Hey there and welcome back to Take One, the podcast that brings you just one mindful page of Talmud each day.

As we begin our journey into tractate Menachot,

we can't help but noticing that this tractate is in so many ways, really the sister tractate

of Zvachim, the tractate we had just finished. One Zvachim was all about animal sacrifices,

and the one we're studying right now, Menachim, was all about animal sacrifices, and the one we're studying right now,

Menachot, is all about sacrifices that involve grain, wine, oil, and other things that are not

animals. And so, naturally, the tractate begins, sort of like its sister tractate began,

with a discussion of the all-important element that binds every act of offering sacrifice.

Together, I'm talking, of course, about Kavana, about intentionality, about the notion that when we go ahead and we offer sacrifice, doesn't matter if it's an animal or grain or whatever it is.

The most important thing is for us to really kind of

clear and focus our minds, to make sure that we offer this sacrifice with the most pure,

the most dedicated, the most intense of intentions strictly and clearly in place.

And so rather than reinvent the wheel here,

this is a great opportunity to go back in time a little bit

to some very important lessons that we learned last October

all about how the Talmud and the rabbis see the notion of Kavanaugh,

intentionality, and how they really train us to go ahead and develop a practice of mindfulness

that is good and helpful, not just in moments of offering,

sacrifice, something that most of us, sadly, can't do these days

when the temple no longer stands,

but rather in every aspect of everyday life.

Have a listen.

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