Daily Daf Differently

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ute Steyer looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 17. We learn about the three groups of people that are judged on the final Yom Din: completely righteous, completely wicked, and those in-between and what role suffering plays to atone for one’s wrongdoings. We look at […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ute Steyer looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 16. The four occasions on which judgment is passed on the world and the beginning of the discussion about the moral judgment of mankind on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur. Which things can change the final decree? […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Ute Steyer looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 15. The new year of trees and what determines it? The tithing cycle and how it is determined which fruits are tithed for the past year and the coming year. The opening and closing music for this […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 14. Is consistency a requirement for a religious legal system? Today’s daf addresses this very important question. What are the rules according to which rabbinic law work? Autonomy as a value is central to many modern approaches […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 13. Today’s daf addresses a number of issues relating to the Sabbatical Year. One is how much does something have to grow before it is considered to have grown during the Sabbatical year. Specifically, if towards the […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 12. Have you ever looked up at the stars and wondered what lies beyond all of those stars and constellations? Well, according to today’s daf, beyond the constellations and stars were the waters that flooded the Earth […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 11. On today’s daf we go read a detailed list of special dates within Jewish history. We’ll learn on what day the world was created, when were the patriarchs born, and during which month the Children of […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 10. I hope that you enjoyed the concept that we are obligated to add to the holy time period of the Sabbatical Year that we learned on yesterday’s daf, because we speak more about it today. Today’s […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 9. Listen to today’s daf in order to learn how a discussion of the starting point for the Sabbatical Year, the Shemittah year, is used in order to teach an important concept that applies to Shabbat and […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 8. Tithing a cattle? Who would have thought. Well, Masekhet Rosh Hashana is very interested in the tithing of cattle and any deadlines that were involved. Our daf addresses these questions along with other important dates in […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbbi Daniel Goldfarb looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 7. A rabbinic statement adding “months, leap-years and, some say, housing rental agreements” to the matters for which the first of Nisan is the “new year” gives us the opportunity to look at each of these and […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 6. A statement by one rabbi that Charity pledges should be paid immediately, and not within the longer time period allowed for pledges to the Temple, leads us to explore the place of charity as a value […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 5. A statement by one rabbi that Charity pledges should be paid immediately, and not within the longer time period allowed for pledges to the Temple, leads us to explore the place of charity as a value […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 4. We will study the Talmud’s difficulty with a “Rosh Hashana for the Festivals” and see how it deals with a Biblical text that it understands but that lacks any operative guidance and with a Mishna text […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 3. We will look at the first few words of the opening Mishna of the tractate, regarding the First of Nisan as the New Year for the Kings. We will consider the statement that this is for […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Daniel Goldfarb looks at Masechet Rosh Hashana Daf 2. For the opening page of this tractate we will look at some of the unique aspects of Rosh Hashana, both the holiday and the Talmud tractate. We will also do an overview of the Jewish calendar, […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Beitza Daf 40. Enjoying the sacred time of the festival is influenced by the spaces we inhabit. How far can we stretch the boundaries of space and still share a common experience? By applying the criterion of space to measure […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Beitza Daf 39. We examine the use of materials on festivals that may be available to many people, each going their own way. Do we apply any notions of ownership to such things as a flame or a natural source […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Beitza Daf 38. The concept of “breirah” – do we accept a notion of predestination? Defending the rights of persons – in theory and in practice – the difference between a talmudic dictum and an episode in the study hall. […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Beitza Daf 37. How much leeway do we grant with regard to restrictions on activities during a festival? What counts as an extenuating circumstance? And another case of competing claims: One person wants to study and one person wants to […]