Daf yomi turns 100.
Figs, grapes, and unconvincing explanations.
Trivializing Judaism’s greatest sorrows.
Why a “backwards” tractate includes lengthy discussions of the destruction of the Second Temple.
How to know if an argument is for the sake of heaven.
The texts we take for granted are the work of countless scribes about whom we know little but their handwriting.
Choosing to feel commanded.
The New York Times gets it wrong.
Asher ben Yeḥiel.
The 500-year-old page layout reflects the text’s essence.
The Soul of the Mishnah.
And became a guest at the seder.
“One cannot really understand the truth if one does not understand the arguments that can be urged against it.”