

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

Oct 10, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 26 and 27 - How to Train Your Brain
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, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 23, 24, and 25 - Stand and Deliver
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, 2025 • 8min
Zevachim 21 and 22 - Sound Off
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, 2025 • 13min
Zevachim 19 and 20 - Friends in High Places
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, 2025 • 11min
Zevachim 17 and 18 - Amazin’ Faith
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, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 16 - Good Grief
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, 2025 • 9min
Zevachim 14 and 15 - Essential Vessels
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, 2025 • 8min
Zevachim 12 and 13 - Cruel Intentions
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, 2025 • 9min
Zevachim 10 and 11 - The Day the Rabbi Was Impeached
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, 2025 • 7min
Zevachim 7, 8, and 9 - Radical Kindness
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.