Take One Daf Yomi

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

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

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

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

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 37, finds the rabbis talking about retroactive designation, or whether or not it's OK to reason your way in retrospect. Which, if you've ever watched a sci-fi or fantasy film, is what the genre does all the time, changing the rules and the history as it goes along. Film critic Jordan Hoffman joins us to discuss this phenomenon, known as ret-conning, and whether or not its a blessing or a shande. Which very famous Star Wars plot point would've greatly upset the rabbis? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 35 and 36, take on one of the biggest problems that inform and inspire all of religious life, the problem of doubt. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to explain why doubt is an essential part of faith, and help us understand how doubt can inspire rather than frustrate us. How should we rethink our attitude to doubt? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Eruvin 33 and 34, begin by asking what sounds like the Jewish version of Schrodinger's Cat: If you put the food you need for an eruv in a closet, lock it up, and then lose the key, is the eruv still valid? Rabba Shani Gross joins us to unlock this complicated question, and explain why it just may be the most pressing conundrum of our time. How's that locked closet a metaphor for Covid-era lockdowns, and what can we learn from it? Listen and find out.

Today's Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 32, continues the crucial and complex conversation about the limits of personal responsibility and transgression. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to guide us through the thicket of sin and stumbling that makes up so much of our moral lives. Is it ever OK to knowingly transgress so as to save a friend from committing an even bigger transgression? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 31, urges us to take agency over what matters in life. And what could matter more than our own education? Eric Cohen, executive director of The Tikvah Fund, joins us to talk about how Covid-19 inspired a slew of new educational offerings, and about why high school students are capable of learning and thinking about much loftier things than we give them credit for. Are the kids alright? Listen and find out.

Today's Daf Yomi page, Eruvin 30, introduces one of the most important principles to emerge out of Jewish wisdom: Don't yuck my yum. Chef Einat Admoni joins us to talk about why all dishes, even those you can't stand, have a secret and rich inner life of their own, and how an open mouth and an open mind can change your life. What's the one dish Americans just don't get but really should? Listen and find out.