

Take One Daf Yomi
Tablet Magazine
As Jews around the world engage in a seven-and-a-half year cycle of Daf Yomi, reading the entire Talmud one page per day, Tablet Magazine's new podcast, Take One, will offer a brief and evocative daily read of the daf, in just about 10 minutes. New episodes will be released daily Monday through Friday.
Episodes
Mentioned books

5 snips
Oct 31, 2025 • 12min
Zevachim 47 and 48 - Where We Stand
 Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, a respected teacher and scholar, joins to discuss the deeper significance of Zevachim 47–48. He emphasizes that the chapter's focus on sacrificial locations is less about geography and more about spirituality. The phrase Ezehu Mekoman is explored as a daily reminder of our place in a chaotic world. Rabbi Bashevkin likens prayer to Noah's ark, offering safety and clarity in life's storms. He shares insights on how prayer can help us find serenity and belonging, moving beyond just being a replacement for sacrifices. 

Oct 30, 2025 • 6min
Zevachi 46 - For the Sake of Mindfulness
 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, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 45 - Faith in Preparation
 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, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 44 - Public Servants of the Sacred
 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, 2025 • 11min
Zevachin 42 and 43 - The Thought Counts
 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, 2025 • 9min
Zevachim 40 and 41 - Less Is More
 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, 2025 • 5min
Zevachim 39 - The Spectrum of Sanctity
 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, 2025 • 20min
Zevachim 38 - Daf and On
 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, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 37 - Neural Notes
 
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, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 35 and 36 - Broth and Soul
 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. 


