Today’s gem is just a reminder that we are animals too. In the daf we learn that the status of an animal born by c-section, even if it’s the mother’s first pregnancy, does not have the status of first born. Rav Ashi responds: What is notable about an animal born by caesarean section? It is notable in that such an animal is not sanctifiedContinue reading “Menachot 6”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Menachot 5
Menachot 5 invites us to ask a timeless question: What makes a religious act meaningful—our intention, the action itself, or the result it produces? We often judge ourselves harshly when our focus slips, when our prayers wander, or when our motivations feel mixed. Rav’s voice echoes in those moments: If I wasn’t fully present, didContinue reading “Menachot 5”
Menachot 4
Can we still do mitzvot after we die? Can we still make atonement? On today’s daf we learn: Rabbi Yirmeya elaborates: With regard to those guilt offerings that atone, there are among them offerings that come after death, i.e., they are sacrificed after the death of their owners, whereas with regard to those that render fit, there are none amongContinue reading “Menachot 4”
Menachot 3
Today’s daf has a profound lesson. The scenario on the daf is a case where a person brought a certain sacrifice and said it was for purpose #1, but those watching see he is doing the actions for purpose #2. What do we assume? That he is doing it for purpose #1 like he said?Continue reading “Menachot 3”
Menachot 2
Welcome to a new tractate! Before we dive in, it’s probaby a good idea to remind ourselves: What Are Menachot? Unlike animal sacrifices, menachot are meal offerings — made of flour, oil, and frankincense — brought in the Temple. They are quieter, humbler offerings, often associated with those who could not afford livestock. Central toContinue reading “Menachot 2”
Zevachim 120
We did it! We made it to the end of this bloody tractate (see what I did there?)! We end the tractate with a summation of what was the same and what was different between offering sacrifices on a communal altar verses a private personal altar. And, maybe a lesson for us. What are theContinue reading “Zevachim 120”
Zevachim 119
When the Ark Was Missing — and What We Learned About Holiness One of the quietly astonishing ideas in Zevachim 119 is that there was a real period in Jewish history when the Mishkan stood — sacrifices were offered, ritual life continued — and yet the Ark was not there. The Talmud reads the verseContinue reading “Zevachim 119”
Zevachim 118
Who’s house? God’s house. When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said: The Divine Presence rested upon the Jewish people in three places: In Shiloh, and Nov and Gibeon, and the Eternal House Okay, what? First, it says the Divine Presence rested in 3 places, and thenContinue reading “Zevachim 118”
Zevachim 117
Our daf today teaches us that no one is outside the system and everyone has their camp (even accidental murderers). Even those furthest from the inner camp are still part of the sacred map. Everyone is oriented toward the center, even if they do not stand in the same place. That makes this sugya quietlyContinue reading “Zevachim 117”
Zevachim 116
I love the daf. Only the Talmud would provide a passage as proof of an argument that starts with a conversion and ends with 50 year old a prostitute. The Rabbis often point to Yitro/Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, as a convert to Judaism. The daf asks what it was that made Jethro convert, we see 3Continue reading “Zevachim 116”
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 