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Psychology of the Daf Yomi
Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R The Daf Yomi through a Psychological Lens.
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A Cucumber in Hand is Worth Two in the Bush Kesuvos 83 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
September 28th, 2022

What is more motivating? A cheap reward that comes quickly or a significant reward that takes much longer to obtain? Our Gemara on Amud Beis references an adage, “בוצינא טב מקרא”.  Rashi translates botzina as a small gourd and Kara as a large gourd. The idea is the same as, “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.” That is, a person would prefer a small gourd, which he can eat right now, instead of waitin …
A Cloak-and-Dagger Dilemma: King David’s Test of Conscience Sanhedrin 72 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
February 27th, 2025

Our Gemara discusses one of the fundamental laws of preemptive self-defense, as described in Shemos 22:1-2. In certain situations where there is a reasonable presumption that an intruder intends to use deadly force—such as a home invasion, where the thief is prepared to encounter an adversary and therefore ready to kill if necessary—one does not have to wait to be attacked and may strike preemptively. (An obvious and nearly universal …
A Chinuch Lacking in Promise Kesuvos 73 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
September 16th, 2022

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the situation of a man marrying a woman and then discovering that she had many oaths which has an impact on their personal life. This may invalidate the marriage, as he can say,  ‎אי אפשי באשה נדרנית I did not want to marry a woman who is a serial oath maker. Aside from the basic burden of being liable for too many restrictions, Maor Vashemesh (Matos 8) suggests a more characterological p …
A Broken Heart is More Whole Eruvin 105 Psychology of the Daf
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
November 22nd, 2020

A Broken Heart is More Whole   A dilemma was raised before the Sages: If one priest is ritually impure and another has a blemish, which of them should enter to perform repairs? Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said that Rav said: The impure one should enter, as he is permitted to participate in communal service. If the entire community is ritually impure, even impure priests may perform the service, whereas blemished priests may not serve under any circ …
A Bird and a Fish can Fall in Love...
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
February 17th, 2019

  In Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye exclaims in frustration to his daughter who is considering a marriage outside of the faith, “A bird and a fish can fall in love, but where would they build their home?” Today, many couples find themselves in a position of religious disparity. Whether they started out in the same religious position and one turned more religious and the other less, or they married under this circumstance, it challeng …
Twin Peaks Zevachim 34
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October 11th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis describes the metaphysical procedural link between the twin sacrifices on Yom Kippur—the Azazel scapegoat and the chattas goat whose blood is sprinkled in the Holy of Holies. According to Rabbi Yehuda, if the blood of the goat sacrificed to God spilled from the cup before it was sprinkled, the scapegoat is left to die. Similarly, if the scapegoat died, the blood of the goat sacrificed to God should be spilled, and two ot …
Too Much of a Good Thing? Gittin 6 Psychology of the Daf
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
May 22nd, 2023

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the opinion of Shmuel that Babylonia is considered outside of Israel and a Get needs the messenger to attest to the signatures. Shmuel holds that though due to the constant traffic to and from the yeshivos in Israel to Bavel, there ought to be sufficient witnesses who could attest to the signatures on the Get, the Benei Yeshiva are engrossed in their studies and nonetheless would not recognize signatures.  …
Smoke Signals from Sodom Menachos 26 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
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February 6th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis uses a prooftext from the story of the destruction of Sodom for a Halacha regarding the handful of the Mincha offering burned on the altar (Vayikra 2:2). The verse (Bereishis 19:28) states:
“And, looking down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the Plain, he (Avraham) saw the smoke of the land rising like the smoke of a furnace.”
The Gemara’s derasha learns that since a furnace does not release smoke …
46 Sinners and Saints Psychology of the Daf
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
January 6th, 2021

Our Gemara quotes a Mishna that skins that are worked and processed lose their status of Tum’ah, with the exception of human skin which remains impure.  Based on this difference, there is an important polemic between a Saducee and a Sage recorded in Mishna Yadayim 4:6.  The dispute is as follows: How does rabbinic law make sense? They render scrolls of scripture as impure, while Greek sacred literature (possibly referring to Homer …
15 Minutes of Fame Eruvin 88 Psychology of the Daf
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
November 5th, 2020

  בִּיב הַקָּמוּר אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת בִּרְשׁוּת הָרַבִּים — שׁוֹפְכִין לְתוֹכוֹ מַיִם בַּשַּׁבָּת. If the first four cubits of a drainage ditch were arched over (Kamur) in the public domain, one may pour waste water into it on Shabbat. What is this obscure term, Kamur? Meiri ibid on word Kemoros ועוקה זו מתרת בין בפנים ובין מבחוץ …
Man Must Finish the Job Avodah Zarah 54 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
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August 12th, 2025

The Mishna on Amud Beis records a polemic between Roman philosophers and our Jewish sages:
The gentiles asked the Jewish Sages who were in Rome: If it is not God’s will that people should engage in idol worship, why does He not eliminate it?
The Sages said to them: Were people worshipping only objects for which the world has no need, He would eliminate it. But they worship the sun and the moon and the stars and the constellations. Should …
It Is Straight Out in Bereishis Avodah Zarah 25 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
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July 13th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph explores the identity of Sefer HaYashar (“The Book of the Upright”), mentioned in Yehoshua (10:13). One opinion says it refers to Bereishis, the Book of Genesis, because it chronicles the Patriarchs, who are known as yesharim—the upright ones.The term yashar implies someone morally straight, honest, and correct. In Jewish liturgy and tradition, we often encounter three types of righteous individuals: yashar, tzaddik …
Idolatry 401: Avrahams Advanced Degrees Avodah Zarah 14 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
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July 2nd, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis tells us that our forefather, Avraham, was well-versed in 400 chapters of idolatry.What does this mean? A simple reading is that in his quest to find the true religion and God, he studied the various religions of his time. (The number 400 in Hebrew often means a large number, such as Esav’s 400 men (Bereishis 33:1), adding 400 benches to the study hall (Berachos 28a), 400 casks of wine (Berachos 5b), and more.)
The Mi …
Grains of Truth: Sand, Glass, and Jewish Destiny Avodah Zara 75 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
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August 25th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses whether glass vessels require ritual immersion, like metal vessels, which Biblically require immersion when purchased from a gentile—or whether they do not, like earthenware vessels. The Gemara reasons they are similar to metal, because if exposed to enough heat, they melt and can be reformed. (Glass, after all, is made by superheating sand until it liquefies.)
This quality of sand to melt into glass is note …
Enmeshment: Momma’s Boys and Daddy’s Girls Kesuvos 60 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
September 4th, 2022

Our Gemara mentions a problematic pattern of behavior that can, according to the Gemara, even affect a woman’s likelihood of conceiving:  Redufa leylech el beis aviha, When there is contention in the marriage and the woman tends to return back to her father’s home.There is a normal human pattern for young women to connect to and seek guidance from their mothers, as we saw by Rivkah (Bereishis 24:28): וַתָּ֙רׇץ֙ הַֽנ …
Compatibility Factors in Marriage Yevamos 110 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
June 24th, 2022

Our gemara on amud beis discusses the idea that certain people may have preference in marriage for someone similar to them, such as a deaf person may prefer to marry a deaf person. If compatibility and similarity in interests are important in marriage, to what extent and what domains can be identified?  Doing this can help couples work on enhancing them together, and also help people who are dating identify these areas as priorities.  R …
A Well-Mixed Maseches Avodah Zara 58 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
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August 15th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis ponders the exact definition of a particular Aramaic word for mixing wine and its relation to its Hebrew form. In the process, it cites a verse from Mishlei (9:2):
“She has prepared the feast, mixed the wine, and also set the table.”
The Aramaic mazag and Hebrew masach both refer to the process of diluting wine with water. In the ancient world, wine was apparently a kind of syrup or thick concentrate, mixed with …
A Token of Appreciation Kesuvos 79 Psychology of the Daf Yomi
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
September 23rd, 2022

It is important to show gratitude.  Sometimes gratitude does not involve much effort or expenditure, so long as it is sincere. Our Mishna on Amud Beis teaches us: הַמּוֹצִיא הוֹצָאוֹת עַל נִכְסֵי אִשְׁתּוֹ הוֹצִיא הַרְבֵּה וְאָכַל קִימְעָא קִימְעָא וְאָכַל הַרְבֵּה מַה שֶּׁהוֹצִיא הוֹצִיא וּמַה שֶּׁאָכַל אָכַל ה …
מילי דהספידא על אבי ומורי זכר צדיק לברכה
Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R
October 1st, 2017

 מילי דהספידא על אבי ומורי זכר צדיק לברכה מאת: הרב שמחה פוירמן   ביום שלישי, כ״ט אלול תשע״ז הרב חיים יהושע בן אברהם פוירמן סים מלהגיד שיעורו האחרון בישיבה אוניברסיטי, מכון לחינוך ״עזריאלי״. אמר לאחד ממשרתיו, ״חכה לי, שצריך אני לנוח קצת״, ואז יצאה …
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