The Tractate Megillah is an ode to letters, particularly the story of Megillat Esther, which began as an intimate letter.

The text discusses the dilemma faced by Jewish educators regarding how much power and freedom to give to students in their learning process.

In a special minisode following Philip Roth's death, a discussion on The Gist explored Roth's significance in literature and the Jewish canon, with Mark Oppenheimer as a guest.

Robert Alter's translation of the Hebrew Bible into English aims to provide a more accurate and forceful version of the text, with a focus on the Wisdom Books - Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.