In Advance of Masechta Sukka, Hundreds of New Amud HaYomi Shiurim Open Across the Globe

The Amud HaYomi is on fire! It is hard to believe that the program, which is barely three years old, already has hundreds of thousands of lomdim all over the world! The upcoming completion of Masechta Yoma is an opportunity not just for Amud HaYomi learners to celebrate their accomplishments but also for future Amud HaYomi learners to join as the Amud HaYomi is slated to begin Masechta Sukkah on Monday, 8 Cheshvan/October 19. Now is the time to witness firsthand the transformational impact learning the Amud HaYomi can have on one’s life.

Siyumim on Masechta Yoma, will be held in locales across North America and across the globe.

A testament to the important role that Amud HaYomi plays in the eyes of Gedolei Yisrael can be gleaned just from observing the senior Gedolim who will be participating in and addressing one of the larger Amud HaYomi siyumim that will be held this coming Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Noach at the Ateres Esther Hall in Lakewood.

The siyum will be made by HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva Mesivta Tiferes Yerushalayim of Staten Island. Despite the difficulty in making the journey to Lakewood, Rav Reuven enthusiastically agreed to participate in a siyum being made by so many lomdim on their journey through Masechta Yoma, a masechta that contains within it many of the yesodos of Seder Kodshim. 

 

Going Above and Beyond

HaGaon HaRav Yeruchem Olshin, shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Govoha of Lakewood, is also slated to attend and deliver a major address at the Melava Malka.

At the Dirshu Convention held this past February, Rav Yeruchem showed his esteem for the lomdei Dirshu and Rav Dovid Hofstedter when he said, “I want to say something about my dear friend, Rav Dovid Hofstedter and the entire kehillah hakedoshah of Dirshu. They go above and beyond anything that could be considered the norm! They have to master large amounts of Torah, understand it and be able to be tested on it. They are only able to do that because they go above and beyond their abilities. They are therefore endowed from Above with kochos and abilities that they may not have had until now.

“The Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Aharon Kotler brings in his sefer that the greatest tragedy for Klal Yisrael is shikchas haTorah, forgetting the Torah. Torah is the lifeblood of Klal Yisrael, and the Torah warns us with various warnings that we should not forget the Torah: ‘Hishamer lecha’, ‘ushemor nafshecha’, and ‘pen tishkach’. Rav Aharon is telling us that the greatest hatzalah for Klal Yisrael is chizuk haTorah. When thousands of members of mishpachas Dirshu come to learn with tremendous amal and yegiah followed by chazarah again and again, gaining clarity in their learning that is the greatest service and the greatest good anyone can do for Klal Yisrael.”

At the upcoming gala Melava Malka siyum on Masechta Yoma that will be held in Lakewood, the special guest speaker will be HaGaon HaRav Osher Dovid May, shlita, Rosh Kollel of the Kollel of the Yeshiva Gedolah of Passaic and Rav of Khal Beis Tefillah of Monsey. Rav May, who is a son-in-law of the venerated Rosh Yeshiva of Passaic, HaGaon HaRav Meir Stern, shlita, agreed to come to Lakewood despite his full schedule of shiurim and this will be the first time that he will address a Dirshu event.

Rav Dovid Hofstedter, shlita, the Nasi of Dirshu, will also be in attendance and will address the throngs that are expected to attend.

The Secret to Amud HaYomi’s Popularity

What is the secret to the tremendous popularity of the Amud HaYomi in such a short time frame? HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron, best encapsulated why the Amud HaYomi gained popularity so quickly by giving hashkafic insight into its entire purpose.

Rav Cohen recalled the foundational meetings held to establish the Amud Hayomi. “At that time, I shared an important thought. Rav Meir Shapiro had tremendous zechuyos when he established the Daf HaYomi. Many people have, baruch Hashem, completed the entire Shas through learning with the Daf HaYomi and that is wonderful. Nevertheless, the fact is that for those who learn the daf in a half hour or 45 minutes, it is nearly impossible to learn it properly.”

Rav Cohen maintained that the slower pace of Amud HaYomi enables a person to learn with a much more enhanced understanding of what he is learning and allows more time for chazara as well. And that is the secret to the popularity of the program.

In fact, at a recent Amud HaYomi event, HaGaon HaRav Avraham Salim, shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Me’or HaTorah and one of the senior and most prominent Sephardic roshei yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael, said, “We live in a generation in which we see that, baruch Hashem, there is a thirst for Torah! Not only is that thirst evident in those who spend their entire day immersed in learning, but it is also evident when observing the rest of Klal Yisrael. In recent years, I visited numerous countries outside of Eretz Yisrael and wherever I go, I see baalei battim deeply engaged in learning! Similarly, we see this in the way that the Amud HaYomi has become so popular. The slower pace of learning truly connects Jews to Torah. The fact that they can understand what they learn at a deeper level intensifies their bond with Torah in a profound way.”

 

Now is the Time to Join For Masechta Sukkah

The Amud HaYomi program, which was launched three years ago in Vienna at the Sofiensäle Hall, the same hall in the same city where the Daf HaYomi had been established at the Knessiah Gedolah one hundred years previously, is now completing Masechta Yoma and will begin Masechta Sukkah on Monday, 8 Cheshvan/October 19.

Currently, there are more than a thousand Amud HaYomi shiurim across the globe from Brooklyn to Be’er Sheva, Melbourne to Lakewood, Antwerp to Mexico City… wherever you go, Yidden are learning the Amud HaYomi, attending shiurim on Amud HaYomi and enjoying the slower paced limud that enables them to digest, review and truly gain a kinyan in the amud.

As the Amud HaYomi is about to embark on Masechta Sukkah, now is the time to join the Amud HaYomi and truly gain a kinyan in that masechta.

To join the Amud HaYomi contact Dirshu at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 1-888-5Dirshu.

By Chaim Gold