While the last century has seen turbulent change, Daf Yomi has remained a constant anchor

Photos: Dirshu archives

It’s been a hundred years since the first Knessiah Gedolah of Agudas Yisrael, where Rav Meir Shapiro presented his groundbreaking proposal to unite Klal Yisrael in learning the same page of Gemara daily. And while the last century has seen turbulent change, Daf Yomi has remained a constant anchor.

Daf Yomi accompanied the Jewish People through the horrors of the 20th century. Shattered survivors in displaced persons camps clung to the daf, which was often the only remaining link to their previous lives. Over the ensuing generations, the phenomenon grew and expanded, spawning a wide array of shiurim and other initiatives. Today, Daf Yomi shiurim are as diverse as they are ubiquitous, delivered by Talmudic scholars ranging from prominent rabbanim to businessmen and taking place in shuls, batei medrash, corporate boardrooms, and even commuter trains and cruise ships.

The past century has also witnessed many technological developments, many of which have been mobilized to disseminate the daf. Dial-a-Daf in America and Kol Daf in Israel made Daf Yomi available by telephone. The Dafyomi Advancement Forum created a website featuring many resources for Daf Yomi students.

Over the past quarter of a century, organizations and programs like Dirshu, ArtScroll/Mesorah, Agudath Israel of America’s Ki Heim Chayeinu, Shas Illuminated, and OU’s All Daf have done much to advance the Daf Yomi learning experience. Email and other digital media were tapped for Daf Yomi as well, and online shiurim by maggidei shiur like Rabbis Sruli Bornstein, Shalom Rosner, Eli Stefansky, Moshe Elefant, and Aryeh Lebowitz have also gained considerable traction. The increase in crowd size at each successive Siyum HaShas attests to the increasing force of the phenomenon.