Author: Meghan Froy

On today’s daf, we read about the burial of the biblical patriarch Jacob in the Cave of Machpelah. As with the funerals of prominent people to this day, Jacob’s burial was attended by leaders who would have been the equivalent in stature to modern heads of state.   The Gemara describes the scene: They all came […]

When the Israelites had successfully crossed the Red Sea, Moses led the (apparently all-male) crowds in a long song praising God’s greatness. Then, the Torah tells us: Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, picked up a drum, and all the women went out after her in dance with drums. And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the […]

Having explained a passage from the mishnah on Sotah 8 showing how the biblical Miriam was proportionately rewarded for her good deeds, the Talmud on today’s daf launches into a midrashic exploration of the opening narrative of the Exodus story. The connection may be in Miriam herself, a key figure in the Exodus story, though the Gemara does not limit itself to […]

Today’s daf is almost entirely devoted to a discussion of the story of Judah (one of the sons of the patriarch Jacob) and his daughter-in-law Tamar, found in Genesis 38. It’s worth reading that chapter in Genesis if you have a moment, but if not, here’s a quick reminder of how that story played out: […]

Having read about how sotah ordeal works, on today’s daf we get a glimpse into why the rabbis think the accused woman must go through the torment it entails. As we learn from a beraita: The sotah placed her eyes on one who is unfit for her. That which she desired is not given to […]

There’s little doubt that the sotah ritual is not just a divine test to verify whether a married woman has committed adultery, but a form of public shaming. On today’s daf, the rabbis consider whether this shaming is merely a natural result of the sotah ritual, or whether this should be its goal. In answer […]

Gail Simmons, food writer, culinary expert and one of three judges on the award-winning, long-running Bravo food show, “Top Chef,” grew up in a Conservative Jewish home in Canada, in which food was a focus of her family’s life. Her mom, who Simmons calls “an amazing cook,” made Shabbat dinner every Friday night of Simmons’ […]