Daily Daf Differently: Masechet Shabbat

Welcome to the Hundred and Sixteenth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Justin David looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 117. What is more “holy,” fulfilling halakhah as a dictate from heaven, or satisfying human needs through pragmatic wisdom and ingenuity? Some of the most compelling Talmudic thinking meets at the nexus between […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Fifteenth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Justin David looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 116. Who is the “Other?” And how do we engage the “Other” in our midst?The rabbis grapple with this question as this daf turns to the reality of “minim,”heretics, or, more accurately, Hebrew […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Fourteenth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Justin David looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 115. What makes a text holy? And what is it about holiness that would compel the Rabbis to have us risk transgressing the boundaries of Shabbat, not to mention harm and injury, to […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Thirteenth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Justin David looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 114. This daf takes up the theme of Jewish spiritual leadership in a consideration of the talmid chacham (scholar). On this daf, the Rabbis explore what makes a scholar not only a great […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Twelvth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Cahan looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 113. The Rabbis try to guide us in making Shabbat different from the weekdays and in making Shabbat the pinnacle of our week. Rabbi Joshua Cahan received his Ph.D. in Rabbinic Literature from […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Eleventh episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Cahan looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 112. A knotty puzzle: Wherein we try to piece together how the Rabbis delineate the prohibition on tying knots on Shabbat. Rabbi Joshua Cahan received his Ph.D. in Rabbinic Literature from the Jewish […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Tenth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Cahan looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 111. How important is my intention when asking whether I have violated Shabbat? Am I responsible for all effects of my actions or only the ones that I intended and wanted to make […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Ninth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Cahan looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 110. Meet the ultimate enforcer of Halakha: the Rabbinic Snake. Rabbi Joshua Cahan received his Ph.D. in Rabbinic Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He teaches rabbinics at the Schechter High School of […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Eighth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Cahan looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 109. The ban on healing on Shabbat is both well-established and porous as a sieve. Why do the Rabbis have such a hard time getting this straight? Rabbi Joshua Cahan received his Ph.D. […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Seventh episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Cahan looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 108. Rav shows up in Babylonia with a fancy new degree, ready to take over. Shmuel wants to put the interloper in his place. But Rav doesn’t take this challenge lying down. Rabbi […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Sixith episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Cahan looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 107. The Talmud shows a strong inclination to define the forbidden labors of shabbat using abstract concepts. But they find that sometimes a category can be as slippery as a fish. Rabbi Joshua […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Fifth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Adam Kligfeld looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 106. Within this page of Talmud we have the laws of how to react, substantively, to the death of a brother or a member of our group of friends. And we have an […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Fourth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Adam Kligfeld looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 105. Within this page of Talmud we have examples of numerous types of rabbinic argumentation, all centered around how much of a particular act or mlakha (labor) one must do in order to […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Third episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Barry Dov Katz looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 104. We’ve been discussing Shabbat rules, specifically those related to the prohibition on writing two letters or more on Shabbat. Here, the Gemara offers several playful methods for imparting important messages and […]

Welcome to the Hundred and Second episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Barry Dov Katz looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 103. Over the last few days, we explored the Shabbat prohibitions of transferring objects from one domain to another and building. Today we look at writing, another category of prohibited work. Among […]

Welcome to the Hundred and First episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Barry Dov Katz looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 102. The Mishna and Gemara explore the question of how much “building” do you need to do in order to be liable for breaking Shabbat. A tentative definition offered by the Mishna […]

Welcome to the Hundredth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Barry Dov Katz looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 101. Our daf continues a discussion about transferring objects from one domain to another. The specific question is the status of transferring from one ship to another. Along the way, Rav Safra suggests that […]

Welcome to the Ninety Nineth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Barry Dov Katz looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 100. The gemara continues with a discussion of the laws of hotzaah, transferring from between public and private domains on Shabbat. Here in our chapter, the specific focus is in how throwing something […]

Welcome to the Ninety Eighth episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Steve Kane looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 99. Shabbat 99a-b begins with a midrashic comment on the difference between a wise hearted woman and a woman whose heart inspires wisdom. The rest of the page continues the discussion of transferring objects […]

Welcome to the Ninety Seventh episode of Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Steve Kane looks at Masechet Shabbat Daf 98. Shabbat 98a-b contains a discussion about carrying an object four amot in a covered public domain and the boards found in the wagons that were used in the construction of the Tabernacle in […]