Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 16 and 17, deliver a delightful discovery: Having concluded their prayers, the wise rabbis of the Talmud were often in the habit of uttering a few additional, and very personal, prayers of their own. What would such a modern day invocation be like? Mark Oppenheimer, co-host of Tablet's popular Unorthodox podcast, joins to deliver a meditation on this question. What can we say these days to begin and repair the world? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 14 and 15, tackle a difficult question: What's the correct order of doing things in life, from serving God to handling our earthly affairs? Shira Hecht-Koller, director of education of 929 English, returns for a close reading of a complex Talmudic disagreement that leaves us with unexpected clarity about the relationship between learning, teaching, and doing. Why should we never opine freely before we're absolutely sure we understand the thing we're opining about? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 13, brings up the complicated topic of intentionality. In other words: Is it enough to just follow all the commandments, or do you have to really mean it in your heart of hearts? We're joined by Shira Hecht-Koller, director of education of 929 English, who helps us unpack the intricacies of being fully present, no matter what it is you do. How do you direct your heart to the right place? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 12, raises a thorny question: What happens if you're at a party, say, and reach for the Budweiser, and say the appropriate blessing for beer, but then realize you've grabbed the Chardonay instead? Do you need to switch up your blessing? The question may sound confusing, but producer Josh Kross helps us arrive at an environmentally friendly meditation on why it's important to be mindful about what you eat. What does the Daf have to say about going green? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 11, begins with a loopy parable about beards that's really about something much bigger: No strangers to disagreement, the rabbis wanted to take some time and teach us all how to have a principled, respectful, and enjoyable argument. Which, frankly, is a lesson we can all use these days. So how can we fight without getting nasty? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Berakhot 10, introduces us to one of the Talmud's most formidable—and only—women. Her name is Beruria, and she delivers a wise and passionate lesson to her husband, the famed Rabbi Meir, teaching him the true meaning of compassion. Want to learn the true meaning of mercy?  Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 8 and 9, begin with a thorny statement: If you don't visit your local synagogue, you're an evil neighbor. It sounds a bit gruff, but when you consider the identity of the man who passed this judgment—a former gladiator moved by lust to become one of the Talmud's wisest and most celebrated rabbis—things start to fall into place. Want to meet the legendary Reish Lakish? Curious about why freedom can only be achieved when everyone is free? Listen and find out.

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 6 and 7, raise a strange and wonderful question: Does God pray? And if so, what does the Almighty ask for? Because the rabbis believed God prayed for nothing more than not losing His temper with us, His misbehaved children, we asked the show’s producer, Josh Kross, a long-time stay-at-home dad, to offer his perspective on what mothers and fathers here on earth can learn from our Heavenly Father about keeping your cool and being a good parent. Want to know what God commands you to do next time your kids are being annoying? Listen and find out.

Today's Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 4 and 5, begin with a king fretting about his sins and soul. He is King David: No stranger to all matters of transgression, the king nevertheless takes stock of his attempts to live righteously and worries about any possible future wrongdoings. Unorthodox co-host Stephanie Butnick joins us for a conversation about what men in the #metoo era might learn from King David, and about the Talmud's approach to suffering. Always wondered why bad things happened to good people? Listen and find out.

Take One is Tablet's Daf Yomi podcast, reading one page of Talmud a day. For past episodes, click here.Today's Daf Yomi, Berakhot 3, tells us a curious story about Rabbi Yosei Ben Halafta, who lived in the second century CE. Not wanting to say his prayers while traveling, he enters an abandoned ruins and prepares to pray in peace, when a series of mystical events unfold that teach him a few valuable lessons. Why was Yosei visited by the prophet Elijah? And what does their conversation teach us about living in a world that's profoundly broken and constantly feeling like you're falling short of your goals? Listen and find out.