100 Years Since the Announcement of the Daf Yomi Study Program

By: Rabbi David Avraham Mandelbaum

Heavenly Enlightenment

Our teacher, Rabbi Meir Shapira’s life on earth was rich in action and creativity, but one of the most important gifts he bequeathed to the people of Israel is the idea of the daf yomi (a daily page of study from the Gemara). There does not exist in the world a creation in which so many good virtues were tied as as there were to this grand idea, which was a form of heavenly enlightenment for its time and for the future.

Rabbi Meir Shapira z”l

Some saw the main virtue of it as the “love of the Torah” that it propagated in the world, which captivates thousands and thousands of Jews every day to study the Torah, and some saw in it the virtue of the unity and association of all the ultra-Orthodox who study one page, when on that same day and time, all Jews are on the same page and working together on the same issue and the same matter.

But just as the Torah has no end – longer than the earth and wider than the sea, even though the praises of this idea have not yet been exhausted, the thousands of lessons, the thousands of students, the thousands and thousands of pages that are learned every day from the power of this idea are in its praises, they are the eternal poetry expressing what a wonderful idea it is.

The First Great Congress

As part of the discussions that preceded the gathering of the first Great Congress of Agudath Israel, there were long and protracted discussions, gatherings, and meetings, most of which were held by the great leaders of the generation – the Imrei Emet (the Gur Rebbe) z”l; the genius, Rabbi Chaim Ozer of Vilna z”l; the Chortkower Rebbe z”l, and more – among them, they set the congress of the Central Association for Agudath Israel was set to take place in Vienna on 19-25 Adar B 5681 (March 29-April 4, 1921), a meeting in the month of Shvat (around January) in Krakow, and a meeting in Breslau in the month of Tevet (around December).

The right part of the leadership’s table in the first International Congress of Agudath Israel. Seen from right to left: Rabbi Azriel Munk, Rabbi Michael Kahn of Fulda, Germany, last from the left Rabbi Aharon Levin of Reisha, and in front of him Rabbi Meir Shapira of Lublin. Rabbis from Slovakia are seen in the back.

At these conventions, the higher institutions of the worldwide Agudath Israel were elected, and Rabbi Shapira z”l was elected as a member of the “Limited Working Committee of Agudath Israel.”

The highlight of his public activity was within the framework of the first Great Congress of Agudath Israel that gathered in Vienna on Wednesday, Elul 3, 5683 (Aug. 15, 1923).

The following great rabbis were present at the first Great Congress: The Chafetz Chaim z”l; the Gerrer Rebbe, who was known as the Imrei Emet z”l; the Chortkower Rebbe z”l, the genius Rabbi Chaim Ozer from Vilna; and dozens more great men of the generation.

Rabbi Shapira z”l was still young at the time, but among all the rabbis and people of the congregation, he stood out in his views and vision; all eyes were on the rabbi from Sanok (i.e. Rabbi Shapira) whose royal manners and all his talents and virtues were used for the common good.

It was only natural that he was elected to the important committee “for matters of education and the strengthening of religion” which operated within the framework of the Great Congress and initiated various methods of action to strengthen religious matters in charedi (loosely translated as ultra-orthodox) Judaism.

Before this esteemed forum, in which there were Torah scholars, among them members of the Council of Torah Scholars, Rabbi Shapira, for the first time, brought forth his proposal that the committee recommend to the Great Congress, among its other decisions, to call on all Jews to begin studying one daf yomi every day (i.e. study a page of Gemara each day) according to the order of the Shas (6 orders of the Mishna), to begin on Rosh Hashana 5684.

Later, our rabbi told his student Rabbi David Weisbrod z”l, that starting when the idea of the daf yomi flashed in his mind, he wanted to offer it from the platform of the Great Congress exclusively for the sake of the young. “I did not dream,” said our rabbi z”l, “that the congress would decide the learning should be for the elders of the generation. However, when I started talking at length about the benefits of learning daf yomi – because in my opinion there is a great benefit in this if every day one page of the Gemara is studied by thousands of Jews and it reaches Heaven – it was a great surprise that shook the world that everyone unanimously agreed that the program would be for all Jews.”

It is worth noting what Rabbi Eliezer Breuer, born in Vienna, told (in his book Siach Eliezer, page 501) that before Rabbi Shapira announced his proposal in front of thousands, he put it forward as a proposal in a small meeting of rabbis and businessmen that was held before the Great Congress, in which Rabbi Eliezer was also present. Thus he had the privilege of being among those who heard about the daf yomi for the first time from its founder, and even enthusiastically joined the community of learners.

The genius Rabbo Chaim Kreiswirth z”l, the rabbi of Antwerp, told (in the book Mayim Chaim pages 38-39) what he heard at the time that Rabbi Shapira wanted with all his heart for his idea to be accepted by the great men of the generation. Being young, however – to a certain degree of justice – he feared that his proposal would not be accepted. What did he do? Before the Great Congress was officially opened, he went to the Chafetz Chaim and asked for him to propose the idea on his behalf before the audience of rabbis. The Chafetz Chaim refused and told him: “No, propose your idea yourself before the congress. However, I will ask you this: enter the Great Congress twenty minutes later than the appointed time.” Rabbi Meir did not understand what the Chafetz Chaim was thinking, but trusting in the faith of the sages, he did not ponder and accepted his words. When Rabbi Meir Shapira appeared at the entrance to the hall, he was already full of appetite. The Chafetz Chaim who saw him enter, stood to his full height in his honor, and of course all the others stood up after him in his honor, and in this way his name grew, and when he spoke in front of the audience – his words were heard attentively, as a result of the advice of the Chafetz Chaim.

This description was confirmed by Rabbi Shraga Herman z”l who was present at the Great Congress. It is also presented in the file “Tiferet Radomsk” (Adar 5763/Winter 1943, page 40 and in the Oraita file vol. 20).

To be honest, our rabbi knew and had a clear recognition that this idea would win the hearts of all the Jews, but in his nobility of soul he chose to honor the members of the committee and attribute it to them.

Today, when the daf yomi has become so popular, it is hard to believe, the fact that this innovative idea was received by the committee with skepticism and hesitation. As some of the dignitaries of the committee put it:

“Is it possible, if a Jew wants to learn Tractate Shabbat, how can he be forced to learn Tractate Brachot?” This reservation was indeed accepted by those present, and the proposal was dropped, but as recounted by Rabbi Aharon Noach Belsberg z”l, who heard from his father, Rabbi Binyamin Wolf z”l, who attended the Great Congress as a representative of the Antwerp community, and heard the proposal from Rabbi Shapira z”l himself. Rabbi Shapira wanted with all his heart and soul to make the proposal anyway despite the opposition of some of the Torah sages.

And the genius Rabbi Chaim Ozer of Vilna z”l was the one who had the idea for Rabbi Shapira z”l to raise the proposal at the Great Congress as a private and personal proposal and not in the name of the committee. In this way, opponents would not be able to take a stance.

And one can see in Rabbi Kreiswirth z”l’s book, Mayim Chaim: Amongst the opponents of the proposal was one of the yeshiva heads, who wondered aloud, “Suddenly any am ha’aretzm(simpleton) will finish learning Shas (the entire Mishna) and will be known as a master of Shas?” Rabbi Shapira was extremely embarrassed, but Rabbi Menachem Ziemba z”l was sitting there and he brought him out of his embarrassment and said wisely: “A Jew who completes the Shas will no longer be called an am ha’aretz!”

Our Rabbi did not let go of this sacred idea. He did not despair, and asked the committee’s permission to at least put forward this proposal in his own name.

“You are welcome to,” replied the disapproving rabbis, “if his honour wants to make this strange proposal in his own name, he may.”

Uphold and Receive

On Tuesday, Elul 9, 5683 (Aug. 1, 1923), the plenary of the Great Congress gathered under the leadership of Rabbi Yehuda Leib Tsirelson z”l, and our rabbi, Rammi Shapira, was honored to present to the audience the proposals and decisions of the “Education Committee.”

The genius, Rabbi Yehuda Leib Tsirelson z”l

In his loud and clear voice, Rabbi Shapira, read and detailed one by one twenty-eight suggestions on various matters in the fields of education and the strengthening of religion.

When he finished reading the 28 propositions, he asked for permission from the plenum to submit a private proposition, then his eyes lit up greatly, and with a voice full of excitement, and with courage and trembling, he began to present his proposal to the audience by saying: “The Great Congress must decide, that starting from the beginning of the new year 5684, one must learn a page of Gemara every day according to the order of the Shas from the beginning, and from now on learning this page will be the symbol of every faithful congregation.”

“At this point, Rabbi Schapira went on to describe, as was his wont, the multiple virtues of the idea: “There is nothing more fitting to symbolize the purpose of Agudath Israel and its main goals with the aim of “and all of them will form one association to do your will wholeheartedly’ than a page of the Gemara. And what is it? Agudath Israel’s ambition, as expressed in this Great Congress, is to unite G-d-fearing people from all over the world, to unite all the exilees, the Jews of all the Diaspora, into one unit, to raise the status of the Torah and to glorify it. And this solid unity will be expressed in the study of one page a day.”

“Imagine in your mind, how wonderful the vision of the daf yomi will be when it comes true, here is a Jew traveling by boat and and at home they are studying Tractate Brachot; he travels for two weeks from the Land of Israel to America, every day upon sunrise, he opens the Gemara and studies the daf. And when he comes to America, when he enters the study hall in New York, to his surprise, he found other Jews engaged in the same page he was up to that day. He joins the students in delight, debates with them, and they reply to him. It is heavenly there for him, an environment of nobility, growth, and holiness.”

“And a Jew from the United States who immigrated to Brazil in the south, or to Japan in Asia, will be greeted first and foremost by the study hall and will find everyone busy with the page they are at today – and what greater unity of hearts do we have than that? And not only that, until now there remained tractates that were not studied by a large public and were like ‘orphans,’ only virtuous individuals took pity on them, but the daf yomi program will fix everything!”

When Rabbi Shapira finished speaking, and a tumultuous excitement gripped all present. The thousands of delegates rose from their seats, clapped their hands, and cheered with joyous voices. The waves of applause increased and went on and on and did not stop for a long time. And with this sight and these voices in the future there was a distant echo of the voices at Sinai that stated – “we will do and will hear!”

The Idea was Accepted!

Enthusiasm swept all those present and carried away with it even the rabbis who were initially among the first to disagree and doubt the usefulness of the idea and the possibility of its implementation.

As Rabbi Shapira came down from the stage, those who opposed him came up and squeezed his hand warmly and said: “We ask for forgiveness, Rebbe from Sanok; we acknowledge that only now have we understood his honour’s proposal, its power, and its meaning.

And this is how the idea was accepted as one of the decisions of the Great Congress:

“Charedi Judaism of the whole world takes it upon itself to study one specific page every day, starting with the Tractate Berachot on Rosh Hashanah 5684.”

Word of the decision made waves in all the holy congregations, and Torah lessons began to be organized in the cities of Poland and in all countries of the world according to the order of the daf yomi.

The idea of the daf yomi electrified the hall of the Great Congress. And as a result, it electrified the entire world of Torah and Judaism. In all corners of the world, they began to study the daf. Multitudes of Jews from the elders of the generation saw it as their right to tell their grandchildren, that they had the privilege of participating in that wonderful event in the first Great Congress, an event in which Rabbi Shapira brought his wonderful idea to the world.

The genius Rabbi Yona Merzbach z”l who came to the congress from Berlin, was deeply moved by the event. He immediately began learning the day yomi in his city and established a group for learning it. And until his last day, he always described with great admiration the speech of Rabbi Shapira z”l at the Great Congress (see the book Pirkei Chaim Al Darko Ve’Paalav, page 93 onwards).

In the above-mentioned book, it also mentions this regarding Rabbi Yona Merzbach z”l: The daf yomi became Rabbi Shapira’s daily sustenance, which he sometimes studied late at night after an arduous day of travel. Sometimes he came to decisions based on the topic he studied that day in the daf yomi, and he would find in us a “sign” for the events that befell him. During his life he managed to finish the entire Shas in this framework seven times.

In a speech delivered by the president of World Agudath Israel, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir HaCohen Levin z”l (Son-in-law of the Imrei Emet, the Gerrer Rebbe), at the Siyum HaShas (celebration for finishing the study of the entire Mishna) held in Jerusalem on 28 Tevat 5728 (Jan. 29, 1968), said: “I had the privilege of taking part in the first Great Congress of Agudath Israel in the presence of geniuses and holy ones, at the time when Rabbi Shapira proposed and announced the study of daf yomi; there is no way to describe, and even more so in short words, the greatest and most sublime impression this event had on people, and most of those present have already passed away, may G-d avenge their blood.”

And while the delegates of the first Great Congress traveled to all countries and gave a report of their impressions, the greatest impression was that of studying the daf yomi. And not only this, Rabbi Yitzchak Meir finished: “this decision was immediately carried out and accepted, and the daf yomi began to be studying on Rosh Hashana 5684.”

The Bridge of the Daf

Rabbi Shapira later continued to weave the golden threads of the idea and its root, and in a conversation with one of the periodicals (“Yoygilaus Blatt”) published in honour of “15 Year of Agudath Israel”, Sivan 5687/1927, Lodz, he told:

“When I travelled to Katowice in 5672 (1912), to participate in the congress, at the foundational meeting of World Agudath Israel – a serious question arose in my mind.”

“Is it possible at all that the Lithuanian genius from Brisk, Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik z”l, will debate with Rabbi Yaakov Rosenheim, who comes from Frankfurt in Western Europe? Both Rabbi Chaim of Brisk wants to see all the sects of Judaism connected to the laws of Halacha, while Rabbi Yaakov Rosenheim has aspirations and concepts of his own in a different way; how is it possible that a religious Jew who came from materialist America, will agree with the methods and views of a French Jew who faces nothing but extreme fear and anxiety, in the best sense of the word, and that both of them will find a common language? Do you believe, for example, that an Orthodox Jew from the Netherlands, a student of modern culture and enlightenment, will be able to work in harmony and go hand in hand with the Orthodox and strictly tradition-observing Jew from Poland?”

“And I confess, I am not ashamed, because even after I walked through the door of the assembly hall, the same great problem still arose in my mind and I did not find a solution to it. The more I managed to discover the secret of this, the more the subject matter became clear to me, and the more I was able to rest.”

“Nu, what does a Jew like me do in this situation?”

“I opened my back and took out Tractate Brachot; I sat and learned, and delved into the words of the Gemara.”

“And after I finished learning the first mishna and I moved on to the Gemara’s questions, I had many questions and did not at all understand the Gemara’s words. I began to look in the commentaries of Rashi, Tosfot, and the Maharsha of Lublin for an explanation that would clarify my understanding, and after I got to know the method of interpretation of each of them and their comments, a new process formed in my mind that explained more clearly to me the difficulty of the Gemara and the issue that was overwhelming to me.”

“At this moment, while talking, an idea flashed in my mind, because this is the answer to my serious question that I pondered before I began to study. After all, everyone knows that the Mishnah was created in the Land of Israel, the Talmud in the Land of Babylon, Rashi’s Commentary in Ashkenaz, the Tosafot in France, the Maharsha lived in Lithuania, and the Maharam in Poland. Each one of them embodied something different, yet they are studied the Mishna and debated one questions that arise in it.”

“Now the essence of existence of Agudath Israel was revealed. The Agudath Israel serves as a golden chain of unity and gathering, which includes within its framework the expatriates of Israel and Lithuania, as well as the expatriates of Germany and the Netherlands, America and Poland.”

The Calendar

To help the students studying daf yomi, our Rabbi himself arranged an accurate calendar, in which the page studied each day was printed as well as the end dates of each tractate.

The plan was published and circulated to the public, and Rabbi Shapira attached an emotional letter to it in which he specifically appealed to the young people to join the study of the daf yomi, and this is because from the beginning his intention was to establish this regulation mainly for the young people. He wrote:

With G-d’s help

To the Charedi young people and to the people who follow in the ways of the Torah in all the countries of the world!

Hello and many blessings, my friends!

The Great Congress decided – according to my proposal – to adopt the daf yomi program, and all of them accepted this decision with satisfaction and joy, but you young people, the choice of our nation and its future, you accepted it with holy enthusiasm.

Know, therefore, my dear children, that you have made a great vow to the G-d of Israel, and you must therefore go to the holy service, learn for yourself, and inspire others to it.

Please accept this study schedule and know that the beginning of the program to complete the studying of Shas is on the first day of Rosh Hashana 5784, and it ends, G-d willing, on the eve of Tu B’Shvat (the 15th of Shvat, the holiday of the trees) 5691.

Know that if every member of Agudath Yisrael bears the duty to study the daf yomi, you bear this duty sevenfold.

Let us hope to the L-rd that we will merit to see G-d’s home (i.e. the Temple) rebuilt and the land filled with knowledge of G-d.

Boys who are beloved to G-d! You came out bravely to help G-d’s – go forth in strength!

Raise the flag of Torah high, as the eyes of Charedi Jewry is upon you! And G-d is with you, strong warriors.

May you be sealed with a full heart longing for our holy Torah and with blessings of a gmar chatima tova (a good final sealing)

Rabbi Meir Shapira, head of the beit din (religious court) and rebbe from Sanok

From When Does One Recite the Shema Prayer?

On Rosh Hashanah 5684, thousands of chassidim gathered in the great study hall of the town of Gur (Gora Kalwaria), clusters of chasidic flowers hang from every corner to see the face of the Rebbe who had just finished his prayer and was on his way home.

Suddenly the Rebbe turned to the crowd and said:

“I came to study the daf yomi.”

The words passed like an electric current among the thousands present, and according to the testimony of Rabbi Yudel Sonnenshein z”l, who was at the study hall in Gur at the time, they did not last minutes, and all the thousands in the study hall sat around Tractate Brachot; one could see groups of ten people sitting around the Gemara, page two of Tractate Brachot. Everyone wanted to join the Rebbe in learning the daf yomi… and what a small thing it was? The Rebbe, who did not usually share his “leadership” with the audience, read as usual with a brief allusion to all the followers and all the Jews to join him and take part in the daf yomi program.

Also the chassid, Rabbi Chanoch Henich HaLevi z”l who was in the study hall at the time, described trhoughout his life with great emotion, how in one moment the study hall became excited and everyone present rushed to search for the Tractate Brachot of Gemara in order to join the Rebbe in learning the first page.

Even his holy words at his pure table on this Rosh Hashanah night, revolved around the matters of the first page of Tractate Brachot, as printed in his book “Imrei Emet” regarding Rosh Hashana 5684.

In his article in the newspaper “Dos Yiddisheh Vort” (Adar – Nissan 5765 p. 86) Rabbi Shlomo Greenbaum z”l of Neustadt, wrote: “I remember at the time, I learned in a yeshiva in Warsaw. Throught the day, we studied the regular parts that are studied in yeshiva, which were Tractates Nashim – Nezikin, but at the moment when we heard that the Rebbe, the Imrei Emet z”l, began studying the daf yomi, groups of young men were immediately founded and we started studying the daf yomi energetically every evening. We felt that we became a part of all Jewry in this endeavour…”

And thus it was in all of Israel’s diasporas, in thousands of synagogues, study halls, yeshivas, and shtiebels (small synagogues); At the same time, in all the places where the daf yomi was studied, the ancient thousands of years old question was asked: “From when does one recite the Shema prayer for the Aravit service?” (A line from Tracate Brachot)

The First Evening

The author, Gershon Gura z”l described:

“I remember now that evening and I will in no way be able to forget the impression it made on me then, and once again I want to refresh it, bring it up in my memory anew.”

“This was the first evening that the study of the daf yomi began. In Poland, in Europe, and all over the globe.”

“The awakening was immeasurable. All the study halls in the town had a great attribute. Between the Mincha and Maariv services, I saw tens of dozens of men from all the streets going to their study halls, holding under their arms a Tractate Brachot. There was not enough time to prepare enough copies of the Gemara for that first day of study, so everyone brought one with from home.”

A part of the leadership table at the Siyum HaShas (finishing learning the whole Mishna) celebration at the Chachmei Lublin yeshiva. In the photo, one can see: The young man; Yehuda Lubert (speaker), Rabbi Avraham Weinberg, Rabbi Aryeh Tzvi Frumer, Rabbi Menachem Ziemba, the Radziner Rebbe, Rabbi Aryeh Leib Landau of Kolbiel, Rabbi Leibel Mincberg, the philanthopist; Shmuel Eichenbaum, and Avraham Meir Krongrad, who was the head of Young Agudath Israel in Poland. Amongst the standing, is Rabbi Yisrael Yitzchak Newinacht.

The caretakers in the synagogues were busy taking care of stronger lighting and preparing benches and tables.

In the various shtiebels, the preparation was stronger. Because they were even closer to this decision. And from them the appeal went out to all the Torah students in the town.

In the great study hall, the main synagogue in the whole town, they finished the Maariv prayer. Spontaneously, about a hundred students sat down at the special tables, prepared by the caretakers.

At the head of the tables stood the town’s scholar, the breadwinner of the town, whose place of study all these years was in the house of his followers. This time he came out of hiding, from the underground, and voluntarily revealed himself to the crowds, to the people of the town who were not chasidic, the ones he missed anyway – came every day to study a page of Gemara with Rashi – in order to also be associated with learning Torah on a regular basis.

The “new face” at the head of the table had already said much to all those present, each and every one of them was happy that he would hear a page of Gemara every day, from the mouth of Yisrael Yona, the “super scholar” in the town.

With deep joy and excitement, Yisrael Yona opened his large Gemara, from the Re’am Shas edition from Vilna, followed by all those present, and began his study:

“From when does one recite the Shema prayer?”

When they started the first sentence of the Gemara, he immediately switched to a legend, and as if it were a spring, he began to preach before those present about the legends of the Sages from all the Shas who spoke in praise of learning the Torah. His words were loving and cold like beads of dew and drops of water on dry land. He then moved on to talk mainly about the daf yomi topic, about the permanent engagement that would begin from that evening, of all those who study the Torah together.

Every day a Gemara page. Day by day and day by day. And it is as if time had made a covenant with the Torah, that there will be no more days that would pass without the Torah being studied.

From the words of the legend, it was transferred to the Mishna and Gemara. In his pleasant words in front of the students, in clear language, the ‘negotiations’, a lively debate arose among the members, who participated vigilantly in each and every issue. The atmosphere was cordial, and it was evident to everyone that it was as if they had suddenly entered a completely different area of life, as if they had completely distanced themselves from the same day-to-day life, and moved to another spiritual life, to a life of dignity and nobility, to a life of nobility and spirit.

And even though it was initially planned that the daf yomi rate every evening would only take one hour. That evening, the eve of the beginning of the first page studied in the history of the daf yomi program, they all sat closely in their seats and listened to the words of Yisrael Yona, who had prepared in a special way, and completely forgot about the hands of the clock that were moving non-stop.

The beginning of the daf yomi study in the capital, Warsaw, was described by Rabbi Yisrael Eidelman z”l (Shearim 5750, page 12):

“That same Rosh Hashana night, we witnessed the pure table of the great Radziner Rebbe, who was staying in Warsaw at the time. We were squeezed into the large crowd that had gathered and came from the city and other cities to gather for the High Holidays with the Rebbe. Thus, standing close to each other, we thirstily drank every word that came out of his holy mouth after the tish (chassidic celebration), when the Rebbe returned to his room and left the door open, people squeezed in as much as they could squeeze, and I, twelve years old, was among them. In his talk, the Rebbe asked the audience – what did the beginning of the daf yomi study look like on on Jewish streets and in shtiebels, and when they told him about the wonderful sight, his holy face expressed a smile and satisfaction. Then he opened his holy mouth and said:

At the Great Congress, we negotiated with the rabbi from Galinia (the city where Rabbi Shapira served as rabbi) to sell us the right to invent the holy idea of the daf yomi, and we told him that we were ready to pay any price for it. But he did not agree, and the right remained his…”

In a Dream I Will Speak to Him

And from a remote village in the distant Bukovina, a letter arrived at Rabbi Shapira’s address from his sister bearing the date of Rosh Hashanah 5684 reading:

“On the night of Rosh Hashanah, I had a dream, I saw you, my dear brother, in the sky… a multitude of righteous people with a form that warns like the celestial glow. And you, my brother, stood in the midst and your face shone like the sun in its prowess, and everyone smiled at you and thanked you, and were very, very happy with you… Please let me know , my beloved brother, the meaning of the dream…”

And our rabbi’s sister did not know, that on that night, the same page of Gemara was learned by tens of thousands of Jews from the four corners of the earth, a page of Gemara that was learned due to the power of Rabbi Shapira and caused contentment in all the upper worlds.

On Rosh Hashanah 5684, something happened for the People Israel; the daf yomi program was launched, on the long and eternal journey of millions of Gemara pages that are studied every day in holiness and purity, by worldly geniuses, rabbis, simple folk, day laborers, and night laborers.

The daf yomi, the shining pearl of the Jewish People.

Spreading the Idea

Rabbi Shapira was not satisfied with merely the actual initiative, but continued to do his best to energize and harness the masses to this idea.

The author, Leibel Bein z”l desribed:

“He came to Warsaw. He invited representations of newspapers to the Krakowski hotel and explained to them the value of the daf yomi program. At first the secular journalists shrugged their shoulders and didn’t know why they bothered to come, but after his excellent explanation, that the study of the Torah is an all-Jewish matter and all camps should be interested in spreading it – when he explained it in his pleasant language, with his beautiful and pleasant explanation – they were all influenced, and the journalists published the idea of the daf yomi in all the newspapers.

Expanding the Circle

Rabbi Shapira would also take advantage of the end of learning tractates, when feasts were held, to stimulate and give further impetus to the study of the daf yomi and to add Jews to the circle of learners.

The leadership table at the 7th siyum hashas (celebration of completing the study of all the Mishna) for the daf yomi program

Already at the completion of the first tractate – Tractate Brachot – that took place on Kislev 4, 5684 (Nov. 12, 1923), Rabbi Shapira published the following letter to strengthen the learners of daf yomi:

B”H

To our brothers, those who are strict with the word of G-d and His holy Torah.

Hello and many blessings!

The Great Congress that took place in Vienna in 5683 decided – according to our proposal – to accept with satisfaction, joy, and holy enthusiasm, the decision to begin the daf yomi study program, and on this day we already hear from our country and the rest of the Diaspora the echo of thousands and thousands of Jews – yes many – who study a fixed page every day, and with G-d’s help, they have already finished Tractate Brachot on the 4th of Kislev. With much joy and celebration, they began to study Tractate Shabbat, in such a way that all the charedi Jews in all countries are united and linked together by studying a the same page of Gemara every day.

We must therefore strengthen ourselves and strive with all our strength so that the study of Torah in the masses will expand and spread in all countries of the world, in every city and town and in every group of Jews, and that learning the daf yomi will become a sacred duty for every Torah observant Jew.

We hereby present before you the lesson schedule, according to which you will debate each and every day the page that belongs to it, which is learned by your brothers and friends in the other countries and towns. This schedule will be used as a reminder for each and every one of you, lest he subtract his line every day.

Be strong and courageous, beloved brothers in favour of our Torah to raise a horn, hasten each other to learn the daf yomi, both individually and in groups, and G-d will soon bring the siyum hashas to the midst of Jerusalem, when the earth will be filled with knowledge of G-d.

Carry the flag of Torah High! And G-d is with you, soldiers of valour!

In the name of the Center for Education and Torah Study of Agudath Israel in Poland.

Signed with a heart full of longing for our holy Torah.

Rabbi Meir Shapira, head of the beit din (religious court) and rebbe from Sanok

“Learn and teach”…

Rabbi Shapira’s student, who did much to spread the idea of the daf yomi, Rabbi Yehuda Meir Abramowitz z”l, recounted in his memoirs:

“Our revered rabbi, Rabbi Shapira z”l from Lublin, used to tell his students how he came to the holy idea of the daf yomi, and how many hesitations and doubts arose as to whether this idea would succeed and take root in the nation.”

“One Saturday night, it is well etched in my memory, is when the conversation about the daf yomi developed.”

“A group of students from the Chachmei Lublin yeshiva gathered together in the private room of Rabbi Shapira, the head of the yeshiva. The rabbi was in a very festive mood.”

“Then in the middle of his words he suddenly said a wonderful sentence and these were his words to us, the students:

If I hadn’t had a great inner push, who knows if the idea of the daily page would have come to life.”

“And it is important to note,” Rabbi Abramowitz z”l went on to say, “our rabbi chose several dozen of the talented students who knew how to explain a page of Gemara even for the common folk, and sent them every evening to study the lessons of the daf yomi in all the synagogues of the city of Lublin. I was lucky enough to deliver the lesson in the old study hall of the Chozeh of Lublin (Yaakov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz), which is located in the poor alleys of Lublin.”

“I will admit that when I entered for the first time for the beginning of the lesson in the Chozeh’s study hall, I was frightened and afraid. The study hall was empty and deserted; behind the stove huddled some poor and miserable peddlers, market people, tired carters, who come to the study hall to warm up a little. And that was it. Little by little, these simple and oppressed Jews were drawn to the lesson. For 3 years, I fulfilled my mission in this study hall, and over time the group grew, the students multiplied, and the atmosphere warmed up. Every evening 5-6 prayer quorums worth of Jews would gather for the class, and they persevered in learning in a surprising way. Each time we held festive feasts to end each tractate, and the desolate and abandoned study hall was filled with the life of Torah. And so it was in all the synagogues of Lublin and other holy communitees in Poland.”

A rabbi gives a lesson on the daf yomi to a group of survivors in Foehrenwald

There is Nothing That is Not Alluded to in the Torah

In the capacity for innovation that he excelled in, our Rabbi Shapira z”l finds interesting and fascinating contexts and concepts for the topic of the daf yomi, among them was his speech in which he demanded the words of the Gemara as a kind of material:

Rabbi Gamliel said, “once I was traveling on a ship and from afar I saw a ship that had broken down, and I felt sorry for a scholar who was in it, and who was it? Rabbi Akiva. And when I ascended on land, he came and sat before me and we talked about halacha (Jewish law), I said to him: My son, who brought you up from the water? He said to me: A plank from the ship chanced upon me, and every wave that came upon me I bent my head’ (Yevamot 121).”

“This plank (daf),” Rabbi Shapira said with excitement, “is the daf (page – daf can mean both ‘page’ and ‘plank’) of the Gemara, the daf yomi, the chance for every Jew wherever he is to save himself from the malicious waves of the sea that threaten to destroy him physically and spiritually, the daf of the Gemara that saves all Jews from the stormy waves of life, a daf that chanced upon me and I was saved.”

On another occasion he said:

“The Gemara in Tractate Bechorot says that there is a correspondence in the gestational period of the various species between animals and plants. For example, the gestational period of small animals, which is five months, corresponds to a vine that bears fruit at the end of five months from the day it was planted. An exception is the snake, the evil one, which symbolizes the primordial snake which is the source of badness, they did not find a match as its gestational period is seven years, and there is no plant that matches this…”

“And here in the daf yomi we bear fruit only after seven years, because as we know by studying a page a day you finish the Shas – once every seven years.”

“This is therefore the answer and the correction for the original sin, the Torah is the ‘tree of knowledge,’ and this tree is the counterweight to the serpent. The daf yomi will give fruits that will sweeten and repair what the ancient serpent spoiled…”

And another time he said:

“In Tractate Sanhedrin (page 38, 72) the sages stated that man was created from all parts of the world. His head is from Israel, his body is from Babylon, his limbs are from other countries. This proves to us that if we want something to exist, to be understood by everyone, to be distributed throughout the world – the parts of the material must have a multifaceted complexity. Only then will it be able to find its place in each and every location.”

“And now let us examine the essence of the Gemara page: the Mishna was created by our holy rabbi in the Land of Israel, similar to the creation of man, whose head is from the Land of Israel. The Gemara itself was arranged in Babylon by Rabbi Ashi, whose body is from Babylon, and in addition: the Rashi and Tosfot commentaries – from France, the Rosh from Ashkenaz, Maimonides from Spain, the and last commentators – the Maharshal, the Maharsha, the Ram, etc. – from Poland. So it is that its parts are from other countries. This is also the meaning of the verse in Genesis, ‘This is the book of the history of Adam’. The book was compiled in exactly the same style and method in which man was created.”

“This is the reason why the idea of the daf yomi was taken up and liked so much in all countries and caused so many echoes. The daf represents the synthesis of the different parts of the world, and every country therefore feels its closeness and belonging to the daf.”

“Over 200,000 Members…”

Our rabbi, Rabbi Shapira, who himself was surprised by the power of the idea and how it was perceived throughout the Diaspora, wrote an emotional letter a short time later to his friends, and these are his words:

“The daf yomi program, based on my proposal, that was decided on at the congress is a large and permanent regulation, and we already have a list of more than two hundred thousand members in Poland who are studying the lesson every day; the Gerrer Rebbe also learns it, and I heard that he told people he is close to that I merited a lot that this fated to be from me.”

“And I know in my heart, that my work in the field of education, in general, and my passion for those who study Torah, in particular, has brought me here with the help of G-d.”

After the Passover Seder

The chassidic genius Rabbi Gedalya Hertz z”l (head of the Chidushei Harim yeshiva in Tel Aviv) who dined at the table the Rebbe, the Imrei Emet, on the seder night of 5696 (1935) in Jerusalem (The book “Our Zarua La’Tzadik” by A. Rello – the book “Binsoa HaAron 5761/2001), testified that at the end of the Seder, when the Rebbe stood up from his seat, he said to those present:

“I am going to go learn the daf yomi” (from the mouth of Rabbi Yudel Frankel).

“And Do Not Forget Your Mother’s Teachings”

On one occasion, Rabbi Shapira told his close associates, a story that happened to him in his childhood, a story that had a great impact on him, and was among the things that led him to the wonderful idea of the daf yomi.

And this is what our rabbi z’l expressed: “My mother z”l, had someone to learn good manners from, and indeed she did.”

“Her father z”l, the renowned genius and righteous man, Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchak Shore, author of the book Minchat Shai, knew with all his wisdom and righteousness to instill in all his daughters a treasure of godliness and virtue, and to my mother he would often say: ‘Many daughters have displayed valour. And you have risen above all of them.'”

“She was gifted with a warm Jewish heart, with energy and a spirit of activism, as a true ‘women of valour.’ And at the same time she contained a treasure of patience, modesty, and humility, as it is said: ‘All the honour of a princess is on the inside.'”

“These two opposite dimensions merged together in her soul and created a wonderful harmony. Whoever had trouble in his home, or needed good advice – he would turn first to my mother z”l. There was often a word of comfort and encouragement in her mouth, bringing relief to the heart of a depressed person. She would also often hit the spot with her wise advice to rescue someone from his predicament.”

“My mother showed a special energy and righteousness regarding the education of her children. ‘The wisdom of women builds her home.'”

“Upon first glances at my faithful mother, I must have seen her rocking my cradle and singing the traditional lullaby to me ‘Learn Torah, my son, for it is better than any merchandise.’ Of course I don’t remember this, but I believe that’s how it was, and I also feel it in my senses.”

“What I do remember are the things she said to me when I finished a lesson on the Chumash (Pentateuch):

‘Learn, my son, learn, and I will still get to hear your rabbinical sermons.’ And when, at the end of sixteen years, upon my ascension to the rabbinical throne in Galinia, I delivered my first rabbinical sermon, she reminded me of these words of hers.”

“Another requirement, she didn’t demand anything from us. The most important thing was always that we follow the path of the Torah and follow it all our lives.”

“Even today, a picture from my childhood, when I was seven years old, stands before my eyes. It was two days after the holiday of Passover, in the year 5654 (1894). When I entered the house, I found my mother sitting absorbed in thoughts and her face showing concern. She muttered as if to herself: ‘A day that has passed will never come back again…'”

“And who knows… and who knows… Torah is so great and the sacrifices so small… Who knows… who knows”…

“And because she saw me, tears came to her eyes. ‘My mother!’ I begged her in a crying voice, ‘Please tell me what happened.’ She then opened up and told me that even before Passover, a teacher from Schistow, a G-d-fearing Jew and an extremely wise student, was invited to teach me. He was allocated a sum of three hundred rubles for his time – in addition to all of his necessities – and here it is already two days after Passover and there is no voice and no anwer.”

“‘Know, my son,’ my mother concluded, ‘every day that passes without Torah study – after all, it is a loss that cannot be returned. And who knows what a day is like… perhaps we have given him too little reward. Indeed, in our time is also a sacrifice. But for such a great Torah, after all it’s too small a sacrifice… and who knows…'”

“And again tears flowed from her eyes.”

“My mother’s tears were not for naught. My teacher arrived that day, Shalom z”l from Schistow, and I learned Torah from him for six consecutive years.”

“This teacher was a symbol of ‘doing G-d’s work with faith,’ and my mother’s tears were indeed worthwhile.”

“Those tears, and in particular my mother’s words: ‘For such a great Torah, this is too small a sacrifice’ – evidently evoked an echo in the heart of my late grandfather, my mother’s father, the head of the beit din (religious court) of Monastyryska.”

“How things came to him – that I will not know to this day, but I remember that in 5660 (1900), when I accompanied my mother to Monastyryska to learn Torah from my grandfather z”l, he examined my small and weak stature, and then turned to my mother and said to her jokingly: ‘The Torah is so great… and the sacrifice is so small’… and my mother replied to him and said: ‘This little one will be great…'”

“My mother’s words of wisdom accompanied me all my days and were serve as my guide to this day. When I came to spread the idea of the daf yomi I would quote her words:

‘Every day that passes without Torah study – after all, it is a loss that cannot be returned…’ And when I come to make sacrifices for the Chachmei Lublin yeshiva, I again quote my mother’s words: ‘Nowadays, everything that is given is a sacrifice, but for such a great Torah, any sacrifice is too small! … and who knows… and who knows…'”

The Chafetz Chaim and the Daf Yomi

How beloved Rabbi Shapira was in the eyes of the Chafetz Chaim can be learned, among other things, from the heartwarming description of the course of our rabbi’s visit to Radin, before the opening of the Chachmei Lublin yeshiva – as part of his famous journey through all the yeshivas of Lithuania. The eight days of his stay at the Radin Yeshiva became eight days of holiday. It is difficult to describe the extreme closeness, the feasts, and the dances of joy held in his honor. The atmosphere was more festive than anything that could be imagined. Rabbi Shapira bestowed upon the members of the Radin Yeshiva from his goodness, from his rich treasury of joy, until as if of their own accord, they were chanting and singing and going out dancing with him.

The Chafetz Chaim used to call Rabbi Shapira none other than “Reb Daf Yomi” (Sir Daf Yomi).

During the aforementioned visit, the Chafetz Chaim was interested in hearing in detail how many Jews regularly study the daf yomi. Rabbi Shapira told him that until now close to one hundred and fifty thousand Jews have joined the circle of learners! The Chafetz Chaim answered and said: “I envy the man who was able to sell such good goods – after all, G-d, the Jewish People, and the Torah are one.”

On that occasion, he expressed his joy, because through the daf yomi, several tractates from Order of Kodashim that had not been studied until now were rescued from the abyss. According to his opinion, this is a wonderful process of training and preparation for the coming of our righteous Messiah. “How might we look” – the Chafetz Chaim lamented all his years – “when the Messiah comes and wants to talk to us about the laws of the Temple and holy matters, while we are not even able to understand what he will say to us?… Oh what a shame that would be…”

And when the Chafetz Chaim continued to speak in praise of the idea of the daf yomi, he said:

“People believe that in the future they will call everyone by name: ‘Chaim please take an honorable seat in the Garden of Eden,’ ‘Yaakov please sit down, and the like. No, it will not be like that. Each person will be called by the name of the tractate he studied: ‘Sit here, Tractate Brachot, such a chair is for Tractate Shabbat, and so on.’ It follows, therefore, that all the chairs intended for the Order of Kodashim would have remained in the corner empty and ashamed… a parable of what this is like, is regarding someone who made a fancy suit for himself from the finest fabric in the world, and let a master tailor sew it according to his measurements, everything is fine, but then he notices that an entire sleeve is missing – how ridiculous the entire garment would be! This is also the case when you skip an entire order of Mishna – an entire sleeve is missing!”

“And here,” he continued and said, “thanks to the daf yomi, even the thrones of the Order of Kodashim in the Garden of Eden will not remain empty… a fancy sleeve will be attached to the suit… and nothing will be missing…”

The Belzer Rebbe Z”L

Th genius, Yaakov Yitzchal Neiman z”l from Montreal told in his memoir (Agura B’Ohalecha):

“When the righteous Rabbi Shalom Mishatz z”l was in Cologne, Germany, he began to publicize the idea of the daf yomi. And his son-in-law, the righteous Rabbi Yoel Moskowitz z”l, wanted to implement the idea and base it in Cologne. When he asked the advice of the Rebbe, he answered him that it is appropriate to execute the idea in the city of Cologne in Germany. After the war, in London, his son-in-law, Rabbi Yoel z”l, again wanted to organize a daf yomi study program And the doubt arose in his heart, maybe he should consult again this time. His father-in-law said to him that everything should be done like in Cologne.

After All, I Am a Soldier…

The adoption of the daf yomi idea, which was received with admiration and affection by so many parts of the nation, brought great pleasure to Rabbi Shapira; the many echoes that returned to him in praise of the idea from all all over the Diaspora, was a soul-stirring matter for him.

He once excitedly told those close to him about a special experience he had:

“On one of my travels, I met a Jewish soldier from Radom named Yechiel Yeshayahu and noticed that in his backpack lay the tractate in which appeared in the daf yomi of that day.”

“To my question if he regularly studied the daf, Yechiel Yeshayahu replied:

Of course! After all, I am a soldier, and a soldier obeys orders…”

“War on the Simpletons”

The genius Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Kahaneman z”l of Ponovezh also took part in the first Great Congress of Agudath Israel in Vienna in Elul 5683. A few months after his return to Lithuania from the Great Congress, thousands of Jews gathered in Greater Kovno (Tuesday 3rd of Tevet 5784/Dec. 11, 1923) for a festive rally, in which the genius of Ponovezh z”l appeared and gave a fascinating lecture about the Great Congress and its lessons, as stated in the book “HaRav Mi’Ponovezch”:

“We are standing now on the day after Chanukah,” the rabbi began. “We said in thanksgiving, ‘and for your people Israel You have performed a great salvation and an wonder like this day”, but we still have to carefully interpret for ourselves, what the miracle mainly manifested as. Indeed, there were several steps in the Chanukah miracle, and the highest of them all was: ‘and the degenerates into the hands of those who cling to your Torah;’ there must not be found among us a single Jew who does not belong to some society of ‘those who cling to Your Torah’ – this is Agudath Israel’s activism. It was decided in Vienna to introduce the study of the daf yomi; all Jews in the world will study the same page of Gemara every day, a page of Gemara per day. Apparently, this sounds like an organizational-technical idea, here in Lithuania there are so many people who ‘cling to Your Torah’ who cannot limit themselves and be content with the daf yomi, but the main hope we place in this regulation is – that all Jews will be in the scope of ‘those who cling to Your Torah.'”

This is a declaration of war against simpletons!”

**

As we stand on this festive day, in which the whole Jewish nation marks the 100th anniversary of this wonderful program, we see how the study of the daf yomi increases and strengthens day by day in unimaginable amounts all over the Jewish world. After all, we understand that this is evident, as indeed an idea adopted by all the great Torah scholars is a good idea. The merit of the founder, Rabbi Shapira z”l, stand for us all.