Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 95, the rabbis talk makeup: Is eyeliner kosher on Shabbat? What about blush, rouge, or lipstick? Stephanie Butnick returns to help us make sense of the rabbis' surprisingly keen knowledge of all-things-makeup. Why is braiding hair a form of building? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 93 and 94, make a distinction between the kinds of work one person can do alone and the sort of labor that truly takes a village. Rabbi Shira Stutman of Sixth & I in Washington, D.C., joins us to discuss this insight, and what it can teach us about our current movement for social justice. Why is repairing the world always a team effort? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 91 and 92, begin a long and fascinating discussion of intention, or how what we had meant to do impacts the outcome of our action. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to offer us some profound thoughts on living life with purpose and meaning. Why does intentionality matter? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 90, the rabbis warn against giving children locusts to play with, as the young ones may eat the bugs and the bugs may not be Kosher. One rabbi, however, warns that kids love their animal playmates and will not hurt them. To test this theory, we are joined by Lily, 8, and Hudson, 6, two budding bug enthusiasts. Would they ever eat a locust? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 89, tells us a heartwarming story about Satan trying and failing to stump Moses, and extols the great leader's virtue. Tal Ben-Shahar, best-selling author, Columbia professor, and the brain behind the Happiness Studies Academy, joins to tell us why happiness matters, especially now that the national mood is grim. Why must a good leader be humble rather than charismatic? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 88, dives into one of the most mysterious phrases in the entire Torah, the promise by the Israelites receiving the Torah to obey it first and only then listen to what it says. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to meditate on how and why some things only make sense once you experience them. What are the boundaries and the possibilities of obedience? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 86 and 87, ask a difficult question: Why have boundaries? And why would anyone choose to be religious when being religious involves so many strictures? Rabbi David Stav, chairman of the Tzohar organization that works to bridge the gaps between Orthodox and secular Jews in Israel, joins us to discuss the complex beauty of entering into a committed relationship with God. How is observing mitzvot like a marriage? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 84 and 85, find the rabbis in an agricultural state of mind, talking about the different seeds that one is permitted to sow in a single garden patch. Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, a prominent teacher and writer about Judaism and the environment, joins us to talk about biodiversity and our moral responsibilities to the earth. How is the Talmud promoting a truly organic approach to life? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 83, ends on a brooding note, with talk of dying in the tent of Torah. Why would such a life-affirming book as the Talmud strike such a morbid tone? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns with an uplifting interpretation, teaching us that true growth and sacrifice can only begin once we've had a chance to know ourselves as individuals. What is the self-help message in today's Daf? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Shabbat 82, makes number two its number one concern. How are we to wipe our behinds? Zach Schreiber, a lawyer and the co-creator of Seinfeld Law, a blog dedicated to exploring the many intricate legal aspects of everyone's favorite sitcom, joins us to talk about why toilet talk is so crucial to comedy, religion, and the justice system alike. Was Elaine being Talmudic when she asked the person in the next stall to spare a square of toilet paper? Listen and find out.