Podcasts about masechet yevamot

When a person is going through a difficult time, or if he experienced an embarrassing situation and is feeling a great deal of pain as a result. He thinks about it day and night and can't concentrate fully on anything else he tries to accomplish. He tries again and again to put it out of his mind but to no avail. One of the ways in which he can feel better about what happened is by internalizing that it came from Hashem. Although a person may have been learning emunah for years and has learned countless times that everything comes from Hashem, when it comes time to actually apply it, it is not so simple. Being that the circumstances which brought about the difficulty usually seem so natural, it's hard for a person to feel Hashem's hand behind it, especially when it seems like other people are the cause of their problem. However, just because a person's initial reactions are not like the greats of all time, it doesn't mean they can't achieve the level of emunah they hoped they would have had. All it means is they need an extra boost to get there. Whether it is listening to a few classes on emunah or reading a book on emunah, or speaking to other people about what happened, or just internally convincing themselves of the real truth, with a little extra effort, they will be amazed at the results. It is never all or nothing. Sometimes, just a little emunah will take the edge off and that will accomplish so much for the person. The more effort we put into it, the better the results will be. Rabbi Pinchas Shafer related a story that a man told about himself. The man said, he has a friend of many years whom he trusted and with whom he shared things that he would not tell just anyone. One day, that friend took advantage of their closeness in order to insult him terribly. The pain he experienced was unimaginable. It hurt him so much, he literally did not know what to do with himself. The negative emotions overwhelmed him. He tried to think it through logically and find some points in his friend's favor, but he was so distressed he was unable to do that. He decided he needed to work on his emunah so he called a hashgacha peratit hot-line and listened to a song with the words from the first Ani Maamin – "I believe with complete faith that the Creator, yitbarach Shemo , creates and orchestrates the entire Creation and He alone makes everything happen, as He always did and always will." He listened to this song again and again, dozens of times, until he finally felt calm and it was clear as day to him that this friend was just a messenger of Hashem. Once he calmed down, he started thinking about a possible message that Hashem might be telling him. He then recalled that he once hurt someone else with a similar type of insult, thinking he was acting l'shem Shamayim by doing so. But perhaps he was wrong and he needed to get forgiveness from that man. He then thanked Hashem for giving him this thought process. The very next day, in his regular learning, he was up to page 105 in Masechet Yevamot and encountered a story about a Rabbi who mistakenly embarrassed somebody else, thinking he was l'shem Shamayim for doing it. The Gemara , however, said he was wrong and he had to suffer the consequences. This man felt like Hashem was talking directly to him and, baruch Hashem, he was able to get forgiven. Whenever someone is struggling with emotional pain and it is so hard for him to think clearly, with a little extra work in emunah, it will make the situation much easier for him to deal with.

The pasuk says in Kohelet, בבוקר זרע את זרעך ולערב אל תנח ידך .The Gemara in Masechet Yevamot learns from this pasuk that even if a person had many students when he was young and vibrant, he should continue trying to find more in his old age. Also, a person should never underestimate the potential of any student. As it says in the Avot d'Rabbi Natan, on one occasion, Hillel Hazaken asked if all of his students had arrived. They told him yes, except for one, but it was the weakest of the group. Hillel told them that one day that student is going to be a leader of the generation. That student was none other than Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai. This idea does not only apply to a rabbi with students. Every single person who influences another Jew makes that Jew his student. If someone needs help in learning or in doing a mitzvah, we should look at that as a golden opportunity to gain another student. People are busy with their own spiritual growth and may not want to be bothered with others. But if they would know that helping someone else grow spiritually can be even better than spending the time on their own growth, they would be happy to help. I read a story that was told by the head of a Kiruv organization in New York, who we'll call Rabbi Cohen. One day, a well-known Rosh Yeshiva approached Rabbi Cohen with a request, saying that he needed help with his son. The Rosh Yeshiva had tears in his eyes as he said that his son had gone off the derech. He asked this person if he would be able to help bring his son back. Rabbi Cohen accepted the request and over time he was able to bring the boy all the way back to the level that his father was hoping for. But before Rabbi Cohen agreed to help, he made one condition with this Rosh Yeshiva. He told the Rosh Yeshiva that he himself grew up around people who were not looking to grow spiritually, nor to become great in learning Torah. When he got older, he started becoming more motivated on his own and asked his parents to go to one of the best yeshivot in New York. His parents allowed him to go. When he arrived, he felt completely out of place there. He didn't understand half of what the rabbis were saying in their shiurim. The first few weeks there, he cried every night, feeling totally lost and alone. He then worked up enough courage to ask someone else in the yeshiva to help him with some of the fundamentals that could enable him to grow there. He wanted to understand the Yiddish words the rabbis were saying, as well as how to comprehend the deep Gemara learning. The first person he asked was extremely diligent in his studies and used every one of his breaks for another learning seder. He said he was sorry, but he didn't have the time. He then went and asked someone else who looked like he would be able to help, but that boy also was busy during his breaks learning the Daf Hayomi Yerushalmi. He was completely broken and felt totally out of place with nothing to look forward to. One night he broke down crying and made heartfelt tefilot to Hashem begging him to help. He decided he was going to ask one more person for help, and if that person denied him, he was going to go back to his hometown. The next person he asked replied with a big smile on his face saying, "Of course, I would be happy to help." That person sat with the young Rabbi Cohen every day and taught him "the ropes" until he became a shining star in the yeshiva. It was from there that he became a rabbi in Kiruv and has since brought back thousands of Jews to Torah and mitzvot. Rabbi Cohen concluded his words to the Rosh Yeshiva, "My condition in helping your son is that you should know that the one who helped me with joy become the person that I am today was none other than yourself!" This Rosh Yeshiva understood as a young man the value of helping everyone in need, especially in spirituality. His efforts paid back thousands of times over, and even helped bring his own son back to Torah and mitzvot. We should never underestimate the value of helping another Jew grow spiritually.

Tefila is one of the areas in which we constantly need chizuk . We must remind ourselves from time to time what it says in the Kad HaKemach that tefila is so great, it has the power to even change nature. We must remind ourselves of the Meiri who writes that we should feel confident in the power of one good tefila to break a decree. The effectiveness of any tefila depends on the amount of mesirut nefesh a person is willing to put into it. The more we put in, the more powerful it becomes. And a truly powerful tefila can do wonders. I read a story about a boy named Shimshi Gelles who had outstanding middot and a very strong drive to learn, but he just didn't have the brain power to understand what he was learning. His rebbe in elementary school watched him toil every single day and even shed tears, frustrated, that he just couldn't understand. The rebbe was willing to stay after school and clarify the Gemara for Shimshi, but after many weeks and months of trying, the boy just could not understand. The rebbe was deeply pained, seeing this boy suffer so much. He decided to bring him to Bnei Brak to get a beracha and guidance from Rav Chaim Kaniensky, zatzal . When they arrived, the boy's rebbe praised the boy's yirat Shamayim , sincere tefilot and great efforts in trying to learn, to the Gadol . Rav Chaim smiled and said, “Looks like you need a little more yegia (effort) in Torah.” The rebbe assured Rav Chaim that the boy was putting in every last bit of effort he was capable of. Rav Chaim then asked the boy himself if he davened for hatzlacha in learning, to which the boy replied that he did, and even with tears sometimes. Rav Chaim told the boy to accept upon himself to never miss tefila with a minyan , even if it would require mesirut nefesh . Then he gave him a beracha and the meeting ended. The months and years passed and Shimshi always made sure to never miss minyan . When it was time for him to apply to yeshiva gedola , everyone was surprised when Shimshi got accepted to an excellent yeshiva, although it was due to his yirat Shamayim and exceptional character, as opposed to his learning skills. A few years later, when Shimshi was 19, he came back to his old rebbe and handed him a pamphlet entitled Chidusheh Torah al Masechet Yevamot . The rebbe looked through it and was very impressed by the clarity and depth of each chiddush there. It was obvious that the author was a brilliant talmid chacham . The rebbe asked Shimshi who wrote this? And with a shy smile, Shimshi said, “Hashem helped me put this out. I have so much hakarat hatov to you for putting so much effort into me and now I wanted to show you the fruits of your labor. The rebbe couldn't believe what he was hearing, reminding Shimshi how he couldn't even grasp a simple Tosafot . “What changed?” he asked. Shimshi's eyes shone as he shared the events of the past few years with his rebbe . His first year in yeshiva gedola was very difficult. Sitting in the shiur every day, not understanding a word the Rabbi was saying. At the end of the winter's zeman , the yeshiva went on a trip to holy places in the North of Israel. And by the time they got home that night and this boy walked into his house in Ramot, it was very late. His parents waited up for him, served him dinner and they talked for a while. He was finally getting ready to go to bed at 1:30 am when he realized he didn't say Arbit yet. He knew there were no minyanim in his neighborhood, but he also had the words of Rav Chaim ringing in his head to never miss minyan even if it would require mesirut nefesh . The only definite option he knew of was Zichron Moshe in Geula . He didn't even have a car and there was no public transportation at that time of night. So with tremendous self-sacrifice, he managed to get there close to an hour later. When he arrived, there were six others and they were waiting for a minyan . They waited a long time until close to 3:00 am in the morning and they finally got the tenth. “It was the most special tefila in my life,” Shimshi exclaimed. “From the moment the chazan said Barchu , I felt an overwhelming wave of kavana and passion that I never felt before. Yet it wasn't until I reached אתה חונן לאדם דעת that I felt a change. It was as if a dam opened in my heart and, suddenly, I cried harder than I ever cried before. I stood there in the corner of the shul for about 45 minutes, begging Hashem to open my heart to Torah and to fully understand everything I learn.” After he finished, he looked at the clock and saw that the netz minyan would be starting soon and decided to stay and wait for it and borrow a pair of tefillin . While waiting, he opened a Gemara to the spot they were learning in yeshiva and began to review. For the first time in his life, he actually understood everything he was reading. He then learned Rashi, Tosafot, Maharsha and it was all crystal clear. He cried the entire Shacharit, thanking Hashem for the incredible gift He had just given him. From that day on, he learned with such diligence for hours and hours straight with no interruption. And that is how he was able to write this pamphlet on Masechet Yevamot . He had prayed for years to have success in his learning, but this one extremely powerful tefila was the one that broke nature and changed his life forever. This is the awesome power of a truly heartfelt tefila .

When a person is going through a difficult time, or if he experienced an embarrassing situation and is feeling a great deal of pain as a result. He thinks about it day and night and can't concentrate fully on anything else he tries to accomplish. He tries again and again to put it out of his mind but to no avail. One of the ways in which he can feel better about what happened is by internalizing that it came from Hashem. Although a person may have been learning emunah for years and has learned countless times that everything comes from Hashem, when it comes time to actually apply it, it is not so simple. Being that the circumstances which brought about the difficulty usually seem so natural, it's hard for a person to feel Hashem's hand behind it, especially when it seems like other people are the cause of their problem. However, just because a person's initial reactions are not like the greats of all time, it doesn't mean they can't achieve the level of emunah they hoped they would have had. All it means is they need an extra boost to get there. Whether it is listening to a few classes on emunah or reading a book on emunah, or speaking to other people about what happened, or just internally convincing themselves of the real truth, with a little extra effort, they will be amazed at the results. It is never all or nothing. Sometimes, just a little emunah will take the edge off and that will accomplish so much for the person. The more effort we put into it, the better the results will be. Rabbi Pinchas Shafer related a story that a man told about himself. The man said, he has a friend of many years whom he trusted and with whom he shared things that he would not tell just anyone. One day, that friend took advantage of their closeness in order to insult him terribly. The pain he experienced was unimaginable. It hurt him so much, he literally did not know what to do with himself. The negative emotions overwhelmed him. He tried to think it through logically and find some points in his friend's favor, but he was so distressed he was unable to do that. He decided he needed to work on his emunah so he called a hashgacha peratit hot-line and listened to a song with the words from the first Ani Maamin – “I believe with complete faith that the Creator, yitbarach Shemo , creates and orchestrates the entire Creation and He alone makes everything happen, as He always did and always will.” He listened to this song again and again, dozens of times, until he finally felt calm and it was clear as day to him that this friend was just a messenger of Hashem. Once he calmed down, he started thinking about a possible message that Hashem might be telling him. He then recalled that he once hurt someone else with a similar type of insult, thinking he was acting l'shem Shamayim by doing so. But perhaps he was wrong and he needed to get forgiveness from that man. He then thanked Hashem for giving him this thought process. The very next day, in his regular learning, he was up to page 105 in Masechet Yevamot and encountered a story about a Rabbi who mistakenly embarrassed somebody else, thinking he was l'shem Shamayim for doing it. The Gemara , however, said he was wrong and he had to suffer the consequences. This man felt like Hashem was talking directly to him and, baruch Hashem, he was able to get forgiven. Whenever someone is struggling with emotional pain and it is so hard for him to think clearly, with a little extra work in emunah, it will make the situation much easier for him to deal with.

Today's daf is sponsored by Suri Stern in honor of Rabbanit Michelle Farber who rocked teaching this long and hard Masechet Yevamot and my sisters in Hadran Long Island who persevered through this difficult masechet w their usual humor. לכו מחיל אל חיל! Today's daf is sponsored by the Hadran Daf Yomi women of Hashmonaim to Phyllis, Gittel Pasha bat Masha Rachel for the continued refuah. "In addition to being a pillar of hesed and torah learning in our community, you have become so central in our daf learning, creating a whatsApp daf yomi group with daily posts and other related materials so we can access it all with the flick of a finger. You have left us with huge shoes to fill in your absence and are waiting for your return in good health and vigor, as we continue to daven daily for you. Ken Yihi Ratzon!" On what day do people get married and why? If the woman was a virgin, then on Wednesday and widows on Thursday. Why? The Mishna explains why virgins on Friday - since the courts meet on Thursday, they would marry on Wednesday so that if she was not actually a virgin, the husband can bring her to court the following morning to claim that she had lied about being a virgin, as the courts meet on Thursday. But as courts also met on Monday, why don't they marry also on Sunday? To answer the question, they add that they wanted to give the husband three days (from Shabbat) to prepare the meal for the wedding in order to provide a proper feast for his wife. As a result, if the date passes after which the husband was already supposed to marry the wife (generally a year after the betrothal), the man needs to already provide sustenance for the woman, but only beginning from Wednesday as based on the takana of the rabbis that people should get married on Wednesday. If there was some reason beyond his control that the wedding was delayed, he does not need to start paying for her sustenance. What if the wedding was delayed because of the woman - a reason beyond her control? What would be/not be considered beyond her control? Rava said that this issue of making a claim that there were circumstances beyond's one control (ones), does not apply for a divorce document, a get, that was given upon condition. From where does he learn this? The Gemara makes several attempts to bring a source, but in the end, they are unable to prove it from sources and they explain that Rava came to this conclusion using his own reasoning.

Today's daf is sponsored by Suri Stern in honor of Rabbanit Michelle Farber who rocked teaching this long and hard Masechet Yevamot and my sisters in Hadran Long Island who persevered through this difficult masechet w their usual humor. לכו מחיל אל חיל! Today's daf is sponsored by the Hadran Daf Yomi women of Hashmonaim to Phyllis, Gittel Pasha bat Masha Rachel for the continued refuah. "In addition to being a pillar of hesed and torah learning in our community, you have become so central in our daf learning, creating a whatsApp daf yomi group with daily posts and other related materials so we can access it all with the flick of a finger. You have left us with huge shoes to fill in your absence and are waiting for your return in good health and vigor, as we continue to daven daily for you. Ken Yihi Ratzon!" On what day do people get married and why? If the woman was a virgin, then on Wednesday and widows on Thursday. Why? The Mishna explains why virgins on Friday - since the courts meet on Thursday, they would marry on Wednesday so that if she was not actually a virgin, the husband can bring her to court the following morning to claim that she had lied about being a virgin, as the courts meet on Thursday. But as courts also met on Monday, why don't they marry also on Sunday? To answer the question, they add that they wanted to give the husband three days (from Shabbat) to prepare the meal for the wedding in order to provide a proper feast for his wife. As a result, if the date passes after which the husband was already supposed to marry the wife (generally a year after the betrothal), the man needs to already provide sustenance for the woman, but only beginning from Wednesday as based on the takana of the rabbis that people should get married on Wednesday. If there was some reason beyond his control that the wedding was delayed, he does not need to start paying for her sustenance. What if the wedding was delayed because of the woman - a reason beyond her control? What would be/not be considered beyond her control? Rava said that this issue of making a claim that there were circumstances beyond's one control (ones), does not apply for a divorce document, a get, that was given upon condition. From where does he learn this? The Gemara makes several attempts to bring a source, but in the end, they are unable to prove it from sources and they explain that Rava came to this conclusion using his own reasoning.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Heller looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 122. We can trace, in the positions of Rabbi Akiva, the evolution and expansion of types of testimony which are accepted to show that a husband has died to allow the wife’s remarriage. Are non-Jews a bridge too […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Heller looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 121. If someone falls into the water, under what you assume that they drowned? Even some of the most rigid rabbis bend with changing realities in coming up with the answer. Also, how is getting through Daf Yomi […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Heller looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 120. I was suprised to find out that CSI- Crime Scene Investigation, is still on. Our sages wrestled with a lot of the same questions of how to identify a body, what physical evidence is considered sufficient, and […]

Presentation in PDF format Today's daf is sponsored by Shelley and Jerry Gornish in loving memory of their dear grandson, Oz Wilchek, on his sixth yahrzeit.  Today’s daf is sponsored by Harriet Hartman in loving memory of Moshe Hartman. "In life, you expanded my horizons beyond all expectations. In your honor, I now feel my life expanding beyond all expectations through Hadran’s Daf Yomi. Thank you, and thanks to Rabbanit Michelle and Hadran for all the inspiration and insight." Today’s daf is sponsored by Gitta Jaroslawicz-Neufeld in loving memory of her father, Philip Jaroslawicz יוסף בן מנחם מענדל ופעשי ע"ה. “My father raised us to love learning and live Torah. While he may have said "no" when we asked for a new game, he never said "no" when we asked for books. His love of learning and passion for chessed are stamped strongly in the spiritual DNA of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren." Today's daf is sponsored by Adina Hagege in honor of Miriam Kerzner's birthday. "Your late-night dedication to learning the Daf Yomi with Hadran and Rabbanit Michelle, intellectually immersing yourself in a whole new world of Talmud, is an ongoing testament to the inspiration you've been for us all your life. We wish you many more years of learning and spiritual growth. With lots of love from your brother and sister, Barry and Elayne Greenstone, and all your nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and great-grand nieces and nephews".  Today’s daf is dedicated to Geelit Sommer by her children. "We wish our dear Ima a very happy birthday and a big שכויח for learning Masechet Yevamot. We are very proud of your dedication to learning and your openness to taking on this challenge, and we are inspired by you. עלי והצליחי!" If one's husband went abroad with a rival wife and witnesses said that he died, the wife needs to wait until she finds out that his wife did not give birth to a child. She cannot do yibum or marry anyone else. Rabbi Yehoshua disagrees and permit her to marry. According to the rabbis, why don't we follow the majority and assume she got pregnant and had a child? A distinction is made between a majority of items in front of us. like "nine stores" and a statistical majority. Or is it because the Mishna holds like Rabbi Meir who is concerned for minority possibilities? The difficulty of saying the Mishna holds like Rabbi Meir is that the second case in the Mishna does not seem concerned with minority possibilities. How can this be explained? How long does the woman need to wait to see if the rival wife had a child? Why can't we allow her to perform chalitza out of doubt? Sisters-in-law who could both fall to yibum to each other's husbands are not believed regarding each other. What happens in a case where there are only two brothers and each of their wives claims that their husband has died - if we believe each one, there are no brothers left to do yibum, in which case they should be allowed to marry anyone else. What is the law? The Mishna brings a number of different scenarios within this case.

Presentation in PDF format Today's daf is sponsored by Shelley and Jerry Gornish in loving memory of their dear grandson, Oz Wilchek, on his sixth yahrzeit.  Today’s daf is sponsored by Harriet Hartman in loving memory of Moshe Hartman. "In life, you expanded my horizons beyond all expectations. In your honor, I now feel my life expanding beyond all expectations through Hadran’s Daf Yomi. Thank you, and thanks to Rabbanit Michelle and Hadran for all the inspiration and insight." Today’s daf is sponsored by Gitta Jaroslawicz-Neufeld in loving memory of her father, Philip Jaroslawicz יוסף בן מנחם מענדל ופעשי ע"ה. “My father raised us to love learning and live Torah. While he may have said "no" when we asked for a new game, he never said "no" when we asked for books. His love of learning and passion for chessed are stamped strongly in the spiritual DNA of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren." Today's daf is sponsored by Adina Hagege in honor of Miriam Kerzner's birthday. "Your late-night dedication to learning the Daf Yomi with Hadran and Rabbanit Michelle, intellectually immersing yourself in a whole new world of Talmud, is an ongoing testament to the inspiration you've been for us all your life. We wish you many more years of learning and spiritual growth. With lots of love from your brother and sister, Barry and Elayne Greenstone, and all your nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and nephews, and great-grand nieces and nephews".  Today’s daf is dedicated to Geelit Sommer by her children. "We wish our dear Ima a very happy birthday and a big שכויח for learning Masechet Yevamot. We are very proud of your dedication to learning and your openness to taking on this challenge, and we are inspired by you. עלי והצליחי!" If one's husband went abroad with a rival wife and witnesses said that he died, the wife needs to wait until she finds out that his wife did not give birth to a child. She cannot do yibum or marry anyone else. Rabbi Yehoshua disagrees and permit her to marry. According to the rabbis, why don't we follow the majority and assume she got pregnant and had a child? A distinction is made between a majority of items in front of us. like "nine stores" and a statistical majority. Or is it because the Mishna holds like Rabbi Meir who is concerned for minority possibilities? The difficulty of saying the Mishna holds like Rabbi Meir is that the second case in the Mishna does not seem concerned with minority possibilities. How can this be explained? How long does the woman need to wait to see if the rival wife had a child? Why can't we allow her to perform chalitza out of doubt? Sisters-in-law who could both fall to yibum to each other's husbands are not believed regarding each other. What happens in a case where there are only two brothers and each of their wives claims that their husband has died - if we believe each one, there are no brothers left to do yibum, in which case they should be allowed to marry anyone else. What is the law? The Mishna brings a number of different scenarios within this case.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Heller looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 119. When do you use circumstantial evidence to decide that an unlikely possibility is actually worth worrying about? Why should the chances of a co-wife having a baby matter more than those of a mother-in-law? The opening and […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Heller looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 118. It's Schrodinger's husband- one wife says he's alive, the other says he's dead. Why would someone lie about such a thing to harm another person, even though they are harming themselves at the same time? What do […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Joshua Heller looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 117. How suspicious should we be of someone's motivations based on the questions they ask, or the concerns that they express? Do you have to be Sherlock holmes to conclude that someone whose first concern is for the […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 116. What kind of argument would a husband and wife have that would make a woman’s testimony suspicious? The rabbis consider every possible scenario! The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 115. When is a woman’s testimony to be believed? Our daf today questions the specific kinds of testimony that a woman may bring about her husband’s death, but the fact that she may act as a witness in […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 114. Must we prevent a Jewish child from eating treif? Where is the line between not holding them liable for adult commandments and our own desire to pass on the tradition? Our daf today explores this question. The […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 113. The rabbis offer different approaches for different categories of individuals, doing their best to protect the most vulnerable in society. If we combine their approach with the actual perspective and voices of those very people, we may […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 112. The Talmud offers a record of society’s attitudes in the ancient world. In today’s Mishnah, we see the rabbinic approach to the deaf and/or the deaf-mute. It’s good to know that Jewish law has changed in the […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 111. If a woman vowed not to receive any benefit from her brother-in-law, would this vow prohibit him from performing Yibum? It’s good to see a case where a woman’s word was taken seriously, even when her vow […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 110. The ancient world of the rabbis sounds like it was a dangerous place for women. Perhaps, then, the rabbinic treatment of women in this Masechet was their best attempt to protect women from the hazards of the […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Esther Israel looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 109. The G’mara is about rambly on this page, ending up with a bunch of recommended practices and norms for individuals and community, from halitsah to loan guarantors, from restrictions on vowing to questioning whether should Jews warmly welcome […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Esther Israel looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 108. Having explored yesterday the questions when – and under what circumstances – a minor girl can reject, or object to a marriage or betrothal that have been arranged for her, we turn today to the question: what does […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Esther Israel looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 107. With דף ק”ז , 107, we begin a new chapter of the Mishna and G’mara; Yevamot chapter 13. The first topic covered in this chapter is an offshoot of the allowance of betrothal of minors. (קידושי קטנה): This […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Esther Israel looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 106. What if the court feels they must resort to extreme measures to procure a halitsah for a case where there is, in there eyes, a clear incompatibility between the yabam and y’vama?

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Esther Israel looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 105. Today we will discuss the ability of a minor girl to perform Halitsah, and who has interests in her being able to do so, or not. The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Esther Israel looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 104. The Halitsah ceremony involves three main components: The removal of the man’s shoe, her spitting, and her recitation of her line “thus shall be done to the man who will not build up a line/ house for his […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Esther Israel looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 103. Today we’ll learn a barraita and the g’mara’s discussion of it, in which we are testing how far one can stretch what we understand to be the reality the torah was describing, regarding a certain commandment and the […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 94. Although in most cases Jewish law demands two witnesses, with respect to marital law, one witness is enough. Why? To prevent women from being “agunot” or chained to absent husbands. The opening and closing music for this […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 93. Can you buy and sell something that doesn't exist? Or do you have to hold it to sell it? The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead. This podcast […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 92. What happens when the court makes a mistake? Must the parties to the case suffer if the judges err? Or is it the judges own fault? The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 91. The Mishna and early post-Mishnaic authorities ruled somewhat leniently, permitting some mistakenly re-married women to return to their first husbands. But post-Talmudic authorities took a stricter stance, requiring double divorces in every case. Today’s page documents the […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 90. We continue our discussion of whether the Sages have the power to “uproot a law from the Torah.” The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead. This podcast is […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 89. The Talmud’s sad story of a woman who remarries, mistakenly believing her husband is dead will become a modern Hebrew classic in Agnon’s novella “The Crooked Will be Made Straight.” In our page we begin discussing whether […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Josh Buchin looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 88. A plug for people to buy and read The Story Of My Wife, by Milan Fust. Also, what happens if a woman, whose husband is overseas and presumed dead, remarries, only to discover that her first husband […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Josh Buchin looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 87. A woman who returns to her Priestly family can once again eat Teruma. This is a great example of the Gemara’s concern for and the Jewish tradition’s ability to mark transitions, and to offer support for those […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Josh Buchin looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 86. We’ve inherited a Prophetic tradition that asks us to be better and to make the world a better place. The Gemara talks about this chain of transmission and the interpretation of Biblical verses in the context of […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Josh Buchin looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 85. Who can priests marry? Who can anyone marry, for that matter? The Gemara weighs in on communal anxieties around marriage. The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead. This […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Josh Buchin looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 84. Is it possible for the Mishnah or the Gemara to ever be completely comprehensive? Any act of inclusion is also an act of exclusion. A discussion about the editing of the Gemara. The opening and closing music […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Josh Buchin looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 83. Everything belongs to God. Agriculture laws, duties towards neighbors, and accepting God’s sovereignty. The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead. This podcast is a collaboration with The Conservative […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Josh Buchin looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 82. Is Torah still relevant? Terumah, Seder Olam, and problematic mixtures. The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead. This podcast is a collaboration with The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 67. Is a fetus enough of a person to own something? Or enough of a person to impart a right to another person? The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 66. Husbands have two different kinds of property obligations regarding their wives pre-marital property: “iron sheep” are debts he must pay to her no matter what happens to the property, and “pluckings, ” property rights the wife retains […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 65. Are women obligated to “be fruitful and multiply?” The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead. This podcast is a collaboration with The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky looks at Masechet Yevamot, Daf 64. What happens if a couple cannot have children? Should they stick it out, even if they will never have kids, or divorce so they can have children with others? The opening and closing music for this podcast […]

Presentation in PDF format (for the proper effect, open with a Reader such as Adobe and view in Read or Presentation mode) Masechet Yevamot is sponsored by Ahava Leibtag and family in memory of her grandparents, Leo and Esther Aaron. "They always stressed the importance of a Torah life, mesorah and family. May their memory always be a blessing for their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren." This week's learning is sponsored by Suri Davis-Stern in honor of her son’s engagement and daughter's wedding. “Hakarat hatov to Hkbh on the engagement of my son, Yosef Stern to Rivka Cohen and the forthcoming wedding of my daughter, Esther Stern to Shai Goldman." Today’s daf is sponsored by Harriet Hartman in loving memory of Professor Dianne Ashton “She was taken from us suddenly in January of this year. A strong woman who beat all odds for her years and strongly advocated for woman's achievements and spirituality and modeled them herself.” Today’s daf is sponsored by Naomi Ferziger and Debbie Gevir in loving memory of their friend Ruti Greenberg. “Ruti was our wonderful, vivacious and beautiful friend who died on Pesach 8 years ago. Ruti's chessed, which is exemplified in her name "Rut", was just one of her special characteristics. Her optimism and strength coupled with her joie de vivre, wit and beauty continue to live in our hearts. Ruti, we miss you so much and think of you often. Yehi zichra baruch.” If a married man died without having children, his wife would be designated to enter into a levirate marriage with his brother in order to fulfill the name of the dead brother (continue his legacy). However, if he has one brother and that brother happens to be forbidden to the wife due to one of 15 forbidden relationships described in the Mishna, she would be exempt from levirate marriage and would be permitted to marry anyone else. Not only is she permitted without levirate marriage, but if he had other wives, they would be permitted as well. If there was a third brother to whom the wife was not related to in a forbidden manner, and the second wife (tzara) entering into a levirate marriage with him and then he died without children, the first wife, the second wife (the one who is now married to the third brother, and if the third brother had another wife, they would all be exempt from levirate marriage with the other brother (the one to whom the first wife was forbidden to in the first place). However, if the first wife were to die before the husband, then the forbidden relationship is no longer in existence and the other wives would be permitted (and therefore obligated) to enter into a levirate marriage with the brother. All these laws are derived from the case of "his wife's sister" - if so, why does the Mishna start with "his daughter" and not that case? 

Presentation in PDF format (for the proper effect, open with a Reader such as Adobe and view in Read or Presentation mode) Masechet Yevamot is sponsored by Ahava Leibtag and family in memory of her grandparents, Leo and Esther Aaron. "They always stressed the importance of a Torah life, mesorah and family. May their memory always be a blessing for their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren." This week's learning is sponsored by Suri Davis-Stern in honor of her son’s engagement and daughter's wedding. “Hakarat hatov to Hkbh on the engagement of my son, Yosef Stern to Rivka Cohen and the forthcoming wedding of my daughter, Esther Stern to Shai Goldman." Today’s daf is sponsored by Harriet Hartman in loving memory of Professor Dianne Ashton “She was taken from us suddenly in January of this year. A strong woman who beat all odds for her years and strongly advocated for woman's achievements and spirituality and modeled them herself.” Today’s daf is sponsored by Naomi Ferziger and Debbie Gevir in loving memory of their friend Ruti Greenberg. “Ruti was our wonderful, vivacious and beautiful friend who died on Pesach 8 years ago. Ruti's chessed, which is exemplified in her name "Rut", was just one of her special characteristics. Her optimism and strength coupled with her joie de vivre, wit and beauty continue to live in our hearts. Ruti, we miss you so much and think of you often. Yehi zichra baruch.” If a married man died without having children, his wife would be designated to enter into a levirate marriage with his brother in order to fulfill the name of the dead brother (continue his legacy). However, if he has one brother and that brother happens to be forbidden to the wife due to one of 15 forbidden relationships described in the Mishna, she would be exempt from levirate marriage and would be permitted to marry anyone else. Not only is she permitted without levirate marriage, but if he had other wives, they would be permitted as well. If there was a third brother to whom the wife was not related to in a forbidden manner, and the second wife (tzara) entering into a levirate marriage with him and then he died without children, the first wife, the second wife (the one who is now married to the third brother, and if the third brother had another wife, they would all be exempt from levirate marriage with the other brother (the one to whom the first wife was forbidden to in the first place). However, if the first wife were to die before the husband, then the forbidden relationship is no longer in existence and the other wives would be permitted (and therefore obligated) to enter into a levirate marriage with the brother. All these laws are derived from the case of "his wife's sister" - if so, why does the Mishna start with "his daughter" and not that case? 

This shiur is sponsored by Valerie Adler in honor of her niece, Dr. Ayelet Hoffman Libson. "Like all of us who have listened to Ayelet’s wonderful introductions in previous masechot, I am looking forward with anticipation to hear her overview of Yevamot. This is an added pleasure for me in my journey with Hadran."

This shiur is sponsored by Valerie Adler in honor of her niece, Dr. Ayelet Hoffman Libson. "Like all of us who have listened to Ayelet’s wonderful introductions in previous masechot, I am looking forward with anticipation to hear her overview of Yevamot. This is an added pleasure for me in my journey with Hadran."