Take One Daf Yomi

On today’s pages, Chullin 8 and 9, the rabbis ask what practical skills every Torah scholar ought to possess beyond mastery of texts alone. A true scholar, they argue, should know how to write, perform rituals, tie knots, and serve the needs of the community when called upon. The daf presents a vision of wisdom grounded not in abstraction or prestige but in competence, usefulness, and responsibility to other people. What kind of learning matters if it cannot actually help anyone? Listen and find out.

On today's page, Chullin 7, the Talmud tells the story of Pinchas ben Ya'ir, a righteous man on a mission to ransom captives, who asks the River Ginai to split — and it does, not once but three times, each time on the merit of his righteousness alone. Presidential historian Dr. Tevi Troy joins us to draw a surprising line from that miracle straight to the logic he used working as the White House Jewish liaison under President Bush. What does a river splitting in ancient Israel have to do with seating charts at a presidential event? Listen and find out.

On today’s page, Chullin 6, a mysterious warning urges anyone prone to appetite to put a knife to their throat and be careful. Desire is not harmless if left unchecked, and even small choices carry real weight. What we call a soul is not something we’re born with but something we build through restraint and deliberate choice. What kind of life does it take to grow a soul? Listen and find out.

On today’s page, Chullin 5, we encounter the towering and often feared figure of Rabban Gamliel, whose authority over the calendar sparks one of the Talmud’s most dramatic confrontations. When Rabbi Yehoshua challenges his ruling, he is ordered to appear carrying his staff and money on what he believes is Yom Kippur, forcing a painful public act of submission. The story reveals a system in which even time itself is determined not by perfect knowledge but by human institutions and the need for collective agreement. What does it take to live with decisions you believe are wrong for the sake of something larger? Listen and find out.

On today’s page, Chullin 2, we begin a new tractate devoted to the laws of kosher slaughter and the careful preparation required to make food fit for Jewish life. Joined by Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, we explore how the daf introduces a world where holiness lives in the deliberate precision of everyday actions, starting with the most basic act of cutting. These laws insist that sanctity is built not in grand spiritual moments but in the discipline and care of the home and kitchen. Why does Judaism place so much weight on the smallest, most practical details of how we live? Listen and find out.