What do you use to get out stains? We all get stains and we all have our special go-to that we think is the best solution. Well, the Talmud has them too. We will get there, but in Masseket Niddah we get 7: Yep, spit shine (admit it, we still do it) and piss (okay,Continue reading “Zevachim 95”
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Zevachim 94
Four times the daf tells this story (when trying to determin if it’s okay to wash leather on Shabbat): Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said: Many times I would stand before Rav on Shabbat and place water on his leather shoes, which he did not consider laundering on Shabbat? Why I like it: 1) We learnContinue reading “Zevachim 94”
Zevachim 93
We are still washing laundry on the daf today. Which leads one to question: why does the blood need to be washed off immediately? Do we really expect the priests to stay pristinely clean as they slaughter so many animals? We learn on the daf, if sacrificial blood is absorbed by another object, the lawsContinue reading “Zevachim 93”
Zevachim 92
For me, one of the most vivid scenes in Macbeth is when his mother is scrubbing her hands saying, “out damned spot.” Some stains really never come out. Especially blood. Perhaps that’s why the daf wants us to wash any blood from our sin offerings right away, so they won’t set. In the case ofContinue reading “Zevachim 92”
Zevachim 91
Okay, sometimes I feel the daf is a reflection of my day. Today, I had a bris and the daf talks about circumcision (as a frequent mitzvah, meaning it’s mentioned 13 times in Genesis, or that babies are born every day, or, as the Or Same’aḥ argues, once a person is circumcised he remains in that stateContinue reading “Zevachim 91”
Zevachim 90
Today’s daf continues to prioritize sacrificial offerings. It reminds us just how many sacrifices might be brought in a day. Those for the day, for sins, for births, for thanks, and the list goes on and on. While it focuses most on the Selena of what to do when a more frequent sacrifice is broughtContinue reading “Zevachim 90”
Zevachim 89
Today’s daf asks a question: if multiple sacrifices are brought, in what order should they be sacrificed? (The same rule applies to the question of if one can only afford one sacrifice but need to bring multiple, which should they prioritize?) What it teaches gives us a deep lesson. MISHNA: Any offering that is moreContinue reading “Zevachim 89”
Zevachim 88
What does what you wear say about you? On our daf today, we learn that every piece of the priest’s clothing atones for a certain kind of sin. I will paste the entire section below, but here is a summary for those who don’t want to get into the weeds: That’s a lot for oneContinue reading “Zevachim 88”
Zevachim 87
Today’s daf concerns two ideas: 1) what needs to be burned before midnight and what burns all night long, and 2) if the space above the altar sanctifies int he same way as the altar. It can all feel detached from our reality today. This inspired me to want to share a teaching from theContinue reading “Zevachim 87”
Zevachim 86
Today’s daf makes me feel seen. We are told that ashes are removed from the altar at night. Therefore, every day, performing the removal at the rooster’s crow is sufficient. On Yom Kippur, due to the weakness of the High Priest, who must perform the entire Temple service on that day, they would hasten toContinue reading “Zevachim 86”
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 