Author: Meghan Froy

I have to admit, when I sat down to compose something about this final page of Tractate Yoma, my first impulse was to write something snarky — because this is the (ahem) climax of the entire tractate: A Tanna taught Rav Nahman: One who sees a seminal emission on Yom Kippur, his sins are forgiven. In the course […]

Health salads — sweet and tangy slaw-like, cabbage-based salads that often include carrots, bell pepper and cucumber — are a fixture of New York Jewish delis. They’re sold by the pound in the deli case or sometimes generously arrive alongside your complimentary plate of pickles. While the dressing is typically sweetened with sugar, the purported “health” […]

There are kitchen necessities (a chicken soup stock pot, a food processor for potato kugel, etc.) and then there are those items you don’t need per say, but that bring you joy. We’ve rounded up the best Jewish kitchen kitsch available online that’s sure to put a smile on your face or add a little […]

Scattered throughout Jewish texts are numerous enthusiastic declarations about shalom— peace. “Great is peace!” they each begin, followed by further explanation and a biblical proof text. In Vayikra Rabbah, a late rabbinic commentary on the Book of Leviticus, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says that peace is great because it includes each and every blessing, while Rabbi Hizkiyah posits that peace […]

Have you ever stood in synagogue on Yom Kippur and wondered if all the rituals and prayers actually worked to atone for your sins? Or if they actually worked to atone for the sins of some of your fellow congregants? Does all of this awe and fasting, pomp and circumstance, really do anything?  Lest you thought these were strictly modern questions, today’s daf […]

On Yoma 82, we established that the preservation of human life takes precedence over almost all other mitzvot. Today’s daf continues with that theme, presenting several cases of actions that would be forbidden on Shabbat but are acceptable, and even encouraged, if performed to save a life.  For example, the Talmud tells us that one may cast a net to rescue […]

Fasting is a core element of the Yom Kippur experience. While challenging at times, fasting contributes to the seriousness of the day and allows us to focus on our spiritual, rather than our physical, needs. But as we saw yesterday on Yoma 82, there are circumstances where it’s not only permitted but obligatory to eat — particularly […]

Today, there is perhaps no Yom Kippur ritual more iconic than the fast. According to recent polls, 40% of American Jews and 60% of Israeli Jews (the majority of whom identify as secular) still mark this day by fasting. And yet, as we have noted recently, the Torah never explicitly says that you aren’t supposed to eat […]

On today’s daf, the Talmud is trying to work out what minimum amount of food one has to eat to be found guilty of breaking the Yom Kippur fast. Best, of course, is not to eat or drink anything. But if you accidentally put something into your mouth, are you liable? It depends on how much […]

When it comes to quantities of food, the rabbis did not use cups and ounces like we do today. Instead, they used common food items to describe the amounts they were talking about. This is all well and good as long as everyone has a similar understanding about the size of common produce and the […]