Happy Passover! A great little gem on our daf that I think holds up for Passover as well. The rabbis are debating if a certain amount of contamination falls into a body of water if you can still use it for mikvah (or if it’s water in wine if it’s till wine etc) and weContinue reading “Makkot 4”
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Mallot 3
Today’s daf gives a fun mental exercise! If two conspiring witnesses come and say that a borrower agreed to repay a loan within 30 days and the borrowed says – no it’s a 10 year loan, what do we do? 10 year loans are not a thing as the shmitah year cancels all debts (andContinue reading “Mallot 3”
Makkot 2
Welcome to Makkot! Sometimes smacked right onto the end of Sanhedrin, Makkot discusses court administered punishments. In Sanhedrin we learned of how to punishe capital crimes, “Makkot” means lashes, one of the punishments described in this tractate. We will also learn about the Cities of Refuge, places for people who commit accidental manslaughter – butContinue reading “Makkot 2”
Sanhedrin 113
We are about to have Seder with the cup of Elijah. On our daf today, we learn a little bit about Elijah. He is a man gifted with prophecy and powers from God, and yet, he seems to often lack faith in people. It’s because of this lack of faith that Jews will keep theContinue reading “Sanhedrin 113”
Sanhedrin 112
“You like my hair? Gee thanks! Just bought it.” -Ariana Granda Today’s daf discusses the need to destroy idolatrous cities, which says a lot about how a corrupt society can corrupt all the individuals as they see corruption as normal. Within the command to destroy the city, we are told to get rid of theContinue reading “Sanhedrin 112”
Sanhedrin 111
One of the things I love about Moses is that, while he himself falls on his face and is frustrated by the Jewish people, he fights for us when he talks to God. That’s family! you get frustrated with them, but don’t want anyone else to speak badly about them. Today, we get a tasteContinue reading “Sanhedrin 111”
Sanhedrin 110
How do we reconcile? Especially if we are the one who has been hurt? What if the person who hurts us makes no effort to apologize? On our daf today, we learn from Moses. With regard to the verse: “And Moses arose and went to Dathan and Abiram” (Numbers 16:25), Reish Lakish says: From hereContinue reading “Sanhedrin 110”
Sanhedrin 109
Gam Zo is introduced on our daf today. This is a man who says that everything, everything, is ultimately for the good – hence the name Gam So which means “also this.” But, is it for the good when he is robbed? When what he was to give the emperor is replaced with dirt? Let’sContinue reading “Sanhedrin 109”
Sanhedrin 108
Two fabulous passages on the daf! The first is an argument about just how righteous Noah was (there are other places that argue maybe he wasn’t so righteous). The second is also about Noah, and it’s a quote I teach often (including in my chapter on climate justice in Moral Resistance and Spiritual Authority). So,Continue reading “Sanhedrin 108”
Sanhedrin 107
Oh what a daf!! It’s a good one. It starts with Dvid asking why we say “God of Abraha, God of Isaac, God of Jacob” in our prayers, but we don’t say “God of David.” Let’s see: Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: A person should never bring himself to undergo an ordeal, as David,Continue reading “Sanhedrin 107”
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 