Talking Talmud
1,613 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 61 ratingsLearning the daf? We have something for you to think about. Not learning the daf? We have something for you to think about! (Along with a taste of the daf...)
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Sotah 19: Waving
April 17, 2023 03:26 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBA new chapter! The new mishnah delineates the process of the kohen taking the meal-offering from the sotah, and waving the basket it's in together with her. But does this happen before or after she drinks the bitter waters? It's a machloket. Also, another machloket on this process in the Gemara on this mishnah.
Sotah 18: When There's No (Apparent) Rabbinic Will
April 16, 2023 15:54 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBDifferent scenarios of the sotah case - especially where things go wrong in brining her to drink, etc. Which all are held in abeyance, as far as their solutions go. Also, a new mishnah on the sotah's affirmation: Amen, amen. Plus, the role of a husband in putting conditions and warnings on his wife, which is only acceptable during the time they're actually married. Also, the possible cases of adultery.
Sotah 17: What's in a Scroll?
April 15, 2023 20:27 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBA daf with 2 mishnayot. First, on the kohen's writing the scroll that will be dipped in the water and erased - what is the portion of text from the Torah that will be written there? It is, of course, a machloket. Also, what can (and cannot) this text be written on?
Sotah 16: The Power of Tradition
April 14, 2023 10:25 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBMore on the sotah's water - and how earth (and ashes) need to be added to it. Plus, the mesorah/tradition on the writing of this document, as well as that of divorce, and more. Which gives us tradition overriding logic, as we also say in Nazir. Also, the order of the dust in the water (or is that water over dust?), and the parallel to the purification process with the parah adumah, the red heifer.
Sotah 15:
April 13, 2023 16:14 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBThe ingredients of the meal-offering "always" include oil and frankincense - except for when they are excluded (sin-offerings, in particular, plus the sotah's offering). Also, the process of the water, the Name of God, and the process by which it would be erased. Plus, various purification processes, and some that are never allowed to be used again.
Sotah 15: Meal-Offerings
April 13, 2023 16:14 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBThe ingredients of the meal-offering "always" include oil and frankincense - except for when they are excluded (sin-offerings, in particular, plus the sotah's offering). Also, the process of the water, the Name of God, and the process by which it would be erased. Plus, various purification processes, and some that are never allowed to be used again.
Sotah 14: Mimicking God, and Protecting the Sotah
April 12, 2023 20:23 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBOn Moshe's burial - and how the Romans didn't find the place either. Also, interpretations of how people can come close to God, including mirroring His attributes. Which leads back to the burial of Moshe. Also, a new chapter with a new mishnah: The sotah's meal-offering, carried by her husband in an Egyptian wicker basket, to tire her out, and get her to the point that she'll confess, rather than drink the bitter waters. Plus, the sages' assessment of her meal-offering as suitable for her all...
Sotah 13: Burying the Great Ones
April 11, 2023 09:09 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBOn retrieving Yosef's bones to rebury him in the land of Israel, as promised at the end of the Book of Genesis, and the role of Serach bat Asher. Also, on the burial of Moshe - whose burial was so different from that of Yosef, and not only because he can't go into the land of Israel, even after death. Including several interpretations why Moshe couldn't complain to the Israelites, regarding the land and his lack of entry. "Based on the camel is the person's stature."
Sotah 12: Moshe's Special Birth
April 10, 2023 08:15 - 21 minutes - 20.2 MBMore exegesis of the Torah's verses on the opening on the story of the Exodus - beginning with Yocheved's pregnancy with Moshe (some of which presupposes knowledge of other midrashim). Tracking her pregnancy, and then the birth of Moshe. Also, the calendar of these events, including the date of Moshe's birth (Nisan? Sivan?)
Sotah 11: In the Merit of Righteous Women
April 09, 2023 18:18 - 22 minutes - 21.4 MBVerses that are explicated on this daf are also found in the Haggadah - timely, this round of daf yomi, as we learn this daf on Passover. On the righteous women in whose merit the Israelites were redeemed from Egypt - with a focus on the women who promoted their own intimate relationships with their husbands, and also ensure ongoing fertility. Plus, the midrashim on the midwives of the Torah, and how Pharaoh schooled them in killing thr boy babies - which they did not do.
Sotah 10: Tamar, as Foil to the Sotah
April 08, 2023 20:35 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MB5 people who each had a trait that was to their credit, but they ended up brought down because of that same trait. Not surprisingly, beginning with Samson. Plus, a king's gout. Also, a deep dive into the story of Yehuda and Tamar.
Sotah 9: Nearly Guilty until Proven Innocent
April 07, 2023 14:17 - 25 minutes - 23.6 MBThe sages teach that the sotah-woman gets her just deserts, in alignment with her own actions. She doesn't get what she wanted, and what she had is taken from him. Likewise, other creatures in Tanakh have the same comeuppance - beginning with serpent of the Garden of Eden and carrying through several personalities, especially in King David's orbit. Plus, following the actions of the sotah-woman with her punishment. Also, other cases of measure-for-measure, including as punishment, but also as...
Sotah 8: Fear and Trembling
April 06, 2023 22:11 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBThe kohen takes hold of the clothing of the sotah-woman, and uncovers (or dishevels) her head. There was concern that a particularly attractive woman would be overly on display for such a process - with comparison to another case where the sides of the dispute about this seem to reversed. Plus, a woman who wore white garments would be re-clothed in black, and if she looked good in black, she'd then be re-clothed in ugly garments. Plus, jewelry would be removed. Also, a new mishnah: according ...
Sotah 7: Journey to Jerusalem
April 05, 2023 09:19 - 25 minutes - 23.9 MBThe daf has a Mishnah describing how how the Sotah is brought to Jerusalem and how the public participated. The daf also explains what biblical stories were taught to the Sotah so that she may learn that a confession is admirable.
Sotah 6: Adultery in the Temple (wait, really?!)
April 04, 2023 10:28 - 19 minutes - 18.4 MBA new mishnah! At what point is a woman who's a sotah not permitted to eat terumah? Plus, a list of the women who are not allowed to eat terumah. Also, R. Sheshet's position on the case of a woman who was thought to be a sotah, but then two witnesses to her infidelity answer the question of her status, and the water she drinks isn't determining her innocence, because the witnesses confirm it independently. Also, how does the timing of the meal-offering of the sotah have impact on her status, ...
Sotah 5: A Tiny Bit of Arrogance
April 03, 2023 07:13 - 11 minutes - 11.1 MBLearning from the Divine, and God's choice of the lowly bush and the lowly mountain - against arrogance, and in favor of humility. But maybe some "arrogance," or comparable trait is necessary, at least for Torah scholars. Also, a halakhic discussion regarding the point at which the warning the husband gives his wife kicks in to have impact in their marital life.
Sotah 4: Tracking Time
April 02, 2023 06:45 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBHow long is the seclusion that counts as suspect, for the husband to bring his complaint against his wife? The ways the Gemara measures time are far from the question of intimacy, though that underlies the discussion. Plus, the handling of a dispute between R. Akiva and Ben Azzai, or so it seems. [Who's Who: Ben Azzai] Also, a focus on Netilat Yadayim, and why the little things matter.
Sotah 3: Protecting Our Relationships
April 01, 2023 22:27 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MBOn the warning the husband gives his wife - and the multiple levels of anger in the process. Including the private/public dynamic of this accusation and sotah altogether. Plus, the focus on relationships. Also, the insidious destructive power of bringing licentiousness behavior home, or anger for that matter. With a recognition that there are different expectations for men and for women. Plus, Joseph and Mrs. Potiphar, and the exhortation for moral, ethical behavior.
Sotah 2: There Is Smoke. Is There Fire?
March 31, 2023 07:16 - 29 minutes - 27.7 MBIntroducing the sotah-woman, a unique Torah status that isn't in play in the absence of the Temple. From the verses to the rabbinic focus on witnesses to what appears to be unfaithful behavior on the wife's part as accused by the husband. Plus, the connection between a Nazir and a sotah, and the order of the tractates. Also, the way the husband gets the process underway. Plus the debate over whether a person gets the spouse he (or presumably she) deserves, based on personal conduct, or whethe...
Nazir 66: The Prophet Samuel - Nazir or No?
March 30, 2023 04:12 - 15 minutes - 14.8 MBThe Gemara goes on in its discussion about seminal emissions and various stages or levels of impurity. Including the "zav" status of a convert. A final mishnah: on Shmuel the prophet - was he a nazir or not?? (Does "morah" in the text mean razor, as it does in the context of Nazir, or "fear," which would make the man fearless, in a powerful re-read of the text). Also, the case of sages bentsching (saying Grace after Meals), and the discussion turns to the one who blesses vs. the one who answe...
Nazir 65: An Unknown Graveyard
March 29, 2023 21:03 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MBA new mishnah: One who finds a dead body that is lying in the manner of Jewish burial, and takes it from there, together with some of the dirt... Likewise, if he finds two bodies. But if he finds 3, what he's got there is a cemetery. Which in turn gives "legs to the matter," a halakhic concept regarding likelihood that we've seen before. Also, another mishnah: Regarding the likelihood that someone would be impure from tzara'at, which can result in a presumption of impurity (or purity, when po...
Nazir 64: Floating Impure Mush
March 28, 2023 19:00 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBThe status of floating impurity... the puzzles of the circumstances when it would extend impurity and when it would not. Plus, the implications for purification, as needed. Also, a nazir and a person busy preparing a Korban Pesach walk together by a "an impurity of the deep" (tehom)? Now what? Well, it depends on the point of their process of purification to begin with. Which leads to what might be the most polite, civilized (interactive) dispute we've seen in the Gemara.
Nazir 63: The Matter Has Legs
March 27, 2023 14:41 - 13 minutes - 12.9 MBA Nazir who has reached the point of shaving, and then encounters impurity - depending on the kind of impurity, he might need to cancel the nezirut days. But if it was utterly unknown (tehom), he doesn't redo the nezirut. Plus, the case of a person who goes to dunk in the water of a cave, and while there, encounters a dead body - he may or may not encounter impurity. Potentially depending on what the status had been prior to the encounter. Also, the case of the person who can't pass a dead bo...
Nazir 62: Not Placing a Value on Non-Jews
March 26, 2023 21:09 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBDeveloping the principle that "erkhin," valuation of people, doesn't apply to non-Jews, including the exegesis from the verses on valuation. Also, 2 mishnayot on amud bet: regarding the stringency of the slave, in contrast to the woman's nezirut. Plus, more on the slave's vows, and how they are intertwined with the requirements of the master.
Nazir 61: The Mesorah of Nazir
March 25, 2023 20:25 - 14 minutes - 13.8 MBThe nazir's hair removal by a razor, specifically.... plus the metzora's shaving: 4 shavings from impurity. Also, the new (and final) chapter, 9: The laws of nazir do not apply to non-Jews, but women and slaves can indeed become nezirim. And the woman's nezirut is more stringent than that of a slave. Plus, the Gemara explains the exclusion of non-Jews from nezirut.
Nazir 60: 4 Cases of Purification
March 24, 2023 12:45 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBA new mishnah - with a nazir who may have come in contact with a dead body, and who also may have been a Metzora. What is his purification process going to be? How many days must he wait to purify from each of these possible impurities? Also, how the shaving and sacrifices will have impact on the person with these 4 competing possibilities of nezirut.
Nazir 59: Women Who Wear Trousers
March 23, 2023 21:51 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBContinuing the question of a man shaving the body parts that were usually shaved only by women, in violation of the verse that prohibits men and women from wearing the garments of women and men, respectively. The discussion shifts to focus on the garments of one sex prohibited to worn by the other, and the abomination of that practice. Plus, the question of girls and women wearing pants (trousers), and how the bar inherently moves in society. Also, what happens if the person who vows to be a ...
Nazir 58: The Fringes, the Garment, and Hair Removal
March 22, 2023 20:11 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBA discussion of tzitzit! In the context of shaving, and the mechanisms by which these positive and biblical commandments work. Plus, sha'atnez. And tekhelet. Also, a person can remove hair from his body with a razor - except for the so-called corners of the face. But then why is there mention of the person who does this getting lashes? How can that be?!
Nazir 57: Am I Impure, or Is That You?
March 21, 2023 16:08 - 10 minutes - 9.88 MBOpening with questions about the nazir's status - pure or impure? Namely, a third party observed one of two nezirim come in contact with impurity, but he's not sure which. They both have to take action (including sacrifices) accordingly. Also, addressing the general practice of doubtful impurity - which is derived from the case of the sotah woman, as per the private domain.
Nazir 56: Links in the Chain
March 20, 2023 16:58 - 19 minutes - 18.4 MBMore on the counting of the nazir and R. Hisda's ruling. Plus, the impurity from a dead body - that would require shaving for a nazir - would be a violation if one entered the Temple. The transmission of the teachings of some details here is ascribed to specific heritage - a direct line of passage down from one to the next, without always mentioning all the people along the way. Also, the question of the source for the ritual impurity issues - is it a point of heritage, a transmitted halakhah...
Nazir 55: When Do you Need a Haircut?
March 19, 2023 15:01 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBIf you leave the Land of Israel in a box, will you become impure? It's a machloket. Also, how to continue counting the days of nezirut after purification.
Nazir 54: When the Land Is Impure
March 18, 2023 21:11 - 13 minutes - 12.9 MBA new mishnah with the impurities that do NOT make a nazir need to shave - despite his contact with the impurity, it doesn't negate his nezirut. Also, focusing on the ritual impurity of all the lands outside of the Land of Israel: is the issue the land itself, or the air of those lands?
Nazir 53: Did the Halakhah Change?
March 17, 2023 15:16 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MBInsight into how the rules regarding purity and impurity changed over those early generations. Also, a dispute between R. Yochanan and Resh Lakish regarding the impurity of a limb that is separated from a body (whether live or dead), that doesn't have a measure of flesh on it.
Nazir 52: What's Worse Than Finding a Worm in an Apple?
March 16, 2023 21:02 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBCreepy-crawlies and the impurity of them leads to the question of what happens if you eat portion of the creepy-crawly, and not its entirety? (in terms of impurity, not kashrut). Plus, the apparent "souls" of the creatures. Also, R. Akiva is at odds with the sages (though he comes around eventually) for 6 ways if being impure (or not, if you're the sages). Plus, a story of a box of bones which didn't have enough of the key bones from one person to render another impure. [Who's Who: Todros the...
Nazir 51: Dust to Dust
March 15, 2023 21:07 - 9 minutes - 8.67 MBMore with the gore. When does the dust from a decaying corpse impart impurity? Also, what about substances within a woman's body that are not of her body, and are also impure - will those substances combine for impurity or not? NOTE: Potentially disturbing - discusses a woman who has died and her unborn child too.
Nazir 50: Melt the Fat Away
March 14, 2023 14:11 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBA gory section on "netzel," a measure of which would render the nazir (or others) impure. Basically decomposing elements of a dead body - which was essential information, lest one become impure via contact with the small measure. Plus, the relevance of an animal's willingness to eat that which is impure (which people clearly would not eat) - or which is no longer impure. Also, the question of how liquids or liquidy solids (honey, batter) combine to render a vessel impure, and how that has imp...
Nazir 49: What Will Become of the Torah?!
March 13, 2023 20:38 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBA focus on amud bet: When the nazir shaves on having become impure via 3 different ways of a dead body rendering one impure. And then the text lists many various parts from the dead body. And then the nazir needs to redo the count of pure days of nezirut. [Who's Who: Rabbi Meir] When critics were bothering R. Akiva - delving into a precise wording of the mishnah - from among the students. When R. Meir dies, R. Yosi is quiet. But he needs to address the topic of the measure of flesh that can c...
Nazir 48: Parallels, Logic, Necessary Cases, and Drama
March 12, 2023 21:18 - 15 minutes - 14.8 MBOne long discussion on the daf... First, on the nazir who's not supposed to become impure, but when would he? Plus, what is the mechanism to derive these halakhot (textual parallel vs. logical inference)? A discussion that continues through the daf. As does the parallel to kohanim, and the kohen gadol, specifically. Plus, the case of the sister.
Nazir 47: Miriam the Nezirah
March 11, 2023 20:49 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBThe last mishnah of chapter 6: what if the nazir becomes impure in the process of bringing the post-nezirut offerings? Plus, the story of a nezirah who exactly had this concern. (It's a machloket). Also, chapter 7 and a new mishnah, focusing on different levels of impurity. Plus, the anointing oil.
Nazir 46: Nezirut and Impediments to Completing It
March 10, 2023 07:47 - 19 minutes - 18.4 MBA mishnah on the process of the sacrifices; A nazir who cooks the shelamim sacrifice, or overcooks it, and the kohen takes it with the unleavened bread, and the nazir waves them around, after the kohen puts it on his palms, having already shaved his head. And then the Gemara brings in additional machloket to understand the importance of each stage - would not waving cancel the nezirut? The korbanot? But what about how shaving doesn't cancel? Or what about a bald nazir? Plus, another mishnah o...
Nazir 45: The Lesson of Eyeliner and Blush
March 09, 2023 16:16 - 13 minutes - 12.9 MB2 mishnayot - 1. On the sacrifices that the nazir must being as part of the process closing off the nezirut. Plus, why a female nezirah doesn't shave post-nezirut in a public setting, and why she is in a different class from a sotah-woman. Also, 2 - Once he cuts his hair, he puts the hair on the fire, if he's in Jerusalem, and the korbanot are on the fire. And then gravy or sauce from the korban would be added to the hair.
Nazir 44: Shaving for Purity
March 08, 2023 10:15 - 10 minutes - 10 MBThe first Mishnah on the daf compares the three Nazir prohibitions and how each one has its own stringency. The second Mishnah describes how a tamei Nazir undergoes the process of purification.
Nazir 43: The Beheaded Kohen
March 07, 2023 15:40 - 16 minutes - 15 MBWhat verse teaches the limitations on the kohanim about coming into contact with a dead body? The kohanim not only are not supposed to come in contact with impurity, and then they do, they also engage in a measure of profaning their extra holy status (it's not a bad thing, just a thing). Plus, a dispute based on the nuance between two verses, as per the differences between a kohen and nazir as well. Also, if a man's head was cut off, a kohen cannot become impure for that person, even when rel...
Nazir 42: If a Nazir Is Bald, Can He Shave?
March 06, 2023 19:18 - 12 minutes - 11.7 MBTongue in cheek: what really counts as shaving? How much hair can be left, with what tool, etc. Plus, 3 mishnayot: intent for hair removal is salient, dirt would cause hair to fall out, likewise shampooing. And lastly, a nazir who violates his restrictions is only given multiple sets of lashes if he makes it clear that he hasn't forgotten the prohibition, and is going to violate it anyway.
Nazir 41: The Other Side
March 05, 2023 11:29 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBAfter exploring the opinion of the Rabbis on daf 40 the Gemara explores the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer and how he learns that a metzora must use a razor to shave. Then the Gemara goes back to the Rabbis.
Nazir 40: A Nazir, a Metzora, and a Levite Walk into a Barbershop
March 04, 2023 21:57 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBA detour to a mishnah in the Tractate Negaim, which connects the nazir, the metzora (one with tzara'at), and Levites - who are all required to shave their heads, and completely, and specifically with a razor. But how do we know it must be a razor? Also, more about a razor and other implements to remove a beard.
Nazir 39: Does Hair Grow from the Tip or the Root?
March 03, 2023 12:55 - 12 minutes - 12.1 MBA new mishnah - shaving a nazir's head cancels the count of the 30 days of nezirut. Removing hair in any way means lashes, but the question is how does hair grow? With implications for which growth was cut off, if another cuts it off him (and how many days are left to his nezirut). Plus, the proofs from both halakhah and reality, as well as the rationale for R. Eliezer's opinion.
Nazir 38: A Revi'it of White, a Revi'it of Red
March 02, 2023 19:46 - 15 minutes - 14.7 MBThe measure of a "revi'it" never includes a combination of permitted and prohibited foods, except for the case of nazir, which has an explicit comment in the Torah to allow for the combination to make the greater prohibited quantify. Plus, the 10 cases of a revi'it, 5 of which are red, 5 of which are white. Also, the lashes that a nazir can accrue.
Nazir 37: Meat, Milk, and Grape Products
March 01, 2023 19:09 - 22 minutes - 21.2 MBRabbi Akiva teaches that the prohibited food combines with the permitted one to make the whole thing prohibited - specifically for the nazir, and he derives it from the laws of meat and milk. Plus, the role of "chidush," how innovation applies here. One question is how the meat and milk combine - how is that flavor transferred? Cooking bring of paramount importance. Plus, the kashering process. And plus, halakhic principles for Kashrut, including "ta'am ke-ikar."
Nazir 36: A Recipe for Prohibited Soup
February 28, 2023 09:32 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBWhen permissable foods combine with grape products that are off-limits to a nazir - how do the combine (or not) to be the amount that is prohibited? The permitted food combines with the prohibited (it doesn't have to be a full measure of the prohibited food). Plus, what are the implications for an offering on the altar? But the sages aren't all in agreement as to how this works. Abaye, in particular, poses many questions from areas of halakhah that are farther afield. Including the position o...