Today’s Talmud Pages, Bava Batra 61 and 62, discuss the meaning of silence during important conversations. The Presidentisher Tevi Troy, joins us to explore how this applies to modern politics. Does silence equal agreement? Listen and find out. Also, The Presidentisher Rav has just released a new book, "The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry." Gadol Hador Yuval Levin wrote of the book that "The Power and the Money" is "filled with rich anecdo...
Aug 26, 2024•6 min•Season 23Ep. 61
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 59 and 60, deliver a disquisition that couldn't be more timely. How, the rabbis are asking, should we go on living our lives in times of great sorrow, mourning, and grief? Can we continue to celebrate joyous occasions even amid so much loss and suffering? And, if so, how? Listen and find out.
Aug 23, 2024•8 min•Season 23Ep. 59
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 58, gives us a collection of stories about the adventurous Rabbi Bena'a, who at some points even meets Abraham and Adam. Why did the Talmudic sages believe that all of us simply got worse and worse with each passing generation? And how is this concept of evolution in reverse actually an invitation to a more graceful and emotionally balanced life? Listen and find out
Aug 22, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 58
Todays page, Bava Batra 57, discusses the proper attire for torah scholars.Tablet’s General Manger and resident Fiber Arts specialist Tanya Singer joins us to discuss dressing properly for the task at hand. Do clothes make a difference when getting things done? Listen and find out.
Aug 21, 2024•11 min•Season 23Ep. 57
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 56, raises a question that is still a political hot potato to this day: What, precisely, are the boundaries of the Land of Israel? But the rabbis, as they always do, dig even deeper, teaching us a lesson about the dangers of sameness and the dignity of difference. Why was Liz Lemon of 30 Rock fame wrong when she opined that all everyone truly wants is to sit down in peace and eat a sandwich? Listen and find out.
Aug 20, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 56
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 54 and 55, mention the Hatzav, a peculiar plant used to demarcate fields in the olden days. But the Hatzav has since become an absolute darling of Israeli poets, writers, and musicians, who have come to see it as the perfect metaphor for life in a demanding and beautiful and perilous land. Why? And what did the Israeli version of the Rolling Stones do when a big bank paid them to write a song about a Hatzav? Listen and find out.
Aug 19, 2024•7 min•Season 23Ep. 54
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 52 and 53, make an argument that one good way to establish ownership of a piece of real estate is simply to lock the door. Producer Josh Kross joins us with his teenage daughter, Violet, to talk about privacy, door-locking, and the other thrills of parenting an adolescent. Just what is the appeal of door-locking anyway? Listen and find out.
Aug 16, 2024•11 min•Season 23Ep. 52
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 51, finds the rabbis in the mood to praise the greats. Rabbi Meni Even-Israel, who heads the Steinsaltz Center in Jerusalem, joins us to talk about his father, the late, great Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, the scholar who has done more than anyone in modern times to make the Talmud accessible. What was it like arguing about presents with a singular Talmudic mind? Listen and find out.
Aug 15, 2024•21 min•Season 23Ep. 51
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 50, mentions Usha, the ancient town in the Galilee where the rabbis set up court after the destruction of the Temple. What was so special about Usha? And what timely lessons does it have for those of us struggling with difficult realities today? Listen and find out.
Aug 14, 2024•7 min•Season 23Ep. 50
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 49, is all about how couples should share their money—or not. Writer and editor Lisa Ann Sandell joins us to talk about the dos and don'ts of making money and marriage alike work. Who, exactly, owns the dog? Listen and find out.
Aug 13, 2024•6 min•Season 23Ep. 49
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 47 and 48, raise a tough question: If we're forced to do something, does that thing really count? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to shed light on the soulful principle behind what, on paper, sounds like a harsh Halachic ruling. What to do when you come across a particularly pushy salesman? Listen and find out.
Aug 12, 2024•10 min•Season 23Ep. 47
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 45 and 46, raise an interesting question: What to do when you accidentally picked up someone else's coat in shul? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain how and why this seemingly mundane-sounding question contains multitudes, and can teach us a surprisingly soulful lesson in how to live. What's the most Jewish article of clothing ever created? Listen and find out.
Aug 09, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 45
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 44, informs us that real estate is different from movable objects because it has a kol, literally a voice, meaning people talk about it and therefore tell each other everything there is to know about any piece of property. Rabbi Dr. Stu Halpern of Yeshiva University's Straus Center joins us to talk about the wild real estate situation in Modi'in, Israel, where buying a home is a contact sport. What is the one thing you should never, ever do when trying to buy some...
Aug 08, 2024•8 min•Season 23Ep. 44
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 43, tells a story of a community that loses its Torah scroll in a brazen break-in. What should we do when we suffer such attacks? And what advice do the rabbis have for us as we, too, struggle to find some light in a benighted world? Listen and find out.
Aug 07, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 43
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 42, discusses the categories of people who may work very hard, and be well-compensated, but who may never claim true ownership. How is there condition similar to that of our best compensated meritocrats? And why are so many of the most fabulously salaried Americans so miserable? Listen and find out.
Aug 06, 2024•8 min•Season 23Ep. 42
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 40 and 41, teach us the concept of the Moda'a, a difficult legal tool that allows someone forced to do something under duress a way out of a bad situation. Why did the rabbis question whether this tool might also invalidate the entirety of the Torah? 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 th...
Aug 05, 2024•7 min•Season 23Ep. 40
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 38 and 39, discuss what happens to legal arrangements and normal life if and when the land of Israel is ravaged by war. Producer Courtney Hazlett joins us with a dispatch from Israel, shining a light on the life of one ordinary family living with ten months of war. What do ordinary people do in extraordinary circumstances? 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 @take...
Aug 02, 2024•36 min•Season 23Ep. 38
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 37, kicks things off with a vexing question about two people arguing over a piece of land, and soon evolves into a discussion of hope, grit, and keeping on. How did an elderly shoemaker inspire a very learned rabbi to denounce despair? 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...
Aug 01, 2024•6 min•Season 23Ep. 37
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 36, praises the principle of dissent, of speaking your mind precisely when the many and the mighty think differently. What did some of the greatest dissenters in the history of the Supreme Court learn from Talmudic idea of an argument for the sake of heaven? 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...
Jul 31, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 36
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 35, introduces us to a concept called shudda de'dayanei, or judicial discretion, allowing judges to exercise their authority in difficult and contentious cases. Sivan Rahav Meir, host of the Sivan Says podcast and one of Israel's leading journalists and Torah teachers, joins us to discuss great power, great responsibility, and how to use both well. What did the celebrated Israeli Supreme Court justice do every morning before hearing difficult cases? Listen and fin...
Jul 30, 2024•11 min•Season 23Ep. 35
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 33 and 34, delivers a crucial lesson about prioritizing those among us who can barely defend themselves. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why we should take special care when dealing with the disadvantaged. Why did the rabbis insist on a special oath when doing business with orphans? 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 convers...
Jul 29, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 33
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 31 and 32, deliver a bit of wisdom that served the rabbis well while discussing property rights, but that couldn't be more relevant to us in these contentious political times. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to discuss the fascinating and timely notion of being presumed Kosher. Why should we treat everyone as if they're worthy of our trust? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on...
Jul 26, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 31
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 30, tells us the story of a man who was so busy he failed to notice his friend was living in his house for three years. What can we learn from this outlandish tale about our own relationship with productivity and stress? And was the wise Rava right to rule that keeping really, really busy is kind of good for you? Listen and find out.
Jul 25, 2024•7 min•Season 23Ep. 30
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 29, finds Rava and Abaye locked in a fierce argument over everything from legal deeds to human psychology. Why should we sometimes slow down our reading of the Talmud and learn from these great wise rabbis? And what might today's discussion teach us about the way we interact with each other? 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...
Jul 24, 2024•10 min•Season 23Ep. 29
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 28, discusses what it takes to truly take possession of something, like a field, say, or a house. But can the same rules prescribed by the rabbis teach us how to take possession of our own country? And might the Talmud have a prescription on how we should to about, in the midst of a very volatile political moment, and reclaim democracy? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Send us a note at takeone@tabletmag.com. Follow us on Twi...
Jul 23, 2024•7 min•Season 23Ep. 28
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 26 and 27, advise us to distance ourselves from our neighbors in order to avert fractiousness and violence. We share the latest episode from Tablet’s podcast What Really Matters with Walter Russell Mead, which discusses the rise of J.D. Vance, America’s nervous allies in Europe and Asia, Silicon Valley’s break right, and the near-slaying of Donald Trump. Is there hope for our country? Listen and find out.
Jul 22, 2024•39 min•Season 23Ep. 26
Today’s Talmud pages, Bava Batra 24 and 25, kick things off by regulating how to design cities so that they don't smell. What surprising factor brought about London's Great Stink of 1858? And what does Rabbi Akiva have to teach us modern city dwellers struggling with overly fragrant streets? 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 gro...
Jul 19, 2024•8 min•Season 23Ep. 24
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 23, gives us a masterclass on Talmud thinking. What to do when you don't know all the facts? And is there a sound way to go ahead and eliminate doubt? 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 Modern ...
Jul 18, 2024•10 min•Season 23Ep. 23
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 22, gives us a shocking admission: Sometimes, jealousy is good. Terrific, even. Perhaps essential to human growth and greatness. But how can we tell the good kind of jealous from the bad? And how does jealousy help explain the Beatles? 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...
Jul 17, 2024•8 min•Season 23Ep. 22
Today’s Talmud page, Bava Batra 21, delivers a brief history of Jewish education. Once upon a time, it was only up to parents to make sure their kids learned Torah, until the rabbis noticed that this arrangement favored the few and the privileged. And so, they erected a system of education that still has much to teach us today. What are the four insights the rabbis have for everyone interested in the question of education? Listen and find out. Like the show? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. S...
Jul 16, 2024•9 min•Season 23Ep. 21
