“How could they walk in blood up to their ankles?”

I am often tempted to turn what I read in the Talmud on its head and reverse many of the arguments. What if the Rabbis were all women who were supported at home by their husbands? Or maybe our female Rabbis are single and have devoted their lives to study and the Torah? And what if we said that it was a blessing to be born a woman, rather than a burden?

“He would rest his hand on another’s shoulder.” 

Today’s Daf Yomi reading provides a vision of an elegant ceremony of priests who lined up before the alter in the courtyard of the temple to complete the sacrificial ritual on Passover. It is elegant, if you can overlook the fact that the rows of priests who lined up before the alter were carrying bowls of blood.

“Rabbi Yohanan took a clod of dirt and threw it at him

In the middle of the today’s exposition on the details of sacrificing the Paschal lamb is an instructive story involving a tenacious but somewhat arrogant student who pursued a certain curmudgeon of a Rabbi for elucidation of all the knowledge contained in the Book of Genealogies. The notes in the Koren Talmud  indicate that the book contained the genealogies of the powerful families at the time,

For its own purpose and for a different purpose.”

The concept of intention permeates many of the daily Daf Yomi readings. We learned back in the first Tractate that blessings required both intention and attention. There have been clarifications along the way, with passages suggesting that in addition to intention, appearances matter, and one should not present the appearance of a transgression.

“Is like an ordinary Monday.”

We enter a new chapter today devoted to the sacrifice of the paschal lamb which comes along with a warning from the daily commentary in My Jewish Learning. The warning is that we are in for several weeks of commentary on the roasting of the lamb and the discussion will be very specific and unpleasant at times.

“And the powerful priests among them would take them by force before they could be distributed.”

I am deeply disappointed with the revelation that surfaced on Friday that although the US government said earlier in the week that it would release the national stockpile of COVD-19 vaccines in order to escalate the process of reaching a larger number of people, there is in fact no stockpile. It is difficult to read today’s Daf Yomi concerning the overreach of priestly power without seeing so many parallels in our current situation.

“The legal status of part of the day is like that of the entire day.”

Everything has a time and place in the Talmud. The discussion on observing local customs continues today and for a moment I thought I was back in Tractate Shabbat, except for the fact that the text discusses working on the eve of Passover rather than Shabbat.

“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.”

There is so much chatter and noise around us, although the world has become somewhat quieter since the start of the pandemic. We are reminded in today’s Daf Yomi that a truly kind person and one “of understanding” will listen and draw others into their “flow.”

“Both this time and that time are one period.”

The image that has resonated with me during today’s reading is of the strong, sturdy sycamore tree. The thick bark of the tree is used for lumber and paneling and the crafting of butcher blocks. We are told that the sycamore cannot be chopped down during the Sabbatical Year once its cluster of flowers fall to the ground.

“In a settled area it is prohibited; in the desert it is permitted.”

If I have learned anything from the past year of reading the Talmud, it is that I have been born into a very difficult heritage and the punishment for breaking the multitude of rules can be quite severe. I understand that the Rabbis at the time of the Talmud had created guardrails around the Torah in order to ensure its laws were followed through the creation of stringencies.

“In all our days we have never seen that type of conduct.”

Yesterday we were told in the daily Daf Yomi reading that if one traveled on Passover eve where the custom differed from their hometown on whether work is permissible on the day, he should follow the most stringent guidance. Today, the discussion on following local practices extends to bathing, eating, and even the type of stool that one can rest on upon the conclusion of a long journey.

I saw an inverted world.”

I have been thinking a lot about work and how it defines us. Studs Terkel said in his seminal analysis of working that “most of us are looking for a calling, not a job.” He added that most of us “have jobs that are too small for our spirit. Jobs are not big enough for people.”  

“For it is your life and the length of your days.”

I usually can find one thing in the Talmud to write about each day, but today, I am left nearly speechless. The focus on potential marriage partners and the use of the word ignoramus over and over is extremely upsetting and especially in the light of the events of this week in Washington DC. The message of “otherness” is difficult to process.

“One kneads, one arranges, one bakes.”

Daf sisters of the world unite. Today’s portion is for you (and our open-minded brothers). We are still in the land of dough, with a discussion of how three women can work together to create unleavened batches in perfect unity. It is a passage that provides insight into how women who find a common rhythm can support each other through difficult tasks.

“Do we say the principle: Since, etc.?”

Today’s Daf Yomi returns to the principle of since which upon further contemplation, is really a form of rationalization. This is never more meaningful than in light of the events that unfolded yesterday in the US Capital, which I have always considered as sacred to democracy as the golden Temple.

“The matter is dependent on the owner’s particularity.”

Today we are presented with a different take on intention, which incorporates the principle of “since, etc.” It is a form of intention that considers past and future inclinations. And in case you have not read the portion yet, we are still living in the world of the kneading bowl, where every small egg-bulk of dough matters.

“Two verses that come as one.”

We are provided with a lesson in today’s Daf Yomi of what constitutes an analogy and by extension, how to discern the facts. When I was studying in the Creative Writing program at New York University, we tried really hard to not fall into the trap of over-used analogies, such as “cold as ice” or “hard as steel” and “white as snow.”

“The Torah rendered a man equal to a woman for all punishments of the Torah.”

I wanted to read this sentence without the last six words: “The Torah rendered a man equal to a woman for all punishments of the Torah.” How nice it would have been to simply have read that the Torah rendered men and women equal. But we know they were not considered equal at the time of transcription, and women are secondary characters – at best – within the text.

“It shall not be seen, and it shall not be found.”

Women are often relegated to a supporting role at best in the Talmud. They rarely have a name and are often referred to as “so-and-so’s-wife.” They almost never have a voice or any type of personal agency.  One can only surmise from reading between the lines of the text what their lives were like.

“Roasted with fire.”

Today’s Daf Yomi discussion of roasting the paschal lamb reminded me of the opposing qualities of fire. We learn that the Paschal lamb must be roasted with fire in order to meet the requirements of a positive mitza.