Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 92, brings up the question of justice, not just of the earthly courts but of the Heavenly Court as well. Asaf Romirowsky, a historian who runs Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, joins us to discuss one recent travesty of justice, the story of Hamas's first American victim and a family trying to hold the men who aided his assassins responsible. What does a decades-old murder have to teach us about our current chaotic moment in time? Listen and find out. Like t...
May 30, 2024•12 min•Season 22Ep. 92
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 91, teaches us a very important lesson from none other than Rabbi Akiva about the importance of treating others with respect and, more urgently, treating ourselves the same way. Why is despair the greatest conceivable sin? 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 that you may also enjoy ...
May 29, 2024•7 min•Season 22Ep. 91
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 90, starts out by talking abou the way we treat animals, and ends up revealing a major insight into how religious belief ought to work. Should we keep the mitzvot blindly and without questioning them? Or are we permitted, even obliged, to stop and ask just why it is that God is asking us to do this or not do that? 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...
May 28, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 90
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 88 and 89, dive into the question of what, precisely, is a worker working in the field permitted to eat. Lisa Ann Sandell, book editor and writer and Chili's alum, joins us to reflect on life in the food service industry, and the moral conundrums that keep coming out of the kitchen. What can being a server teach us about food, justice, and humanity? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. F...
May 27, 2024•10 min•Season 22Ep. 88
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 86 and 87, recount the story of a sage fleeing government malignment and persecution. Tevi Troy returns to the show to discuss cases of malignment in presidential history. How disastrous can the effects of defamation be? 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 that you may also enjoy L...
May 24, 2024•10 min•Season 22Ep. 86
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 85, finds the rabbis asking themselves the same question so many of us have been asking since Oct. 7, 2023: What did we do to deserve such a catastrophe? Their answers are subtle, surprising, and incredibly relevant. Why are blessings the key to rebuilding after disaster? 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...
May 23, 2024•9 min•Season 22Ep. 85
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 84, tells a tragic tale of two great rabbis and their heartbreaking end. Liel recounts this story of a teacher and student, Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish, and the disagreement that led to both of their demises. What happens when we don’t make peace with the people we disagree with? 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 ...
May 22, 2024•13 min•Season 22Ep. 84
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 83, discusses one method of catching a thief: by profiling those drinking at taverns in the wee hours of the morning. Tevi Troy returns to the show to discuss the tension between law and order and caution regarding over-criminalization in presidential campaigns. Does the early bird catch a worm or a conviction? 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 a...
May 21, 2024•7 min•Season 22Ep. 83
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 81 and 82, bring to light an apparent rabbinic mistake. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why this mistake wasn’t actually a mistake. What happens when a rabbi makes an incorrect ruling? 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 that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Tal...
May 20, 2024•9 min•Season 22Ep. 81
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 79 and 80, hold a lesson about our responsibility to our faith hidden within a discussion about labor. Rabbi David Bashevkin joins us to tease out this lesson. What level of responsibility do we have to the unchosen gifts that we have been given? 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...
May 17, 2024•10 min•Season 22Ep. 79
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 78, introduces us to a new word - angaria, a term used to describe a situation in which the government has the right to seize property for public service. Tevi Troy returns to the show to discuss a personal experience with eminent domain. Is eminent domain the modern version of angaria? Listen and find out. This episode is in memory of Bernard Dov Troy - Dov Moshe ben Tuviah. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.c...
May 16, 2024•6 min•Season 22Ep. 78
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 77, asks what to do when the item we ordered is not the item we receive. Producer Josh Kross joins us to recount a recent experience in France that speaks to this question. Is it ever okay to send a dish back to the kitchen? 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 that you may also enjo...
May 15, 2024•9 min•Season 22Ep. 77
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 76, kicks things off with an almost comical tale of people confusing each other until all interaction grinds to a halt. Which, alas, is still a very big problem in corporate America these days. Why is it so hard for us to simply understand each other? And what can we do about it? 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 ...
May 14, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 76
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 74 and 75, make an exception to the prohibition against charging interest. We examine the balance between equity and excellence. Why can the righteous sometimes lend with interest? 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 that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change...
May 13, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 74
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 72 and 73, talk about the life changing power of conversion. We share a story from the 2018 Conversion episode of Unorthodox about a 13-year-old converting to Judaism. What happens when a Jew borrows money from a gentile and then that gentile converts? 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...
May 10, 2024•18 min•Season 22Ep. 73
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 71, gives us a fiery lesson in business ethics. We investigate the Talmud’s claim that lending with interest is akin to denying Hashem’s existence. How should businesspeople commit to ethics in a way that’s more than just lip service? 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 that you may...
May 09, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 71
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 70, tells us of a king who takes pity on the poor. We investigate this pages modern relevance in light of our time’s astonishing income inequality. Is meritocracy the backbone of American greatness and ingenuity, or a vicious cycle that makes everyone, even the winners, miserable? 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...
May 08, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 70
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 69, tells a tale of reconciliation. We investigate a Samaritan business deal mediated by a rabbi. Will our foes forever be against us? Listen and find out. 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 that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly M...
May 07, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 69
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 67 and 68, report that one of the Talmud's greatest rabbis refused to identify as a Torah scholar. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this strange and inspiring case, and what it has to teach us today. Are we being humble enough? 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 that you ...
May 06, 2024•9 min•Season 22Ep. 67
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 65 and 66, raise the question of just how much enticement we truly need before doing something we understand is risky. Shavit Romero, a non-Jewish son of Colombian migrants to Israel who joined the IDF, is converting to Judaism, and was badly injured in Gaza, joins us to speak of his journey. What drew him to the army and the perils of war? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us ...
May 03, 2024•20 min•Season 22Ep. 65
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 64, teaches us a lesson in fair rent rates and practices. Why, then, is New York City ignoring the age-old wisdom of the rabbis? And what to do about its surge in illegal squatters seizing property all over town? 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 that you may also enjoy Liel's new...
May 02, 2024•7 min•Season 22Ep. 64
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 61, 62, and 63, find the rabbis making strange comparisons between the Exodus and weights and measurements. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain this strange choice, and how it teaches us that we all have our own unique purpose in life. How to tell things apart when they look a lot alike? 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 conve...
May 01, 2024•9 min•Season 22Ep. 61
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 58, 59, and 60, deliver sound advice from the rabbis about the three sins you mustn't commit if you don't wish to end up in hell. Our very own Presidentscher Rav, Tevi Troy, joins us to shed light on these transgressions, and how presidents and politicians have delighted in them for decades. What did RFK wish he'd never done to LBJ? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twitt...
Apr 26, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 58
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 56 and 57, sing the praises of double standards. Why are some bits of property valued much more than others? And what does it teach us about choosing excellence over equity? 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 that you may also enjoy Liel's new book How the Talmud Can Change Your L...
Apr 25, 2024•7 min•Season 22Ep. 56
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 53, 54, and 55, make us contemplate the priests and the practices they upheld to keep us whole and holy. Rabbi Jeff Salkin joins us to talk about the sacred ritual of Pesach, and why we should take some time this year to think about Armenia and its struggles, so much like our own. Why must we see the Exodus as a universal event rather than the exclusive property of the Jewish people? Listen and find out.
Apr 22, 2024•10 min•Season 22Ep. 53
Today's pages, Bava Metzia 51 and 52, discuss prohibitions on financial exploitation. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to ask: Why do markets exist? What do they have to do with societal redemption? Why do we chase things we don't really want, and certainly don't need? And what does Martin Shkreli have to do with the Talmud? 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 conversat...
Apr 19, 2024•10 min•Season 22Ep. 51
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 50, discusses the important of honesty in the marketplace. Producer Josh Kross joins us to discuss the importance of being able to trust your debate partners. What can the Talmud tell us about modern discourse? 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 that you may also enjoy Liel's new bo...
Apr 18, 2024•12 min•Season 22Ep. 50
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 49, discusses whether your intentions and your actions should match in business dealings. Comic book creator and cartoonist Jordan B. Gorfinkel, aka Gorf, joins us to to discuss whether only our actions need to be good, or do our intentions matter as well. Also, he shares his attempt to use the power of Batman to rescue some of the hostages that have been held by Hamas for over 6 months. Finally, he also shares with us a song for Passover! What kind of talmudic s...
Apr 17, 2024•16 min•Season 22Ep. 49
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Metzia 48, talks about reneging on your previously agreed upon transactions. Rabbi David Bashevkin tells us what this daf has to do with Sodom and Gomorrah, the Tower of Babel, and the Egyptians standing before the splitting Red Sea. Why shouldn’t we call everyone we don’t like Hitler? 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 T...
Apr 16, 2024•10 min•Season 22Ep. 48
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Metzia 46 and 47, are all about the asimon, a token that, back in Talmudic times, gained you entry into the bathhouse. What is the deal with this strange form of currency? And what can it teach us about video games, sex, and the fundamentals of our economy? 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 t...
Apr 15, 2024•8 min•Season 22Ep. 46
