Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 26 and 27, raise the surprisingly thorny issue of...nicknames. Presidential historian Tevi Troy joins us to talk about how and why our commanders in chief have always adored nicknames, and what a good monicker can do to keep a political career running. What's behind some of the most famous pet names in White House history? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 25, discusses one of the most difficult decrees in all of the Talmud, the one commanding us to bless the bad things that happen to us just as eagerly as we give thanks for the good. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this difficult idea, and how it can still give us much comfort and joy today. How is being grateful for disasters good for you? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 24, details what we should and shouldn't wear when stepping in front of the ark in shul. Mark Oppenheimer, the Corduroy Rav, joins us to talk about dress codes as spiritual practice, and why what you put on in the morning matters. What did we lose when we stopped dressing up for plane rides? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 23, raises the thorny question of precisely what role should women play in the public sphere. Robyn Polansky Morrison joins us to talk about the initiative she co-founded, Jewish Women Invest, and how it provides thoroughly modern approaches to ancient communal questions. Why study classical Jewish texts side-by-side with financial literacy? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 21 and 22, give us new insight on Purim. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tell us with a new and surprising take on an ancient and beloved holiday. How is the story of Purim still unfold in every generation? Listen and find out.Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group.Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 19 and 20, warn us that the Megillah must only be read as a scroll, not in any other format. Book editor Lisa Ann Sandell joins us to tell us to discuss what editors and authors really feel about electronic books, and about whether the experience of reading is same on, say, a Kindle. Is the future of reading digital? Listen and find out.Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group.Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 18, warns us that only the words of the Amidah prayer consist of the approved-of praise for God. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this curious passage, and how it can still guide us today. Why limit our expressions of gratitude to one central prayer? Listen and find out.Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group.Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 17, reminds us that a story's not a story unless it has a hero and a villain: For every Harry Potter, there must be a Voldemort, and for every Esther there must be a Haman. Why do we love to love our bad guys? Listen and find out.Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group.Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 16, gives us a new comic spin on the story of the Megillah. Comedian Judy Gold joins us to tell us the story of Esther, Mordechai, and Haman like we've never seen them before. What's the deal with Haman getting a bucket of poop in the face? Listen and find out.Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia. Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 14 and 15, raise the question of whether you're allowed to say a blessing for miracles that happened outside of the Land of Israel. Filmmaker Stacey Ravel Abarbanel joins us to talk about her award-winning new documentary, Unraveling, in which she explores an old family legend about Pancho Villa trying to kill her grandfather. Was the story true, and did the grandfather survive by miracle? Listen and find out.Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group.Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.