 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, 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 [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, 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 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, 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 [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, 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 [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, 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 takes? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 97 and 98, the rabbis bring up our inheritance, and inquire about our privileges and our duties when we're lucky enough to have something of value passed down from one generation to the next. Josh Kross returns to share a story of one ugly painting and its beautiful meaning. How do family heirlooms inspire us to be better people? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 96, asks only this: What's the difference between that first OG Pesach sacrifice and all the others that follow? Or, put differently, has anything really changed since the Exodus? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to tell us a charming story of a Hassidic master's first insight, and how Passover inspired him to find meaning in the way we jump into new resolutions in life. Why is it a good idea to jump in fast and then take it slow? 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.

In today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 95, the rabbis discuss the second Pesach, Judaism’s great do-over. Kylie Unell joins us to talk about second chances and why no religion can ever work with out them. What do Jay Z and Beyonce have to do with Passover? 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, Pesachim 94, mentions perhaps the most maligned of all Hebrew months, Marcheshvan. Does its name really mean "bitter"? Was the calendar really that unkind? Tevi Troy returns to help us make sense of the Hebrew year's most frequently discussed month. Why are we so obsessed with Cheshvan? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi. 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, Pesachim 92 and 93, bring up a tricky question: How can we really measure distance? The answer, of course, is through time, which teaches us a valuable lesson on how to go very far even when we may think it impossible. What crucial time management skill can we learn from the rabbis? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 90 and 91, bring up the question of whether a portion of the Paschal sacrifice may count as payment to a prostitute for her services. Rabbanit Leah Sarna joins us to make sense of this thorny passage. Is the Talmud belittling prostitutes, or being wildly inclusive? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 89, gets downright uncomfortable when it talks about how members of a community act when they share finite resources and believe that one of them has gotten more than his share. Cantor Jacob Greenberg joins us to talk about the ethics of the COVID vaccine, and how we behave when demand for a cure is high and the rules less than clear. Why can't we all simply wait our turn? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 88, kicks things off with an audacious claim: When all Jews return home to the Land of Israel, it will be a more monumental day than the day the heavens and the earth were created. Marc Rosenberg, the Vice President of Nefesh B'Nefesh, joins us to talk about making aliya, and about the emotional insights the Talmud has into emigration. What three questions must everyone contemplating moving to Israel ask? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 87, tells us the rolicking story of the prophet Hosea, which includes rancor and despair and prostitution. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to celebrate this minor prophet's very major and timely message. What does Hosea teach us about getting along even, or especially, with those we don't really like? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 85 and 86, ponder whether or not the prayers of outsiders are heard just as loudly and clearly. Rabbi Hart Levine joins us to tell us to talk about the logic of prayer, and why God listens even to those who go nowhere near the shul. What is the number one reason some people just don't feel comfortable with prayer? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 83 and 84, warn us against breaking the bones of the paschal sacrifice. Dr. Adina Minkowitz Silberman joins us to tell us why this act is an invitation to dignity even under the most dire circumstances, and share with us a few delicious bone-related recipes. Why is there a secret dignity in bones? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 82, is all about shaming. Is it ever OK to shame someone if by embarrassing them we can make sure they do the right thing? Rabbi Josh Lookstein joins us to discuss shaming in the time of COVID-19 and how the school he runs works hard to make sure no kid feels embarrassed or left out. Why do we still feel so much shame about shaming? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 81, brings up a mysterious concept: the impurity of the deep. Put simply, it revolves around the following question: If someone, somewhere in the world dies and no one knows about it, are all of us impure because of the possibility that we might've inadvertently come into contact with a dead body? Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier joins us to explain this Jewish Zen koan and its tremendous impact on Jewish thought. Who was the first Jew ever to suggest we just not worry so much? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 80, raises the question of how to proceed with the Paschal sacrifice if some tribes are pure and others impure, which is a great way of thinking about the divisions that still tear the Jewish people apart. Moshe Koppel joins us to discuss why religious and secular Jews often see the world in starkly different terms, and what could be done to bring them closer together. Is tribalism truly a fundamental human emotion? Listen and find out

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 78 and 79, bring up a curious conundrum: Is it possible for all of Israel, the entirety of the Jewish people, to be impure at the exact same time? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin explains why the Talmud brings up this thought experiment, and what it has to teach us about Jewish history and the Jewish future. Why didn't God give the Torah to Abraham? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 76 and 77, raise an interesting question about what happens if a piece of bread absorbs the scent of wine set aside as a contribution to the priests. Does the bread, too, become holy simply because it now smells like the wine? Alana Newhouse, Tablet's editor in chief, returns to tell us how the brain processes our senses, and what it has to do with sanctity. What must it have been like to stand outside the Temple as sacrifices were offered? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 75, finds the rabbis discussing how to go about executing a person who has transgressed. Sister Helen Prejean joins us to share her experiences as America’s foremost critic the death penalty, and talk about how Catholic and Jewish traditions come together—and how they differ—when it comes to thinking about sanctioned killings. What did Sister Helen feel the first time she looked a death row inmate in the eye? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 74, is all about meat: How to roast it, eat it, and savor it. Producer Josh Kross returns to talk about the joys of ambling up to the grill, and how meat triggers the primordial memories us moderns thought we've suppressed. Why is meat such an important part of so many religions? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 73, finds the rabbis talking about ritual sacrifice but meditating on animal rights. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz joins us to talk about why it's crucial not to lose sight of animal suffering even when eating meat, and how our rituals have evolved to reflect an increasingly more compassionate sensibility. What is one of the gravest moral disasters we still commit uncritically? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 71 and 72, offer an inspired vision of what we need to be happy: Clean clothes and old wine. Adam Teeter joins us to explain why so many of us feel intimidated when it comes to picking the perfect bottle, and give us some tips on how to enjoy wine and figure out what it is we truly love. How is wine literally magical? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 69 and 70, make the curious connection between the Korban Pesach, the sacrificial Paschal lamb, and Brit Mila, or circumcision. Sara Fredman Aeder returns to shed light on the uncomfortable similarities between both practices, and what she, as an Orthodox mother to a newborn baby boy, felt before his Bris. Why all this bloodletting in our ancient rituals? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 68, asks a piercing question: Should we use whatever powers we have for good? Or are they ours for our own benefit? Comic book writer and editor Jordan Gorfinkel joins us to talk great power, great responsibility, and what the Bible's protagonists have in common with our modern superheroes. What could the Talmud have taught Spider-Man? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 67, calls for the isolation of those suffering from a set of contagious conditions, a topic that hits close to home in the time of COVID-19. Vineet Chander, the Coordinator for Hindu Life and Hindu chaplain at Princeton University, joins us to talk about how he, as a college chaplain, comforts students struggling with social distancing, and what his faith tradition has to teach us about community and isolation. On what do the Talmud and the Bhagavad Gita agree? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 66, tells a story of a great rabbi humbled and delivers a crucial lesson about what to do when you have no idea what to do. Shira Telushkin joins us to deliver some insight about why Jews are prophets or the sons of prophets, and what this means for each and every single one of us. Why should we never feel embarrassed about not knowing enough about our faith and tradition? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 64 and 65, deliver a reminder that we must never tarry when performing a mitzvah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns with a masterful hassidic interpretation of this deep Talmudic principle that teaches us how to turn off the voices of self-doubt and criticism that plague us all as we strive to do and be better. Why should we learn to cut ourselves some slack? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 62 and 63, the rabbis riff on a very modern obsession: genealogy. Why are we so obsessed with learning more about our ancestors? A.J. Jacobs, best-selling author of It's All Relative, joins us to talk about why we care so much to know about our great-great-great-great grandma and what it means to realize that, really, we're all one big happy family. Can minding the family tree make you a kinder person? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 61, gives us an opportunity to imagine one of the most majestic of all rituals, Korban Pesach, or the Passover sacrifice. Dr. Karen Kirshenbaum joins us to discuss the logistics of that seminal moment in the ancient Jewish calendar, and what it felt, smelt, and sounded like to those who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem every year. What can we do to recreate the experience now that there's no longer a Temple? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 60, teaches us a lesson in watching what we eat. Stephanie Butnick returns to discuss how she went from grabbing most of her meals on the go to investing time and effort in cooking meals, what it did to bring her and husband closer, and what she learned about herself from hitting the cookbooks. Does a meal taste different when consumed mindfully? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 59, concludes with a discussion of what should be done when the High Priest speaks in ways that aren't altogether clear. Producer Josh Kross joins us to talk about the responsibilities of parsing a person's intentions, the core of his responsibilities as a podcast editor. How is podcasting the most Talmudic of media? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 57 and 58, tell the story of a wise man who was sent as the Jewish community's emissary to the seat of power, Rome. Tevi Troy, former Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Bush and the author of several books about presidents and the people who serve under them, joins us to talk about the role of ambassador, how it has changed, and what some of the most prominent Israelis dispatched to Washington, D.C. made of their sensitive post. What habits did Israeli ambassador, and later Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, pick up when on the Hill? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 55 and 56, raise a touchy issue: Are we sometimes being presumptuous? Mark Oppenheimer, our very own Corduroy Rav, returns to share a few funny anecdotes of self-esteem gone wild, and teach us how to adhere to our very democratic roots and stay humble and grounded. What lesson does the Talmud teach us about holding ourselves to higher standards? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 54, tells us that so many of the things we adore, from rainbows to writing, were created at twilight on the first Shabbat eve. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to unveil the symbolic meaning of that magical first Shabbat, and what it can teach us about time and about injecting a bit of holiness into our very hectic calendars. Why did fire have to wait until after Shabbat to come into the world? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 53, urges us to support those committed to education, and promises heavenly rewards to anyone who does so. Writer and educator Malka Fleischmann joins us to evaluate how well we're doing living up to the Talmud's pro-educational teachings, and share some ways to make teachers and students alike feel more supported and appreciated. What's one easy and effortless way to usher in real education reform? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 52, kicks things off with warning us against the temptation to excommunicate those who displease us. How, then, should we have arguments, especially about things that matter? Should the goal of every quarrel be convincing the other person you're right? And is being civil and polite always a good idea? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 50 and 51, regale us with stories of the world-to-come. What does this mysterious place look like? And do Jews really believe in it? Rabbi Dr. Ari Lamm returns to shed some light on Olam Habah, and what Judaism instructs us to do to make this world look almost as perfect as the next. Why is waiting for heavenly rewards the coward's way out? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Pesachim 48 and 49, kick things off by talking challah. Dr. Beth Ricanati, a physician who found great comfort and healing in baking the traditional bread, joins us to share her challah-baking routine, and her thoughts on the transformative power of yeast, dough, and water. Why is it important to speak aloud and state the names of loved ones when you bake? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 47, asks a thorny question: What role might non-Jews play in Jewish celebrations and festivals? Rabbi Steven Philp, himself a Jew by choice, joins us to tell us about his own journey, and about hosting an annual seder for his family and his friends, most of whom aren't Jewish. How do their questions and perspective enrich the experience of celebrating Passover? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 46, discusses going the distance. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to explain why some rituals can only be practiced communally, and why it's important not to stray too far from other Jews. What's so important about praying in a minyan? Listen and find out.