29th Annual Conference
Thursday, January 7 - Sunday, January 10, 2027
Complimentary Pre-Conference: Wednesday, January 6, 2027
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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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Resident Aliens: Three Definitions of Ger Toshav Chulin 114
Author:
August 21st, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis refers to a certain non-Jewish resident of Israel. Though he is not a member of the tribe, there are still an obligation to still look after his welfare. This is known as a ger toshav, literally a resident stranger. The halachic definition of a ger toshav is subject to a three-way dispute:Gemara Avodah Zara (64b) reports:“Anyone who has accepted upon himself before three ḥaverim (i.e., before sages of a certain stature …
plitting Hairs Over Goats: Yehudas Precise Word Chulin 113
Author:
August 21st, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the precise meaning of the Hebrew words for goat “gedi,” and “gedi izim.” Since the verse uses both the specific gedi izim and then at other times gedi, it implies that this more specific gedi izim is only a goat, while the general term gedi can be any form of cattle.
Torah Temimah (Bereishis 27:16) raises an interesting question: The proof text cited by the Gemara is “and Judah sent the kid by his …
Delicate Palates and Sacrificial Bread: Rav Hunas Discreet Discomfort Chulin 112
Author:
August 20th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discussed a practice of Rav Huna. If roasted, unsalted meat was cut on a loaf of bread, he would give the bread to his assistant. The Gemara wonders: “If the loaf is permitted, it is permitted for everyone, including Rav Huna himself. And if it is prohibited, then it is prohibited for everyone, and he should not give it to his attendant.” The Gemara answers that in truth, he held it was permitted. However, he was of a …
Ladder Logic: Yaakovs Theological Reversal Chulin 110
Author:
August 18th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the rule that any positive mitzvah whose reward is stated alongside it in the Torah, the earthly court below is not warned to enforce it through punishments. The simple logic is that if the Torah went out of its way to explicitly state the consequences, it also indicates no need for further action or enforcement. (This is implied from Rashi ibid.)
Yismach Moshe (Vayeshev) expands on this idea, offering new ins …
The Bark Tastes the Same as the Bite - The Permitted in the Forbidden Chulin 109
Author:
August 17th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis famously discusses that every forbidden item in the Torah has an analogue that is permitted. For example, a certain fish that tasted like pork, or fats from a wild animal which is permitted, though similar in taste to cattle fats that are prohibited.What is the theological significance of this? Be’er Mayim Chaim (Bereishis 2:16 & 3:6) sees this in a straightforward manner. It would be too much temptation and an unrea …
What Milk in Meat Teaches About Peer Influence Chulin 108
Author:
August 16th, 2026

Our Gemara on this daf discusses the halachic dynamics of a drop of milk that falls on a piece of meat, which is in a pot with other pieces of meat. Some of the considerations include: if the pot is stirred right away, then the entire volume can be counted to nullify the small amount of milk. On the other hand, if the milk sits for a bit of time on the piece of meat, and this piece alone does not have enough volume to nullify it, now the entire p …
A Halacha That Doesn’t Change: Esavs Kiss and the Baseline of Hatred Chulin 107
Author:
August 14th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis describes the various rules regarding two people eating together, where one is eating meat and the other dairy:
“Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Two unacquainted guests [akhsena’in] may eat together on one table, this one eating meat and that one eating cheese, and they need not be concerned lest they come to violate the prohibition of eating meat and milk by partaking of the food of the other.”
“Rav Ḥanan …
Sofer and Boor: What the Words Really Mean Chulin 106
Author:
August 14th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses rabbinic guidelines for two people sitting at a table who go to make a blessing separately, and when to make them together:
“If only two individuals ate, it is a mitzvah for them to separate. In what case is this statement said? It is said when they were both scribes, i.e., Torah scholars, who know how to recite Grace after Meals properly. But if one of them was a scribe (sofer) and one was an ignoramus (bo …
The Asteira Coins: Wise Choices and Delayed Returns Chulin 105
Author:
August 13th, 2026

Our Gemara discusses what seems to be practical and helpful business advice. However, at the end, I believe there is a subtle but powerful message, which I will highlight. Shmuel taught:
“One who patrols his property every day will find an asteira coin.”
The implication of Shmuel’s practical advice is that even a great sage must take time to tend his property and employ reasonable vigilance.
However, Rav Asi tries this method with …
In the Name of the One Who Said It: Credit and Redemption Chulin 104
Author:
August 12th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis relates the well-known rabbinic adage about the importance of relating information while giving credit to the original source:“Rather, this is what the mishna teaches us: Who is the first tanna? It is Rabbi Yosei. The identification is important, since whoever reports a statement in the name of the one who said it brings redemption to the world. As it is stated with respect to the incident of Bigthan and Teresh: ‘And E …
What Even a Child Knows: The Angels Second Argument Chulin 103
Author:
August 11th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the prohibitions of eating meat and milk together. While it is prohibited to cook meat and milk and eat the product of said cooking, the rabbis forbade eating milk and meat together even without cooking it.
There is an interesting Pesikta Rabbasi (25) that discusses this prohibition regarding the angels who ate by Avraham. Bereishis (18:8) records that Avraham served the angels butter, milk and meat. The Midra …
Reincarnation, Repetition, and the Weight We Carry
Author:
August 3rd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph quotes a proof text regarding prohibitions of eating a limb taken from a live animal (Devarim 12:23):
“But make sure that you do not partake of the blood; for the blood is the life (of a soul), and you must not consume the life (soul) with the flesh.”
There is a mystical interpretation to this verse, read more literally. The Hebrew word used for life is nefesh, which also means soul. From a kabbalistic point of …
The Sign You Don’t Notice: Shabbos, Tzitzis, and the Mekoshes
Author:
August 9th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis explains why Shabbos supersedes Yom Kippur in certain halachic situations:
“Shabbos is established and permanent, i.e., it always occurs on the seventh day of the week, whereas in the case of Yom Kippur, it is the court that establishes it, as the Sages determine the New Moon. Consequently, Shabbos is considered to have preceded Yom Kippur, and the prohibition to perform labor on Yom Kippur does not apply, due to the …
The Bricks and Mordars of Judaism
Author:
August 7th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis records a dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and the Sages regarding if the prohibition of Gid Hanashe is active in regard to a non-kosher animal:
“The prohibition of eating the sciatic nerve applies to a kosher animal and does not apply to a non-kosher animal. Rabbi Yehuda says: It applies even to a non-kosher animal. Rabbi Yehuda said in explanation: Wasn’t the sciatic nerve forbidden for the children of Jacob, as it is …
When Bad Advice is Good: Rabbi Amis Dilemma
Author:
August 7th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses a practice of Rabbi Ami:
“When people would come before Rabbi Ami to ask about the Halacha of a thigh that was cooked with the sciatic nerve inside, he would send them before Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Ḥalov, who would rule leniently about this issue and say that it was permitted, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. Rabbi Ami himself did not hold accordingly, but he did not wish to rule stringently for others …
One in Sixty: Moderation and the Nazirs Return
Author:
August 6th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the portion of the Nazir’s sacrifice that is given to the Kohen (the front leg). Halachically this is a unique process not performed in other sacrifices, in allowing lechatchila (ab initio) the mixing and nullification of a forbidden (sacred sacrificial portion, like Terumah) substance to cook with a permitted substance (portion of the animal that the Nazir will eat), as noted by our Gemara on Amud Beis. This …
The Aramite Chef and the Sparks of Divinity
Author:
August 5th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the concept of bitul, nullification of a non-kosher substance by a kosher majority to the point that the taste is no longer perceived. This can be determined by having a Gentile Chef (Kafila Arama’ah, literally an Aramite Chef) taste it to determine if there is any taste leftover from the non-kosher substance, or what is generally estimated by the rabbis as a ratio of 60 to 1.
Bnei Yissachar (Adar II:7) offe …
The Voice That Was not Enough: Yaakovs Overconfidence
Author:
August 4th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph offers a logical proof that voice recognition is a halachically valid way of verifying identification. Otherwise, how would a blind man ever be permitted to marry his wife? (Surely it’s not reasonable for him to continuously rely on other’s testimony.)In Bereishis (29:25) Yaakov is tricked by Lavan, discovering the morning after the wedding, that the woman in his bed was Leah, and not Rachel: “And it was in the morn …
Truth: The Foundation of the Soul Chulin 94
Author:
August 2nd, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the prohibition of intentionally misleading another person. This is called geneivas daas, literally stealing knowledge. Although the Halacha has many details, the basic prohibition is when one intentionally misleads another person in order to profit. The profit does not have to be financial; it could be good will, such as the cases discussed in our Gemara, where a person was led to believe that an extraordinary …
The Torah of Your Mother: Discipline, Guidance, and Self-Care Chulin 93
Author:
July 31st, 2026

In our Gemara on Amud Beis Rabbi Yochanan instructs Rav Shaman Bar Abba that though a particular food is permitted he should still refrain from eating it, quoting the end of the verse in Mishle (1:8), “And do not abandon the Torah of your mother.”
What did Rabbi Yochanan mean by Torah of your mother? Rashi interprets this as his custom minhag. Since he had a custom to be stringent and not eat this meat, Rabbi Yochanan said he should honor …
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 …
Friend or Foe: The Angel Who Could Have Been a Sage Chulin 91
Author:
July 30th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the circumstances under which Yaakov first encountered the angel, therefore explaining why the Gid Hanashe is prohibited on the right side (according to the opinion that it is only one side):
“Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says: The angel appeared to him as a gentile, as the Master said: A Jew who is joined by a gentile on the road and continues his travels with him should position the gentile to his right, cl …
Hitting a Nerve: Managing the Yetzer Hara from Within Chulin 90
Author:
July 29th, 2026

Our Gemara on this daf continues discussing a dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and the Tanna Kama regarding whether the prohibition of Gid Hanashe applies to a fetus.
It is brought down from the Chozeh MiLublin (Chanukas HaTorah Hachadash, Vayishlach) that according to the Zohar (Bereishis 170b) each limb of a person corresponds to an angel, and the Gid Hanashe corresponds to the angel in charge of the evil inclination. Sanhedrin (92b) reports the …
Not a Thread, Not a Strap Avrahams Principled Refusal Chulin 89
Author:
July 28th, 2026

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph tells us that in the merit that Avraham refused to personally take from the King of Sodom any of the spoils of war, his children received the thread of techeles in tzitzis and the straps on the tefilin.
The simple correspondence is Avraham stated, “I will not take a thread nor a shoe strap nor anything that is yours so that you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Avraham rich’” (Bereishis 14:23), so the thread cor …
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 …
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