Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 3, finds the rabbis singing the praises of euphemisms and going to great lengths not to say bad words. Why? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Pesachim 2, kicks off Tractate Pesachim, and, as per usual with the Talmud, it does so in a quizzical fashion. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to introduce us to this new tractate. Why refer to Passover in the plural? And why start out the discussion with the word "light"? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 103, 104, and 105, bring to a close Tractate Eruvin, one of the Talmud's most intricate and complicated volumes. Law professor Ethan Lieb joins us to celebrate, and muse on the Hadran, the blessing at the end of each tractate, which contains a surprising message we shouldn't ignore. Why does the Talmud animate each one of its tractates? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 102, is very much in vogue, asking about the black hats that observant Jewish men so often wear. But why wear these hats at all? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to offer his observations on the meeting of style and substance, and what the black hat truly means. Are orthodox Jews fashion outliers? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 101, discusses tradition, and why the way we used to do thing matters when we try to figure out what's right and what's wrong. Yehuda Goldberg joins us to discuss the importance of customs. How do customs help us build community? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 100, has the rabbis warning against a husband trying to have intercourse with his wife without her explicit consent. Rabbi Aviva Richman joins us to explain why this rabbinic recognition of the notion of consent is tremendously meaningful even if it is deeply flawed. What can this passage teach us about the Talmud's approach to sex? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 98 and 99, remind us again that it is forbidden to throw away sacred writings. We talk about book collections, and why so many of us hold on even to books they know they'll never read. Do books have magical powers? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 96 and 97, raise a curious question: Why are we commanded to wear tefillin every day of the week but not on Shabbat? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to ponder this conundrum and find in it a seminal principle to live by. Does absence truly make the heart grow fonder? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 95, has Tefillin on the mind (and on the arm). Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone returns to shed light on this most ancient and still most potent of all spiritual technologies. Why did the Lubavitcher Rebbe promote the wearing of Tefillin so passionately? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 94, gets down and intimate: What, it asks, happens when your courtyard opens up onto the public domain? Andrew Marantz, staff writer for the New Yorker, joins us to talk about the things we do online, and whether we can still expect a shred of privacy on social media and elsewhere. Are our metaphors to blame for our failure to see the Internet for what it truly is? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 93, wonders what happens when guests come in and cause all sorts of inconveniences. Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal joins us to talk about why guests can be both annoying and a true pleasure, and what obligations we have to make them feel welcome. How can an ancient ruling about eruvin make us better hosts? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 91 and 92, ask a poignant question: Are we permitted to modify our laws based on how we've behaved during a time of danger? Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett joins us to discuss the ways in which COVID impacted his congregation, and talk about what life might look like after the plague. Are there any innovations brought about by the pandemic that might continue to inspire us even after it is gone? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 89 and 90, finds two rabbis engaged in a philosophical conversation about the very way we see reality. Rabbi Avi Straussberg joins us to explain why this particular debate -- involving a ship sailing in a clear blue sea -- matters, and what it can teach us about life today. Is the ocean half empty or half full? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 88, asks a cheeky question: If you stole something, do you get to keep it? Ben Schachter, an artist and the author of Akhnai Pizza, a new graphic novel based on one of the Talmud's most famous tales, joins us to ponder this problem, especially as it pertains to copyright, intellectual property, and ideas. How can we encourage remix culture while still making sure artists get supported and paid? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 87, inquries whether a lake could count when determing an eruv. Rabbi Tzvi Sinenski joins us to tell a story about the late great Rabbi Norman Lamm, and how he wrestled with precisely this question to establish the eruv on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Does an eruv count even if you can't see it? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 86, contains an unlikely recommendation: revere the rich. Professor Lila Corwin Berman joins us to shed some light on how Jewish philantrophy changed drastically over the last few decades, and what that means for the Jewish community's most fortunate and for everyone else. What happened that gave the top one percent of donors more power than ever before? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 84 and 85, give us one charming anecdote that helps dive right into the true meaning of the eruv. Rabbi Hart Levine joins us to tell us about the diverse and welcoming community he'd built in New York, and how it was inspired by the laws and the logic of the eruv. What does it take to turn a bunch of Jews into a thriving community? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 82 and 83, introduce a curious prohibition against gamblers giving testimony in a court of law. Joe Bednarsh, Athletics Director at Yeshiva University and a world-class Poker player, joins us to discuss why the rabbis suspected anyone who made a living rolling the dice. Why do card sharks look down on those in the Casino who merely play the Roulette? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 81, reaches into the book of Ezekiel to discuss one of the Bible's most notoriously scatological references, the poop sandwich. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to help us figure out what this unappetizing snack means, and why the Talmud seems to devote so much time to number two. Why is the punishment for mocking the rabbis being boiled in excrement? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 80, tells a story of a woman who defies her husband to make an eruv possible. Sara Shalva, Chief Arts Officer at the JCC in Baltimore, joins us to talk about how women create community, and what that means for gender roles and division of labor, especially during a pandemic. What would happen if we left socialization up to the men? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 79, finds the rabbis permitting building a fire on Shabbat to make a woman giving birth more comfortable. Dr. David Jay Berman, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine at Johns Hopkins, joins us to share some troubling statistics about the risks expecting mothers, and particularly expecting mothers of color, face, and what we must do to heal them. How do race and socioeconomic status impact the health of mother and baby alike? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 77 and 78, drill down on which laws must be rigorously observed and which may sometime be overlooked. Officer Jacob Novikov, vice president of the NYPD's Shomrim Society, joins us to talk about the decisions he has to make every day when deciding how to handle infractions and interact with the community he has sworn to serve and protect. How does a cop know when to be strict and when to be merficul? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 75 and 76, find one of the rabbis, Rav Yosef, making a blunder. Rabbi Eric Wisnia joins us to explain why Rav Yosef's response can teach us everything we need to know about learning from our mistakes, and why this message is one we particularly need to hear in this troubled moment in American history. What should we do when asked a question about something that pertains directly to our interests? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 74, tells a sad and strange story of a man who built an eruv for just one home: His own. Was it kosher? Or must an eruv, designed to connect several abodes, include at least two houses? Adina Fredman joins us to shed light on this instructive anecdote, and offer a surprising look at the central question of what makes a home a home. How has COVID-19 driven us to reconsider our domestic sensibilities? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 73, raises a sharp question: What's in a home? Is it the place where you eat? Sleep? Both? Something else? Rabbanit Leah Sarna joins us to talk about the intricacies of domesticity, and about what we think about when we think about home. Did the definition of home change once so many of us started working from home? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 72, has the rabbis channeling their inner interior designers: What, they ask, makes a room a room? Author Lisa Sandell joins us to discuss how, while redecorating her very small Manhattan apartment, she found herself contemplating some of the very same questions as our ancient sages. Would the rabbis love shopping on Wayfair.com? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 70 and 71, tell us that one point of setting up an eruv is to teach our children about the laws of eruvin. It's a surprisingly profound lesson, as Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern argues: In focusing so much attention on seemingly mundane technicalities, Judaism is showing us that the best way to engage in religious practice isn't by waiting for revelations but by working hard, day after day, at what's less exciting but far more important. What does all of it have to do with the month of Cheshvan, which begins today? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 68 and 69, raise the issue of disbelief, and ask a thorny question: How much doubt is too much doubt? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to shed light on this complicated subject, and help us navigate the difficult but necessary turf of dealing with spiritual transgressions and transgressors. Which sins are worthy of absolute rebuke, and which are more forgivable? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 67, finds the rabbis in an usual state of mind: starstruck. Journalist and seasoned celebrity profiler Romy Oltuski joins us to share what it's like to sit in a room with a very famous person you admire very much, and what meeting celebrities can teach us about ourselves. Is celebrity worship a sign of a shallow culture, or is there some deep wisdom behind our obsession with the rich and famous? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 66, dives down into a sensitive subject: What does it take to build a community where Jews and non-Jews live together peacefully? Alan Newman, the author of the new novel A Good Heart, joins us to talk about Christian-Jewish relations, and what life in small town America taught him about making friends across different communities of faith. How might the Talmud inspire contemporary Christian-Jewish relations? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 65, explores the age old question: Should you be early to bed and early to rise, or is it better to stay up late? The rabbis, no surprise, are of at least two minds, and modern science confirms that their ambiguity was well-merited. So who's better, early birds or night owls? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 63 and 64, pose a provocative question: Does drinking make you holier? Ruby Namdar, author, Talmud scholar, and a man fond of his drink joins us to parse this rich and strange question and what it teaches us about the rabbis' state of mind. Should you write while you drink, or drink while you write? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 61 and 62, ask pointed questions about how the whole idea of an eruv pertains to our non-Jewish neighbors, which is really another way of asking how do we conceive of insiders and outsiders in our midst. Charlotte Fonrobert, professor of religious studies at Stanford University, joins us to discuss what the eruv can teach us about setting up sovereign spaces and navigating complex political realities. What inspiration can the idea of an eruv give us in our troubled political time? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 60, ends with one of the rabbis, Rabbi Idi, strangely dismissing the whole enterprise of prophecy. Why would a sage and a scholar speak this way? A.J. Berkovitz, assistant professor at Hebrew Union College, joins us to explain the Talmud's complicated relationship with revelation, and what important lessons it can still teach us today. How does dissing prophecy make us better students? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 59, examines what happens when a small town grows into a big city and neighborhoods change in a process we now often call gentrification. Producer Josh Kross, a city dweller who recently set up residence in the country, joins us to talk about how to be respectful when moving to a new community. What's the best way to avoid being a jerk to new neighbors? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 58, begins with a mysterious warning against using tools that are too efficient and blooms into a meditation on human experience. Why should we listen even to those who are decidedly not experts? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 56 and 57, find the rabbis in the mood to exalt the deliciousness of vegetables. Why are leeks and radishes important? And why should you eat more than meat? Mark Oppenheimer returns to teach us a lesson on the importance of a healthy and plant-based diet. How is what you eat related to how you vote? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 54 and 55, ask a pressing question: What does the Bible teach us about how we should practice politics? Rabbi Ari Lamm returns to introduce us to the world's first politician, and teach us two Hebrew words that are essential if we'd like to heal our broken political system. What bit of inspiration does the Talmud have in this grim political moment of ours? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 53, finds the rabbis in a mood to talk about what makes good teachers and good students. Professor Agi Legutko of Columbia University joins us to discuss whether or not the Talmud's ancient pedagogical philosophy holds up. How do the best teachers approach their craft? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 52, presents us with an image of a man standing with one foot inside the boundaries of the eruv and another outside. Why do the rabbis conjure such a strange case? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to argue that the rabbis were so obsessed with geographic boundaries because they realized that holiness, like community, was only possible if practiced in a specific and clearly defined place. What mystical meaning did the great hassidic master Rabbi Tzadok find in thinking about eruvin? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 51, brings up the importance of trusting your friends, especially when you're feeling a bit out of your element. Lily and Annabelle, two nine-year-old friends, join us to discuss the power of friendship and share stories of that time when they just couldn't have made it through without the other's help. What does being a friend really feel like? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 49 and 50, the rabbis caution us not to lose sight of the community-building aspect of an eruv. Brian Benjamin, a New York State Senator, joins us to share how he and his colleagues struggled to keep New Yorkers working together during Covid-19, and what is still to be done to make the state a cohesive community. What can the idea of an eruv teach us about running a modern city? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 47 and 48, the rabbis discuss personal space, and just how much of it a person really needs. Stephanie Butnick returns to offer insights into life in a very small New York City apartment during months of Covid lockdown, and how two people managed to negotiate their own personal space and each other's. How did a long quarantine change the meaning of home for many New Yorkers? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 46, contains a striking permission for a tractate so thick with rules and regulations: When in doubt about some question pertaining to an eruv, just follow the more lenient opinion. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to explain this unexpected ruling, and shed light on what's so special about an eruv that the rabbis would permit leniency as the default. How does an eruv build a community? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 45, gives permission to sometimes violate the strictures of the eruv if one is rushing to save a life. Dr. Teresa Amato, director of Emergency Medicine at one of the New York City hospitals that treated more Covid-19 patients than any other in the nation, joins us to share stories from the front lines of the war against the plague, and recount which rules and procedures had to be broken, bent, or ignored to care for the mass of patients requiring urgent care. What did nurses and doctors who are observant Jews did when duty called on Shabbat? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 44, asks a thorny question: Can you use a live human being to demarcate an eruv? Producer Josh Kross returns to offer a lively soccer analogy and muse on why sometimes, being a team player means simply trusting your friends even if they're asking you to literally put your body on the line. What do you think about when Cristiano Ronaldo is about to kick a ball right into your crotch? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 42 and 43, kick things off with a sporting discussion about counting steps to properly mark an eruv. Little did the ancient rabbis know, but step-counting would soon become the basis for a multi-million dollar industry of workout apps and gadgets, from the Fitbit to the Peloton bike. But while these gizmos help you keep off the pounds, they also speak in a language that is often, well, religious. How is the rabbis' workout philosophy different from the one currently on offer? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 40 and 41, finds the rabbis having a heated conversation about the importance of political norms and respecting the unwritten rules of keeping a community vibrant and cohesive. Seth Mandel, executive editor of The Washington Examiner, joins us to talk about the current and sorry state of political norms in Washington, D.C., and offer up some wisdom our politicians desperately need to learn from the Talmud. How bad is the state of our political process, and how can we make it much better? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 39, is all about yom tov sheni, or the second day of the holiday we celebrate everywhere outside of Israel. But why do we celebrate it? And is it time, now that we have powerful apps that can tell us precisely when holidays begin and end, to put an end to this custom? Or were the wise rabbis trying to teach us something more valuable, a lesson about holding on to tradition with all of our might? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 38, asks a question that may sound familiar to anyone who is feeling overwhelmed by life throwing too many challenges their way: What do you do when you get pulled in too many different directions? It's a lot like trying to drive a camel and a donkey at the same time, the rabbis tell us, each animal doing its own thing. Professor Hannah Lebowits joins us to discuss how the notion of eruv can shed light on our particularly challenging moment in time, and why it teaches us to think communally rather than individually. How does an eruv prepare us for light during Covid-19? Listen and find out.