Matmonim: Daf Yomi by Rabbi David Lapin

Gittin 32b It’s not the Thought that Counts - אתי דיבור ומבטל דיבור

Intangible ideas have no value. Tangible products are commodities. Value is created by infusing an idea into a product.  Sources

Gittin 31a The Gift - תרומה ניטלת באומד

“Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted.” (Einstein)  Sources

Gittin 30a Third Order Consequence - אם יש אונס בגיטין

How far are we expected to take responsibility for unanticipated events? This Matmonim has been dedicated by Elan Levy and his family to the memory of his late father, אליהו בן ישעיהו, whose Yahrzeit it is today. Sources

Gittin 29a Ethics and Faith - מסיח לפי תומו במילתא דלא שייכי ביה

How trustworthy is one who has no faith?  Sources

Gittin 28a Statistics can Tell us Nothing About Individuals - בחזקת שהוא קיים

We explore the extent to which human logic impacts halachik reasoning and conclusions.  Sources

Gittin 25a How Control Inhibits the Miraculous - תולה בדעת אחרים

Our desire to be in control can, so to say, limit the miracles which Hashem may otherwise bless us with.  Sources

Gittin 24a-b Do You Communicate or Advocate? - גט לשמה

Communicating is clinical and factual; advocating is passionate and emotional.  Sources

Gittin 23a Inner Voice - בטביעות עינא דקלא

There are many visual ways to identify an individual. Here we examine audial identification.  Sources

Gittin 22a The Physical and the Conceptual - מחלוקת אביי ורבא בנקבו בארץ ונופו בחו"ל

Understanding two approaches in Halacha as developed by Abaye and Rava: the analytical and the conceptual.  Sources

Gittin 21a Autonomy and Belonging - חצר מהלכת

Mastery (בעלות) of spaces, a territories or people requires us not only to control their access or movement, but also their values.  Sources

Gittin 18a Letting Go - מאמתי כתובה משמטת

Be willing to let go of attachment to material things but hold on to your dreams, aspirations and potential.  Sources

Gittin 17a Take a Stand. Be Accountable - מפני מה תקנו זמן בגיטין

Credibility requires that a person does not cover his back with ways out from taking responsibility for his or her words.  Sources

Gittin 15b-16a Time and Space: Bridging the Generations - טופח על מנת להטפיח

Separateness of space or of time can be overcome when there is an energetic connection between the two parts.  Sources

Gittin 14a When to Lie - לסוף אישתמיט להו

There are times when lying is permitted. When may one do so in business and why?  Sources

Gittin 13b-14a Asking the Right Questions - במעמד שלושתן

A powerful question opens the way to innovative answers and deeper understanding. How would we frame a powerful question to understand the mechanism for rabbinic legislation?  Sources

Gittin 10b Objects without Soul - חספא בעלמא

An object can have a force of life in it, a soul. And with that it transmits an energy capable of creating change.  Sources

Gittin 9b Certainty: Empiric and Halachik - אף על פי שחותמים עכום

Empiric and Halachik certainty are different. Often, when we need Halachik certainty, empiric certainty is insufficient. However, when we have empiric certainty there are times we don’t need Halachik certainty.  Sources

Gittin 8b Ownership of Israel - משום ישוב ארץ ישראל לא גזרו

The Mitzvah of populating Israel is a Mitzvah like none other.  Sources

Gittin 6b-7a Tone of Voice - צריך למימרינהו בניחותא

The same words said in different tones and from a different inner place, accomplish different results.  Sources

Gittin 4a Artificial Intelligence and Authenticity - מזויף מתוכו

Robots are becoming more human. But a bigger threat to our civilization is humans who have become robotic.  Sources

Gittin 3b History or Art? - אי חתימה או כתיבה בעי

To understand the meaning of an object, a text or a work of art, it is important to clarify whether we are approaching it as an historic record of a past event or as an artifact that created and is able to create a changed reality or experience.  Sources

Gittin 2b Be Quick to Build, Slow to Break - לפי שאין בקיאין לשמה

Introduction to Gittin - פתיחה למסכת גיטין. It takes a long time to build whereas destruction can happen in an instant. Therefore, we can and often should be quick in our decisions to build (because there is time to reverse the decision), but take time over decisions to undo that which has been built. This idea helps explain the dimension of intentionality in a Jewish Divorce document.  Sources

Sotah 49b Humility - לא תיתני ענוה דאיכא אנא

Humility doesn’t mean thinking less of oneself. It means seeing ourselves as part of a system much bigger than us.  Sources

Sotah 48b The Value of Equanimity - פסקו אנשי אמנה

Equanimity - שמח בחלקו - is a value. It does not imply depravation but finding sufficient joy in what we have so as not to crave what we don’t have.  Sources

Sotah 45-46 Anonymity - שכר הלויה אין לו שיעור

When an individual is anonymous, separated from their context and status, they can lose their aura, their charisma and their majesty.  Sources

Sotah 44a Overcoming Our Demons - הירא ורך הלבב

Our biggest fears are the fears within us. Overcoming the demons within us is the practice of faith, bitachon.  Sources

Sotah 43b Realize Your Vision - מעיקרא בתורת גזילה

Vision, unlike opportunism, is followed by planning, execution and then realization. There is a force driving us to realize our visions, which when interrupted, causes us suffering.  Sources

Sotah 41b-42a Strategy and Values - כת חניפים

Strategies should be agile and ever-changing. Values should be enduring and never-changing. Knowing the difference between strategies and values is foundational to our integrity.  Sources

Sotah 40b-41a Lag Ba’omer: Wisdom and Focus - בינת הלב

Wisdom, understanding the soul of an idea and gaining insight into it, needs more than mental application. Gaining wisdom is not just a mind activity, it is a heart activity.  Sources

Sotah 38b How to Unlock Abundance - טוב עין הוא יבורך

An abundance of energy and resource is embedded in every molecule of the creation. We can access it and unlock it if we know how.  Sources

Sotah 37b When Image Masks Corruption - לעשות אותם

It is normal to project a public image that is more than we truly are in private. However Hashem despises the use of image to mask corruption.  Sources

Sotah 36b Discover Your Identity - דמות דיוקנו של אביו

Knowing who we really are, where we come from and where we could be going, builds our character and reinforces it.  Sources

Sotah 34-35 Vision: Seeing Beyond the Visible - שהיו מים נגדשים ועולין שלוש מאות מיל

Aggadic material in the Talmud often appears fantastical. Is its meaning to be taken literally or figuratively?  Sources

Sotah 32b Listening is Intimacy - ק"ש בכל לשון שאתה שומע

Listening is not the same as hearing. Listening is an activity and is often not about understanding but about making the other person feel heard. Listening is an act of intimacy.  Sources

Sotah 31a Intrinsic Motivation - מר מאהבה ומר מיראה

Feedback is an instrument of measurement; it gives us a read on how our actions are experienced. The need for feedback should never become the driver of our behavior.  Sources

Sotah 30b The Poetry of Perspective - שירה

The joy of gaining perspective often expresses itself in poetry and song.  Sources

Sotah 29a Spiritual Energy - טומאה וטהרה

Being tuned in to spirituality requires some understanding of the laws of Tumah and Tahara.  Sources

Sotah 28a Tune in to Spirituality - ספק טומאה כודאי

Being tuned in to spirituality means being sensitive to intangibles like Tumah and Kedusha.  Sources

Sotah 27a Science and Halacha - רוב בעילות אחר הבעל

Paternity can never be a physiological certainty but it can be an halachik certainty.  Sources

Sotah 24a Rabbinic and Torah Law - לא תסור מכל הדבר אשר יגידו לך

Torah Law defines the substance of the world and behavior is an outcome, Rabbinic Law governs behavior. Sources

Sotah 23a Prioritizing Values - מה בין כהן לכהנת

Individuals are distinguished by how they prioritize their values. The Torah also often prioritizes the value of decency over that of sanctity.  Sources

Sotah 22b Authenticity - אל תיתיראי אלא מן הצבועין

Authenticity means truth to the soul: A person’s soul, the soul of an action or the soul of an idea.  Sources Important correction note: In the audio shiur it is implied that Ketura (Avraham’s latter wife –Hagar, according to chazal) was a a superficial hypocrite who had the external trapping but not the internal soul of her Jewishness. This is incorrect: The remark refers to the בני קטורה (sons of Ketura), not to Ketura herself.

Sotah 21a First Impressions - רשע ערום

Initial assumptions and first impressions cap our imagination and limit our capacity for truth.  Sources

Sotah 20a Women Learning Torah - כאילו מלמדה תיפלות

Clarifying the oft-quoted and misunderstood statement that כל המלמד בתו תורה - כאילו לומדה תפלות.  Sources

Sotah 19a Touching: Men and Women - וכהן מניח את ידו מתחתיה

Separateness of the sexes and maintaining unambiguous gender identity is a key tenet of Jewish life. Sources

Sotah 17a The Dignity of Independence - עד שרוך נעל

We give meaning to our lives when we are mindful of conceptual and experiential  connections.  Sources

Sotah 14a Taming the Human - להלך אחר מדותיו

Human nature is malleable; we can tame ourselves, train ourselves and change ourselves.  Sources

Sotah 13a Public Opinion and Self-Worth - שראו בכבודן נהגו בהן כבוד

Public opinion is an important barometer of Kidush Hashem but not of self-worth.  Sources

Sotah 12a Happy Mothers - אם הבנים שמחה

Children, even before their birth, absorb the happiness of the family.  Sources

Sotah 11a-b Manipulation and Inspiration - בפה רך