Josh Kross
Take One

Take One: Berakhot 8 and 9

Today’s daily pages of Talmud muse about evil neighbors, the meaning of community, and how to break free

January 10, 2020
Josh Kross

Today’s Daf Yomi pages, Berakhot 8 and 9, begin with a thorny statement: If you don’t visit your local synagogue, you’re an evil neighbor. It sounds a bit gruff, but when you consider the identity of the man who passed this judgment—a former gladiator moved by lust to become one of the Talmud’s wisest and most celebrated rabbis—things start to fall into place. Want to meet the legendary Reish Lakish? Curious about why freedom can only be achieved when everyone is free? Listen and find out.

Take One is Tablet Magazine’s daily Daf Yomi podcast.