Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 49 and 50, bring up a familiar concept: Does practice really make perfect? And if so, does it apply to all areas of religious life, or only those we choose to take upon ourselves? The show's producer, Josh Kross, returns to talk about the comforts and challenges that come with religious observance. Does it really take 10,000 hours of practice to be a good Jew? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 48, raises a question we've all bumped up against now and then: What's the proper way to behave when you find yourself in a room with very powerful and important people? For today's guest, Enes Kanter, this has been a reality from a very young age: The Turkish-born star ballplayer was still a teenager when he found himself drafted into the NBA, playing with and against some of the legends he'd grown up idolizing as a boy. How do you keep your cool when you have to interact with the high and mighty? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 47, asks a big, tough question: Exactly what does a Jew need to know and do in order to be considered anything but an Am Ha'aretz, or an ignoramus? The rabbis, of course, each offer wildly divergent answers, and to address this thorny conundrum we invited Stephanie Butnick and Mark Oppenheimer, co-hosts of Tablet's popular Unorthodox podcast, to ascertain once and for all the best way to engage with Jewish life. Is the ability to listen the only true prerequisite we should insist on when welcoming someone to our midst? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 46, finds the rabbis in a hospitable mood: They're talking dinner parties, and who should be seated where to ensure a fun evening for all. Alana Newhouse, Tablet Magazine's Editor in Chief and a celebrated convener of unmatched soirees, joins us to talk seating arrangements, class structure, and how the Internet killed the art of dinner party conversation. Should you let your guests sit wherever they please or create an intricate seating chart? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 44 and 45, begin with talk of the fruit of Ginosar, magical treats that are so potent they make the rabbis literally lose their minds. It's a passage so deliciously comical that even the Gemara acknowledges it's pure hyperbole. But reflect on it long enough, and you'll see a lesson in longing, for home and youth and freedom. What do the fruit of Ginosar have to do with modern-day Tel Aviv? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 42 and 43, introduce us to a curious concept: Pas HaBah B'kissnin, a sort of sweet pastry that is made without water and is therefore exempt from the traditional blessing over bread. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to explain the great debate about whether or not you have to ritually wash your hands when grabbing a slice or two of pizza, and unlocks a host of other doughy mysteries. What are Mezonos Rolls, and why do airlines love sticking them in Kosher meals? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi, Berakhot 41, gets us into the nitty-gritty of how to say different blessings over different foodstuffs. It's all fine and well when we're talking wine, say, or bread, or an apple; but what about Sushi? Do we bless the fish? The rice? The occasional bit of avocado? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with a breakdown of a fascinating conversation about how to think about what we eat. Why does every single kosher restaurant, even the pizza parlors and burger joints, also offer sushi? Listen and find out.

Today's Daf Yomi, Berakhot 40, teaches us an important lesson: We're not allowed to eat before feeding our animals. But how does that compassionate commandment fit in with a religion that isn't shy about slaughter? Mark Oppenheimer, a casual vegetarian and animal lover, returns to offer his insights into how we should treat all of God's creatures. Should we change the definition of kosher to insist that the animals we consume have been ethically raised? Listen and find out.

Today's Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 39, asks a poignant and important question that haunts us each Shabbat: Why two challahs? Isn't one loaf of doughy goodness enough, and isn't splurging on two a tad wasteful? Producer Josh Kross returns to channel the rabbis of old as well as grace us with the perfect recipe for French toast. Why is so much bread a requirement? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 37 and 38, begin with an argument resolved over a hearty meal, and raises a thorny question: Is the dinner table still the center of civic life now that so many of us simply use apps to order groceries and food straight to our door, no human interaction necessary? The show's host, Liel Leibovitz, turns to the rabbis for advice on how to make dinnertime sacred again. Why is ordering your Starbucks online bad for your soul? Listen and find out.