Episodes

23h ago

On today’s pages, Zevachim 98 and 99 , we encounter the rules for priests in the period of acute mourning, when they cannot offer sacrifices or partake in the ritual meat. Our teacher and friend, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, helps illuminate what this stage says about grief, ritual, and the human confrontation with mortality. How do we make space for loss without losing connection to life’s sacredness? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here .

3d ago

On today’s pages, Zevachim 96 and 97 , the rabbis explore a case of jealousy between teachers when a promising student decides to learn elsewhere. Presidentischer Rav, Dr. Tevi Troy joins us to draw connections between this debate and famous moments of political switching in American history. How do we decide when it’s right to move on and when loyalty should win out? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here .

4d ago

On today’s page, Zevachim 95 , the rabbis continue their careful discussion of how sacred garments are cleaned in the Temple. We take a Chanukah pause with a song from Nefesh Mountain, because nothing launders our hearts and our minds and makes them fresh again quite like music. When the details of ritual start to pile up, where do you turn to feel renewed? Listen and find out. Join Nefesh Mountain tonight at the Brooklyn Bowl for a very special Love & Light show! Doors open at 6pm, there's a pre-show candle lighting at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm. Get tickets here . To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here .

5d ago

On today’s page, Zevachim 94 , the rabbis debate how items stained with sacrificial blood should be cleaned, and whether leather counts as clothing in the same way fabric does. As the Gemara weighs leather’s strange status somewhere between garment and skin, it quietly nudges us to think about what leather really is and what it means to use it. If leather isn’t quite like cloth, should we treat it differently in how we wear it and choose it? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here .

6d ago

On today’s page, Zevachim 93 , the Talmud teaches that even a trace of sacrificial blood must be treated with the same care as the entire offering. Beneath the technical details lies a profound moral vision about the holiness of life itself. If no drop of blood is expendable, how should that change how we see human dignity? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here

Dec 15

On today’s pages, Zevachim 91 and 92 , the Talmud debates waiting for coals to naturally become ash rather than snuffing out the fire. Our guest today, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, helps us explore how this ancient rule also mirrors the challenge of keeping our inner fire alive. What does it take to protect the spark that makes us feel awake and inspired? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here .

Dec 12

On today’s pages, Zevachim 89 and 90 , the rabbis teach that what is frequent takes precedence over what is rare, elevating the daily offering above even the holiest special occasions. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to show how this principle reveals the overlooked spiritual power of consistency—the quiet, steady commitments that shape who we become far more than moments of intensity. What might our spiritual lives look like if we approached them more like Cal Ripken? Listen and find out.

Dec 11

On today’s page, Zevachim 88 , the rabbis debate just how clean the priestly garments must be and whether lightly soiled clothing even needs a full wash. Their insight suggests that not everything requires the same level of cleaning. How do we know when something truly needs refreshing and when good enough is good enough? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here .

Dec 10

On today’s page, Zevachim 87 , the rabbis debate whether suspended offerings become sanctified by the altar’s “airspace,” expanding holiness into the invisible vertical realm above it. That same question animates New York City’s obsession with air rights, where the unseen world above a roofline becomes the site of future growth. What happens if we start treating the space above our own lives—our ambitions, potential, imagination—as buildable terrain? Listen and find out.

Dec 9

On today’s page, Zevachim 86 , we revisit the principle that holiness only increases, never diminishes, no matter how humble the vessel. Our guest today, Rabbi Eli Sapo of Chabad of the West Side, helps us connect this idea to the spirit of Hanukkah and the growing light we share. How do we notice the ways sanctity rises in our own lives? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax-deductible donation, click here . To get tickets for Chanukah on Ice click here .

Dec 8

On today’s pages, Zevachim 84 and 85 , the rabbis teach that even legal debates require stories, because only stories reveal the human stakes beneath the rules. Our guest, producer Josh Kross, reminds us that this is precisely why Jewish storytelling still works: it’s grounded in people, in curiosity, and in the refusal to be boring. If the Talmud resonates across centuries, he suggests, it’s because its tales—strange, raw, hilarious, profound—still sound like us. What can today’s daf teach us about telling the stories that endure? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax deductible donation, click ⁠here⁠ .

Dec 5

On today’s pages, Zevachim 82 and 83 , the rabbis teach that an offering placed on the altar cannot be lowered or diminished—it has crossed a threshold from which it can only rise. Our guest, Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs, helps us see how that same idea animates Hanukkah: once the menorah was kindled, its light became part of an unbroken chain that still burns in our homes today. Her new children’s book, The Light That Lasted , available from Doorway Books at doorwaybooks.shop , places each child directly inside that ancient moment, revealing that they, too, sustain the miracle. How does understanding ourselves as part of a story that can only ascend change the way we celebrate? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax deductible donation, click ⁠here⁠ .

Dec 4

On today’s page, Zevachim 81 , we dive into the technical rules of blood offerings and discover a larger lesson about making things more holy rather than less. Could pausing before acting, speaking, or posting help us elevate even small moments in life? Listen and find out. To support Tablet and make a tax deductible donation, click here .

Dec 3

On today’s page, Zevachim 80 , the rabbis debate what happens when regular water mixes into a flask meant for purification and whether the ritual can still be performed. It raises a quiet question about how much change a sacred act can absorb before it becomes something else. How do we decide when a mixture has tipped too far? Listen and find out.

Dec 2

On today’s page, Zevachim 79 , we learn that the status of a mixture can hinges on a variety of disparate factors. These distinctions highlight a larger truth: eating well isn’t just about rules but about cultivating awareness of what goes into our bodies and why. What changes when we slow down long enough to honor the ingredients, flavors, and intentions behind every bite? Listen and find out.

Dec 1

On today’s pages, Zevachim 77 and 78 , the rabbis teach that even substances normally prohibited on the altar may be burned if they serve only to create a pleasing aroma, raising the deeper question of why scent is the Torah’s chosen language for divine acceptance. Our guest, Rabbi David Bashevkin, helps us explore how fragrance becomes a symbol of memory, lingering presence, and the subtle traces of holiness that remain even when the source is gone. How does this unique sense invite us to notice what came before and what still echoes in our lives? Listen and find out.

Nov 28

On today’s pages, Zevachim 75 and 76 , we learn that when two sanctities are found in separate bodies, one sacred offering may not be diminished in order to preserve another. Our teacher, Rabbi David Bashevkin, joins us to explain how this principle echoed through Jewish history, including debates over whether auctioning off a Torah scroll to fund communal needs dishonors one holy object for the sake of another. What can this tension teach us about honoring the distinct value of the sacred things in our lives? Listen and find out.

Nov 27

On today’s page, Zevachim 74 , we honor the daf by letting it quietly sit in the background while we mark Thanksgiving with a different kind of offering: a conversation about gratitude. When he joined us on Unorthodox back in 2018 , A.J. Jacobs talked about his quest to thank a thousand people for his daily coffee and what it taught him about Jewish gratitude, interdependence, and noticing the good. What happens to our hearts when we start treating every small comfort as the work of a whole hidden community? Listen and find out.

Nov 26

On today’s page, Zevachim 73 , the rabbis teach that an animal unfit for sacrifice does not become nullified when mixed with permitted animals, because each creature is considered significant on its own terms. This theme echoes the message in Alana Newhouse’s powerful essay on industrial farming, “ Ugly In, Ugly Out ,” reminding us how easily individuality and dignity get erased when we treat living beings as interchangeable. How does our moral clarity sharpen when we refuse to let the unique value of anything—or anyone—get lost in the mix? Listen and find out.

Nov 25

On today’s page, Zevachim 72 , the rabbis explore which forbidden items in a mixture can’t be nullified because they’re considered too significant to simply disappear. They use examples like nuts, pomegranates, gourds, and even homemade loaves to show how value changes the calculus. Why do certain things matter more to us than their size or cost might suggest? Listen and find out.

Nov 24

On today’s pages, Zevachim 70 and 71 , a technical debate about mixed sacrificial animals highlights the importance of preserving the integrity of each offering, even when confusion enters the process. This principle nudges us to think about the parts of our lives that become cluttered or overmixed, making it harder to experience clarity and uplift. How does staying true to the essential create more room for the sacred? Listen and find out. Read Liel's martini piece for County Highway here .

Nov 21

On today’s pages, Zevachim 68 and 69 , we encounter a striking comparison: a living sheep makes one sound, but in death its horns, bones, skin, and sinews become a symphony. This parable points us toward the power of enduring influence, showing how the traces we leave behind can create beauty and meaning long after we’ve departed. How might we shape a legacy that continues to make music in the world? Listen and find out.

Nov 20

On today’s page, Zevachim 67 , we learn that a woman who vows to bring a pair of birds if she gives birth to a son must actually bring two pairs—one for her vow and one for her standing obligation. This layered requirement invites us to reflect on how faith is shaped not only by what we hope for but also by what we owe, grounding gratitude in something steadier than circumstance. How might our spiritual lives change when thankfulness is not transactional? Listen and find out.

Nov 19

On today’s page, Zevachim 66 , the rabbis remind us that a properly performed bird sin offering is considered fit, even though the details have already been laid out with precision. When he joined us on Unorthodox back in 2020 , Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks helped us reflect on how stating the obvious can itself be a moral act, especially when the obvious is what we most easily overlook. Why do we need reminders of truths we think we already know? Listen and find out.

Nov 18

On today’s page, Zevachim 65 , we learn that the pinching of a bird’s neck must be done by the priest himself rather than with a tool. This rule challenges us to consider what is lost when we distance ourselves from the actions that sustain us, allowing tools to create emotional or physical separation. What might we reclaim by bringing our bodies back into the process? Listen and find out.

Nov 17

On today’s pages, Zevachim 63 and 64 , we encounter the Talmud’s vivid description of how priests prepared bird offerings and the raw, hands-on nature of the ritual. Our producer and resident bird-cooking correspondent, Josh Kross, joins us to reflect on why handling a whole creature changes the way we think about food, skill, and respect. How does facing the physicality of sacrifice help shape a more mindful relationship to what we consume? Listen and find out.

Nov 14

On today’s pages, Zevachim 61 and 62 , we encounter a nation moving from place to place, altar to altar, waiting for the right moment to build God’s house. The delay isn’t a flaw but a feature: a reminder that spiritual readiness can’t be forced. What might this teach us about our own impatience to “arrive”? Listen and find out.

Nov 13

On today’s page, Zevachim 60 , holiness meets history. As the rabbis ponder whether the Temple’s sanctity remains after its destruction, we turn to a modern echo of that question: the story of “Jerusalem of Gold.” Written before the city’s reunification, it became a national prayer—and a confession. What does its melody still teach us? Listen and find out.

Nov 12

On today’s page, Zevachim 59 , the rabbis question how King Solomon’s altar could possibly be “too small” to handle his sacrifices when it was hundreds of times larger than Moses’s. The math just doesn’t add up—and that’s the point. What do we miss when we let statistics tell the whole story? Listen and find out.

Nov 11

On today’s page, Zevachim 58 , the rabbis chart out the sacred geography of the Temple, each direction representing a dimension of human life, from the material to the spiritual. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch saw in this design a living map of the soul. What can an unfinished corner teach us about our own unfinished selves? Listen and find out.

Nov 10

On today’s pages, Zevachim 56 and 57 , the rabbis recall the “wise men of the vineyards of Yavneh,” who rebuilt the Sanhedrin in secret after Rome’s destruction of the Temple. Our very own Presidentischer Rav, Dr. Tevi Troy , joins to compare that ancient subterfuge with another hub of quiet strategy—the East Wing of the White House. Why does true leadership sometimes have to hide in plain sight? Listen and find out.

Nov 7

On today’s pages, Zevachim 54–55 , the rabbis recall a dark episode—when jealousy between leaders ended in bloodshed. Our very own Presidentischer Rav, Dr. Tevi Troy , joins to show how the same impulse plays out in presidential politics. What can we learn when rivalry crosses the line? Listen and find out. The Rival’s Shadow

Nov 6

On today’s page, Zevachim 53 , the rabbis tell us that the altar straddled Judah’s and Benjamin’s land. What might sound like a recipe for rivalry is instead a model of brotherhood and repair. A logistical headache—or a reminder of reconciliation and shared purpose? Listen and find out.

Nov 5

On today’s page, Zevachim 52 , the rabbis describe how priests sprinkled blood on all four corners of the altar — north, south, east, and west. What could sound like a technical detail becomes a timeless reminder that holiness belongs to everyone, everywhere. How do we make our rituals truly inclusive? Listen and find out.

Nov 4

On today’s page, Zevachim 51 , we learn that the inner altar, unlike the outer one, was built without a base. The rabbis saw this as a symbol of pure connection—an unmediated encounter between us and the Divine. What might it mean to build our faith on something that can’t be seen or touched? Listen and find out.

Nov 3

On today’s pages, Zevachim 49 and 50 , gratitude itself becomes a kind of offering. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin traces how the Temple’s korban todah —the thanksgiving sacrifice—became today’s birkat hagomel , a blessing said after danger, illness, or release. What does this prayer teach us about recognizing that life could have turned out otherwise? Listen and find out.

Oct 31

On today’s pages, Zevachim 47 and 48 , we learn about Makom HaZevachim, the precise location where each Temple sacrifice was performed. But as Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin explains, this chapter became part of our daily prayers not for its geography, but its spirit: prayer itself is how we find our place in a chaotic world. What does it mean to build an ark out of words? Listen and find out.

Oct 30

On today’s page, Zevachim 46 , a Mishnah lists six intentions required when bringing a sacrifice—from naming the offering to aiming it toward God’s will. Read as a life practice, it’s a blueprint for mindfulness. What happens when we bring this level of purpose to everything we do? Listen and find out.

Oct 29

On today’s page, Zevachim 45 , the rabbis wonder aloud why they’re debating laws for a Temple that doesn’t exist. The answer? Study isn’t just about what is — it’s about what could be . Why does learning something seemingly irrelevant keep faith alive? Listen and find out.

Oct 28

On today’s page, Zevachim 44 , the priests are granted a curious right: they may keep restitution from a thief who wronged a convert with no heirs. The lesson? The kohanim aren’t above us—they’re for us, spiritual family for the unrooted. What happens when power comes with empathy, not entitlement? Listen and find out.

Oct 27

On today’s pages, Zevachim 42 and 43 , the rabbis introduce the strange concept of pigul —a sacrifice made invalid not by an action, but by a stray thought. To explain this rare prohibition, Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explore why, in the Temple, even the mind was subject to divine law. What can this idealized world of kodshim teach us about aligning our inner thoughts with our outer lives? Listen and find out.

Oct 24

On today’s pages, Zevachim 40 and 41 , the rabbis discuss the high priest’s two sets of garments—one dazzling and jeweled, the other plain white for Yom Kippur. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why Judaism teaches that true importance isn’t shown by adding layers, but by stripping them away. What does holiness look like when we return to the essence? Listen and find out.

Oct 23

On today’s page, Zevachim 39 , the rabbis compare the Temple’s two altars—one outer and forgiving, one inner and exacting—and uncover a deeper lesson. Holiness, they suggest, isn’t binary but a spectrum. What happens when we stop chasing perfection and instead take one more small, sincere step toward the sacred? Listen and find out.

Oct 22

On today’s page, Zevachim 38 , we pause to reflect on the monumental project that makes daily study possible: the Steinsaltz Talmud. We’re joined by Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, son of the late Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, to talk about translating the untranslatable, carrying a legacy forward, and what comes after the Daf Yomi cycle ends. How do you keep learning when the pages run out? Listen and find out. Find out more about the Steinsaltz Center’s work here .

Oct 21

On today’s page, Zevachim 37 , the rabbis teach that Torah can be shaped by both how it’s written and how it’s heard. Modern brain science agrees, showing that reading silently still lights up the mind’s acoustic pathways. What happens when ancient wisdom and modern neuroscience harmonize? Listen and find out.

Oct 20

On today’s pages, Zevachim 35 and 36 , the Talmud says bones don’t count as food—but modern wisdom might disagree. Between the altar and the kitchen, we find a shared idea: nothing sacred—or edible—should go to waste. How can mindful eating become its own act of devotion? Listen and find out.

Oct 17

On today’s pages, Zevachim 33 and 34 , the rabbis test the edges of sacrifice law: non-kosher limbs, wild game, and the line between an ideal instruction and a binding limit. The result is a masterclass in Talmudic logic that turns hypotheticals into clarity. How does precision in language shape what we can—and can’t—offer? Listen and find out.

Oct 16

On today’s pages, Zevachim 30, 31, and 32 , the rabbis ask whether simply reaching a hand into the Temple counts as entering it—reminding us that even the smallest touch has power. From sacred law to modern science, touch shapes how we connect, heal, and feel alive. What does the Talmud teach us about rediscovering the holiness in human contact? Listen and find out.

Oct 13

On today’s pages, Zevachim 28 and 29 , the rabbis return to a central theme: the power of kavanah —intentionality in action. A sacrifice counts only when it’s offered with total focus of heart and mind. To bring this teaching to life, we revisit a stirring speech from farmer and Tablet Magazine Sinai Award winner Joel Salatin, who speaks about devotion, purpose, and caring for God’s creation. How can the discipline of intent turn ordinary work into sacred service? Listen and find out.

Oct 10

On today’s pages, Zevachim 26 and 27 , a father challenges his son with puzzles worthy of a Talmudic logic olympiad. Behind the levitating livestock lies a deeper goal: to raise a child who can reason through chaos. How can the Talmud’s model of education help us teach not memorization but mindfulness and moral clarity? Listen and find out.

Oct 9

On today’s pages, Zevachim 23, 24, and 25 , the Talmud insists that priests must stand while serving, echoing Deuteronomy’s command to “stand to minister.” After a long stretch of holidays filled with more standing than sitting, this teaching hits home. What does standing up—literally—teach us about focus, presence, and prayer? Listen and find out.

Oct 6

On today’s pages, Zevachim 21 and 22 , we learn that the priests in the ancient Temple invented a noisy contraption for no other reason than letting their colleagues know it was time to begin getting ready for work. In doing so, it turns out, they figured out a massively important part of modern product design, namely making sure that our gadgets make the right sounds and prepare us for the task ahead. Why do vacuum cleaner makers make their vacuum cleaners much louder on purpose? And why is your car lying to you by pumping fake sounds through your car speakers? Listen and find out.

Oct 3

On today’s pages, Zevachim 19 and 20 , we glimpse a rare moment of honor from a Persian king. To reflect on what such moments mean, we welcome Yael Leibowitz, author of Ezra-Nehemiah: Retrograde Revolution . Can ancient lessons about dignity, partnership, and resilience guide us in thinking about international relationships today? Listen and find out.

Oct 1

On today’s pages, Zevachim 17 and 18 , the Talmud examines failures in the Temple—when even the priests can’t get it right. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to connect those failures to the enduring agony of Mets fans. Can learning to endure collapse without losing faith bring us closer to understanding Yom Kippur—and even the Messiah? Listen and find out.

Sep 30

On today’s page, Zevachim 16 , the rabbis insist that no one grappling with acute grief, with the exception of the High Priest, be asked to partake in offering sacrifices, because mourners must be allowed to focus on their loss and their pain. What can we learn from the Talmud when it comes to thrusting the families of victims into the limelight? Listen and find out.

Sep 29

On today’s pages, Zevachim 14 and 15 , the Mishnah rules that only a proper priest can collect the blood of a sacrifice into a vessel. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin explains why this seemingly passive step is essential: it turns fleeting life force into something that can endure. What does this teach us about the vessels we need to hold our own spirit and purpose? Listen and find out.

Sep 26

On today’s pages, Zevachim 12 and 13 , the Talmud reminds us again that intention matters a lot when offering sacrifices. But why? After all, in every other aspect of life, when we do something good, few people care if we did the right thing for the wrong reason. How is the world of offering sacrifices to God different than the world of earthly human relations? Listen and find out.

Sep 25

On today’s pages, Zevachim 10 and 11 , the Talmud tells the story of one of the most dramatic days in rabbinic history, the day one great rabbi was deposed as president and another young reformer elevated in his stead. Why the drama? And what lessons about politics and leadership can we moderns learn from this very ancient tale? Listen and find out.

Sep 22

On today’s pages, Zevachim 7, 8, and 9 , the rabbis debate the meaning of the mysterious Korban Olah, which was offered to God for no reason at all other than showing our love and gratitude. How can this ancient ritual help us forge better marriages, better friendships, and better lives? Listen and find out.

Sep 19

On today’s pages, ⁠Zevachim 5 and 6⁠ , intent once again takes center stage: even a valid offering is incomplete if the mind isn’t in the right place. To mark the season, we share a special segment from our sister podcast Sivan Says , with Sivan Rahav-Meir guiding us into Rosh Hashanah. Can intentionality transform not just sacrifice but also the way we begin a new year? Listen and find out.

Sep 18

On today’s page, Zevachim 4, the rabbis teach us the magic and meaning of korban shelamim, the one kind of sacrifice we could carry out of the Temple and share with folks we love. How did that sacred take out help create community and bring about peace and love? Listen and find out.

Sep 17

On today’s page, Zevachim 3 , the rabbis wonder what happens when a sacrifice is offered properly, but with the wrong intention. The act stands, yet the obligation remains unfinished—forcing a repeat. Do we, too, risk having to “do it twice” when our head and heart aren’t in it the first time? Listen and find out.

Sep 16

On today’s page, Zevachim 2 , we open the mysterious world of Kodashim —the Talmud’s deep dive into sacrifices. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin reminds us that these offerings were never about feeding God, but about drawing close through holiness. What does it mean to treat the conceptual as more real than the material? Listen and find out.

Sep 15

On today’s pages, Horayot 13 and 14 , the daf points from titles to trust—authority in halakha is earned by the community, not decreed from above. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explore how consensus, not charisma, sustains Torah leadership. When recognition follows service, communities become the guarantors of their own standards. How should communities recognize and empower their true leaders? Listen and find out.

Sep 12

On today’s pages, Horayot 11 and 12 , the Talmud weighs status and standing: when someone leaves the fold, what counts as a step back in—intention, confession, changed behavior? We’re sharing that Unorthodox piece from Robert Scaramuccia on the work of apology when details are fuzzy but responsibility remains. Robert’s story comes from Unorthodox’s 2021 apology episode . How do we translate teshuvah into concrete next steps? Listen and find out.

Sep 11

On today’s page, Horayot 10 , foresight at sea gives way to a lesson on appointing scholars who resist promotion—“be a servant to this people.” The Presidentscher Rav, Dr. Tevi Troy , joins us to connect rabbinic leadership to modern presidential appointments. It reframes advancement as obligation, not reward. When should the truly capable say yes—and when is no the wiser call? Listen and find out.

Sep 10

On today’s page, Horayot 9 , the Talmud contrasts offices and obligations across king, court, and anointed priest. Leadership by title expires; leadership rooted in service and love persists. What kind of authority actually lasts? Listen and find out.

Sep 9

On today’s page, Horayot 8 , the rabbis teach that you can’t be both righteous and idolatrous at once. It’s a clear line: affirming false gods dissolves the obligations of Torah. What makes idolatry the baseline test of a person? Listen and find out.

Sep 8

On today’s pages, Horayot 6 and 7 , the rabbis tackle a version of the Ship of Theseus: if all the members of a community are replaced over time, does the community itself remain? Rav Papa answers yes—because a congregation never truly dies. How does Jewish life carry on? Listen and find out.

Sep 5

On today’s pages, Horayot 4–5 , the debate turns on a missing vav, and whether mitzvot should be read as singular or plural. It’s a dazzling example of how language itself becomes a gateway to spiritual meaning. And because this week’s Torah portion is filled with mitzvot, we’re also sharing a special conversation from our sister podcast Sivan Says , where Israeli writer and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav-Meir explores the beauty and magic of these commandments. What does this all teach us about the power of mitzvot to shape our lives, one by one and all together? Listen and find out.

Sep 4

On today’s page, Horayot 3 , we encounter both compassion and responsibility: don’t legislate beyond what people can bear, and never let a leader duck the burden of judgment. It’s a double reminder that law must bend toward mercy and that power must never escape accountability. How do those values challenge us today? Listen and find out.

Sep 3

On today’s page, Horayot 2 , we begin a brand new tractate—the final one in Seder Nezikin. Here the rabbis ask: what happens when leaders make mistakes in judgment and law, and the people follow? With Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin , we explore how Judaism models humility by insisting that even kings, priests, and courts can err. Why does Jewish tradition place fallibility at the very center of leadership? Listen and find out.

Sep 2

On today’s page, Avodah Zarah 76 , we close a chapter on idolatry only to open a deeper one about the human soul. With Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin , we explore why the Torah warns against graven images, and how this commandment teaches us that our worth—like divinity itself—is always beyond what meets the eye. Why is invisibility the ultimate form of truth? Listen and find out.

Sep 1

On today’s pages, Avodah Zarah 74 and 75 , the Talmud explores the delicate balance of protecting Jewish practice while still engaging with the larger world. Mark Oppenheimer , the Corduroy Rav, joins us to discuss what ancient keg-cleaning instructions can teach us about pluralism, coexistence, and the ever-present dangers of idolatry in modern forms. How do we seal our traditions without sealing ourselves off? Listen and find out.

Aug 29

On today’s pages, Avodah Zarah 72 and 73 , the rabbis dive into the logic of kosher: when does a forbidden flavor render food off-limits, and when does it not? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain how this principle grew into the modern system of kosher certification. What does it really mean to trust the food we eat? Listen and find out.

Aug 28

On today’s page, Avodah Zarah 71 , we encounter a grim teaching: a gentile thief could face death even for a tiny crime. The Talmud wrestles with the balance between law and compassion, and so do we. So today, we revisit a conversation with Sister Helen Prejean , a tireless voice against the death penalty. What can ancient law teach us about one of today’s fiercest moral debates? Listen and find out.

Aug 27

On today’s page, Avodah Zarah 70 , the rabbis reflect on a strange case: thieves breaking into wine cellars. Instead of harsh judgment, they remind us to presume purity—even for those who stumble. Can transgression and hope coexist in the same breath? Listen and find out.

Aug 26

On today’s page, Avodah Zarah 69 , the rabbis debate how best to seal a barrel of wine to ensure it hasn’t been tampered with. From corks to screw tops, what can this age-old conversation teach us about trust, preservation, and innovation? Listen and find out.

Aug 25

On today’s pages, Avodah Zarah 67 and 68 , the Talmud digs into beans, vinegar, and the science of taste. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to show how the rabbis’ rules of flavor transfer—through heat, salt, and soaking—mirror the ways we absorb spirituality. Can food metaphors help us understand how to infuse our lives with holiness? Listen and find out.

Aug 22

On today’s pages, Avodah Zarah 65 and 66 , we meet a minister in rose water and Rava himself debating pleasure versus power. Dr. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, helps us draw lessons from presidents, CEOs, and moguls who thought they were untouchable—until the government reminded them otherwise. Can political reality burst even the strongest illusions? Listen and find out.

Aug 21

On today’s page, Avodah Zarah 64 , the rabbis introduce the strange prohibition of giving a “free gift” to a gentile. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin helps us unpack what’s at stake, from communal bonds to baseless love, and why family ties redefine generosity. What does Judaism teach about gifts without strings? Listen and find out.

Aug 20

On today’s page, Avodah Zarah 63 , the Talmud suggests that sometimes smashing things apart clears the way for something better. But how do we know when destruction is holy, not harmful? Listen and find out.

Aug 19

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 62 , the rabbis weigh in on whether wages earned from idolatrous wine are permitted, offering a lesson about work, boundaries, and moral compromise. But how do we know when a job crosses the line? Listen and find out.

Aug 18

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 60 and 61 , the Rabbis debate touchless wine presses, leading to speculation about Rashi’s side hustle—wine maker, egg seller, or both. But what does this teach us about balancing learning with making a living? Listen and find out.

Aug 15

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 58 and 59 , a wine dispute between rabbis turns into a debate about which towns raise the most learned Jews—and why staying rooted matters. But how can your zip code shape your soul? Listen and find out. Please visit this link to sign up for some learning in honor of Marvin Singer, who passed away this week.

Aug 14

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 57, the rabbis continue their discussion of the laws of wine. The Gemara relates a story which takes place in a city where the Jewish inhabitants ruled, and enjoyed access to influence and power, which the Gentile residents did not. There's a link between this story and this week's Torah portion of Eikev, in which the Jews are told, basically, not to get too comfortable. But is comfort really such a danger to spiritual health? Listen and find out.

Aug 13

On today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 56 , the sages discuss wine. It's easy to understand that wine created for the purpose of idol worship is expressly forbidden. But regular wine—not expressly Kosher, yet definitely not created for idolatry—is still not allowed. Why? Listen and find out.

Aug 12

On today’s page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 55 , a Roman general’s question about God’s “jealousy” opens the door to parables about human nature, trust, and why even pain seems to follow rules. But why would God let hardship happen at all? Listen and find out.

Aug 11

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 53 and 54 , the sages continue their discussion on the laws of idol worship. Today, however, we zoom out for a more philosophical conversation. For example, if idol worship is forbidden, why does G-d allow it to exist? Within the context of the discussion, what is the nature of G-d, nature, and our own free will? Listen and find out.

Aug 8

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 51 and 52 , our sages continue their discussion of idol worship. The conversation raises questions around who may gain monetary benefit from different forms of idolatry. We take a pause to zoom in on a very specific contemporary innovation: podcasts. What connection does our host make between the world of podcasts and idolatry? Listen and find out.

Aug 7

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 50 , the sages continue their discussion regarding idol worship, and whether objects once used toward idolatry can, once discarded, transcend their former status. Surely some old rocks once used in an altar can eventually be used to build a road, no? Listen and find out.

Aug 6

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 49 , the sages continue their discussion regarding idolatry. It's a classically talmudic conversation, with a lot of details around whether a small fragment, or even pebble, which may or may not have been part of a shrine for the god Mercury, still holds the status of a prohibited idol. Are we overthinking things? Listen and find out.

Aug 5

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 48 , we pause to focus on one of the greats of the Talmudic era, Rav Sheshet, who was blind, and who possessed great intellectual prowess. Today we learn about an 'ashera', a tree that is used for idol worship, which is permitted to walk underneath, if there's no other way to reach one's destination. Rav Sheshet was fully permitted to walk underneath the tree, but what did he do instead? Listen and find out.

Aug 4

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 46 and 47 , the sages continue their conversation about idol worship. Their discussion is far reaching; what happens when your home shares a wall with a place of idol worship? What if the wall collapses? Can that space next to that shared wall be used for, say, a bathroom? Listen and find out.

Aug 1

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 44 and 45 , the sages continue their discussion about idol worship. The conversation gives rise to another, which seeks to clarify whether it's kosher to contemplate matters of Torah in the bathhouse. And what's the issue? We can perceive it as an insult to G-d, but can't it also be a way to elevate the mundane? Listen and find out.

Jul 31

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 43 , the sages continue their discussion regarding objects used for idolatry, returning again to the question of who may revoke the idolatrous status of an object. As usual, there's a lot of nuance in their conversation, but at the heart of it all, what unexpectedly inspiring lesson can we learn from somebody who loses their idol? Listen and find out.

Jul 30

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 42 , the sages continue their discussion of forbidden idols, or objects used in idol worship. Who has the right to revoke the status of an object in question? And what is our relationship to that object? And finally, what is the deeper meaning of the discussion? Listen and find out.

Jul 29

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 41 , the sages continue their discussion of pagan idol worship. They decode which statues are idols and which are merely ornamental, based on contextual clues, such as setting, or what the figure depicting is holding. But then a strange question is raised, and nobody can answer it. What does it mean? Listen and find out.

Jul 28

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 39 and 40 , the sages open the third chapter of the tractate with a discussion on statues and idols. The sages explore which statues are permitted and which are forbidden, whether jewelry is permitted, whether an object that was once used in idol worship can be used for something else, and more. The topic of idol worship is, of course, taken extremely seriously, but the sages' teachings still manage to contain a lot of nuance. What can we learn from their approach? Listen and find out.

Jul 25

In today's pages, Avodah Zarah 37 and 38 , we meet one of the great heroes of the Talmud, Rabbi Yose ben Yoezer. Although we meet him as he weighs in on whether the consumption of a certain breed of locust is permitted (Rabbi Yose ben Yoezer says yes), the shadow he casts on the whole tradition of the study of Jewish law is, in fact, massive, and very much with us today. What makes him so influential? Listen and find out.

Jul 24

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 36 , the sages continue their discussion on halachot pertaining to goods made by gentiles, and whether Jewish people can consume them. There's a larger discussion here, one about tradition and continuity. For further insight, we are including this week's episode of our sister podcast 'Sivan Says'. This week's double parsha, Matot-Masei, contains a list of 42 places the Israelites journey to on their route to the Promised Land. What can we learn from this long and detailed list? Listen and find out.

Jul 23

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 35 , the sages continue their discussion of laws pertaining to which items Jewish people can consume, if they are manufactured by people who are not Jewish. But the teaching contains a metaphor, comparing a Torah scholar to a container containing a good scent. But what broader application does this metaphor have? Listen and find out.

Jul 22

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 34 , we hear a story in which Rabbi Akiva visits a faraway city and is asked three seemingly unrelated yet straightforward questions by the folks who lived there. We're told that he did not know the answers. What's going on here? Listen and find out.

Jul 21

In today's Talmud pages, Avodah Zarah 32 and 33 , the sages broaden their conversation about wine made by gentiles. A fascinating discussion follows, about whether or not shards from an earthenware vessel which originally held non-kosher wine may be used for other purposes. We further deepen the discussion with a personal story from our producer Josh Kross. His anecdote shares a question with today's pages: what does it mean to hold onto an object with a loaded, or controversial, history? Listen and find out.

Jul 18

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 30 and 31 , the sages turn their discussion to a topic close to Liel's heart: booze. We know there are rules and prohibitions around whose wine Jews can or can't drink, but what about beer? Listen and find out.

Jul 17

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 29 , the sages discuss all kinds of practical remedies for good health. Many suggestions are made - foods to eat, foods to avoid, good habits, bad habits. What other good advice does the Talmud have for us? Listen and find out.

Jul 16

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 28 , the sages continue their discussion about relationships between Jewish and Gentile people, and the value of trust. Today we are joined by the esteemed Tevi Troy, whose favorite topics include the Talmud and American Presidential history. How does he connect today's page with the history of presidents who betray the trust of their people? Listen and find out.

Jul 15

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 27 , the sages continue their discussion about relationships between Jewish and Gentile people. When the threat of anti-Jewish violence exists, who is to be trusted? And what really lies beneath what may, at first, seem to be paranoia? Listen and find out.

Jul 14

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 25 and 26 , the sages have a discussion that hits close to home. The conversation concerns the threat of anti-Jewish violence, and it's chilling to consider how familiar it all feels. But what lesson can we take from today's pages? Listen and find out.

Jul 11

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 23 and 24 , the sages explore the biblical obligation to honor one's parents. The story of Dama ben Natina is shared, to illustrate the mitzvah of filial piety. What else can we learn from this story? Listen and find out.

Jul 10

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 22 , the sages continue their discussion about business dealings between Jewish and Gentile people. If they own a business together, can the Jewish partner accept profits from work done on Shabbat? But we also learn about two great luminaries of the Talmud - Rava and Ravina. What can we learn from their conduct? Listen and find out.

Jul 9

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 21 , the sages discuss laws that may make modern audiences uncomfortable - laws that concern business dealings between Jewish and Gentile folks. How do we make sure business we both run and frequent uphold our values? Listen and find out.

Jul 8

In today's Talmud page, Avodah Zarah 20 , the sages bring up instructions for a life of meaning. It's a meditation on self-improvement, designed to bring us to a place of humility. What's the first step? Listen and find out.

Jul 7

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 18 and 19 , the sages share yet another story of Jewish resistance in the face of Roman cruelty. The harrowing story of the Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon is a tale of unbelievable tragedy, but embedded within is a deeply moving idea about the sacred relationship between Jewish people and the actual physical scroll of a Torah. What is it? Listen and find out.

Jul 4

On today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 16 and 17 , the sages share with us a pretty unbelievable story about a rabbi with a penchant for prostitutes. What happened next, and what lesson can be learned from this seemingly goofy story? Listen and find out.

Jul 3

On today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 15 , the rabbis debate the sale of arms. It's an issue that is no less relevant today, and so, in this episode we are featuring an excerpt of a conversation between Dr. Chethan Sathya, a pediatric surgeon, and Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaime in a school shooting, that originally aired on the 20-Minute Health Talk podcast. Can the gun violence epidemic be reframed as a public health issue? Listen and find out.

Jul 2

On today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 14 , the rabbis discuss the ethical treatment of animals and our relationship to the earth. We sidebar to hear from Joel Salatin, one of the recipients of Tablet's 2025 Sinai Awards. Joel is a farmer from Virginia, and we wanted to share his inspiring acceptance speech at the recent award ceremony. What does today's Talmud page have to do with "food freedom"? Listen and find out.

Jul 1

On today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 13 , the sages discuss the conditions on which a priest is allowed to leave Eretz Yisrael. What beautiful idea do we learn in the conversation that follows? Listen and find out.

Jun 30

On today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 11 and 12 , we learn about the legendary commentator Onkelos, who was born into Roman nobility, but later converted to Judaism. What made him so great? Listen and find out.

Jun 27

In today's pages of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 9 and 10 , we learn about the singular friendship between Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi and the Emperor Antoninus. What does the Talmud teach us about their unlikely alliance? Listen and find out.

Jun 26

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 8 , the Rabbis tell a story of Jewish bravery during the Roman Empire. When the chain of Rabbinic ordination was threatened by the Roman rulers, a group of Rabbis met to ordain students at tremendous risk to themselves. What happened next? Listen and find out.

Jun 25

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 7 , the sages discuss how a person should pray. Should a person first say the Amidah, and then issue their own personal requests, or should their personal prayers come first? And why does it matter? Listen and find out.

Jun 24

In today's page of Talmud, Avodah Zarah 6 , the sages continue their discussion of "foreign worship," and parse out what it means for Jewish people to partake of non-Jewish holidays. But hey, what's so bad about New Year's Eve? Listen and find out.

Jun 23

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Avodah Zarah 4 and 5 , the sages relate an incident between two great scholars, Rabbi Abahu and Rav Safra, and a group of heretics. The moral of the story is so simple, but applicable to anybody who cares about building a healthy and diverse society. What is it? Listen and find out.

Jun 20

Today’s Talmud pages, Avodah Zarah 2 and 3 , kick off a brand-new tractate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tell us a little bit about what we have in store for the next few weeks. What even is Avoda Zara, "foreign worship," and how does studying help us understand the notion of worship, in general? Listen and find out.

Jun 19

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 49 , the sages draw the tractate to a close. To honor the auspicious event, Rabbi David Bashevkin explores in depth one of the largest themes of Shevuot, the gravity and seriousness of using G-d's name. We know that names access their possessor's essence. When we discuss the name of G-d, what are we really talking about? Listen and find out.

Jun 18

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 48 , the sages approach the end of the tractate. Ahead of tomorrow's final page, we take a step back, and hear from Sivan Rahav-Meir (of Tablet's Sivan Says podcast) as we look for meaning during a particularly difficult time in history. Listen to find out more.

Jun 17

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 47 , the sages continue their discussion of oaths, this time focussing, oddly, on different gambling practices. How does this topic fit into the greater themes of the tractate? Listen and find out.

Jun 16

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 45 and 46 , the sages continue their discussion of the seeming nitty gritty of laws pertaining to daily life, and discuss when a boss should pay his workers. When we discuss a boss, we are, of course, also discussing Hashem. What do these laws tell us about our relationship with G-d? Listen and find out.

Jun 13

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 43 and 44 , the sages continue their discussion of oaths, focussing on the magic that can occur when people are in agreement with one another. How does this relate to the amazing life and work of a musician we lost just this week? Listen and find out.

Jun 12

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 42 , we hear from Rav Avi Weiss, who expounds on the teaching. How does the Rabbis legal discussion of deposits connect with today's Israeli soldiers, Rav Avi's grandson among them, going to war? Listen and find out.

Jun 11

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 41 , the sages continue their discussion of oaths. All the laws in the Torah concerning the way people interact with one another require one crucial ingredient. What is it? Listen and find out.

Jun 10

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 40 , the sages continue their discussion of oaths, this time asking how to approach a tricky legal scenario. How do you know when someone is falsely making an oath? Listen and find out.

Jun 9

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 38 and 39 , the sages continue their discussion of oaths, this time focusing on invoking the name of G-d when taking an oath. What makes invoking G-d's name such a powerful act? Listen and find out.

Jun 6

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 36 and 37 , the sages turn to the topic of curses, this time discussing an instance in which a person curses himself. It seems like a harmless practice, but what deeper idea do the rabbis draw from it? Listen and find out.

Jun 5

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 35 , the sages continue their discussion and bring up yet another category - promises. How is a promise different from an oath or a vow? Listen and find out.

May 30

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 31, 32, 33, and 34 , the sages zoom out for a moment, discussing the bigger picture implications of distancing oneself from falsehoods. What are those implications? Listen and find out.

May 30

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 29 and 30 , the sages discuss the difference between and oath and a vow, and between and oath made in vain and a false oath. What, exactly, are the differences, and what are the moral implications of each? Listen and find out.

May 29

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 28 , the sages discuss one of the most well-known cases of oath taking - the Nazir. What can these laws tell us about people who convert to Judaism ? Listen and find out.

May 28

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shevuot 27 , the sages continue their discussion on oaths. Is promising to fulfill a mitzvah we are already obliged to fulfill is considered taking an oath in vain? Listen and find out.

May 27

In today’s Talmud page, ⁠⁠ ⁠Shevuot 26 , the sages discuss oaths of abstinence when you are really starving. Do you need to atone, or does Pikuach Nefesh cover you? Listen and find out.

May 26

In today’s Talmud pages, ⁠⁠ Shevuot 24 and 25 ⁠, our sages continue their discussion of oaths. What happens when somebody makes a promise too impossible to keep? We look back on an enlightening and vulnerable conversation we had with the singer Matisyahu, which beautifully illustrates this very idea. Listen to find out more.

May 23

Today’s Talmud page, ⁠Shevuot 22 and 23 , our sages continue their discussion of oaths, this time pertaining to the laws of kashrut. What do the laws of oaths have to do with the purpose of Jewish dietary laws? Listen and find out.

May 22

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 21 , our sages continue their discussion of oaths. The gemara discusses the difference between a false oath, and an oath taken in vain. What's the difference, and what can that teach us about maintaining hope during difficult times? Listen and find out.

May 21

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 20 , mentions the assassination of Gedalia ben Achikam. Who was he, why was he killed, and why does his death come as an urgent reminder to us quarreling Jews to insist on talking to those with whom we bitterly disagree? Listen and find out.

May 20

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 19 , concerns itself with a real brain-twister, a puzzle about what happens when there are two paths, one pure and one impure, and a man who can't quite remember which road he'd taken. What lesson do the rabbis teach us about how memory and responsibility intersect? Listen and find out.

May 19

Today’s Talmud pages, Shevuot 17 and 18 , find the rabbis discussing the prohibition on having intercourse with a menstruating woman. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why religion sees fit to regulate matters that should remain personal and intimate, and how it helps us elevate ourselves above the animals. In what ways is the ancient Temple in Jerusalem similar to our modern bedrooms? Listen and find out.

May 16

Today’s Talmud pages, Shevuot 15 and 16 , raise a difficult challenge, claiming the one must not recite any incantations in an effort to heal the sick. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this prohibition does not mean we should stop reciting Psalms for the sick. In what way is each of us his or her own walking, living prayer? Listen and find out.

May 15

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 14 , warns us against climbing atop the Temple Mount, lest we accidentally defile its holiness. But if that's the case, why are we permitted to climb Mount Sinai? And how does Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel help explain this idea of making the world holier with our actions? Listen and find out.

May 14

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 13 , discusses one of the Torah's strangest rituals, one involving two goats on Yom Kippur. How does sacrificing one and launching one into the wilderness mirror the repentance each of us must make? And what does Satan have to do with it? Listen and find out.

May 13

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 12 , discusses the two goats offered up on Yom Kippur, one sacrificed and the other pushed off a cliff into the wilderness. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss why this ceremony is an astonishing example of breaking the Fourth Wall and talking to God directly. Why do we sacrifice our own decision-making power? Listen and find out.

May 12

Today’s Talmud pages, Shevuot 10 and 11 , explain what was done with the leftovers animals in the Temple, those fit to be sacrificed but never used. What insights can we learn from the rabbis to help us do better than the $160 billion worth of food we throw away every year while 50 million Americans go hungry? Listen and find out.

May 9

Today’s Talmud pages, Shevuot 8 and 9 , raise one of the most difficult questions to ever face the rabbis: Why is a woman giving birth considered a sinner? Is she required to bring a sin offering to repent for that first sin, so long ago, by the first mother, Eve, eating from the Tree of Knowledge? Or is there some deeper lesson here about hope, connection, and gratitude? Listen and find out.

May 8

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 7 , introduces us to a very special category of sins, those we enter into fully aware of what we're doing yet somehow lose all track of our wrongdoing the more we engage in it. How is that possible? And what brilliant and compassionate atonement payment plan does the Torah prescribe? Listen and find out.

May 7

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 6 , finds the rabbis talking about what happens when you compare two great kings. Dr. Tevi Troy , our very own Presidentischer Rav, returns to explain how the Talmud's dual approaches to power informed Ronald Regan in his struggle with the Soviet Union. How to handle a global adversary and win? Listen and find out.

May 6

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 5 , finds the rabbis talking about Tzara'at, the affliction that was punishment for slanderous gossip. What can this ancient disease teach us moderns about guarding our tongue? Listen and find out.

May 5

Today’s Talmud page, Shevuot 2 , kicks off a brand new tractate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tell us a little bit about what we have in store for the next few weeks. Why must we be careful when taking the name of God? Listen and find out.

May 2

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 24 , brings our tractate to a close. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to sum up what we've learned, and explain Judaism's wonderful attitude to punishment and reward. Why did Rabbi Akiva laugh when he saw Jerusalem destroyed? Listen and find out.

May 1

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 23 , issues a stern warning against lashon harah, or malicious speech. But hey, we all gossip, so what's so bad about that, anyway? And what great arguments did the rabbis give to convince us to think before we open our mouths? Listen and find out.

Apr 30

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 22 , finally sheds light on one of the tractate's central questions, namely just how many lashes must a person sentenced to lashing receive. Why did the rabbis subtract one lash from the number indicated in the Torah? And what could their behavior teach us as we think of crime and punishment? Listen and find out.

Apr 29

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 21 , dives into the controversial issue of tattoos. Are tatted Jews really prohibited from being buried in Jewish cemeteries? And what surprisingly moving lesson do the rabbis teach us about finding compassion even as we falter and sin? Listen and find out.

Apr 28

Today’s Talmud pages, Makkot 19 and 20 , contain a long list of instructions pertaining to Jewish hair. Why can't men shave their beards with a razor, but scissors are fine? And how to address the anxieties around frizzy, curly hair? Listen and find out.

Apr 25

Today’s Talmud pages, Makkot 17 and 18 , the rabbis warn us that there are times when we must follow very strict procedures or rob even life's most special and sacred moments of all meaning. How is this insight relevant for anyone trying to enjoy a meal these days at a fancy restaurant? Listen and find out.

Apr 24

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 16 , informs us that if you have to go to the bathroom and fail to do so in a timely fashion you risk making your soul detestable. Why is that? And how is relieving ourselves not just of bodily waste but of emotional and spiritual baggage as well key to staying healthy? Listen and find out.

Apr 23

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 15 , asks a fascinating question: Are there any transgressions for which there's no punishment? It's a conundrum we've all faced when we vowed, say, to go to the gym and never did. What, if any, should be the consequences for promises unfulfilled? Listen and find out.

Apr 22

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 14 , delivers a charming little story of three of the most important rabbis of the Talmud talking Torah while buying meat at the butcher shop. What can this slice of life anecdote teach us about the rabbis style of leadership? And what time management skill can we still learn by following their advice? Listen and find out.

Apr 21

Today’s Talmud pages, Makkot 12 and 13 , take up the thorny question of why, precisely, courts do not absolve those who are truly repentant. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why we may be forgiven for our sins in shul on Yom Kippur but not before an earthly judge. What was the most famous Talmudic discussion ever held in America, and how does it relate to the question at hand? Listen and find out.

Apr 18

Today’s Talmud pages, Makkot 10 and 11 , kick things off with a strange, spooky story about two murderers that soon blossoms into a gorgeous morality tale. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain the important insight the story delivers. What did the rabbis mean when they taught us that we must assist a person to walk down whichever path the person chooses? Listen and find out.

Apr 17

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 9 , delivers a subtle rebuke about the dangers of succumbing to hate. Why should we sometimes be much more attentive to those we hate than to the ones we love? Listen and find out.

Apr 16

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 8 , delivers a stark reminder to watch the way we behave in public. Why should we be meticulously mindful when it comes to the general wellbeing of others? And how do we keep the public domain from becoming a public nuisance? Listen and find out.

Apr 15

Today’s Talmud pages, Makkot 5, 6, and 7 , contain a fierce debate of the death penalty. Should courts strive as much as they can to make sure we execute as few people as is possible, if not abolish capital punishment altogether? Or is the death penalty a necessary deterrent, without which we're sure to experience more chaos and crime? Listen and find out.

Apr 11

Today’s Talmud pages, Makkot 3 and 4 , gives us a good lesson on how to deal with situations of great uncertainty. Should we just trust our gut and hope for the best? Should we analyze all available metrics instead? Or is there a third, wiser solution? Listen and find out.

Apr 10

Today’s Talmud page, Makkot 2 , kicks off a brand new tractate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with a rollicking preview of what lies in store. Why are the conspiring witnesses punished with the same fate they schemed to afflict on another? Listen and find out.

Apr 9

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 113 , brings us to the end of our magical tractate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to recap what we've learned, and share Judaism's unique and inspired view of the law. Why keep the commandments when we're already guaranteed a place in the World to Come? Listen and find out.

Apr 8

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 112 , continues the discussion of an idolatrous city and whether or not it should be destroyed. Jordan Gorfinkel returns to help us parse what part, if any, do the residents of this evil town play in determining their fate. Why is Kevin Smith's Clerks a masterful Talmudic meditation? Listen and find out.

Apr 7

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 110 and 111 , kick off a discussion of an idolatrous city and whether or not it should be destroyed. Jordan Gorfinkel has thought about this question a lot, particularly as one of the leading creative forces behind Batman, whose native Gotham is an idolatrous city if there ever was one. Should Gotham be destroyed? Were there innocent people on the Death Star? And what can this Talmudic conversation teach us about, say, Gaza? Listen and find out.

Apr 4

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 108 and 109 , tell the great tale of Nahum Gam Zo, a man whose motto in life was "This, too, is for the best." How did this outlook save him from certain death? And what can it teach us on handling life's thorniest challenges? Listen and find out.

Apr 3

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 107 , tells the heartbreaking story of how Jesus came to leave Judaism's fold. What was his great and wise teacher's sin? And what can it teach us about the need to always do much more to draw people near than we do to drive them away? Listen and find out.

Apr 2

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 106 , dive deep into the story of Balaam, the wicked prophet who set out to curse the Jews and ended up blessing them instead. Courtney Hazlett , Rabbi Diana Fersko , and Josh Kross , the hosts of Tablet's How to Be a Jew podcast, are joined by Jordan Rosenblum , the author of the award-winning book Forbidden: A 3000-Year History of Jews and the Pig , to discuss about how this animal became such a strong and problematic part of Jewish identity. Why is it that sometimes it's the things that are least like us that define us? Listen and find out.

Apr 1

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 105 , instructs us that God is angry with the world each morning, mainly because so many of us get their morning routines all wrong. What should we do as we get out of bed to make sure the rest of our day goes right? Listen and find out.

Mar 31

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 103 and 104 , argue that slanderers, flatterers, liars, and cynics are the only four groups who will not receive the Divine Presence. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why these four, and they alone, were singled out. What was their particular sin, and why we moderns must still watch out for it today? Listen and find out.

Mar 28

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 101 and 102 , kick things off with a strange warning: whoever reads a verse from the Song of Songs and renders it in the form of a secular song introduces evil into the world. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this quizzical yet profoundly important statement. What precious advice about love and marriage were the rabbis giving us with this prohibition? Listen and find out.

Mar 27

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 100 , brings us a fiery story involving laser eyes, an arrogant student, and a strange and sudden death. What can it each us about the scientific method? And what warning does it carry for those who think they've got the world all figured out? Listen and find out.

Mar 26

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 99 , makes a startling claim: When the Messiah comes, very little about life as we know it would change. What is this anti-climactic bit of theology teach us about personal responsibility? Listen and find out

Mar 25

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 98 , tells us a striking story about the coming of the Messiah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain what the Messiah meant when he assured a wise rabbi he was coming that very day. How may we each work to bring about the Messiah's speedy arrival? Listen and find out

Mar 24

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 96 and 97 , ask the question of who among us may truly be called wise and privy to the Divine order. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, joins us to explain why thinking that you alone have all the answers has rarely served our political leaders well. How did Richard Nixon conceive of his political frenemies? Listen and find out.

Mar 21

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 94 and 95, the rabbis advise us that meeting truly means prayer. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to unpack this gorgeous idea and explain what it has to teach us about building community. Why do we only really meet someone when we become deeply invested in their wellbeing? Listen and find out.

Mar 20

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 93 , insists that our worse enemies are actually secretly our most valuable life partners. How can that be true? And what surprisingly timely lesson can we learn from the incense burnt by the ancient priests? Listen and find out.

Mar 19

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 92 , commands us never to demean ourselves, even when in great and mortal danger. How did Mordechai, whose bravery we just celebrated this Purim, embody this ideal? And what does it have to teach us about leadership? Listen and find out.

Mar 18

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 91 , recounts the adventures of a master debater named Geviha ben Pesisa. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, joins us to explain what this ancient sage can teach modern day politicians. Why is debate prep so important? Listen and find out.

Mar 17

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 89 and 90 , give us a startling dialogue between Isaac and Ishmael about the nature of faith, pain, and sacrifice. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this conversation is still relevant today, when the enemies of the Jewish people bring up the same ancient allegations to justify their hatred. What does true sacrifice look like? Listen and find out.

Mar 14

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 87 and 88 , return to the notion of Ben Sorer u'Moreh , the rebellious son who the Torah instructs must be put to death. But on today's pages, the rabbis add a twist: His parents may save him simply by forgiving him. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this legal exception, and what it has to tell us about the resilience of the Jewish people. Why must we all believe in hope at first sight? Listen and find out.

Mar 13

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 86 , asks what precisely do we mean when we call someone a "brother." Does a brother have to be related to us by blood? Or are there other, loftier things that bind us to each other? Listen and find out.

Mar 12

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 85 , has the rabbis locking horns trying to explain a complicated phrase, before alighting on a very surprising, and very relevant, conclusion. Why is keeping things simple sometimes the wisest option? Listen and find out.

Mar 11

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 84 , discusses the severe punishment due to those who strike their parents. Hadas Yaron, star of the new show Kugel , a prequel to the smash-hit Shtisel , joins us to discuss why the shows are so successful. What is it about a troubled father-daughter relationship we find so captivating? Listen and find out.

Mar 10

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 82 and 83 , remind us of our personal responsibility to act when, God forbid, God's very name is being desecrated. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about the lessons we can learn from the Biblical hero Pinhas, and why we must never wait for someone else to do what we know we must do ourselves. What profoundly Talmudic insight inspired Teddy Roosevelt? Listen and find out.

Mar 7

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 80 and 81 , bring up a form of punishment that has been previously all but missing from the discussion: prison. Why do the rabbis rarely mention incarceration as a form of punishment? And what can we learn from them to reform our own profoundly broken criminal justice system? Listen and find out.

Mar 6

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 79 , focuses on the relations between actions and intentions. Is a person who intended to kill one person and killed another instead guilty of murder? And why did the rabbis disagree on this puzzling question? Listen and find out.

Mar 5

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 78 , informs us that if ten people beat an eleventh to death together they are exempt from punishment. What's the moral logic of this controversial statement? And what does it teach us about waging war on Hamas and its many willing executioners? Listen and find out.

Mar 4

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 77 , dives deep into the matter of taking responsibility. At what point are we liable for another person's suffering or death? And why does the distinction matter so much, morally as well as legally? Listen and find out.

Mar 3

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 75 and 76 , deliver a terrific introduction to the Stam , the Talmud's anonymous voice. What is it, and how does one moving story of a lovesick man unlock the Talmud's literary mysteries? Listen and find out.

Feb 28

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 73 and 74 , warn us that we should choose to risk our lives rather than transgress under the duress of our enemies. How does the heroism of the Israelis held captive in Gaza illustrate this principle and its ongoing resonance? Listen and find out.

Feb 27

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 72 , delivers an uncomfortable but essential reminder of the true nature of morality and compassion. Why are we allowed to kill someone who we have every reason to believe will soon rise up to kill us? Listen and find out.

Feb 26

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 71 , warns us against indulging in meat and wine. Which is curious, because, elsewhere, the Talmud teaches us that true joy is possible only if enjoying... meat and wine. Which is it? And what can this apparent discrepancy teach us about how we ought to approach life? Listen and find out.

Feb 25

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 70, is one protracted discussion of drinking, its perils, and its many, many pleasures. Producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss the link between alcohol and spirituality and the surprising benefits of getting moderately drunk. How do you make the perfect martini? Listen and find out.

Feb 24

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 68 and 69 , deal with one of the most difficult questions in all of Talmud, the problem of the wayward son. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this thorny issue, and why we continue to debate it even though the rabbis insist no such example ever occurred in real life. What can the wayward son teach us about our own family life? Listen and find out.

Feb 21

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 66 and 67 , contemplates the meaning of the word "God." Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to unpack this complicated question, and what it has to teach us about justice and virtue. Why does the Talmud frequently refer to judges as Elohim, or God? Listen and find out.

Feb 20

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 65 , tells a story of an epic argument between Rabbi Akiva and the evil Turnus Rufus, one of the Talmud's greatest villains. Our very own Presidentischer Rav, Tevi Troy, returns to explain why even our most illustrious political leaders sometimes had daddy issues. What did JFK say when embroiled in a quarrel with Martin Luther King Jr.'s father? Listen and find out.

Feb 19

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 64 , tells us a very bawdy and hilarious story of a man who tried to demean an idol and ended up praised by the pagans for his efforts. Our very own Presidentischer Rav, Tevi Troy, joins us to unpack the story and the lessons it can teach us about American politics. Which politico messed things up for trying to fight dirty? And which great president was celebrated for refusing to do just that? Listen and find out.

Feb 18

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 63 , continues to address the subject of idolatry, and how it impacts our relationships with non-Jews. Rabbi Irving "Yitz" Greenberg joins us to discuss his observations about God, faith, and the Holocaust. How might our people's greatest tragedy impact our capacity to continue and believe? Listen and find out.

Feb 17

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 61 and 62 , deal with the sensitive subject of idolatry. What precisely is idolatry? And can we figure out if we're guilty of it merely by looking at our smart phones? Listen and find out.

Feb 14

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 59 and 60 , ask a thorny question: Can non-Jews learn Torah? It's a question that has much to teach us about interfaith relations, respect, and other weighty issues. What surprisingly modern lesson might we learn from Rabbi Meir's ancient wisdom? Listen and find out.

Feb 13

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 58 , argues that even merely contemplating violence is a sin. What did the rabbis understand about human nature that psychologists took millennia to confirm? And are people who threaten violence more likely to actually commit violent acts? Listen and find out.

Feb 12

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 57 , dives into the intricacies of self-defense. What, exactly are we allowed to do when a pursuer wishes to harm us? And how has the rabbis' logic influenced and inspired the Israel Defense Forces? Listen and find out.

Feb 11

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 56 , is all about blaspheming. But what precisely is blasphemy? And why should its very complicated Talmudic definition drive us to watch our tongue lest we use our words to destroy rather than create? And what does Taylor Swift have to do with any of it? Listen and find out

Feb 10

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 54 and 55 , raise a complicated question: Is punishment logical? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tackle this thorny subject. How did the rabbis, then, think about punishment? Listen and find out.

Feb 6

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 51 , asks a question many of us have been pondering: Why spend all this time learning about laws and events that are simply no longer relevant to our lives today? And what's the reward of being diligent students of Torah? Listen and find out.

Feb 6

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 52 and 53 , ponder what life was like in a world in which God's presence was truly and viscerally felt. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss this inspired, and inspiring, passage. Why did the sages of the Talmud choose to illustrate this principle by describing a horrific execution? Listen and find out.

Feb 5

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 50 , delves into the four methods of execution prescribed by Jewish law—stoning, fire, sword, and strangulation—and the rabbinic debate over which is the most severe. But beyond the technicalities, the discussion is infused with a deep concern for human life. What can this teach us about justice, nuance, and the way we engage with difficult issues today? Listen and find out.

Feb 4

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 49 , kicks things off with a wise bit of teaching: It's better to be cursed than to curse. Socrates himself would have agreed, but the rabbis had a very different understanding of why cursing corrodes society. Who was Rabbi Haim, and what terrible truth did he learn when he was allowed to visit Heaven and Hell? Listen and find out.

Feb 3

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 47 and 48 , remind us that grief is a singular burden. A story from one of the Talmud's wisest rabbis gives us new insights into grief, and helps us navigate even the most unbearable of feelings. How, then, should we grieve? Listen and find out.

Jan 31

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 45 and 46 , cover various different aspects of the execution process, and even shares a specific process for the blasphemer and the atheist. Producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss how he squares his fervent love of being a Jew with his atheism. Can someone find a basis for morality without Hashem? Listen, and find out.

Jan 30

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 44 , tells an eerie tale of a wise sage and an evil taxman who were each buried in the other's tomb. Dr. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, returns to shed light on this insightful tale, and teach us a lesson about history's long memory. How did Harry Truman benefit from history's hindsight? Listen and find out.

Jan 29

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 43 , raises an interesting point about the procedure of public executions. Dr. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, joins us to explain why we don't ask a condemned man to pay for his own execution, and what the ordinance has to do with contemporary American politics. What lesson could Bill Clinton learn from the Talmud's rabbis? Listen and find out.

Jan 28

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 42 , begins a lengthy discussion of the death penalty. Sister Helen Prejean, a notable opponent of capital punishment, joins us to discuss what it's like being with a person moments before his execution, and parse the differences between Jewish and Catholic approaches to the death penalty. Why did the rabbis rule that the place of execution must be far away from the court itself? Listen and find out.

Jan 27

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 40 and 41 , dive down into the life of the great Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why we need to know so much about this sage's life, and what his example can teach us about living in an imperfect world. How can we find the language of divinity in the narrative of our lives? Listen and find out.

Jan 24

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 38 and 39 , give us a shocking retelling of Adam's creation and fall. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this account should change the way we think about human morality, and how it sets Judaism apart from other religions. Why did creation include sin and failure in its original design? Listen and find out.

Jan 23

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 37 , tells a moving story about the pious Rabbi Zeira, who prayed even for the hooligans in his neighborhood who tormented him. What can we learn from his example that is particularly pressing in our social media addled age of rage and despair? Listen and find out.

Jan 22

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 36 , argues that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the redactor of the Mishnah, was the greatest leader to embody both political acumen and Torah knowledge since Moses himself. What made him so great? And what timely lesson can we learn from the sad but poignant story of his death? Listen and find out.

Jan 21

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 35 , discusses the Golden calf and the courts that enacted punishment afterwards. Why should even the perpetrators want a speedy trial? Listen and find out.

Jan 20

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 33 and 34, have the Rabbis interrogating what to do when the results of a trial have been found to be flawed. How do we choose when a retrial is warranted? Listen and find out.

Jan 17

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 31 and 32 , see the Rabbis debating how to choose a trial location when the two litigants can not agree on a venue. What kind of insight can this give us into upholding the Constitution while conducting trials today? Listen and find out.

Jan 16

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 30 , shows the rabbis discussing whether judges should discuss their personal opinions after a case is decided. Should we know what each individual judge things, or should their opinions remain anonymous? What is the line between transparency and oversharing? Listen and find out.

Jan 15

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 29 , finds the rabbis advancing a defense of none other than the Snake. Was he truly guilty of any sin way back when in the Garden of Eden? Or was he merely giving Eve bad advice, and shouldn't be punished for her transgressions? And what does this question have to teach us about personal responsibility? Listen and find out.

Jan 14

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 28 , kicks things off by discussing the responsibilities cousins have for one another. Actor and director Jesse Eisenberg joins us to discuss his new movie, A Real Pain , which deals with two cousins traveling to Poland to learn more about their late grandmother's life. What do we owe our relatives, and why? Listen and find out.

Jan 13

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 26 and 27 , ponder the nature of studying Torah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to shed light on this gorgeous discussion. How is studying Torah, quite literally, magical, and how does it transform the entire world? Listen and find out.

Jan 10

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 24 and 25 , are all about... the Talmud. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this bit of self-reference is crucial to understanding the entire nature of the Talmud's logic, and what it can teach us moderns. So what does the Talmud think the Talmud is all about? Listen and find out.

Jan 9

On today’s episode of Take One, we take a break from the daf to speak with Gila Fine, the author of The Mad Woman in the Rabbi’s Attic , a reexamination of women’s role in the Talmud. What can we learn about the world of women in the Talmud? Listen and find out.

Jan 8

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 22 , tells us that it’s as difficult to match a couple as it is to part the Red Sea and that when a couple divorces, the very alter at which they were married sheds tears. Executive producer Courtney Hazlett joins us to share her perspective on this touchy topic. When is a relationship truly over? Listen and find out.

Jan 7

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 21 , tells us the story of King Solomon's downfall. What made the wisest man alive sin, and what does it have to do with the Roman Empire? And what warning does the story hold for us about choosing our values carefully? Listen and find out.

Jan 6

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 19 and 20 , tell a riveting story of a haughty king, a brave rabbi, and a murder most foul. Why did one brave judge stand up to the most powerful man in the land? And what led the rabbis to issue a stern warning against handing any one person, or institution, too much power? Listen and find out.

Jan 3

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 17 and 18 , give us a masterclass about choosing the right leaders. Why must a leader speak every conceivable language? And why must he or she be attractive as well as wise? Listen and find out.

Jan 2

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 16 , is all about optional wars, and who has the right to go to battle and under what circumstances. Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, author of the new book Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality , joins us to talk about the Jewish way of war. How do the ancient teachings inform our very modern warfare? Listen and find out.

Jan 1

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 15 , asks what is to be done should an animal take a life. Might the beast stand trial for murder? And why is Reish Lakish, perhaps the fiercest of all of the Talmud's rabbis, advocating for compassion? Listen and find out.

Dec 31, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 14 , tells the story of Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava, a Talmudic superhero who sacrificed his own life to keep the Jewish tradition alive. What can we learn from his inspiring story? Listen and find out.

Dec 30, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 12 and 13 , remind us that the role of rabbis used to be very different than what most of might recognize today. Rabbi Diana Fersko joins us to talk about this historic shift, and about whether the expectations we have of modern-day rabbis are still realistic. So what, exactly, is it that a rabbi does all day? Listen and find out.

Dec 27, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 10 and 11 , ask a deeply troubling question: How come we no longer have prophets hearing and conveying the word of God? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explore this complicated question. What's the Bat Kol, the Divine voice that some still continue to hear? Listen and find out.

Dec 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 9 , informs us that those of us who rush to help someone do a mitzvah are rewarded themselves as well. Erica Pelman, the founder and director of Jewish unplanned pregnancy support network Shifra , joins us to talk about her organization's sacred work. How can we change the way we talk about abortions for the better? Listen and find out.

Dec 25, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 8 , introduces us to one of the most popular idioms in contemporary Hebrew, teaching us that we should be as diligent when passing judgment involving a very small amount of money as we would've been with a much larger sum. Israeli broadcaster and Torah teacher Sivan Rahav-Meir joins us to shed light on the profound moral principle at play here. How can we become more cautious and righteous people by sweating the small stuff? Listen and find out.

Dec 24, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 7 , argues that when people love each other, they can make do with very little physical space. Producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss how this rule applies to minuscule New York City apartments. Is a home made physically larger on account of joy? Listen and find out.

Dec 23, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 5 and 6 , raise a fascinating question: Why should we ever compromise? After all, if justice is a divine quality, shouldn't we always aspire to have a clear-cut verdict? Or is compromise itself just as heavenly? Listen and find out.

Dec 20, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 3 and 4 , deliver a meditation on jurisprudence. What are we moderns getting so wrong about justice and the law? And how does the rabbinic way of understanding the role of the courts can help us course-correct? Listen and find out.

Dec 19, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 2 , kicks off a brand new tractate, and a real page-turner at that. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain what we may expect to find in tractate Sanhedrin, the ultimate meditation about living a life of consequence. What does the Talmud tell us about the World to Come? Listen and find out.

Dec 18, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 176 , brings us to the end of one of the Talmud's longest and most demanding tractates. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to sum it all up. Why does this legalistic tractate contain a collection of wild stories about the Jewish Sinbad, and what do they teach us about coexistence? Listen and find out.

Dec 17, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 175 , warns us that people will always try to make themselves appear poorer than they are so as to receive a bit more money. But as one of the Torah's greatest heroes, Jacob, teaches us, it's far healthier to do just the opposite. Why is Jacob's mantra "I have become small," and why should we, too, adopt it? Listen and find out.

Dec 16, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 173 and 174 , give us a stunning example of a very famous rabbi advocating what at first sounds like a complete violation of his own teaching, advising a friend to defraud his own father. But the advice is much more soulful than that, delivering a masterclass on the relationship between love and law. What is the ultimate purpose of rules and regulations, and what does it have to do with our families? Listen and find out.

Dec 13, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 171 and 172 , ask how to go about doing business with two people who have the same name. How to keep the records straight? And what did the rabbis understand about the human brain that took neuroscientists millennia to unlock? Listen and find out.

Dec 12, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 170 , offers a small but inspiring meditation on the true meaning of the justice system, warning us not to forget that every machination we set up must first and foremost serve human beings, flawed as they may be. What should our algorithm-addled and bureaucratic modern society learn from the ancient rabbis about making people feel seen and heard before the law? Listen and find out.

Dec 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 169 , looks at the connection between a written contract and the actual thing you're buying. Should you have to return your Toyota, say, if you happen to simply misplace the lease? And, if not, do words on contracts have any meaning at all? Listen and find out.

Dec 10, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 168 , issues an incredible instruction: In some earthly matters, Torah scholars should turn and seek help from their bitterest foes, the ignoramuses. Why are experts so frequently wrong? And what can the Talmud teach us about forging a society that focuses not on equity but on excellence? Listen and find out.

Dec 9, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 166 and 167 , discuss a dastardly bit of forgery and its subsequent investigation. The Presidentischer Rav Tevi Troy returns to the show to discuss how different presidential administrations have investigated leaks, and how some of these leakers composed their messages in language that would throw suspicion onto their rivals. How has forgery and leaking changed since the days of the Talmud? Listen and find out.

Dec 6, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 164 and 165 , caution us not to erase a document after it's been signed and try to write a new one in its stead. What does this seemingly mundane bit of legalese have to do with baseball? And why is it the most Jewish sport imaginable? Listen and find out.

Dec 5, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 163 , continues the tractate's discussion of documents, signatures, and forgeries. But it also delivers a surprising and potent meditation on true freedom, and on how to live authentically. What's the great lesson Abraham taught us about keeping it real? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Dec 4, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 162 , deals mainly with how to make sure your documents aren't forged. But as the history of philosophy teaches us, sometimes a little fakery is necessary for brilliant ideas to break through. Who was the great thinker Johannes de Silentio, and how come you've never heard of him yet know his work? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Dec 3, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 161 , gives us what may very well be the first ever documented appearance of... emoji. Why did some rabbis sign their names using pictograms? And how can emoji sometimes succeed where all words fail? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Dec 2, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 159 and 160 , contain a ruling that the Talmud considers one of the most difficult cases of civil law. What can it teach us about family? And was Don Corleone really living out some core Talmudic values? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 27, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 155, 156, 157, and 158 , usher us into Thanksgiving. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain the strange but undeniable connection between America's favorite holiday and one of the Talmud's most demanding tractates. Why is Bava Batra perfect Thanksgiving reading? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 154 , delivers a key lesson in political philosophy disguised as a meditation on inheritance. What's the real difference between conservatives and progressives? And why do both do best when they walk hand in hand? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 25, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 152 and 153 , the rabbis continue to contemplate our wishes as we lay dying. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about the Kittel, the special white and shroud-like garment when we wear not only as we're buried, but also for special festivals like Passover and Yom Kippur. Why wear the same outfit on the saddest and happiest of occasions? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 22, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 150 and 151 , are a touching tribute to the sanctification of life. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain the concept of a Shechiv Mera, a person on his deathbed, and why we should pay special attention to his final wishes. What can these deathbed decisions teach us about the meaning of life? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 21, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 149 , begins with a heartbreaking scene of a father on his deathbed navigating halachic inheritance laws so that he could leave behind his fortune to his son. But study the biographies of these two, and a dark, troubled, and ultimately inspiring story emerges, a story of a man who had done very bad things yet went on to repent. What can Issur the Convert teach us about never, ever losing hope? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 20, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 148 , asks a thorny question: What happens if someone, on their deathbed, promises to give away all their property but then miraculously recover? Much more than a hypothetical, the question gets to the very bottom of fairness, teaching us much about the promises we must keep and the ones we can safely break. What lesson do the rabbis have for Elton John? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 19, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 147 , finds the rabbis talking about... the wind, and how it sometimes blows this way and sometimes that, and sometimes makes some people sad and others happy and at other times vice versa. Producer Josh Kross joins us to explain why the passage is actually a perfect political metaphor for our fractured time. What can the Talmud's discussion of the wind teach us about building stronger communities? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 18, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 145 and 146 , give us a quizzical passage trying to decipher the secret to happiness. How can we make sure we're always feeling joyful? And how did one famous rabbi learn the answer to that question the hard way? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 15, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 143 and 144 , negotiate the central tension in Judaism between divine determinism and free will. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain what catching a cold has to do with our sense of agency in this world. What is divine responsibility, and what is ours? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 14, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 142 , revolves around a curious question: can an unborn child receive gifts? It's not just a hypothetical thought exercise; it is, as the rabbis teach us, a lesson in prioritizing the real over the ideal. Why should we stop pursuing the perfect and learn instead to grapple with reality in all its complications? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 13, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 141 , shows us the rabbis once again arguing that God is furious with anyone who doesn't leave behind inheritors. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this curious passage, and give us insight into the Talmud view of what truly matters in life. How is having children a reflection of one's values? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 12, 2024

Today’s Talmud Page, Bava Batra 140 , raises a dilemma: As the Torah tells us that sons inherit their fathers, and as Jewish tradition instructs us that fathers must support their unmarried daughters, what happens if a man with both sons and daughters dies and has no money to sustain them both? It's a drama that touches on so much that is human, from family dynamics to the sometimes tense relationship between men and women. How to resolve it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud Pages, Bava Batra 138 and 139 , dip in to the age-old battle between introverts and extroverts. Is this distinction even real? And what's the one thing Talmud and science alike tell us you need if you're going to go ahead and grow and change? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 8, 2024

Today’s Talmud Pages, Bava Batra 136 and 137, treat us to a complicated case of inheritance law that's really about making sure that we remain forever hopeful. Tablet Magazine 's Editor in Chief Alana Newhouse joins us to discuss why all American Jews, no matter who they voted for, see this week's election as a beacon of hope. What's the one thing history teaches us about American politics and institutions ? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 7, 2024

Today's Talmud Page, Bava Batra135 , teaches us that a will means nothing unless it was passed down to the next of kin. Tablet podcast producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss how this insight shaped his parenting sensibilities, and how it inspired his son, Miles, who voted this week for the very first time. What must we pass down to our children, and how to make sure we do so properly? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 6, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 134 , tells us about two of Rabbi Hillel's students, one of them the greatest and one the least impressive. What can we learn from this story about the nature and essence of genius? And what does Isaiah Berlin's most famous essay have to do with it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 5, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 133 , shows us something we rarely see in contemporary politics: A senior official refusing to play the blame game and instead being kind and supportive of his errant colleagues. Dr. Tevi Troy , our very own Presidentischer Rav, joins us to discuss in a very special election day episode. What should the McCain and Clinton campaigns have learned from the wise rabbis of the Talmud? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 4, 2024

oday’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 131 and 132 , ask what we may or may not do with things that don't physically exist yet, like trading futures or, somewhat more spiritually, banking on our share in the World to Come. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why Jews don't consider heaven an ephemeral entity but rather a very concrete thing that exists, in part, right here in this world. Which famous person literally sold their share in the World to Come? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Nov 1, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 129 and 130 , pose a difficult question about Halacha, or Jewish law. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explore this profound and beautiful insight into how Halacha is not a stringent set of rules but a language that helps all Jews figure out their connection to each other. How do we learn to speak Halacha? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 31, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 128 , asks the question that has baffled psychologists for a very long while: can people really change? And if they do, will they necessary change for the better? The rabbis already figured it out, and their insights are supported by modern science. So what's the verdict on hope and change? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 30, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 127 , delivers a small and sweet lesson about the mechanics of kindness. Why should we always believe good things we hear about people but not the bad things? And what are the benefits of giving everyone the benefit of the doubt? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 29, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 126 , raises a difficult question that begins with inheritance and sends us exploring the meaning of religious belief. Can the Torah tell us what we must and mustn't do with our personal property? And how does that question reflect on how we see ourselves and our role in the world? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 28, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 123, 124, and 125, tells a sordid and complicated tale of inheritance gone wrong. At its core is this vexing question: Can a person have a say in what happens to something once he decides to give it away? And how does this seemingly theoretical conundrum shape our understanding of everything from law to family relations? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 23, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 120, 121, and 122 , contain a charming discussion of Judaism's happiest days. One is the 15th of Av, the Jewish celebration of love; the other is... Yom Kippur? Singer, songwriter, and author Peter Himmelman joins us to talk about God, love, grief, joy, and other uneasy but necessary paths to happiness. Why would a budding rock star give up on fame and fortune for a life of deeper meaning? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 22, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 119, delivers a direct warning for women not to marry too late in life. Faith Salie, author, actress, and panelist on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! joins us to talk about her own later-in-life marriage, and why she wouldn't have it any other way. What unique insights do older adults have into life, marriage, and parenthood? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 21, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 116, 117, and 118 , find the rabbis engaged in a conversation about childlessness. Is God angry with those who choose not to have children? Or with those who don't pass on their knowledge to the next generation? And how does this discussion touch on our current combustible political climate? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 16, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 113, 114, and 115 , continue the discussion of death, dying, and inheritance. Internationally acclaimed author Alice Hoffman joins us to discuss her new book, When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary , a bold and beautiful imagining of the lives of Anne Frank and her family members from the day of the Nazi invasion to the morning they go into hiding. How can a book with such a famously tragic ending yet be hopeful? And how is Anne Frank's story a meditation on one person's ability to leave behind a powerful legacy that changes the world? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 15, 2024

Dreyfus: A Very Modern Affair is an October 7th story, but one that begins not in 2023, but in October of 1894 with the arrest of French military officer Alfred Dreyfus, who also happened to be a Jew. The implications of his framing, arrest, incarceration and the fallout of his eventual exoneration reverberate today. Over this five-episode series, we examine how these events unfolded, and how they connect to the antisemitism that exists today. Visit https://www.tabletmag.com/dreyfuspodcast or search for Tablet Studios on your podcast app for the rest of the series.

Oct 15, 2024

Today's Talmud page, Bava Batra 112 , finds the rabbis talking about death, dying, burial plots, and questions of inheritance. And when we think about Jews who have left behind a legacy that continues to edify and inspire, few shine more brightly than Captain Alfred Dreyfus, whose arrest, trial, and exoneration forced Europe to question its hatred of the Jews and inspired the Jews to flock to Zionism and fight for the establishment of a Jewish homeland. Commemorating the 130th anniversary of Dreyfus's arrest, and the fact that the same questions it raised continue to haunt us with renewed and terrifying vigor since October 7, 2023, Tablet Studios produced Dreyfus: A Very Modern Affair , a limited-run series about the case and its contemporary implications. How is the state of Israel a sort of Dreyfus for the modern world? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 14, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 110 and 111 , dwell on an incident from the Book of Judges involving Moses's grandson, Jonathan, who found himself involved in idol worship. The rabbis discuss the three questions asked of Jonathan, three questions that still serve as an excellent guide to life. What are they? And why should we still be asking ourselves these questions every single day? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 108 and 109 , are all about family and inheritance, but today we take a brief break from the Talmud. Why? Because it's the eve of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, and we're thrilled to feature a beautiful audio essay by Yeshiva University's Dr. Shaina Trapedo, all about Shakespeare and Rachel Goldberg-Polin and the meaning of second chances. You can read a PDF version of the essay here . Wonder what Mrs. Freud started doing immediately after Sigmund passed away? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 10, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 107 , starts out as a discussion of a complicated inheritance situation but blooms into a meditation on family. What, if anything, do we owe our nearest and dearest? And what are our responsibilities to each other when, God forbid, very bad things happen? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 9, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 106 , delivers a complicated case of two brothers splitting an inheritance and then learning that they've a third brother they'd never met. Showrunner Courtney Hazlett joins us to discuss this idea, and how it was captured in the hit TV show Succession . Are family dynamics primarily about rules or feelings or some measure of both? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 8, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 105 , tells us what happens when a business dealing contains two unclear and contradictory statements. It remains a very concrete problem, costing companies tens of millions of dollars each year. So how can the Talmud teach corporate America to communicate more clearly? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 7, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 102, 103, and 104 , spend much time discussing rocky fields. But there's more to the debate than merely figuring out how to sell and buy land fairly; the wise rabbis give us a masterclass in how to avoid big, abstract, and ultimately meaningless terms and instead learn how to really think. Why do we abhor uncertainty, and how may we come to live with it, if not love it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 2, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 99 , gives us a glimpse at the Cherubs, those heavenly creatures there to guard the Ark of the Covenant. But which way, exactly, were they looking? And how might answering this seemingly technical question help us understand just how we're supposed to approach Rosh Hashanah? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Oct 1, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 98 , discusses who is at fault when good wine goes bad. Is it the seller, who probably failed to keep it in proper conditions? Or is it the buyer, punished for his ignorance and arrogance? And does this debate finally decide the awkward question of whether or not you're ever allowed to send a bottle of wine back at a restaurant? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 30, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 96 and 97 , teach us that when making Kiddush on Shabbos, one must use wine that would've been good enough to be offered in the Temple. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this curious idea, and how it elevates each Jewish home into a place of great passion and intentionality. What's the secret to transforming your own home into a sacred space? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 27, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 94 and 95 , tell the story of a strange way to resolve a financial dispute involving locking some of the money up and waiting for the Prophet Elijah to return to earth and adjudicate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why waiting for the Messiah is really an invitation for all of us to mend our ways here in this world. What would you do differently in your own life once the Messiah arrives? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 93 , shares an old custom they used to have in Jerusalem, punishing anyone who messed up dinner. Why is the meal so important? And what can us moderns do to take it more seriously? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 25, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 92 , finds the rabbis talking about guarantees. Does a seller owe the buyer anything should a product not meet the buyer's satisfaction? And how might the answer help the retail industry deal with more than $800 billion lost each years to customers sending back stuff? And just what, pray tell, is "wardrobing"? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 24, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 91 , contains a difficult prohibition: the prohibition on living outside the land of Israel. How are we to grapple with this difficult notion? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 23, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 89 and 90 , explore ethical practices in the market place. Producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss fair business practices. According to the Rabbis, how should we purchase Taylor Swift tickets? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 20, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 87 and 88 , ponder a question that is every parent's nightmare: Who is responsible when your kid breaks something valuable? As a recent story from Israel, involving a 3,500 year old vase and a very curious toddler, demonstrates, it's a profound question about parenthood, education, and what kind of society we want to be. So why should we let children touch things even if they're likelyt o break them? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 19, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 86 , discusses the manner of acquiring small animals, and concludes that they do not like being manhandled. It's an insight that modern science, addressing the same questions millennia later, confirms. Why do dogs really, truly hate being hugged? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 18, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 85 , dives deep into the difference of commercial transactions occurring in the private versus the public domain. It's a tension that's still alive and well, as a new show, hosted by Rabbi Diana Fersko and producer Josh Kross explores; called Re-Form, it looks at the history of Reform Judaism in America, and how it navigated challenges of private versus public, tradition versus modernity, and other questions that are still very much relevant to American Jews today. What can we learn from these challenges in the wake of October 7? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 17, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 84 , lists the surprisingly physical things we must do in order to consolidate an act of acquisition. Why did the rabbis require lifting and pulling before a commercial transaction was concluded? And what could their insights teach us about the possibility that shopping, derided as a soulless activity, is actually much more spiritually beneficial than we had previously considered? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 16, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 82 and 83 , are all about the difference between praying and learning Torah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to shed light on this important spiritual distinction. Why should we always endeavor to emulate King David and "be the prayer"? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 13, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 80 and 81 , have honey on the mind. But wait a minute: Why is honey even kosher? Bees, after all, aren't, and honey is very likely to have bits of bees in it. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to clear things up, and give us a timely teaching about honey's transformative power. So why do we dip our challah in honey on Rosh Hashanah? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 12, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 79 , warns us that whoever separates themselves from learning Torah can expect to be burned by fire. Why this harsh measure? What does it teach us about distancing ourselves from junk food, reality TV, and other things that aren't good for our hearts, minds, and soul? And how does C.S. Lewis's celebrated demon, Screwtape, fit into this stunning lesson in morality? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 78 , teaches us all about ona'a, or the prohibited practice of charging someone unfairly in a business deal. Sadly, this prohibition is more relevant than ever, as big tech companies now use algorithms to compensate workers differently for the exact same tasks. How can the rabbis of the Talmud help us think our way into a more fair labor policy? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 10, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 77 , discusses how words help us make meaning. Executive producer Courtney Hazlett is joined by director Nathan Silver and comedian Robert Smigel to discuss their new film Between the Temples. How can words, expressed and not, affect our lives? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 9, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 75 and 76 , deliver a delicious disquisition on that ideal heavenly treat... whale meat. Why was the whale the food of the afterlife? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 6, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 73 and 74 , give us a rare glimpse into the rabbis' view of cosmology. Dr. Jeremy Brown joins us to discuss why our wise ancestors believed in a place where the heavens touched the earth, and how this belief informed their view of the stars, the universe, and everything in it. How is the Talmudic cosmos like one of those airport luggage conveyor belts? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 5, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 72 , gives us the story of the grafted carob as metaphor. What's so special about this tree that it was considered both a tree and akin to land? And what lesson does its seemingly contradictory status have to teach us as we go on a spiritual detox in preparation for the High Holidays? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 4, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 71 , offers us one peculiar Hebrew phrase that unlocks a whole world of spiritual instruction we could use just about now. What did the rabbis mean when they insisted we see the world with a beautiful eye? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 3, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 70 , kicks things off talking about investments. The discussion, however, soon evolves into a debate of what, precisely, we tell our kids about business. Do we share with them our financial affairs? Or is it better to leave them in the dark? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Sep 2, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 68 and 69 , contain a little nugget of great importance. It's a discussion of cultivated carob trees, and why, if you want them to be fruitful and tall, you should graft a few cultivated branches onto the wild trees that are strong but not very fertile. How is this insight a metaphor for all of human civilization? And what can it teach us about social media influencers? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Aug 30, 2024

Today’s pages, Bava Batra 66 and 67 , continue discussing the objects that are part of a home, and where an olive press fits in. Why was olive oil such a staple of the Talmudic diet? Why bother buying extra-virgin olive oil at all? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Aug 29, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 65 , is all about the things we keep in our kitchen, and what these appliances mean to us. How do our kitchen gadgets help make a house into a home? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Aug 28, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 64 , finds the rabbis discussing the soul of commerce. Should commercial transactions bring people closer together? Or drive them further apart? Producer Courtney Hazlett addresses these questions by interviewing Ben Zion David, an eighth generation Yemeni jeweler in Jaffa. How can buying and selling stuff build community? Listen and find out.

Aug 27, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 63 , is a master class on how to write, and read, legal contracts. Sure, arguing over the meaning of every word can be exhausting, but it's also immensely edifying. What can we non-rabbis and non-lawyers learn from the Talmudic attention to every possible nuance? Listen and find out.

Aug 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud Pages, Bava Batra 61 and 62 , discuss the meaning of silence during important conversations. The Presidentisher Tevi Troy, joins us to explore how this applies to modern politics. Does silence equal agreement? Listen and find out. Also, The Presidentisher Rav has just released a new book, " The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry ." Gadol Hador Yuval Levin wrote of the book that " The Power and the Money " is "filled with rich anecdotes and analysis, and it weaves them all together compellingly." As Yuval puts it, "it’s a new book by Tevi Troy, so you should read it."

Aug 23, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 59 and 60 , deliver a disquisition that couldn't be more timely. How, the rabbis are asking, should we go on living our lives in times of great sorrow, mourning, and grief? Can we continue to celebrate joyous occasions even amid so much loss and suffering? And, if so, how? Listen and find out.

Aug 22, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 58 , gives us a collection of stories about the adventurous Rabbi Bena'a, who at some points even meets Abraham and Adam. Why did the Talmudic sages believe that all of us simply got worse and worse with each passing generation? And how is this concept of evolution in reverse actually an invitation to a more graceful and emotionally balanced life? Listen and find out

Aug 21, 2024

Todays page, Bava Batra 57, discusses the proper attire for torah scholars.Tablet’s General Manger and resident Fiber Arts specialist Tanya Singer joins us to discuss dressing properly for the task at hand. Do clothes make a difference when getting things done? Listen and find out.

Aug 20, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 56 , raises a question that is still a political hot potato to this day: What, precisely, are the boundaries of the Land of Israel? But the rabbis, as they always do, dig even deeper, teaching us a lesson about the dangers of sameness and the dignity of difference. Why was Liz Lemon of 30 Rock fame wrong when she opined that all everyone truly wants is to sit down in peace and eat a sandwich? Listen and find out.

Aug 19, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 54 and 55 , mention the Hatzav, a peculiar plant used to demarcate fields in the olden days. But the Hatzav has since become an absolute darling of Israeli poets, writers, and musicians, who have come to see it as the perfect metaphor for life in a demanding and beautiful and perilous land. Why? And what did the Israeli version of the Rolling Stones do when a big bank paid them to write a song about a Hatzav? Listen and find out.

Aug 16, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 52 and 53 , make an argument that one good way to establish ownership of a piece of real estate is simply to lock the door. Producer Josh Kross joins us with his teenage daughter, Violet, to talk about privacy, door-locking, and the other thrills of parenting an adolescent. Just what is the appeal of door-locking anyway? Listen and find out.

Aug 15, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 51 , finds the rabbis in the mood to praise the greats. Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, who heads the Steinsaltz Center in Jerusalem, joins us to talk about his father, the late, great Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, the scholar who has done more than anyone in modern times to make the Talmud accessible. What was it like arguing about presents with a singular Talmudic mind? Listen and find out.

Aug 14, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 50 , mentions Usha, the ancient town in the Galilee where the rabbis set up court after the destruction of the Temple. What was so special about Usha? And what timely lessons does it have for those of us struggling with difficult realities today? Listen and find out.

Aug 13, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 49 , is all about how couples should share their money—or not. Writer and editor Lisa Ann Sandell joins us to talk about the dos and don'ts of making money and marriage alike work. Who, exactly, owns the dog? Listen and find out.

Aug 12, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 47 and 48 , raise a tough question: If we're forced to do something, does that thing really count? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to shed light on the soulful principle behind what, on paper, sounds like a harsh Halachic ruling. What to do when you come across a particularly pushy salesman? Listen and find out.

Aug 9, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 45 and 46 , raise an interesting question: What to do when you accidentally picked up someone else's coat in shul? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain how and why this seemingly mundane-sounding question contains multitudes, and can teach us a surprisingly soulful lesson in how to live. What's the most Jewish article of clothing ever created? Listen and find out.

Aug 8, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 44 , informs us that real estate is different from movable objects because it has a kol , literally a voice, meaning people talk about it and therefore tell each other everything there is to know about any piece of property. Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern of Yeshiva University's Straus Center joins us to talk about the wild real estate situation in Modi'in, Israel, where buying a home is a contact sport. What is the one thing you should never, ever do when trying to buy some property in the Promised Land? Listen and find out.

Aug 7, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 43 , tells a story of a community that loses its Torah scroll in a brazen break-in. What should we do when we suffer such attacks? And what advice do the rabbis have for us as we, too, struggle to find some light in a benighted world? Listen and find out.

Aug 6, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 42 , discusses the categories of people who may work very hard, and be well-compensated, but who may never claim true ownership. How is there condition similar to that of our best compensated meritocrats? And why are so many of the most fabulously salaried Americans so miserable? Listen and find out.

Aug 5, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 40 and 41 , teach us the concept of the Moda'a, a difficult legal tool that allows someone forced to do something under duress a way out of a bad situation. Why did the rabbis question whether this tool might also invalidate the entirety of the Torah? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Aug 2, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 38 and 39 , discuss what happens to legal arrangements and normal life if and when the land of Israel is ravaged by war. Producer Courtney Hazlett joins us with a dispatch from Israel, shining a light on the life of one ordinary family living with ten months of war. What do ordinary people do in extraordinary circumstances? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Aug 1, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 37 , kicks things off with a vexing question about two people arguing over a piece of land, and soon evolves into a discussion of hope, grit, and keeping on. How did an elderly shoemaker inspire a very learned rabbi to denounce despair? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 31, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 36 , praises the principle of dissent, of speaking your mind precisely when the many and the mighty think differently. What did some of the greatest dissenters in the history of the Supreme Court learn from Talmudic idea of an argument for the sake of heaven? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 30, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 35 , introduces us to a concept called shudda de'dayanei , or judicial discretion, allowing judges to exercise their authority in difficult and contentious cases. Sivan Rahav Meir, host of the Sivan Says podcast and one of Israel's leading journalists and Torah teachers, joins us to discuss great power, great responsibility, and how to use both well. What did the celebrated Israeli Supreme Court justice do every morning before hearing difficult cases? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 29, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 33 and 34 , delivers a crucial lesson about prioritizing those among us who can barely defend themselves. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why we should take special care when dealing with the disadvantaged. Why did the rabbis insist on a special oath when doing business with orphans? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 31 and 32, deliver a bit of wisdom that served the rabbis well while discussing property rights, but that couldn't be more relevant to us in these contentious political times. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss the fascinating and timely notion of being presumed Kosher. Why should we treat everyone as if they're worthy of our trust? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 25, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 30 , tells us the story of a man who was so busy he failed to notice his friend was living in his house for three years. What can we learn from this outlandish tale about our own relationship with productivity and stress? And was the wise Rava right to rule that keeping really, really busy is kind of good for you? Listen and find out.

Jul 24, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 29 , finds Rava and Abaye locked in a fierce argument over everything from legal deeds to human psychology. Why should we sometimes slow down our reading of the Talmud and learn from these great wise rabbis? And what might today's discussion teach us about the way we interact with each other? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 23, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 28 , discusses what it takes to truly take possession of something, like a field, say, or a house. But can the same rules prescribed by the rabbis teach us how to take possession of our own country? And might the Talmud have a prescription on how we should to about, in the midst of a very volatile political moment, and reclaim democracy? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 22, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 26 and 27 , advise us to distance ourselves from our neighbors in order to avert fractiousness and violence. We share the latest episode from Tablet’s podcast What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead , which discusses the rise of J.D. Vance, America’s nervous allies in Europe and Asia, Silicon Valley’s break right, and the near-slaying of Donald Trump. Is there hope for our country? Listen and find out.

Jul 19, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 24 and 25 , kick things off by regulating how to design cities so that they don't smell. What surprising factor brought about London's Great Stink of 1858? And what does Rabbi Akiva have to teach us modern city dwellers struggling with overly fragrant streets? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 18, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 23 , gives us a masterclass on Talmud thinking. What to do when you don't know all the facts? And is there a sound way to go ahead and eliminate doubt? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 17, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 22, gives us a shocking admission: Sometimes, jealousy is good. Terrific, even. Perhaps essential to human growth and greatness. But how can we tell the good kind of jealous from the bad? And how does jealousy help explain the Beatles? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 16, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 21 , delivers a brief history of Jewish education. Once upon a time, it was only up to parents to make sure their kids learned Torah, until the rabbis noticed that this arrangement favored the few and the privileged. And so, they erected a system of education that still has much to teach us today. What are the four insights the rabbis have for everyone interested in the question of education? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 15, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 19 and 20 , continue the discussion on the best way to be a good neighbor. We share an episode from our sister podcast, Sivan Says , about neighbors getting together after tragedy and helping each other out. What can neighborliness achieve? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 12, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 17 and 18 , find the rabbis advocating the merits of building sturdy walls and keeping a healthy distance from the folks next door. But does their ancient wisdom really hold up in the complex, globalized, modern world? And do good fences really make good neighbors? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 16 , raises one of the most profound questions in human morality: the question of theodicy, or why would an all-merciful God allow evil to exist in the world. As the rabbis read the ancient book of Job, they deliver a surprisingly modern, and acutely relevant, wisdom. So what should we do when the going gets a little bit too tough for us to take? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 10, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 15 , brings us a mystery for the ages. Liel discusses the conundrum of Moses recording his own demise. Who actually wrote the Torah? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jul 9, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 14 , discusses the ideal size of a Torah, and the output of several renowned scribes. Dr. Tevi Troy , our very own Presidentischer Rav, joins us to talk about how to measure success in your writing. Is it quality or quantity? Listen and find out.

Jul 8, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 12 and 13 , discuss the owners of prophecy after the destruction of the Temple. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss the difference between the prophecy that comes directly from Hashem, and that which comes from wisdom from the mysteries of the world. Are the true prophets only children and fools? Listen and find out.

Jul 5, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 10 and 11 , relate to a parable that challenges us to think about who is responsible for taking care of those around us. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss the responsibilities we all have with regard to each other. Who is more talmudic, Neil deGrasse Tyson or Norm Macdonald? Listen and find out.

Jul 4, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 9 , discuss the value of emotional support in addition to charitable donations. Tablet’s religious affairs correspondent Maggie MacFarland Phillips joins Liel Leibovitz and Stephanie Butnick to discuss how some non-Jews have been attempting to support Jews since Oct. 7. What makes a righteous gentile? Listen and find out.

Jul 3, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 8 , shares a discussion over whether or not Torah scholars should be required to pay taxes. These discussions are a powerful reflection of the present debate about Israel’s Haredi community and military service. What can this ancient and modern debate teach us about leaning on our affinities over our divisions? Listen and find out.

Jul 2, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 7 , shares a debate over when someone is considered a resident of a city. Producer Josh Kross joins to give insight into the best ways to become part of a new community. When exactly should you consider yourself a local? Listen and find out.

Jul 1, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 5 and 6, relate to the disagreement between two neighbors over the need for fences to keep them separate. One, Ronya, believes they are not necessary until his neighbor, Ravina, uses a practical example to show otherwise. Do good fences make good neighbors? Listen and find out.

Jun 28, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 3 and 4 , tell the bloody story of Herod's revolt, which ended with the massacre of many rabbis. Dr. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, joins us to talk about the tradition of massacres in the modern political imagination, and how the term continues to repel and excite us alike. Why is it never a good idea to plan a wholesale assault on enemies real or imagined? Listen and find out.

Jun 27, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 2 , introduces us to a brand new tractate, Bava Batra. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to preview the wisdom and thrills we've in store, from the Sinbad-like tales of a seafaring rabbi to the profound lessons on living as a minority in non-Jewish communities. What are the tractate's surprisingly modern insights? Listen and find out.

Jun 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 119 , brings our tractate to a close. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to review Bava Metzia's greatest hits, and remind us why its insights are so urgently needed today. What can we learn from the Talmud's most famous story? Listen and find out.

Jun 25, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 118 , raises the question of whether or not it is permissible to pay someone in a currency other than cash. Hudson Leibovitz , age 10, is grappling with this question himself now that he has an allowance, and he joins us to discus the merits of a Starbucks gift card and the freedom of having a few dollars in his pocket. Is it better to receive biggish gifts or buy them yourself with your own money? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 24, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 116 and 117 , describe a situation in which a house falls apart, and its two owners cannot agree how to rebuild. Congressman Ritchie Torres (D.-NY) joins us to discuss America's future, and why it may be far rosier than many of us believe. How can we rediscover common ground? Listen and find out.

Jun 21, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 114 and 115 , tell us a fantastic, and heartbreaking, story about how to get and stay truly rich. What did the broke rabbi say to the prophet Elijah in the cemetery? And what life-changing financial advice did he receive on his magical trip to heaven? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 20, 2024

Today’s page, Bava Metzia 113 , delivers what, at first glance, appears to be the most annoying bureaucratic stipulation. But, as the rabbis explain, there’s a subtle beauty to bureaucracy, one that forces us to stay mindful of other people’s needs. Why should we cheer for red tape? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 19, 2024

Today’s page, Bava Metzia 112 , discusses ownership of the work of artisans. Tablet editor-in-chief, Alana Newhouse , joins us to discuss two different kinds of artisans and their work. Who owns a piece of art, the person in possession of the art or the creator? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 18, 2024

Today’s page, , discusses our duty to pay our employees in a timely fashion, but it’s really underlines how justice and, yes love, drive the morals behind the commandments. Rabbi Shai Held joins to discuss his new book Judaism is about Love which mirrors the obligation in the page today. What is the Jewish take on justice, love, and grace? Listen and find out.

Jun 17, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 109 and 110 , discuss how to fire someone correctly. Producer and former fired employee Josh Kross joins us to talk about the good and bad sides of employment termination. When can you fire someone without warning, and when do you need to go through a deeper process? Listen and find out.

Jun 14, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 106. 107, and 108 , contain a challenge about the specificity of prayer Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss whether prayer is a monologue or a dialog with Hashem. Why does it matter if your prayer isn’t specific enough? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 104 and 105 , contains a strange and hilarious discussion on what to do if you're wearing Tefillin but must take out the garbage. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to find surprising meaning in this seemingly pedestrian debate, and explain why the rabbis were sending us a timely reminder about hope, resilience, and aspiration. Why wasn't the Torah given in the Land of Israel, and why should it matter to us today? Listen and find out. Join us Tuesday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight for a special event featuring Liel Leibovitz, Tablet critic-at-large Marco Roth, and special guests reading and moderating a discussion of modernist literature in the upstairs lounge of The Russian Samovar at 256 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. In the spirit of Shavuot, expect riffing on passages by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, as well as from the Torah. Register here . Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 10, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 102 and 103 , inform us that, wherever we go, we must endeavor to respect the local customs and traditions. And yet, as recent surveys show, local customs and traditions are everywhere imperiled. Why should we still care about the old ways? And what's the potential danger of letting in the new? Listen and find out. Join us Tuesday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight for a special event featuring Liel Leibovitz, Tablet critic-at-large Marco Roth, and special guests reading and moderating a discussion of modernist literature in the upstairs lounge of The Russian Samovar at 256 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. In the spirit of Shavuot, expect riffing on passages by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, as well as from the Torah. Register here . Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 7, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 100 and 101 , unfurl a tall tale that begins with a river washing away some olive trees and ends with a reminder of what may very well be the most important mitzvah of them all. Why is it so important to settle the Land of Israel? Listen and find out. Join us Tuesday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight for a special event featuring Liel Leibovitz, Tablet critic-at-large Marco Roth, and special guests reading and moderating a discussion of modernist literature in the upstairs lounge of The Russian Samovar at 256 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. In the spirit of Shavuot, expect riffing on passages by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, as well as from the Torah. Register here . Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 6, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 99 , wonders whether a person who has secretly moved in to his pal's empty home should pay the owner rent. Must every transaction have winners and losers? Or should we cultivate what a famous self-help author called the abundance mentality and strive for win-win situations in life? Listen and find out. Join us Tuesday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight for a special event featuring Liel Leibovitz, Tablet critic-at-large Marco Roth, and special guests reading and moderating a discussion of modernist literature in the upstairs lounge of The Russian Samovar at 256 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. In the spirit of Shavuot, expect riffing on passages by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, as well as from the Torah. Register here . Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 5, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 98 , asks a deceptively simple question: When, precisely, are we responsible for something? The question isn't just a moral conundrum; it's at the heart of so much of our contemporary political conversation. Should we, then, help the less fortunate, or assume they must've done something to deserve it? Listen and find out. Join us Tuesday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight for a special event featuring Liel Leibovitz, Tablet critic-at-large Marco Roth, and special guests reading and moderating a discussion of modernist literature in the upstairs lounge of The Russian Samovar at 256 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. In the spirit of Shavuot, expect riffing on passages by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, as well as from the Torah. Register here . Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 4, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 97 , delivers a rabbinic master class in making clever business deals. Why should you always ask someone for a glass of water before signing on the dotted line? And are you entitled to all of your teacher's money, or is it the other way around? Listen and find out. Join us Tuesday, June 11 from 9 p.m. to midnight for a special event featuring Liel Leibovitz, Tablet critic-at-large Marco Roth, and special guests reading and moderating a discussion of modernist literature in the upstairs lounge of The Russian Samovar at 256 West 52nd Street in Manhattan. In the spirit of Shavuot, expect riffing on passages by Marcel Proust, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf, as well as from the Torah. Register here . Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Jun 3, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 95 and 96 , stress the important of building strong, cohesive communities. Jason Guberman, Executive Director of the American Sephardi Federation, joins us to speak about a true coming-together of community a star-studded Sephardi film festival. Are these films here to change the way we look at how Jews are represented on screen? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 31, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 93 and 94 , deliver a stunner: Never, the rabbis insist, underestimate the power of an ordinary person cursing at you. Can using four-letter words actually be good for your body and soul? And did the rabbis figure it all out long before cable TV had? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 30, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 92 , brings up the question of justice, not just of the earthly courts but of the Heavenly Court as well. Asaf Romirowsky, a historian who runs Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, joins us to discuss one recent travesty of justice, the story of Hamas's first American victim and a family trying to hold the men who aided his assassins responsible. What does a decades-old murder have to teach us about our current chaotic moment in time? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 29, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 91 , teaches us a very important lesson from none other than Rabbi Akiva about the importance of treating others with respect and, more urgently, treating ourselves the same way. Why is despair the greatest conceivable sin? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 28, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 90 , starts out by talking abou the way we treat animals, and ends up revealing a major insight into how religious belief ought to work. Should we keep the mitzvot blindly and without questioning them? Or are we permitted, even obliged, to stop and ask just why it is that God is asking us to do this or not do that? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 27, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 88 and 89 , dive into the question of what, precisely, is a worker working in the field permitted to eat. Lisa Ann Sandell, book editor and writer and Chili's alum, joins us to reflect on life in the food service industry, and the moral conundrums that keep coming out of the kitchen. What can being a server teach us about food, justice, and humanity? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 24, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 86 and 87 , recount the story of a sage fleeing government malignment and persecution. Tevi Troy returns to the show to discuss cases of malignment in presidential history. How disastrous can the effects of defamation be? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 23, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 85 , finds the rabbis asking themselves the same question so many of us have been asking since Oct. 7, 2023: What did we do to deserve such a catastrophe? Their answers are subtle, surprising, and incredibly relevant. Why are blessings the key to rebuilding after disaster? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 22, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 84 , tells a tragic tale of two great rabbis and their heartbreaking end. Liel recounts this story of a teacher and student, Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish, and the disagreement that led to both of their demises. What happens when we don’t make peace with the people we disagree with? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 21, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 83 , discusses one method of catching a thief: by profiling those drinking at taverns in the wee hours of the morning. Tevi Troy returns to the show to discuss the tension between law and order and caution regarding over-criminalization in presidential campaigns. Does the early bird catch a worm or a conviction? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 20, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 81 and 82 , bring to light an apparent rabbinic mistake. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this mistake wasn’t actually a mistake. What happens when a rabbi makes an incorrect ruling? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 17, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 79 and 80 , hold a lesson about our responsibility to our faith hidden within a discussion about labor. Rabbi David Bashevkin joins us to tease out this lesson. What level of responsibility do we have to the unchosen gifts that we have been given? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 16, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 78 , introduces us to a new word - angaria , a term used to describe a situation in which the government has the right to seize property for public service. Tevi Troy returns to the show to discuss a personal experience with eminent domain. Is eminent domain the modern version of angaria ? Listen and find out. This episode is in memory of Bernard Dov Troy - Dov Moshe ben Tuviah. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 15, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 77 , asks what to do when the item we ordered is not the item we receive. Producer Josh Kross joins us to recount a recent experience in France that speaks to this question. Is it ever okay to send a dish back to the kitchen? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 14, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 76 , kicks things off with an almost comical tale of people confusing each other until all interaction grinds to a halt. Which, alas, is still a very big problem in corporate America these days. Why is it so hard for us to simply understand each other? And what can we do about it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 13, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 74 and 75 , make an exception to the prohibition against charging interest. We examine the balance between equity and excellence. Why can the righteous sometimes lend with interest? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 10, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 72 and 73 , talk about the life changing power of conversion. We share a story from the 2018 Conversion episode of Unorthodox about a 13-year-old converting to Judaism. What happens when a Jew borrows money from a gentile and then that gentile converts? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 9, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 71 , gives us a fiery lesson in business ethics. We investigate the Talmud’s claim that lending with interest is akin to denying Hashem’s existence. How should businesspeople commit to ethics in a way that’s more than just lip service? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 8, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 70 , tells us of a king who takes pity on the poor. We investigate this pages modern relevance in light of our time’s astonishing income inequality. Is meritocracy the backbone of American greatness and ingenuity, or a vicious cycle that makes everyone, even the winners, miserable? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 7, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 69 , tells a tale of reconciliation. We investigate a Samaritan business deal mediated by a rabbi. Will our foes forever be against us? Listen and find out. Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 6, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 67 and 68 , report that one of the Talmud's greatest rabbis refused to identify as a Torah scholar. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this strange and inspiring case, and what it has to teach us today. Are we being humble enough? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 3, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 65 and 66 , raise the question of just how much enticement we truly need before doing something we understand is risky. Shavit Romero, a non-Jewish son of Colombian migrants to Israel who joined the IDF, is converting to Judaism, and was badly injured in Gaza, joins us to speak of his journey. What drew him to the army and the perils of war? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 2, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 64 , teaches us a lesson in fair rent rates and practices. Why, then, is New York City ignoring the age-old wisdom of the rabbis? And what to do about its surge in illegal squatters seizing property all over town? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

May 1, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 61, 62, and 63 , find the rabbis making strange comparisons between the Exodus and weights and measurements. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this strange choice, and how it teaches us that we all have our own unique purpose in life. How to tell things apart when they look a lot alike? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 58, 59, and 60 , deliver sound advice from the rabbis about the three sins you mustn't commit if you don't wish to end up in hell. Our very own Presidentscher Rav, Tevi Troy, joins us to shed light on these transgressions, and how presidents and politicians have delighted in them for decades. What did RFK wish he'd never done to LBJ? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 25, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 56 and 57 , sing the praises of double standards. Why are some bits of property valued much more than others? And what does it teach us about choosing excellence over equity? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 22, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 53, 54, and 55 , make us contemplate the priests and the practices they upheld to keep us whole and holy. Rabbi Jeff Salkin joins us to talk about the sacred ritual of Pesach, and why we should take some time this year to think about Armenia and its struggles, so much like our own. Why must we see the Exodus as a universal event rather than the exclusive property of the Jewish people? Listen and find out.

Apr 19, 2024

Today's pages, Bava Metzia 51 and 52 , discuss prohibitions on financial exploitation. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to ask: Why do markets exist? What do they have to do with societal redemption? Why do we chase things we don't really want, and certainly don't need? And what does Martin Shkreli have to do with the Talmud? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 18, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 50 , discusses the important of honesty in the marketplace. Producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss the importance of being able to trust your debate partners. What can the Talmud tell us about modern discourse? Listen and find out Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 17, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 49 , discusses whether your intentions and your actions should match in business dealings. Comic book creator and cartoonist Jordan B. Gorfinkel , aka Gorf , joins us to to discuss whether only our actions need to be good, or do our intentions matter as well. Also, he shares his attempt to use the power of Batman to rescue some of the hostages that have been held by Hamas for over 6 months. Finally, he also shares with us a song for Passover ! What kind of talmudic superhero are you? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 16, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 48 , talks about reneging on your previously agreed upon transactions. Rabbi David Bashevkin tells us what this daf has to do with Sodom and Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel, and the Egyptians standing before the splitting Red Sea. Why shouldn’t we call everyone we don’t like Hitler? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 15, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 46 and 47 , are all about the asimon , a token that, back in Talmudic times, gained you entry into the bathhouse. What is the deal with this strange form of currency? And what can it teach us about video games, sex, and the fundamentals of our economy? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 12, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 44 and 45 , ponder whether it's right to punish someone for merely contemplating committing a sin. Tablet Magazine's Armin Rosen joins us to discuss this idea and how it inspired some of science fiction's finest works. Can our thoughts sometimes be even more consequential than our actions? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 43 , gets very specific about how we ought to calculate the compensation someone ought to pay when they misappropriate something that then either grows or diminishes in value. What's the correct answer, and what does it have to teach us today? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 10, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 42 , delivers a bit of financial advice so sage and timeless that, thousands of years later, it is still cited by investment gurus as the Golden Standard. What is it? And why do so many Wall Street hot shots ignore it, with disastrous results? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 9, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 41 , delivers a strange ruling: A person, it tells us, doesn't have to cause another financial loss or damages in order to be guilty of misappropriation. What, then, does misappropriation truly mean? And what does it have to do with a recent and highly controversial decision by McDonald's? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 8, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 39 and 40 , talk about the assignment of property when people are taken captive. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss the Rabbis’ perspective on what matters most when Jews are taken prisoner. How do we take care of both survivors and captives? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 5, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 37 and 38 , uses the case of a prolific thief to teach something far more fundamental about justice and Jewish law. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss how the law is for everyone, from the lowest of the thieves to the holiest among us. Should we consider the law the ceiling or the floor of our responsibilities? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 4, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 36 , uses a somewhat complicated transactional discussion about paid and unpaid bailees to deliver a gorgeous lesson for the ages about the importance of always trying and doing and being our best. Why should we never, ever cut corners and shirk our duties? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 3, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 35 , speaks of the relation between debtor and creditor. Is it enough for a creditor to lend his wealth to debtors because he is an "upright person"? The producers of our sister podcast, Unorthodox, visited the Social Grocery Store in Tel Aviv just last week, a food pantry filled with upright volunteers that serve asylum seekers and migrants struggling to get by. Wondering what the bond is between wealth and righteousness? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Apr 2, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 34 , unpacks the mystery of the shomer hinam , a person who agreed to watch over something free of charge and then, maybe, coveted the item for himself. Is it still a sin if he agrees to pay for it in full? And what does this seemingly dry, legalistic case teach us about remaining pure-hearted and kind? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books.

Apr 1, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 32 and 33 , weigh in on the question of who deserves more respect: Our parents or our teachers. It's a hot-button political issue in our never-ending culture wars, and the rabbis offer a definitive, and surprising, take. What is it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 29, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 30 and 31 , stress the importance of teaching things in a way people can actually understand. Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern joins us to shed light on why this passage is crucial to the Passover Haggadah, and how it inspired America's Founding Fathers. How did the Exodus story resonate with Washington et al? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 28, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 29 , instructs us that we should learn to take really good care of our possessions. What's the approach known as soulful materialism? And what does it teach us about radically rethinking the way we shop for and care for our stuff? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 27, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 28 , introduces us to a magical place: The Claimant's Stone, a spot in ancient Jerusalem where anyone who had lost or found anything would come to hang out and connect. It was, if you will, a sort of Facebook before Facebook; but did digital technology rob the idea of its meaning and purpose? And what advice, while we're at it, does Judaism have to offer us about navigating the thicket of social media? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 26, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 27 , is a masterclass in deductive reasoning. What's deductive reasoning? Why did the rabbis of the Talmud cherish it? And what does any of it have to do with a certain famous British detective known for his deerstalker hat and his cranky companion? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 25, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 25 and 26 , raise a terrifying proposition: That no matter how firmly we believe there's always time to do the right thing and make amends and fix what we've broken, sometimes we may simply and sadly be too late. How do we extract something positive and sweet from this bitter teaching? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 22, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 23 and 24 , ask what makes an item immediately and distinctly recognizable. As it happens, the same exact question occupied some of our finest trademark lawyers as they did battle in court to protect their clients' unique and immediately recognizable brands. What makes something distinct enough to merit a trademark? And why did the Beatles duke it out with Steve Jobs over this very question? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 21, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 22 , discusses one of society's most pressing, and most tragically misunderstood, topics, namely how to host a dinner party. What solemn responsibilities do hosts, and guests, have when breaking bread? And why is a good dinner party more like a shootout than like a picnic? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 20, 2024

On today’s episode, we again take a break from Talmud and today's page, Bava Metzia 21 , to play you our brand new podcast, Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally. It’s a weekly parsha podcast with me, Liel Liebovitz, and Israeli journalist and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav Meir . In our debut episode, Sivan tells us all about the story of Purim; explains how this year's Taanit Esther - Esther's Fast - takes on new meaning for the families of female hostages; and teaches four purim commandments for us to do in our own lives. You can find Sivan Says at TabletMag.com/sivansays , or whever you listen to podcasts. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 19, 2024

On today’s episode, instead of bringing you an episode about Bava Metzia 20 , we take a break from Talmud to tell you about a new podcast we’re launching tomorrow called Sivan Says: Taking the Torah Personally. It’s a weekly parsha podcast with Israeli journalist and Torah scholar Sivan Rahav Meir . Sivan joins us on Take One to tell us about the 2000 year old “home page” of the Jewish people. You can find Sivan Says at TabletMag.com/sivansays , or whever you listen to podcasts. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 18, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 18 and 19 , are a master class in paying attention to detail. Do details really matter? And is it better, when doing anything from looking for your keys to handling your legal documents, to sweat the small stuff or look at the big picture instead? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 15, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 16 and 17 , begin as an ordinary sounding discussion of legal documents but soon blossom into a profound, and profoundly relevant, life lesson. Why does Rabbi Yohanan urge us to slow down and take a closer look at life's seemingly most ordinary interactions? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 14, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 15 , we're actually going to take a look at a new anthology from Tablet colleague Menachem Butler and co-editor Aviad Hacohen. The anthology, called Praying for the Defenders of Our Destiny: The Mi Sheberach for IDF Soldiers , was prepared in response to the October 7th massacre. It collects over seventy contributions from scholars, rabbis, and thinkers, that investigate the history, composition, and controversies surrounding the Mi Sheberach prayer, highlighting its evolution and relevance in modern times. Why do we need a specific prayer for the IDF? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 13, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 14 , ponders why so many of us, from Talmudic times onwards, have been so obsessed with owning real estate. Scott Harris , real estate agent and the host of a new podcast about the spiritual side of home ownership -- The Pursuit of Home -- joins us to talk about how property assuages our longing for permanence and about why no piece of real estate is ever without its emotional meanings. What mistakes do you usually make when we're house shopping? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 12, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 13 , has the rabbis doing some creative recycling. What to do with a bit of papyrus that's no longer a useful legal document? And how could the ancient world's habits teach us a very valuable lesson about being less wasteful? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 11, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 11 and 12 , raise a question that troubles many of us: What, precisely, makes a person an adult? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to shed light on the meaning of growing up and becoming a man or a woman in full. How was Moses the ultimate practitioner of adulting? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 8, 2024

Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 9 and 10 , wonder how we truly assume ownership of an animal, which is really another way of asking how we assume ownership of our own lives. Do the rabbis want us to devote our days to study and contemplation? Or should we focus on constant and fruitful action instead? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .

Mar 7, 2024

Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 8 , asks us to ponder what it actually means to ride a horse. Lily Leibovitz , a 12-year-old master equestrian, joins us to share the magical sensation of bonding with a strong, enormous animal, and why this connection had enchanted humans for millennia. How do you get the animal to listen to your wishes, and how do you tune in to its needs? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com . Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group . We think that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book, available directly from the publisher , or wherever you purchase books. Listen to the Testimonies Archive , a partnership between Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation, for eyewitness audio accounts from Israel in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts .