Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 72 and 73, finally give us the 39 labors we're not allowed to perform on Shabbat. Why did it take so long? Why go through more than 70 pages before getting to the point? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to shed light on this seminal question, and help us understand the real meaning of Shabbat. How is the Talmud like a Quentin Tarantino movie? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 70 and 71, bring up a fascinating concept: Yediah, or knowing. Are we responsible for the sins we commit if we don't really know that we've committed them? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explore the intricacies of this complicated question. How do we resolve the tension between divine intervention and free will? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 69, shares an anecdote that feels deeply relatable these days, about a man who wanders in the desert and loses all track of time. Dr. Erica Brown joins us to talk about the centrality of time in Judaism, and what to do when, sheltered in place, time itself becomes a challenge. How do we find a sense of direction when the days just seem to melt into one another? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 68, introduces an astonishing concept, that of the captive child. Just as a child kidnapped from his parents holds no responsibility for the way he was raised, the rabbis tell us, so do those of us who have never studied the intricacies of Jewish law not necessarily liable if and when we break them. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about this intriguing and seminal concept. How do we learn to forgive ourselves? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 67, asks a very timely question: How open should we be to different putative potions and cures? Should we forbid anything not proven to work? Or should we keep an open mind, recognize that there's much we don't know, and that healing is both physical and emotional? Writer Lisa Ann Sandell, herself recovering from Covid-19, joins us to talk about what it's like to try and manage your care when so much remains unknown about the virus. How do we sort out which medical advice to accept and which to reject? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 65 and 66, discuss various laws pertaining to people with disabilities. Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, joins us to talk about how far we've come in rethinking our approach towards people with disabilities, and how far we still have to go. Why are shuls the perfect place to start and implement positive change? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 63 and 64, wax poetic about the Beit Midrash, the house of study, where Torah learning is conducted by dividing the students into pairs who read together and spend their days arguing. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to sing the glories of this pedagogical methodology, and tell us of the intellectual and emotional benefits of learning through quibbling. Should Harvard take note? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 62, finds the rabbis in a particularly patriarchal mood, discussing the things that women do to get the attention of men. Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus joins us to discuss why objectifying women, then and now, is never a good idea. Why does the passage tell us about men, women, and the still unresolved tensions between them? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 61, asks a profound question: Does magic work? Alana Newhouse, Tablet's Editor in Chief, joins us to talk about amulets, and why some people take good-luck charms very seriously. How do we know if our amulets are truly protecting us? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 60, tells an incredible and bloody story that begins with dorky footwear and ends in a bloodbath. Stephanie Butnick, co-host of Unorthodox, joins us to talk about sandals and other problematic footwear, and explain the cycles that make some fashion trends cool again and again and again. Is it ever OK to wear flip-flops if you're not at the beach? Listen and find out.