Take One Daf Yomi

Chullin 141 and 142 - The End

On today’s pages, Chullin 141 and 142, we reach the end of Tractate Chullin and look back at what months of studying meat, kashrut, and the intricacies of eating have tau

Chullin 140 - Murder Most Fowl

On today’s page, Chullin 140, the rabbis encounter a bird that has killed a human being—and must now be brought to justice. Its strange case takes us from the Talmud to A

Chullin 139 — A Mitzvah in Search of a Problem

On today’s page, Chullin 139, yesterday’s mother bird returns with a thornier question: If sending her away is a mitzvah, should we actually go looking for nests just so

Chullin 138 - Free Bird

On today’s page, Chullin 138, Maimonides and Nachmanides disagree over why the Torah commands us to send away a mother bird before taking her young. Their argument takes

Chullin 136 and 137 — Fasting for Gedaliah

On today’s pages, Chullin 136 and 137, Tzom Gedaliah reminds us of the terrible price Jews can pay when disagreement becomes hatred. Liel revisits a conversation with Rab

Chullin 134 and 135 — Sweet Child o’ Mine

On today’s pages, Chullin 134 and 135, apples and honey offer more than a wish for a sweet year. A bee that stings can nevertheless produce honey, and Jacob’s true scent

Chullin 133 - Teacher, Leave Them Kids Alone

On today’s page, Chullin 133, the rabbis issue a startling warning about teaching students who aren't serious about learning—going so far as to compare it to idol worship

Chullin 132 - Ch... Ch... Changes

On today’s page, Chullin 132, the rabbis debate the status of the koy, a creature caught somewhere between wild and domesticated. With Rosh Hashanah just days away, their

Chullin 131 - You Get What You Give

On today’s page, Chullin 131, the rabbis consider the tithes that sustained the priests, Levites, and poor—and remind us that community requires more than simply belongin

Chullin 129 and 130 - More than Words

On today’s pages, Chullin 129 and 130, Megillat Ta’anit raises a fundamental question: What exactly makes the Oral Torah oral once its teachings have been written down? T

Chullin 127 and 128 - Life... Finds a Way

On today’s pages, Chullin 127 and 128, the rabbis contemplate the wonders of creation, from creatures of the sea and land to those of fire and air. Then some enterprising

Chullin 126 - Like a Rolling Stone

On today’s page, Chullin 126, the rabbis encounter a mystery buried in two words: golel and dofek. Solving it takes us from Rashi and Maimonides to the burial caves of an

Chullin 125 - Heart-Shaped Box

On today’s page, Chullin 125, the rabbis consider a curious rule of ritual impurity: Under the right circumstances, it can get out of an enclosed space but cannot get in.

Chullin 124 - Running on Empty

On today’s page, Chullin 124, Rabba bar Rav Huna is too tired to answer a complicated question, so he points to the sky and cries, “Look! A raven!” His wonderfully human

Chullin 122 and 123 - Skin in the Game

On today’s pages, Chullin 122 and 123, an unsettling discussion of human skin recalls one of the most gruesome stories in Jewish tradition: the martyrdom of Rabbi Yishmae

Chullin 120 and 121 - Love Me Tendon

On today’s pages, Chullin 120 and 121, one mysterious word sends generations of Jewish scholars searching through animal anatomy for an answer. Is the alala a neck ligame

Chullin 119 - Shimon Says

On today’s page, Chullin 119, some supersized wheat leads us to the supersized integrity of Shimon ben Shetach. Whether returning a valuable jewel to its rightful owner o

Chullin 118 - Hold It Now

On today’s page, Chullin 118, the rabbis want to know what makes a handle a handle, leading to some rather gruesome questions about the different ways one might grab an a

Chullin 117 - The Skin and the Sauce

On today’s page, Chullin 117, a new chapter called “The Skin and the Sauce” breaks an animal down into its constituent parts, from flesh and bones to tendons and hooves.

Chullin 115 and 116 - The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Talmud

On today’s pages, Chullin 115 and 116, the rabbis demonstrate that understanding the Talmud means learning not only its conclusions, but how it thinks. Rabbi Dovid Bashev