Daily Daf Differently

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 69.

Today’s daf contains two very different stories. The first relates to Alexander the Great and is connected to the question from yesterday’s daf about the regulations regarding the High Priests garments. Confused? Give a listen. The other story relates how God’s seeming powerlessness is actually proof of his overwhelming strength.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 68.

Do you have any special clothing that you only where on certain occasions? In certain places? The High Priest’s garments were very special pieces of clothing. There were numerous laws that governed when this clothing could be worn or what the High Priest could do while he was wearing this clothing. The sages tried to offer guidelines for navigating the wearing of these holy garments.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 67.

Before the Scarlet Letter, there was the Scarlet Thread. During the scapegoat ritual a crimson or scarlet thread was tied to its horns. This thread was understood to have the ability to channel whether the atonement of Israel was accepted or not. If the thread turned white, all was good, if it didn’t turn white, trouble ahead. Today’s dad includes a number of stories about this special thread. One issue addressed was the potential for shame if the thread didn’t turn white and how this eventually affected the way that the ritual was performed.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 66.

Do sacrifices have an expiration date? Today’s daf addresses this very question. What if an animal was disqualified from being sacrificed, but that disqualification has now passed, is it permissible to sacrifice this animal next year? Numerous rabbinic opinions are brought trying to answer this question. What does it mean both spiritually and logistically to keep an animal for an entire year? How do we even count a year? See how the differences between the lunar and solar calendar may hold the answer to our original question.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 65.

Is there a difference between a sin offering of the individual and a sin offering of the community? What happens when the very structured sacrificial procedure is down improperly? The Talmudic rabbis were very interested in these questions. The first question addressed the relationship between the individual and the community, while the second attempted to identify the essential factors that make a sacrifice acceptable and at what point is a sacrifice disqualified.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 64.

Can a person ever have too many goats? Well, if you are the High Priest and are planning to sacrifice a goat on Yom Kippur, more than one goat is not necessarily a good thing. There were two goats that were essential to the Yom Kippur ritual, the first was sacrificed in the Temple and the second was the scapegoat that was led off a cliff. These goats were a pair, but the question is how far do we take this connection between them? What happens if one of them dies? Does the other goat have to also be replaced? If the second goat has to be replaced, what happens to it? The discussion addresses the possibility of animals being removed from the sacrificial framework once they are already part of it.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Michael Pitkowsky looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 63.

There were many laws that regulated the sacrifices offered on Yom Kippur. One of these laws was the prohibition to offer the Yom Kippur sacrifice outside of the Temple. The Gemara addressed an interesting question: What if someone offered up a sacrifice outside of the Temple, but also before its proper time? Does the offering of a sacrifice at the improper time make the fact that the sacrifice was offered outside of the Temple irrelevant? The answer to this question is found in the use of the term “since.’ The use of this term is focused on the tension between the actual and the theoretical, what are people thinking of versus what is theoretically possible.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Aaron Alexander looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 62.

Same, Same, But Different. Bringing our full selves to Yom Kippur when we stand before God.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Aaron Alexander looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 61.

On today’s daf we realize that there really is no comparison to presence.

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Aaron Alexander looks at Masechet Yoma Daf 60.

What’s More important, the means or the ends?

The opening and closing music for this podcast is Ufros from The Epichorus album One Bead.