Take One

Shabbat 121 and 122

In today’s Daf Yomi pages, talking about the right to bear arms

July 6, 2020

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Shabbat 121 and 122, give us a clash for the ages: The sage, who urge us to go ahead and kill creatures that may threaten our lives, and the pious, who argue that taking a life, under any circumstance, should be avoided. Which, if you think about it, mirrors much of the logic of our contemporary debate about guns: Mark Oppenheimer returns to tell us about his experience as a staunchly anti-gun person taking an NRA shooting course, and to debate Liel about firearms, public discourse, and the soul. What spiritual training should we give to those wishing to own and operate firearms? Listen and find out.