On today’s page, Zevachim 66, the rabbis remind us that a properly performed bird sin offering is considered fit, even though the details have already been laid out with precision. When he joined us on Unorthodox back in 2020, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks helped us reflect on how stating the obvious can itself be a moral act, especially when the obvious is what we most easily overlook. Why do we need reminders of truths we think we already know? Listen and find out.

On today’s page, Zevachim 65, we learn that the pinching of a bird’s neck must be done by the priest himself rather than with a tool. This rule challenges us to consider what is lost when we distance ourselves from the actions that sustain us, allowing tools to create emotional or physical separation. What might we reclaim by bringing our bodies back into the process? Listen and find out.

On today’s pages, Zevachim 63 and 64, we encounter the Talmud’s vivid description of how priests prepared bird offerings and the raw, hands-on nature of the ritual. Our producer and resident bird-cooking correspondent, Josh Kross, joins us to reflect on why handling a whole creature changes the way we think about food, skill, and respect. How does facing the physicality of sacrifice help shape a more mindful relationship to what we consume? Listen and find out.

On today’s pages, Zevachim 61 and 62, we encounter a nation moving from place to place, altar to altar, waiting for the right moment to build God’s house. The delay isn’t a flaw but a feature: a reminder that spiritual readiness can’t be forced. What might this teach us about our own impatience to “arrive”? Listen and find out.

On today’s page, Zevachim 60, holiness meets history. As the rabbis ponder whether the Temple’s sanctity remains after its destruction, we turn to a modern echo of that question: the story of “Jerusalem of Gold.” Written before the city’s reunification, it became a national prayer—and a confession. What does its melody still teach us? Listen and find out.

On today’s page, Zevachim 59, the rabbis question how King Solomon’s altar could possibly be “too small” to handle his sacrifices when it was hundreds of times larger than Moses’s. The math just doesn’t add up—and that’s the point. What do we miss when we let statistics tell the whole story? Listen and find out.

On today’s page, Zevachim 58, the rabbis chart out the sacred geography of the Temple, each direction representing a dimension of human life, from the material to the spiritual. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch saw in this design a living map of the soul. What can an unfinished corner teach us about our own unfinished selves? Listen and find out.

On today’s pages, Zevachim 56 and 57, the rabbis recall the “wise men of the vineyards of Yavneh,” who rebuilt the Sanhedrin in secret after Rome’s destruction of the Temple. Our very own Presidentischer Rav, Dr. Tevi Troy, joins to compare that ancient subterfuge with another hub of quiet strategy—the East Wing of the White House. Why does true leadership sometimes have to hide in plain sight? Listen and find out.

On today’s pages, Zevachim 54–55, the rabbis recall a dark episode—when jealousy between leaders ended in bloodshed. Our very own Presidentischer Rav, Dr. Tevi Troy, joins to show how the same impulse plays out in presidential politics. What can we learn when rivalry crosses the line? Listen and find out.

The Rival’s Shadow

On today’s page, Zevachim 53, the rabbis tell us that the altar straddled Judah’s and Benjamin’s land. What might sound like a recipe for rivalry is instead a model of brotherhood and repair. A logistical headache—or a reminder of reconciliation and shared purpose? Listen and find out.