Take One Daf Yomi

Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 20, kicks things off with a cautionary tale of just how important it is to stay focused and mindful. But isn't such a level of intentionality, like, really hard? And isn't it reserved only for the few and the saintly? A beloved hassidic tale helps us clear things up. How can each and every one of us achieve the highest level of spiritual focus without trying too hard? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 18 and 19, ruminate on ritual bathing. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to muse on the physical and spiritual cleansing you get when you dunk in a mikvah, and whether the ocean counts. What did the rabbis understand about surfing? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 16 and 17, gift us one of the most beautiful insights in all of the Talmud: When offered a lot of something or a little, always go for the latter. Rabbi Diana Fersko joins us to explain this counterintuitive bit of wisdom, and how it can guide us in anything from prayer to business. Why is opting for less the key to growth? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 15, finds the rabbis discussing intercourse. Batsheva Marcus returns with more insight on how the Talmud viewed human sexuality, and what advice it gives that we can still apply today. How did the rabbis think about something as combustible as sex? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 14, introduces us to what may be the most famous story in all of Jewish mysticism. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin returns to tell us this Talmudic haunted house story, and what it can teach us about knowing ourselves, others, and God. Why is knowing your own name not as simple as it sounds? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 13, mentions electricity, a few good centuries before Ben Franklin gazed longingly at his kite. DC Comics legend Jordan Gorfinkel joins us to discuss a page full of strange creatures that seem straight out of the X-Men series, and explain how the rabbis of the Talmud knew all about electric light. How is electricity a metaphor for learning? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 11 and 12, give us a master class in lewdness and a throwback to the 1990s. Mark Oppenheimer joins us to talk about the world-historical significance of Zima, and what the ill-fated drink can teach us about human spirituality and sexuality. What is the greater meaning of Zima? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 9 and 10, take to task one of the best-known bits of advice about whether, and how much, practice makes perfect. Stephanie Butnick joins us to talk about her days as an elite collegiate fencer, and what she learned about training to be the best. So, does doing something for 10,000 hours really make you great at it? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 8, informs us that the only real joy you could have while eating comes from eating lots and lots and lots of meat. But what is the connection between meat and happiness, precisely? Does it require us to change the ways we think and behave when we feast on flesh? And what common practice is an affront to the rabbis’ teaching about eating meat responsibly? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 7, tells us, in a famous passage, that some things, including some mitzvot, just can’t be measured. Rabbi Mordecai Finley joins us to explain this mystical concept, and how it continues to inspire us today. What in life is so precious we just can’t put a number on it? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Chagigah 6, kicks things off with a charming image of a small child partaking in the festival and taking in the sights and feelings. Historian and our very own Presidentisher Rav Tevi Troy joins us to share some formative childhood memories that shaped our finest presidents, and give parents some advice on how to raise young people to be both great and good. Which TV channel should you insist your kids binge-watch? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 4 and 5, give us a shockingly candid conversation about God’s tears. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to ponder whether the Almighty indeed weeps, and, if so, who might God weep for. What precious relationship advice does today’s page of Talmud deliver? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Chagigah 2 and 3, introduce us to a brand new tractate, all about the obligation to make the pilgrimage to the ancient Temple in Jerusalem thrice a year and celebrate. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain the sweet mysticism of the rabbis passionately debating a ritual they knew they’d never experience firsthand. What can their dedication teach us about faith, hope, and resilience? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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We are about to start a new tractate, masechet Chagigah. It’s the thirteenth tractate, out of the sixty three in the Talmud. Before we start, join us to get a sense of the topics that we will explore and the guests we will be learning with.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 29, brings this gorgeous and mystical tractate to an end. What did it teach us about life, death, and everything in between? Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us with one final meditation on the wisdom of in-between days. What, exactly, are in-between days, and how may they inspire us to lead richer lives? Listen and find out. 

Also, please enjoy Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin’s end of masechet article Passing Through on Tablet.

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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 28, reflects on history and its judgment. Presidential historian Tevi Troy joins us to assess which Oval Office occupants were celebrated in life but reviled by posterity, and which were thought to be duds when elected but heroes from the distance of decades. What did Troy's former boss, George W. Bush, think about history and his place in it? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 27, teaches us just how important it is to listen to those less powerful and privileged, and to do whatever you can to ease their anxiety. In this episode, Liel pays tribute to the man who embodied this wisdom better than most, his friend and mentor Todd Gitlin, who passed away this week. What lesson can we learn from the late professor and writer about the transformative power of kindness? 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 Darone Ruskay, Josh Kross, Robert Scaramuccia, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Quinn Waller.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 25 and 26, ponder the question of what happens when a really famous person passes away. Erin Ben Moche, host of the Bagel Report podcast, joins us to talk about why celebrities matter, and why we feel stricken when a famous person we didn't know dies. Why is celebrity journalism a particularly Jewish occupation? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 23 and 24, bring us a heady mixture of sadness and joy, reminding us that for each tragic event, a simcha, or a joyous occasion, is sure to follow. Shira Hecht-Koller, who runs the 929 project of reading the entire Hebrew Bible in a three-year cycle, joins us to talk about why the rabbis tethered grief and elation, and how reading Jewish texts together makes this emotional rollercoaster cohere. Why is our grief never really our own private matter? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 22, contains a particularly curious fashion tip, telling women they're free to mend their clothes immediately after ripping them while mourning a loved one. Leandra Medine Cohen, founder of the popular fashion publication Man Repeller, joins us with a deep dive into the Talmud's view on women, fashion sense, and everything in between. How is the rabbis' obsession with ladies' garments strangely empowering? 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.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 21, reads a bit like the plot of a particularly dark episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Stephanie Butnick joins us to reflect on why we spend so much time minding the different ways we speak to different people in different circumstances, and whether or not all this social awkwardness is merited. Are we placing too much of a premium on keeping it real? 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.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 20, ponders what one must do when a spouse's parent passes away. Rebecca Cynamon-Murphy joins us to share the story of her father's sudden illness and death, and how her family coped with the loss. What can you do to help a loved one grieve? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 18 and 19, kick things off with a stunning cautionary tale about gossip. Karen Swallow Prior, host of the new podcast Jane and Jesus, joins us to talk about what Jane Austen understood about the importance of guarding your tongue, and how her work can be read as a subtle religious commentary on the perils of reckless speech. What would Austen have made of a world riddled with vicious posts on social media? 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.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 16 and 17, warn us against studying Torah with rabbis who aren't pure and upright in their ways. Mark Oppenheimer joins us to share stories from his days as a religion columnist for The New York Times, and reflect on whether or not it's fair to hold our teachers to such high standards. What obligation, precisely, do members of the clergy have to lead impeccable lives? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 15, dives deep into the profound question of how we ought to mourn the passing of a loved one. Rabbi Sari Laufer joins us to explain what the Talmud teaches us about grief and longing, and why the image of an unmade bed is used to evoke a feeling not only of loss but also of hope. How is grief also an invitation to think about society's outcasts? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 14, raises the question of prison. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to explain why the rabbis compared the prison to a womb, and how this imagery continues to influence our thinking today. How should we think about criminal justice reform, according to the Talmud? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi page, Moed Katan 13, treats us to a reminder that preparing for a festivity is often just as important, if not more so, than the party itself. What might we do to master the art of preparation? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 11 and 12, suggest that important people are just different than you and me and ought to be held to a higher standard. Historian Tevi Troy, the Presidentisher Rav, joins us to talk about two American presidents who grappled with this question, one getting it just right and the other very, very wrong. What did FDR serve for lunch when the Queen of England dropped by for a visit? 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Moed Katan 9 and 10, tell a very curious story about the year they canceled...Yom Kippur. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to tell us how this miraculous occurrence happened, and what it can still teach us today. Why was there one year of eating and rejoicing rather than fasting and 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 Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.

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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 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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, and Robert Scaramuccia.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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 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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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 Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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, and Robert Scaramuccia.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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 Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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@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’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

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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.

Take One is hosted by Liel Leibovitz and produced by Josh Kross, Sara Fredman Aeder, and Robert Scaramuccia.

Check out all of Tablet’s podcasts at tabletmag.com/podcasts.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices