Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shekalim 19 and 20, contemplate the uncertainty principle: What do we do when life presents us with intricate situations? As an old Hasidic tale reminds us, the point isn't to come up with the best answers, but to learn to ask the right questions. What did the meek student in the tale ask the wise old rabbi that won him the day? 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, Shekalim 18, is all about the menorah that burned bright in the ancient Temple. Why do we continue to contemplate it even now, millennia after it was last extinguished? Podcaster Eric Silver joins us to talk about the fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons, and how, like studying the Talmud, it makes you better by forcing you to study the intricate details of alternate realities. Why does arguing, in games and in real life alike, help you see things more clearly? 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, Shekalim 17, revolves around a fantastic story that brings to mind the best of Tolkien, about a king climbing to the top of the Temple to return its holy keys to God. Rabbi Raphael Zarum joins us to talk about what the ancient Hebrew king has in common with Frodo, the protagonist of The Lord of the Rings series, and why both tales offer urgently needed insight about humans overcoming their deepest, darkest desires. What secret Hebrew messages did Tolkien code into his popular books? 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, Shekalim 16, kicks things off by reminding us of the strong bond between great power and great responsibility. Aliza Landes, host of the new podcast Us Among the Israelis, joins us to talk about why Israelis just went to the polls to vote for the fourth time in two years, and what that has to do with the Talmud's exhortations about accountability. Why do Israelis distrust political dynasties? 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, Shekalim 14 and 15, get back to the basic question that haunts us all: Why do bad things happen to good people? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to talk about the unlikely figure of Nehunya the ditch digger, a righteous man punished for reasons unknown, and what his story can tell us about the mechanics of Divine justice. What is the deeper meaning of an empty hole? 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, Shekalim 12 and 13, deliver a beautiful passage of admiration to our educators, particularly poignant as it acknowledges that no matter how dedicated the teacher, us students are bound to disappoint. Rabbi Benji Levy joins us to talk about Jewish education, and the hard-earned wisdom he'd acquired as a young principle of a day school. How do you create an ecosystem that enables and encourages kids to thrive? 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, Shekalim 11, we meet a Talmud sage so special that he's known as Shimon Ha'Tzadik, or Shimon the Righteous. Why did he merit that singular nickname? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to unlock the mystery and give us a taste of the wise rabbi's teachings, still very relevant to us today. How should we deal with sweeping, far-reaching changes? 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, Shekalim 10, extolls the unique sanctity of the Land of Israel, which is intricately tied to the Omer. Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern joins us to talk about the Omer, why we count it, and what the experience can teach us about Eretz Yisrael and about repairing the world. Why is counting the Omer the antithesis of, say, riding your Peloton exercise bike? 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, Shekalim 7, 8 and 9, warn us that anger is akin to idol worship, and that there are few sins as grave as rage. Mark Oppenheimer returns to share his secret to never holding onto anger, and his observations on why staying mad is blasphemy. What can the Talmud teach us about anger management? 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, Shekalim 5 and 6, bring up an interesting mystical connection between the funds we're all expected to pay for our communal welfare and the sin of the golden calf. Rabbi Mark Dratch, the executive vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America, joins us to talk about that ancient transgression and what it still has to teach us today. What profound wisdom about money might we learn from today's page of Talmud? 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.