Take One Daf Yomi

On today’s page, Chullin 118, the rabbis want to know what makes a handle a handle, leading to some rather gruesome questions about the different ways one might grab an animal. Modern neuroscience offers a surprising echo of their inquiry, revealing that the less we know about what we’re holding, the tighter we tend to grasp it. Why does uncertainty make us hold on tighter? Listen and find out.
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On today’s page, Chullin 117, a new chapter called “The Skin and the Sauce” breaks an animal down into its constituent parts, from flesh and bones to tendons and hooves. But as the month of Elul begins, this inventory becomes an invitation to take stock of ourselves—and consider what elevates us beyond our own skin and bones. What separates us from the beasts? Listen and find out.
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On today’s pages, Chullin 115 and 116, the rabbis demonstrate that understanding the Talmud means learning not only its conclusions, but how it thinks. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to introduce Talmud Daily, a new 40-week journey through the concepts, history, and structure that can give anyone a map of this sprawling text. Ready for the grand tour? Listen and find out.

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On today’s pages, Chullin 113 and 114, a discussion of how food absorbs flavor becomes a recipe for a meaningful Jewish life. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin joins us to consider three paths to experiencing the divine: the heat of passion, immersion in community, and the salt of life’s most difficult moments. Where do we find the flavor in faith? Listen and find out.
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On today’s page, Chullin 112, a meaty knife and a humble radish lead the rabbis to a deceptively simple principle: Taste is taste, and taste is boss. Their intricate rules make keeping kosher more complicated—but they might also make eating infinitely more delightful. What can a pastrami-flavored radish teach us about tasting the world? Listen and find out.
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