Daily Daf Differently: Masechet Ketubot

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 112. We follow a sage who feels impelled to come to live inIsrael. But is he doing the right thing? What does it mean to love Israel? Does it mean extolling its uniqueness only? Or can it mean […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 111. We are supposed to yearn for life in the land of Israel. Yet some would argue that the possibility of a more vibrant Jewish life in the Diaspora would justify staying away from Israel. Are those who […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 110. How shrewd does one have to be in order to protect one’s rights, in order to get justice done? Can we take shortcuts if we can get a fair outcome without going through all the steps of […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 109. We explore a number of situations in which people find themselves in difficulty. How much do we assume that it is their own fault and how much is just bad luck or the fault of others. Even […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 108. When is a favor not a favor? How do we measure a benefit that one derives from the unbidden generosity of others? Can we put a monetary value on the prevention of embarrassment? To view the text […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 107. What assumptions can we make about a person who does not tell us what in on their mind? How does our concept of the “standard” marital relationship color our assumptions about what each partner cares about? How […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 106. We continue to examine the issue of bribery. We learn of the many problems caused by a seemingly innocuous gift of a basket of fish. Then we return to considering the proper use of public funds, originally […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 105. We learn of early arrangements of judiciary authorities from Temple times, arrangements that may reflect the changing of the guard from priestly leadership to leadership by lay scholars. Within the overall topic of judicial integrity we explore […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 104. We examine a heart-wrenching story about the death of Rabbi Judah the Patriarch. This one also involves a roof. And it raises hard problems: How shall we cope with difficult issues raised at the end of life? […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 103. What was the real sin of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah? What are the benefits of living together under one roof? Can these benefits be compelled? And speaking of roves, we ponder an emotionally challenging story […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 102. The new chapter raises questions about undertaking and meeting one’s obligations. When can a verbal commitment be taken as binding and when is it to be dismissed? Another question raised regards custody arrangements for children after parents […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi David Greenstein looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 101. The discussion examines various scenarios of terminated marriages. In what ways do the rabbis intervene to preserve the rights of the parties and when is one or the other party penalized for entering or ending the marriage? […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Danny Nevins looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 79. Real estate is often considered to be the best investment, and it certainly functions that way in a usufruct arrangement where a husband manages his wife’s property and benefits from the income. Thus it makes sense that […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Danny Nevins looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 78. Today we begin Chapter 8 of Ketubot, HaIsha Shenafla, which addresses cases in which a woman inherits property around the time of her engagement or marriage. Rabbinic law gives husbands ownership of their wife’s property acquired during […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Danny Nevins looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 77. Settle in for an expanded presentation of a very rich daf. Enough about the blemishes of women–what about the guys? Our daf has two mishnayot that address men’s blemishes–were they present before marriage, in which case perhaps […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Danny Nevins looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 76. The feminist critique of kiddushin is that it is ultimately about treating women as chattel—the sages are anxious to know whether the kinyan or purchase was valid, or whether it was a false sale. Daf 76 gives […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Danny Nevins looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 75. Who is more eager to be married—a man or a woman? In the world of the sages, the answer is obvious. A woman wants to be married, even to a flawed man, since he provides food and […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Danny Nevins looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 74. Who has more power, a lawyer or a doctor? How do men feel about sending their wives to court? Whose character is more in question—the wife who makes vows, or the husband who can’t abide them? To […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Danny Nevins looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 73. Our chapter deals with unpleasant surprises after the wedding. First with things the husband discovers about his wife, and then with things the wife discovers about her husband. But let us not thing that this is an […]

Welcome to the Daily Daf Differently. In this episode, Rabbi Abby Sosland looks at Masechet Ketubot, Daf 72. Do we bury the dead for them or for us? While we often teach that taking care of the dead is a chesed shel emet, a kindness that cannot be repaid, our daf suggests otherwise. Instead, caring […]