Uncategorized – 2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day.

Chullin 16

Okay not the real gem, but, on our daf today, we learn that the rabbis refer to the rectum as “lower teeth.” Now to the gem – the daf showing a reform in Judaism! (Hey, that has a nice ring to it.) The reform is the ability to eat meat that is not from theContinue reading “Chullin 16”

Chullin 15

One of the things I love about the Gemara is that sometimes, buried inside a technical legal discussion, is a really profound insight into human nature. Today’s daf discusses food prepared on Shabbat for someone who is dangerously ill. Of course, saving a life overrides Shabbat. But then the Gemara asks: what about everyone else?Continue reading “Chullin 15”

Chullin 14

How much time do we spend worrying about things that might never happen? “What if I lose my job?” “Then I lose my home…” “What id this falls apart…” Today’s daf reminds us that it’s unhelpful to worry about things that are unlikely to happen. The Rabbis said to Rabbi Meir: Don’t you concede thatContinue reading “Chullin 14”

Chullin 13

Today’s gem: The Gemara asks: But don’t we see that there are? The Gemara answers: Say the majority of the people of the nations of the world are not heretics, and with regard to slaughter one follows the majority. The Gemara notes: Rabba bar Avuh holds in accordance with that which Rabbi Ḥiyya bar AbbaContinue reading “Chullin 13”

Chullin 12

The real gem on today’s daf is the lesson that there are certain things that only an expert should do, or a novice under expert supervision. But, what today’s daf made me think of was the wise trash heap in Fraggle Rock, as it mentions “trash heap” repeatedly. So, enjoy:

Chullin 11

How is it that I keep finding these AMAZING lessons on the daf that are just casual asides? Today’s daf is discussing kosher slaughter – but has an amazing aside that teaches a lesson on assisted suicide, or medical aid in dying (MAID) (also frequently referred to as death with dignity or physician-assisted dying). RavContinue reading “Chullin 11”

Chullin 10

Today’s daf gets deep into the technical details of sheḥita, ritual slaughter, today’s daf focuses in particular on how the knife must be perfectly smooth with nicks and no roughness. It has to be checked carefully before use, because even the slightest flaw could invalidate the slaughter. The concern isn’t only whether the meat isContinue reading “Chullin 10”

Chullin 9

My grandfather was an orthodox rabbi. He was also a survivor of the Holocaust. When he immigrated to America, he could not get job as a rabbi. So what did he do? He worked as a shochet – someone who performs ritual slaughter (for kosher meat). Reading our daf, I now understand why he knewContinue reading “Chullin 9”

Chullin 8

A beautiful gem amidst a gory scene. On our daf today, the questions is raised about what to do if someone slaughters an animal with an unkosher knife. And this is one teaching: For the one who says that he peels off a layer (of the meat near the cut cite), it works out well,Continue reading “Chullin 8”

Chullin 7

We learned on a previous daf that God is pile not allow a righteous man to accidentally sin and eat something forbidden. Why? Because God prevents animals from sinning through food. Weird? Totally. Today, we get the story behind that statement. Rabbi Pineḥas ben Ya’ir happened to come to a certain inn [ushpiza]. His hosts cast barley before his donkey forContinue reading “Chullin 7”