Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 56, is all about blaspheming. But what precisely is blasphemy? And why should its very complicated Talmudic definition drive us to watch our tongue lest we use our words to destroy rather than create? And what does Taylor Swift have to do with any of it? Listen and find out

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 54 and 55, raise a complicated question: Is punishment logical? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tackle this thorny subject. How did the rabbis, then, think about punishment? Listen and find out.

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 52 and 53, ponder what life was like in a world in which God's presence was truly and viscerally felt. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss this inspired, and inspiring, passage. Why did the sages of the Talmud choose to illustrate this principle by describing a horrific execution? Listen and find out.

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 51, asks a question many of us have been pondering: Why spend all this time learning about laws and events that are simply no longer relevant to our lives today? And what's the reward of being diligent students of Torah? Listen and find out.

The discussion dives into the four methods of execution in Jewish law, examining their gravity and the rabbinic debates surrounding them. Emphasis is placed on justice intertwined with compassion, reflecting a deep concern for human life. Listeners are encouraged to navigate the complexities of controversial topics, promoting sensitivity and reflection. The conversation highlights the need for nuance in engaging with difficult issues, urging us to consider the intricacies of personal beliefs in the face of polarizing conversations.

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 49, kicks things off with a wise bit of teaching: It's better to be cursed than to curse. Socrates himself would have agreed, but the rabbis had a very different understanding of why cursing corrodes society. Who was Rabbi Haim, and what terrible truth did he learn when he was allowed to visit Heaven and Hell? Listen and find out.

Today’s Talmud pages, Sanhedrin 47 and 48, remind us that grief is a singular burden. A story from one of the Talmud's wisest rabbis gives us new insights into grief, and helps us navigate even the most unbearable of feelings. How, then, should we grieve? Listen and find out.

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 45 and 46, cover various different aspects of the execution process, and even shares a specific process for the blasphemer and the atheist. Producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss how he squares his fervent love of being a Jew with his atheism. Can someone find a basis for morality without Hashem? Listen, and find out.

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 44, tells an eerie tale of a wise sage and an evil taxman who were each buried in the other's tomb. Dr. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, returns to shed light on this insightful tale, and teach us a lesson about history's long memory. How did Harry Truman benefit from history's hindsight? Listen and find out.

Today’s Talmud page, Sanhedrin 43, raises an interesting point about the procedure of public executions. Dr. Tevi Troy, our very own Presidentischer Rav, joins us to explain why we don't ask a condemned man to pay for his own execution, and what the ordinance has to do with contemporary American politics. What lesson could Bill Clinton learn from the Talmud's rabbis? Listen and find out.