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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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Three Mitzvos: What the Gentiles Kept and Our Role Chulin 92
Author:
July 24th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph says that the gentiles neglected most of the few mitzvos that were given to them, except for three:
“(1) They do not write a marriage contract for a wedding between two males; although they violate the prohibition against engaging in homosexuality, they are not so brazen as to write a marriage contract as for a regular marriage. (2) Although they are suspected of eating human beings, they do not weigh the flesh of th …
Dirt, Gold, and the Golden Calf: A Hidden Reckoning Chulin 88
Author:
July 27th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis brings scriptural support for the idea that ground gold could be sufficiently dirt-like in its properties that it can be used in the mitzvah to cover the blood.
Ben Yehoyada (Sotah 11a) uses the idea that gold can be considered as dirt for a clever exegesis. It starts with the Aggadah (ibid) that states the Egyptians were punished by drowning in the water (Mayim) of the Red Sea, in a measure-for-measure response to them …
Stolen Blessings: The Math of Mitzvah Theft Chulin 87
Author:
July 26th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the matter of stolen mitzvos. This is a serious issue and not inconsequential. Rabban Gamliel obligated a person who stole another’s mitzvah to pay ten gold coins! The case was regarding someone who “stole” the mitzvah of covering the blood of a slaughtered bird or wild animal, which is a mitzvah.
The Gemara then wonders, is the ten gold coins for stealing the mitzvah, or for stealing the blessing? If i …
The Carob and the Crown: Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa’s Humility Chulin 86
Author:
July 24th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes the interesting dynamic of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa. Though “Each and every day a Divine Voice emerges and says: The entire world is sustained in the merit of Ḥanina ben Dosa,” still, for him personally it is different. For Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa “a kav of carobs, i.e., a very small amount of inferior food, is sufficient to sustain him from one Shabbos eve to the next Shabbos eve.”Ben Yehoyada notes that …
Yosef’s Redemption: Three Accusations, Three Corrections Chulin 85
Author:
July 24th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph refers to a command given by Yosef, when he was the viceroy, to prepare meat for a meal that he would have with his brothers. The verse (Bereishis 43:15) refers to some kind of slaughtering process, indicating that our ancestors had an early tradition of shechitta.
Sefas Emes (Bereishis, Chanukah) makes a beautiful observation regarding that verse. Yosef committed three sins: (1) He accused the brothers of eating a lim …
Providing in Three Registers: Duty, Devotion, and Role Chulin 84
Author:
July 23rd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis offers moral guidelines for how one should relate to, and provide for his dependents in comparison to his own needs:
“A person should always eat and drink less than what is within his means, and he should dress and cover himself in accordance with his means, and he should honor his wife and children more than what is within his means; as they are dependent on him and he is dependent on the One Who spoke and the world …
The Upper Story: Money and Desire Chulin 83
Author:
July 22nd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the famous principle of Rabbi Yochanan:
“By Torah law, giving money effects the acquisition of movable property with no need for pulling the object. And what is the reason that the Sages said that pulling effects acquisition? It is a rabbinic decree lest the seller, once he receives the money, be unconcerned about the welfare of the movable property that he has sold, and, for example, not protect it from fi …
Snow Tires and Sanctification: The Calf That Solves a Murder Chulin 82
Author:
July 21st, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the halachos of the calf whose neck is broken, a ritual performed to atone for an unsolved murder (Devarim 21:1-7). The ritual involves breaking the neck of a calf that was not subject to any work, by a strong stream of water, on a parcel of land that is not to be planted or cultivated.
The Gemara quotes a Mishna that rules if the murderer was found before the neck of the calf was broken, the calf can return …
If it Suffers Like a Duck, Then it’s a Duck Chulin 81
Author:
July 20th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses a case where one performs an act of killing an animal, but not a kosher shechitta. In such a case, since it’s not a true shechitta, if this was a child or mother of an animal slaughtered on the same day, he would not be liable. The text of the Mishna is:
“All agree that one who slaughters an animal and it becomes a carcass by his hand because the slaughter was invalid, or one who stabs an animal, or one wh …
Rabbi Shimon’s Logic and the Sanhedrin That Might Be Chulin 80
Author:
July 19th, 2026

Our Gemara on this daf discussed the concept that a ritual slaughter which is unable to accomplish its purpose is considered a null act and has no implications. For example, if one slaughters a tereifa or an animal that is forbidden to benefit from (such as one convicted of killing a human), since the slaughtering did not accomplish its ultimate purpose of rendering the meat permitted to eat, this slaughtering has no ritual effect whatsoever. The …
To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before Chulin 79
Author:
July 17th, 2026

Our Gemara on this daf discusses the idea that when the Torah mentions a species or an animal, such as a lamb, does it require it to be 100% purebred of that animal or can it be partially that animal and interbred? There may also be a difference between positive commandments and prohibitions. For example, a sacrifice might need to be from a 100% purebred of the species, but for it to be under the prohibition of forbidden mixtures, perhaps even an …
Jacobs Bow: Medicine, Superstition, and the Ways of the Amorite Chulin 78
Author:
July 17th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis states a rule regarding ritualistic actions that seem to offer cures but may be of pagan origin:“Anything that has an apparently effective medicinal purpose or any other logical reason behind it is not subject to the prohibition against following the ways of the Amorite.”
The simple explanation is that since the person is doing it under the assumption that it has a medicinal value instead of a magical value, it is n …
Stealing Merit: The Strange Economics of Lashon Hara Chulin 77
Author:
July 16th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis describes a process to help cure a tree that is losing its fruit; one to draw attention so people will pray, and another that helps the tree avoid overproducing blossoms and getting too weighed down to sustain its growth: “If there is a tree that sheds its fruit prematurely, one may paint it with red paint and load it with stones.”
Ben Yehoyada says this hints at the process of the sin of l’shon hara. One who spea …
Counting What Counts: Sodom and the Math of Merit Chulin 76
Author:
July 15th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis describes the aspects of particular ligaments in an animal’s leg, and to what degree they can be damaged but still not render the animal a tereifa:
“With regard to the removal of the convergence of sinews in the thigh, which renders the animal a tereifa, Ameimar says in the name of Rav Zevid: There are three strands, i.e., sinews; one is thick and the other two are thin. …Mar bar Rav Ashi teaches a lenient version …
Beis Hillel, Beis Shammai, and the Reality of What Could Be Chulin 75
Author:
July 14th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses when a fish becomes considered as food, which then makes it susceptible to tuma’a, as live animals do not become tamey.
“With regard to fish, from when are they susceptible to impurity as food? Beis Shammai say: From when they are caught in a trap, as at this point they are considered food, since they do not require slaughter. And Beis Hillel say: From when they die. Rabbi Akiva says: From when they are n …
Too Clever by Half: The Ben Pakuah and the Spirit of the Law Chulin 74
Author:
July 13th, 2026

This daf discusses one of the stranger aspects of halacha, a kind of legal loophole of the laws of shechitta, a Ben Pakuah. A Ben Pakuah is a live fetus that is found within the mother after it is properly slaughtered. Because the mother was properly slaughtered, and this fetus was at that time subsumed within the mother, the slaughter also applies to the fetus. Therefore, ironically, even though this calf might be prancing about, in many respect …
Doubles or Nothing: The Twofold Nature of Shabbos Chulin 73
Author:
July 19th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses a halachically sophisticated approach toward materials. There is an idea, which comes up various times in Halacha regarding something that is bound toward separation, and there’s nothing holding it back. In such a scenario, it may already be seen in certain circumstances as separated. 
In our Gemara’s case, there is a discussion of immersing a utensil with a long handle that is meant to be cut off. T …
Labor of Love Chulin 72
Author:
July 10th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses Torah and rabbinic rulings regarding the circumstances that a midwife would be rendered impure should she come in contact with a dead fetus while it is still within the mother. Technically speaking, according to Torah law, so long as it is within the mother, it does not radiate the impurity of a corpse. However, since it is sometimes difficult to ascertain the moment of birth, there is a rabbinic ruling that the …
The Man Makes His Clothes Chulin 71
Author:
July 10th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses a unique aspect of ritual impurity relating to a house that has been declared “leprous” (as described in Vayikra 14:35). Vessels, clothes, and utensils which are brought into such a house are rendered impure immediately. However, a person does not become ritually impure until he remains in the home for the amount of time that it takes to consume a half loaf of bread. Apparently, some aspect of dwelling is req …
Ark Angels: Docility by Necessity Versus True Change Chulin 70
Author:
July 9th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis notes that in the linguistics of the biblical text, there are times where the word for wild animal (chaya) can also be connoted within the word for domesticated cattle (bahema). And, of course, based on context, there are times where the words chaya and bahema are more specific and limited to wild animal versus domesticated cattle.
In the story of the flood we find discrepant verses that refer to the animals which were …
The Whole Megillah: One Mitzvah and the Sanctification That Spreads Chulin 69
Author:
July 8th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph references the halacha whereby if one dedicates a limb of an animal to be an olah, the sanctification spreads and the entire animal becomes an olah.
The idea that sanctification can spread automatically from one limb to the whole entity is understood to be true in a larger sense as well, that a spiritual awakening can take root in a small way and then expand. The Chasam Sofer (V’zos Haberacha 3) uses this to explain …
Face Value: The Divine Image in Human Features Chulin 68
Author:
July 7th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses at what point during labor is a human or animal fetus considered birthed so as to be considered the firstborn? In further discussion, the Gemara asserts that one cannot derive the Halachos of human birth from animal birth, as a human has a face (partzuf), which is so distinct that it might be considered birthed as soon as the head exits the womb.
Anyone who has been around animals knows that animals have face …
Disgusting Is a Matter of Perspective Chulin 67
Author:
July 6th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses a practice of Ravina. Technically, worms that gestate inside the fish are kosher. Still, seeing them might be disgusting. So Ravina instructed his mother: “Conceal the fish’s worms inside it so I cannot see them, and I will eat the fish.”
This might not be merely an aesthetic matter, but it is a Torah prohibition to engage in something that feels disgusting, subjectively or objectively. Let’s take a cl …
Fishing for Truth Chulin 66
Author:
July 5th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis noted that though the signs of a kosher fish are fins and scales, in fact every fish that has scales also has fins. The Gemara then asks, if so, why did the Torah bother to write fins and scales? Why not just write every kosher fish has scales and that would be sufficient? The Gemara answers:
“It is written: ‘…To make Torah great and glorious’ (Isaiah 42:21). God consequently expanded some aspects of the Torah m …
Wing and a Prayer: Rav Pappah’s Harmonizing Legacy Chulin 65
Author:
July 3rd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph has a ruling by Rav Pappah that integrates the opinion of two sages regarding the wings of the kosher grasshoppers:
“Any grasshopper that has four legs, and four wings, and two additional jumping legs, and whose wings cover most of its body, is kosher. The Gemara asks: What is considered most of its body? Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Most of its length. And some say that he said: Most of its circumference. Rav Papp …
Eggselent Behavior Chulin 64
Author:
July 3rd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes the features of eggs from kosher birds versus eggs from non-kosher birds:
“Any egg that narrows at the top and is rounded, so that one of its ends is rounded (kad) and the other one of its ends is pointed (chad), is kosher. If both of its ends are rounded or both of its ends are pointed, they are non-kosher.”
Likkutei Halachos (Y.D., Laws of Eggs 2 and 4) discusses the secret meaning contained within t …
A Strange Bird and Messianic Aspirations Chulin 63
Author:
July 2nd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes a legendary bird, that if it shrieks in a particular manner, indicates that the Messiah is coming:
“Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Why is it called the raḥam? Because when the raḥam comes to Eretz Yisrael, mercy [raḥamim] comes to the world, as it appears at the beginning of the rainy season. Rav Beivai bar Abaye said: And it is a sign of rain only when it sits on something and makes a sherakrak sound. And it …
Din and Bear It: The Hidden Math of Heavenly Judgment Chulin 62
Author:
July 1st, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph questions the practice of the people of Kefar Temarta, who ate the zarzir bird even though it was deemed as non-kosher. The response was that their practice was without basis in tradition and “They too will be accountable in judgment in the future.”
Presumably, the future the Gemara is referring to is the afterlife, where a person is judged for his sins. The phrase in Hebrew was “Liten es ha-din.” This phrase i …
Raven Lunatic: Making Peace With the Necessary Shell Chulin 61
Author:
June 30th, 2026

Our Gemara discusses the fact that a Raven possesses two features of kosher birds, though still not kosher. There are animals that have some qualities of kosher, but still do not have all of them. Nothing God does is without purpose or design, so the mystics will find meaning in the Raven’s partial qualifications.Rav Tzaddok (Kometz Hamincha 2:24) says the evil and good forces often are superficially similar because the evil is like the shell o …
The Moons Complaint and the Sin We Inherited Chulin 60
Author:
June 29th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the strange and cryptic aggadah regarding the diminishment of the moon. As the story goes, at the dawn of creation, the moon slyly suggests to God that it does not make sense that two kings share the same crown. In other words, he was hinting that the sun and the moon together should not be equal, and between the lines lobbying that he should be the superior one. In response to this impudence, God shrank the moon …
Kindness to the Clan: The Chasidah’s Conditional Charity Chulin 59
Author:
June 21st, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the signs of a -kosher bird: “Any bird that claws its prey and eats it is non-kosher.”Ramban (Vayikra 11:13) famously remarks that the quality of cruelty that is involved in being a bird of prey is what renders the animal non-kosher. Eating such animals will somehow transfer this quality into the soul, and therefore we must abstain.
Sefer Daf al Daf quotes a question on this Ramban. The Gemara (63a) discu …
The Power of Lenient: Why Playing It Safe Isn’t Always Pious Chulin 58
Author:
June 26th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph references a famous Talmudic legal dictum: “Koach D’Heteirah Adif,” the power of leniency is considered legally and morally superior. That is, if it is at all possible, finding a legitimate leniency is admirable, and also a worthy motivator and object of study.The Shalah (Aseres HaDibros, Shevuos, Ner Mitzvah) explains and expands on this idea beautifully. It is worth quoting him directly, as it reveals an important …
The Ant, the Angels, and the Difference Between Doubt and Wonder Chulin 57
Author:
June 19th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses how Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta earned the title “Researcher of Matters.” Having learned the verses in Mishle (6:6-8): “Go to the ant, you lazy one; consider her ways, and be wise; which having no chief, overseer, or ruler, provides her bread in the summer,” Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta actually went out to study ants and see if indeed they really had no king ordering them around.
Tosafos here raises an i …
Knowing Your Role: The Order That Works Chulin 56
Author:
June 25th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis remarks on the complexity of the human organs, and how they were designed by God to function in a particular sequence and hierarchy. When this is disrupted, sometimes even in minor ways, catastrophic dysfunction may follow. The observation was particularly pointed in regard to the intestines which seem lengthy and convoluted, but must follow a particular system, and if that system is tangled or changed, the body is in dang …
The Wound That Won’t Heal: When Harm Has a Human Hand Chulin 55
Author:
June 24th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis describes a distinction regarding a lung that is found to be shriveled. If it became shriveled due to natural causes, such as the animal was frightened from thunder or lightning, it is not a tereifa. However, if it became shriveled from fright caused by the hand of man, such as the animal saw someone slaughter another animal, it is tereifa.Sefer Daf al Daf on our Gemara quotes the Chidushei Hari”m that this teaching supp …
Chasing Peace, Not Winning the War Chulin 54
Author:
June 23rd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis reflects on the great deference for a mitzvah at the time that it is performed. Workers are not obligated to stand up before a sage so as not to disrupt their productivity, yet when the Bikkurim fruits pass by they do stand. The emphasis is on the mitzvah while performing it, that is to say, the moment of fulfillment has a particular holiness that is different than its idea or related preparations.
As great as a mitzvah …
The Power of Departure Chulin 53
Author:
June 22nd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph continues to discuss various elements of animal instinct and psychology, which, as we discussed on yesterday’s daf, are aspects of animal psychology that can be true for humans as well, to the extent that they can be dominated by animal instincts. Additionally, as we discussed in the previous daf, according to the tradition of tereifos, certain predatory animals inject a venomous poison from their claws. Therefore, cert …
Feeding the Beast—or Taming It? Chulin 52
Author:
June 21st, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses an interesting aspect of animal psychology, which, as we shall see, is true for humans as well, to the extent that they can be dominated by animal instincts. As it says in Koheles (3:19), “There is no difference between man and beast.”According to the tradition of tereifos, certain predatory animals inject a venomous poison from their claws. Therefore, certain small punctures can still render an animal a tere …
Sheepish Aggression Chulin 51
Author:
June 19th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses an interesting case of animal anatomy and human psychology. By way of introduction, one of the forms of injury that can render an animal tereifa is risuk eyvarim, an internal shattering of the limbs, which we suspect occurs if an animal experiences certain impacts or sudden falls. Obviously, animals are quite resilient, and therefore the Halacha has numerous conditions under which we assume that the animal is fi …
Making the Rounds Chulin 50
Author:
June 19th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses a process of comparing perforations in the intestines to determine if the perforation happened prior to death or after, which makes a difference as to whether the animal is a tereifa or not. The Hebrew word used for “compare” is “makif”.Usually the word makif means to encircle, such as in the prohibition to round the corners of the temple hairs, as in (Vayikra 19:27): “Do not round (sakifu) the corners …
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