Zevachim 116 - Turning Tricks into Trust

Take One Daf Yomi

Tablet Magazine

Judaism, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 565 Ratings

🗓️ 8 January 2026

⏱️ 5 minutes

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Summary

On today’s page, Zevachim 116, the rabbis tell the unlikely story of Rahav, a woman defined by disgrace who transforms the very tools of her past into instruments of redemption. The Presidentscher Rav, Dr. Tevi Troy, joins us to explore how missteps, public failure, and even humiliation can become the raw material for leadership—and why the ability to reverse a narrative matters as much in politics as it does in the Bible. How do you turn your worst chapter into your greatest credential? Listen and find out.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there and welcome back to Take One, the podcast that brings you just one inspiring page of Talmud each day.
0:24.1	And I say inspiring because today, on Zvachim 116, we're talking about how to go from even the most disadvantageous beginnings and win yourself the respect and the rewards you deserve.
0:37.9	The rabbis deliver this message through the most unlikely of heroines.
0:42.6	Rachav, a famous prostitute, remember her from the Bible,
0:46.5	who went on to redeem herself and save her family by learning from her mistakes.
0:51.3	And when I hear a story like that, a story rich with power and politics
0:56.1	and image and history, there's only one man I think about, our very own Presidenta Sherav,
1:02.4	Dr. Tevi Troy. Hi there. Thanks for having me, Leal. I'm so glad to be here to discuss my two
1:08.5	favorite topics, presidents and Gamara.
1:18.7	Okay, tell us a bit about Rahav and what she can teach leaders eager to bounce back from disastrous beginnings. On today's page, Zavachim 116B, it talks about the famous prostitute, Rahav, who apparently
1:26.0	cohabited with every major leader of the ancient
1:28.5	world. She was a busy lady. She left Egypt at 10 and was a harlot for 40 straight years. But then
1:34.6	she converts to Judaism and she asks to be forgiven in reward for a quote, the rope, the window,
1:40.9	and the flax. These were tools she used in her trade, but they were also used
1:45.3	in sparing Joshua's spies, the Meroglim, when they came to check out the land. These same items
1:51.4	that led to her degradation also led to her redemption. As you know, these things often make me
1:57.4	think of presidential history, and this one in particular made me think of presidents
2:01.5	who took something that was a negative and then used it as a positive. One example is Richard Nixon,
2:07.2	who was defeated in the eyes of the television viewers in his 1960 debate against John F. Kennedy.
2:12.7	In 1968, under the tutelage of Roger Al's, Al said to him, television is not a gimmick, and Nixon then
2:19.8	learned how to use television much more effectively in his successful race for president.
2:24.8	He went on televised town halls that let him use his mastery of the geopolitical situation to show
	...

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