Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 2 and 3, introduce us to a brand new tractate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with a preview of what's in store. What life lessons are we to learn from the famous story about two dudes holding on to a Tallis, each insisting that it belongs to him? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook group. We think...
Mar 01, 2024•7 min•Season 22Ep. 2
Today’s Talmud page is Bava Kama 119, and it is the ending of tractate Bava Kama. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to reflect on how all the rules about cows tell us really how we should treat each other. Should we really sweat the small stuff? Listen and find out. If you would like to read Rabbi Bashevkin’s essay about the end of this tractate, you can read it here. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi ...
Feb 29, 2024•10 min•Season 21Ep. 119
Today’s Talmud pages are Bava Kama 118, gives us a long list of transactions that can and do go awfully wrong. And while not many of us these days buy calves from women in the Sharon region of Israel, we do shop on apps that frequently leave much to be desired. What do the rabbis of the Talmud have to teach us about shopping experiences gone bad? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyom...
Feb 28, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 118
Today’s Talmud pages are Bava Kama 117, tells a story of a Jew harassed for being visibly Jewish, a problem that, sadly, plagues many of us today. Gayle Kirschenbaum joins us with a moving personal essay addressing this question precisely. Should we wear our Stars of David proudly and openly? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedafyomi and join the conversation in the Take One Facebook gr...
Feb 27, 2024•20 min•Season 21Ep. 117
Today’s Talmud pages are Bava Kama 115 and 116, but they inspire us to ask a bigger question. With thousands of years of Talmud study already in the books, why do we need new translation and new editions to study? Rabbi Menachem Evan-Israel, son of famed Talmud scholar and translator Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, joins us to discuss. Why, in 2024, do we need to keep revisiting the work? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletm...
Feb 26, 2024•10 min•Season 21Ep. 115
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 113 and 114, asks whether Jews can use prohibited fabrics to protect ourselves from paying customs duties levied only on Jews. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us and explains that this kind of subterfuge is generally frowned upon, but also a garment that helps save a life through trickery may be the best choice. How can a story about American soldiers in World War II help us decide? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note ...
Feb 23, 2024•9 min•Season 21Ep. 113
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 112 asks what is a child’s obligation if their parent borrows a cow to use for agricultural work, and then dies. Hudson Leibovitz joins us to discuss a more modern version of this quandary, and shares what he thinks about being responsible for the deals that his father made. He also shares the difference between what he is responsible for versus what might just be an accident. What is an unavoidable accident, and who is responsible when one occurs? Listen and find ...
Feb 22, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 112
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 111 asks whether a child is responsible to pay back a debt left by a parent who has robbed. Tablet’s Executive Editor Wayne Hoffman joins us to discuss his book The End of Her in which he attempts to solve the murder of his great-grandmother. He discusses the double agenda in writing his book of setting out to solve the mystery of this murder, and to figure out the value of the story that had been passed down about this horrible event, and the value of storytelling...
Feb 21, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 111
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 110 continues the conversation of repaying a debt to a convert to Judaism after they have died. To our modern ears, it is difficult to consider the idea that a convert is different than one born a Jew. Instead, perhaps we should consider how we all make the choice to be Jews each day as we go through our lives. The food we choose to eat, the prayers we choose to take part in, the mitzvot we commit to making a part of our lives, are affirmations that we make to decl...
Feb 20, 2024•7 min•Season 21Ep. 110
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 108 and 109 ask what should happen if a robber needs to repay a debt to someone who has converted to Judaism after they have died, as while most debts can be paid to an heir, a convert (who has not married and had children of their own) has no heir. The Talmud answers this question by saying that the debt should be paid to a priest. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin introduces the Talmudic principle that a person who chooses to become a Jew, is like a baby reborn, and how thi...
Feb 19, 2024•9 min•Season 21Ep. 108
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 106 and 107 ask why a debtor must take an oath when they claim that the money owed is some portion of the debt that the lender indicates is owed, but does not have to take such an oath when they claim that they don’t owe any money at all. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to explore why someone might admit to some of the debt because admitting to none of it is too difficult to do. The Talmud indicates that it is easier to believe someone who indicates that they owe pa...
Feb 16, 2024•9 min•Season 21Ep. 106
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 105 explains that a Nazarite who is obligated to shave their head, has not fulfilled their obligation if two hairs remain on their head. To our modern ears, this determination appears extreme, but the Rabbis ask us to consider that there are times when compromise is not the appropriate response, and the strict adherence to certain principles is. Are there certain lines that we must maintain with strict adherence in order to ensure a system of true justice? Listen a...
Feb 15, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 105
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 104 continues the conversation about whether one can designate an agent to accept payment on your behalf, and the Rabbis are not in agreement. Tevi Troy returns to discuss the many agents that Presidents must appoint to aide them in their administration, and the correct ways that such an agent should behave if they do not agree with the policies of the President that appointed them. During the Clinton administration, Peter Edelman, who was appointed by the Presiden...
Feb 14, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 104
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 103 begins by explaining that a robber must travel across the world in order to repay a debt for something they stole, indicating that they are not able to send someone else to repay it, or give it to a family member instead of directly to the person they stole from. But then, they say that a debt can be paid by giving it to an agent of the court. This piece of Talmud teaches us of the importance of repentance, but also teaches us that we should not make it so diff...
Feb 13, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 103
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 101 and 102 asks what happens when a carpenter is asked to make a chair, but instead makes a bench, which is of lower value, or the reverse, where the carpenter who is hired to make a bench, makes a chair instead. The larger question that one might ask is whether one should create something beautiful that only can be enjoyed by one, or something that could be enjoyed by a community. Arie Dosoretz, joins Stephanie Butnick to discuss his choice of a birthday gift fo...
Feb 12, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 101
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 99 and 100 asks whether what deference we need to give to experts who may get something wrong. In considering this question, we share an interview from our sister podcast Unorthodox, where we chat with Thomas Nichols, professor of national security at the United States Naval War College, about his book The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters. He explains the dangers of experts being branded as out-of-touch elites and e...
Feb 09, 2024•26 min•Season 21Ep. 99
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 98 begins with the claim that if someone throws another person’s coin into the sea, they are not obligated to pay restitution as the coin is still accessible to the one who lost it. This idea encourages us to consider acting rather than just feeling aggrieved. Are there times when we need to stop pitying ourselves and just deal with it? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twit...
Feb 08, 2024•7 min•Season 21Ep. 98
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 97 discusses the difference between a stolen coin that cracks and one that is invalidated. Tevi Troy returns to discuss the times in our history when governments have had to deal with changes in the monetary system, from abandoning the gold standard to contemplating the ramifications of cryptocurrency. What happened when Milton Friedman spoke truth to power? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag....
Feb 07, 2024•7 min•Season 21Ep. 97
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 96 is a discussion of whether a robber must pay back the value of the oxen that they stole, or whether they must also include in their payment some portion of the enhancement of the land that occurred while the robber used the animals to work the land. The discussion ends with the Rabbi Nachman agreeing that a payment beyond the value of the oxen is unusual but was necessary in a specific case because the robber was infamous and needed additional punishment. Are th...
Feb 06, 2024•9 min•Season 21Ep. 96
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 94 and 95 ask whether it is allowed to say a blessing over something that is ill-gotten. Rabbi Dovid Beshevkin returns to explore the debate amongst the Rabbis on whether it is appropriate to make a blessing over unkosher food, or if that would be considered blasphemy. We explore the question of whether saying a blessing isthe act of asking for permission or an act of recognition of the creator of all things. Should you make a blessing over food if you are eating ...
Feb 05, 2024•10 min•Season 21Ep. 94
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 92 and 93 explore the idea that even if one pays the fine for the damages they cause, they are not forgiven in the heavenly courts until they ask for forgiveness from the victim. Rabbi Dovid Beshevkin joins us to explore why the Mishna insists that you must apologize to be forgiven in the eyes of God. Is settling damages about paying off your debts, or is it about creating connections among society to ensure trust? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to ...
Feb 02, 2024•10 min•Season 21Ep. 92
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 91 asks whether the amount paid when one humiliates a rich person should be higher than that paid of a poor man, as the rich are accustomed to more respect than the poor. The Talmud resolves that as all people are deserving of the same payment as we all come from the same honorable lineage. This is an important reminder that we all are deserving of respect and human decency. What should we do to remember to treat everyone with the respect and dignity that they dese...
Feb 01, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 91
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 90 discusses the penalties that one must pay to another if they slap them. There are different levels of penalty that must be paid depending on the type of slap, and the location on the body that is slapped. Tablet’s Courtney Hazlett returns to explore the story of the slap heard around the world, that being the slap by Will Smith of comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. We discuss the ways that a slap is far more complicated than other forms of physical ...
Jan 31, 2024•10 min•Season 21Ep. 90
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 89 asks whether a woman can use the financial value of her marriage contract to pay restitution to someone she has damaged. The Rabbis go on to discuss the potential difference between an actual possession and a promise of a possession listed in words. This idea reminds us of the financial bubble that came out of the growth of the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the mortgage-backed securities that followed. How can we ensure that our words don’t form a bubble of thei...
Jan 30, 2024•7 min•Season 21Ep. 89
Covering Their Tracks is the extraordinary story of a young man’s escape from a moving train bound for the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust, and his fight to hold the French national rail company, the SNCF, accountable for their actions as they later bid for lucrative high-speed rail contracts in the United States. For more information visit http://tabletmag.com/coveringtheirtracks or search for Covering Their Track wherever you get your podcasts.
Jan 29, 2024•6 min
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 87 and 88 asks what Jewish ethics permit us to do when we are on the retaliating end of atrocities. This is an especially important question in the aftermath of October 7. We welcome Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody, author of Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality to discuss the complicated balance between indiscriminate killing and maintaining our defense. What does halacha teach us about the ways that we fight that keep in mind both the idea that all h...
Jan 29, 2024•16 min•Season 21Ep. 87
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Kama 85 and 86 follows a discussion where the question of what happens when someone receives a harsh punishment, and the decision must be made on how to dole out such a horrible punishment. This topic is very timely, as the State of Alabama is preparing to execute Kenneth Smith, after his conviction on the charges of murder. In response to his immanent death, religious leaders have reached out to the Governor of Alabama asking that the form of execution be changed from...
Jan 26, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 85
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 84 focuses on one of the most famous phrases in Biblical justice, “An Eye For An Eye”. While this concept may seem barbaric and encourage severe responses to actions that you befall, the Rabbis saw it in a different light. They indicate that because we all feel things differently, pain included, it is impossible to ensure that an even punishment is given in this format, and thus it is necessary to look at the concept differently. Is this adage a call for revenge, o...
Jan 25, 2024•7 min•Season 21Ep. 84
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kama 83 begins with Yehuda HaNasi proclaiming that one should speak either the sacred language of Hebrew, or the language of the environment, at that time, Greek. Tablet Magazine’s Courtney Hazlett returns today to share her journey in learning Hebrew. While she began to learn in preparation for her Bat Mitzvah, she has double downed on her commitment to learning the language in response to October 7. What is so powerful about speaking in the holy language of the Torah?...
Jan 24, 2024•8 min•Season 21Ep. 83
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Kamma 82, issues a strange warning against... education? Rabbi Ari Lamm joins us to explain what the rabbis meant when they spoke of Greek Wisdom, and how Jewish culture and values have always had to struggle with divergent and popular ideas. What can the rabbis' wisdom teach us about the current state of secular education? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitter at @takeonedaf...
Jan 23, 2024•14 min•Season 21Ep. 82
