Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 8, introduces us to the Talmudic figure of the professional eulogizer. Rabbi Jonathan Morgenstern joins us to discuss the subtle, spiritual art of saying farewell. How do you meaningfully eulogize someone you didn't even know? 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,...
Jan 20, 2022•14 min•Season 12Ep. 8
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 7, asks the big question: How should we live life? Pursue our own pleasures, no matter what, or sacrifice for the sake of others? Michael Scott Alexander, the author of Making Peace with the Universe: Personal Crisis and Spiritual Healing, joins us to discuss spiritual practice as therapy, and why pleasure and joy are two completely different things. Which surprising bit of ancient wisdom inspired the author at a moment of profound personal breakdown? Listen and...
Jan 19, 2022•9 min•Season 12Ep. 7
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 6, finds the rabbis extolling the virtues of taking risks. What happens when you live life with caution always on your mind? What's the price we pay for trying to eliminate risk altogether? Listen and find out.
Jan 18, 2022•8 min•Season 12Ep. 6
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 4 and 5, tell us about Rabban Gamliel and his decision to... overrule the Torah? Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, the executive director of the Steinsaltz Center in Jerusalem, joins us to explain this unlikely occurrence and the man who had the courage to assert his rabbinic authority. What can we learn about leadership from the wise ancient rabbi? Listen and find out.
Jan 17, 2022•16 min•Season 12Ep. 4
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 2 and 3, launch a brand new tractate, all about those magical days in between holidays, which are neither ordinary nor entirely sanctified. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us for a festive lunch and a preview of what's ahead. How does the tractate help us rethink the meaning of time? Listen and find out.
Jan 14, 2022•7 min•Season 12Ep. 2
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 32, brings us to the end of Tractate Megillah. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to recap what we've learned, and what powerful lessons the tractate still offers us today. What's the difference between a book and a letter, and why does it matter? Listen and find out.
Jan 13, 2022•10 min•Season 11Ep. 32
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 31, surprises us with a tender insistence that you can't mention God without mentioning his humility. Sheikh Faiyaz Jaffer of NYU's Islamic Center joins us to discuss how the Creator can be both almighty and humble, and what concrete behavioral and psychological lessons this insight offers us today. How does prayer help us remember God's infinite mercy? Listen and find out.
Jan 12, 2022•8 min•Season 11Ep. 31
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 30, brings up one of the thorniest questions in all of Talmud, the question of the dreaded Amalek. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this enemy is so terrible, and why we're still commanded to do war with Amalek's memory. Shall we remember what Amalek did to us, or forget these evil-doers altogether? Listen and find out.
Jan 11, 2022•9 min•Season 11Ep. 30
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 28 and 29, raise the essential question of how to live a long, happy, and healthy life. We went out and asked some of our favorite older folks what they'd recommend to anyone interested in longevity. What's the secret, then? Listen and find out.
Jan 10, 2022•8 min•Season 11Ep. 28
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.
Jan 07, 2022•7 min•Season 11Ep. 26
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.
Jan 06, 2022•8 min•Season 11Ep. 25
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.
Jan 05, 2022•11 min•Season 11Ep. 24
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.
Jan 04, 2022•16 min•Season 11Ep. 23
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...
Jan 03, 2022•8 min•Season 11Ep. 21
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 th...
Dec 31, 2021•9 min•Season 11Ep. 19
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 Leibov...
Dec 30, 2021•9 min•Season 11Ep. 18
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...
Dec 29, 2021•7 min•Season 11Ep. 17
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...
Dec 28, 2021•9 min•Season 11Ep. 16
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.co...
Dec 27, 2021•8 min•Season 11Ep. 14
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 12 and 13, find the rabbis arguing about what makes a king wise. Tevi Troy, the Presidentisher Rav and a historian who himself served under President George W. Bush, joins us to share one account of catastrophic presidential decision making, and how the Talmudic discussion can help deepen our understanding of politics. What happened when Lyndon Johnson invited over a bunch of poets to the White House? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@...
Dec 24, 2021•6 min•Season 11Ep. 12
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 11, introduces the idea that in each generation, God sends a handful of righteous men and women to save us all. Justin Hayet, host of the new podcast Thirty-Six, joins us with a clip from his show, which seeks these hidden few tzadikim all over Israel. Can a few holy folk truly save us all? 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. T...
Dec 23, 2021•13 min•Season 11Ep. 11
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 10, includes a rousing discussion of one classic biblical word, vayehi, and it came to pass. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to explain why the word sometimes foreshadows doom and sometimes blessings, and unearth its deeper theological meanings. So were our teachers wrong when they told us never to write in the passive voice? 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...
Dec 22, 2021•6 min•Season 11Ep. 10
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 9, recounts a strange incident involving an evil king imprisoning 72 rabbis and demanding that each of them translate the Bible. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why each of them translated it in precisely the same way, and why, historically, biblical translations were frowned upon. What famous rabbinic joke did the incident inspire? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and jo...
Dec 21, 2021•8 min•Season 11Ep. 9
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 7 and 8, explain that Esther, making the rabbis uncomfortable, insisted that her story be written down and passed from generation to generation. Yeshiva University's Dr. Shaina Trapedo joins us to talk about what motivated the Biblical queen, and how writing still has the power to transform us and history alike. What writing tips can we take from the Megillah? Listen and find out. Like the show? Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @ta...
Dec 20, 2021•11 min•Season 11Ep. 7
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Megillah 5 and 6, teach us that the Jewish people refused a prohibition on working on Purim. Michael Eisenberg, one of Israel's most successful investors and the author of The Tree of Life and Prosperity: 21st Century Business Principles from the Book of Genesis, joins us to talk about what labor meant back in Talmudic times and what it means now, and whether universal basic income is an idea we should consider. Why plant saplings on Purim? Listen and find out.
Dec 17, 2021•9 min•Season 11Ep. 5
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 4, gives us a bright moment of compassion when laws take a back seat to charity. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to talk about what happens when halacha comes up against pressing human needs, and why we should always keep the neediest in mind. What do the poor have to do with Purim? Listen and find out.
Dec 16, 2021•6 min•Season 11Ep. 4
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 3, kicks things off with warnings of talking to demons at night. Keith Thomas and Rafi Margules, the director and producer of the Jewish-themed horror movie The Vigil, join us to talk about finding bone-chilling inspiration in Jewish tradition. Why is Judaism so rich in ghost, ghouls, and creepy-crawlies? Listen and find out.
Dec 15, 2021•14 min•Season 11Ep. 3
Today’s Daf Yomi page, Megillah 2, launches a brand new tractate, devoted to Megillat Esther. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us for a preview of what's ahead. What to make of the only book in the Bible that doesn't mention God? 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 Scar...
Dec 14, 2021•8 min•Season 11Ep. 2
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 30 and 31, bring to a close Tractate Taanit. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to sum it all up. What did we learn about mourning and yearning, together and apart? 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’...
Dec 13, 2021•8 min•Season 10Ep. 30
Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Taanit 28 and 29, tell us a heartbreaking story of the priests mourning the destruction of the Temple. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why they tossed the Temple's keys heavenward, and what this heartbreaking gesture can still teach us today. What does this story tell us about our relationship with God? 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 Fa...
Dec 10, 2021•7 min•Season 10Ep. 28
