Daf Yomi Week 153: Gourd-Fearing
I love it when the amoraim warn us against foods that will trouble the digestion. It’s very much “Yes, granddad, we know you can’t eat corn anymore” only across thousands of years.
Shabbat shalom and welcome! I love seeing new “faces” each week. We’re coming up on 300 readers...I have no idea what we ought to do to celebrate if and when we reach 300, but it definitely will not involve gourds or porridge. Maybe we should just plan to hold the gates of Thermopylae against the Persians?
In any case, Nedarim is really picking up; this week has been full of legends and cautionary tales, very reminiscent of Berakhot in my opinion. I feel like there’s a concordance to the Talmud to be written based solely on vibe, but it won’t be written by me.
The World Cup is in all the news lately and I keep thinking I should discuss how the Cup match on Sunday will be between two countries not known for their enthusiasm about Jews, but instead I’ve decided to put on my Mickey Mouse Menorah shirt and be content in the idea that noted anti-Semite Walt Disney is spinning in his grave. Yes, I know I did technically give the Disney company money while buying it, but I feel like the message I’m sending in giving them money for a nonbinary Jewish t-shirt is probably helping more than it’s hurting.
233 weeks to go! It seems like a very small number somehow, even though it’s well over two years.
