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

And on today's page, Menachot 94, actually it kind of

starts back in a tale, end of yesterday's page on Menachot 93. But, you know, so the story goes.

We hear a tale of two very important, very wise rabbis, duking it out. It is a tale that brought to mind, less the world of the

Tomlin and more the smoked-filled back rooms of Washington, D.C. So naturally, I thought of our

one and only Dr. Tevi Troy, the inimitable presidential rav, who found

today's page of Tomwood eerily similar

to an instance that occurred

in the George H.W. Bush

White House. President Tsharav,

over to you, my friend.

Thank you, Liel. It's such a pleasure

to be here with you to talk about my two favorite subjects, presidents and Gamara.

Today's Gamara, Rob Elizhar, teaches a lesson similar to Rache Lakish, but he doesn't cite Rish Lakish when he does so.

Rachel Akish angrily criticizes Rob Elizhar, and even though Rob Elizar has a perfect response to the critique, he doesn't use it.

The text uses the word Istik.

Raav Elizhar was silent.

It doesn't say why he's silent, but it's quite possible that the fact that Rachel

Lakeesh was a former criminal and very intimidating had something to do with the silence.

Now, this story makes me think of intimidation in White House interactions.

The George H.W. Bush administration was famously complacent in sticking to bland policies.

One young and sharp aide in that White House named Jim Pinkerton wanted to develop new and different reform ideas under the rubric of what he called the New Paradine.

...