Take One Daf Yomi

Bekhorot 27 - The Long-Distance Relationship

On today’s page, Bekhorot 27, the rabbis grapple with a question that remains surprisingly relevant: How should Jews living outside Israel participate in religious obliga

Bekhorot 26 - What's the Rush?

On today’s page, Bekhorot 26, the Mishnah instructs us to wait before giving a firstborn animal to the priest, allowing it time to grow and mature. Liel explores how this

Bekhorot 25 - First Among Equals

On today’s page, Bekhorot 25, we consider the importance of being first—not just among newborn animals, but among the people making decisions that shape history. Liel sha

Bekhorot 23 and 24 - Waiting for Elijah

On today’s pages, Bekhorot 23 and 24, a strange case involving a sheep and a pig-like offspring leaves the rabbis facing a question they cannot definitively answer. Liel

Bekhorot 21 and 22 - Shepherds, not Sheep

On today’s pages, Bekhorot 21 and 22, the rabbis discuss how to determine whether an animal has previously given birth, eventually concluding that the answer requires a k

Bekhorot 20 - With Love and Correction

On today’s page, Bekhorot 20, Rabbi Yehoshua wastes no time correcting Rabbi Yishmael when his former student gets a point of halacha wrong. But years before that rebuke,

Bekhorot 19 - The Mystery of the Headless Cow

On today’s page, Bekhorot 19, the rabbis discuss the rite of the Egla Arufa, or the decapitated calf, sacrificed whenever a stranger was murdered by an unknown assailant

Bekhorot 18 - Doubles Trouble

On today’s page, Bekhorot 18, a ewe gives birth to two males whose heads appear at precisely the same moment, leaving the rabbis with a problem: Which one is actually the

Bekhorot 16 and 17 - Same as it Ever Was?

On today’s pages, Bekhorot 16 and 17, the rabbis ask what happens when an animal no longer looks the way its species is supposed to look. Centuries of breeding and natura

Bekhorot 14 and 15 - Not in My Backyard

On today’s pages, Bekhorot 14 and 15, a discussion of private altars raises a surprisingly fundamental question: Why should sacrifice be confined to the Temple in Jerusal

Bekhorot 13 - Beast of Burden

On today’s page, Bekhorot 13, the rabbis ask why the humble donkey, alone among non-kosher animals, has a firstborn that must be redeemed. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed offers th

Bekhorot 12 - A Koy-Named Ewe

On today’s page, Bekhorot 12, the rabbis wrestle with sheep-goat hybrids and the mysterious koy, an animal so difficult to classify that the sages couldn’t even agree on

Bekhorot 11 - Mind The Gap

On today’s episode, we set aside Bekhorot 11 to celebrate Sukkot with Professor Richard Hidary and his new book, Discovering the Jewish Holidays: Eight Talmudic Readings.

Bekhorot 9 and 10 - Are You Smarter Than 60 Greek Sages? Pt. 2

On today’s pages, Bekhorot 9 and 10, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya completes his astonishing mission against the 60 sages of Athens, proving that winning an argument someti

Bekhorot 7 and 8 - Are You Smarter Than 60 Greek Sages? Pt. 1

On today’s pages, Bekhorot 7 and 8, the Roman emperor challenges Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya to prove that he can outsmart the legendary sages of Athens. What follows is

Bekhorot 6 - Lost in Translation

On today’s page, Bekhorot 6, the rabbis wrestle with et, a tiny, ubiquitous Hebrew word that has no English equivalent, and with a sage who built an entire method of inte

Bekhorot 5 - Which Came First?

On today’s page, Bekhorot 5, Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish disagree about when the Israelites began sanctifying their firstborn: before entering the Promised Land or on

Bekhorot 2,3, and 4 - Parenthood: The Firstborn

On today’s pages, Bekhorot 2, 3, and 4, we begin a new tractate by learning about the special status of firstborn animals. Rabbi David Bashevkin joins us to ask why Judai

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