New York – Rav Daf Yomi: R’ Meir Shapiro Zt’l

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    New York – For the 93,000 people expected to gather at MetLife Stadium for the twelfth Siyum Hashas, Daf Yomi is a familiar concept that has become part of both their lives and that of their families. But when the idea was first introduced by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the Rov of Sanok, Poland, in the early 1920’s, the notion of Jews all over the world learning the same daf, every single day, seemed unimaginable.

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    In fact, even the idea that typical Jews, not just devoted yeshiva students, would study the entire Talmud, not just the more commonly known mesechtas, was an extremely novel concept and exceeded even R’ Meir’s original expectations.

    R’ Meir’s idea was met with doubt and skepticism, but undaunted, he persevered, presenting his plan to different audiences, tailoring his approach for the people he was addressing.

    To the idealistic young bochurim, he suggested that just like Tefila B’tzibur takes on a much stronger voice than davening alone, so too would a widespread Daf Yomi have a greater impact in the heavenly realms. To the chasidic audience, he explained that the snake, which through it’s actions in Gan Eden brought misfortune to the world, has a gestational period of approximately seven years. How appropriate it would be to counteract the aveira brought about by the nachash, with a learning project that would also span a period of approximately seven years. R’ Meir also stressed the unique achdus that would be created by Klal Yisroel if Jews worldwide could share their learning, giving them a common interest and a common bond.

    It was at the first Knessiya Gedola held by Agudas Yisroel in Vienna in August 1923, that the concept of Daf Yomi became a reality, as R’ Meir, who was also the president of Agudath Israel of Poland, had the opportunity to address leaders of the Torah world, including the Chofetz Chaim, R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzensky, the Chortkover Rebbe, R’ Shlomo Zalman Breuer, R’ Elchonon Wasserman and the Gerrer Rebbe, exhorting them to support a universal Daf Yomi program which would not only reinforce Torah learning worldwide but would also be a unique tool that would unite Hakadosh Baruch Hu, the Torah and the Jewish people.

    R’ Meir’s idea was greeted by the six hundred delegates present at the Knessiya with a standing ovation, later described by the Bluzhever Rebbe in the Artscroll book Five Great Leaders as similar to Ma’amad Har Sinai and by the Chofetz Chaim as something that “would hasten the coming of Mashiach.”

    The first Daf Yomi cycle began on Rosh Hashana of 5684, which coincided with September 11, 1923. The Gerrer Rebbe was just one of the tens of thousands in Europe, Israel and America who took upon himself to learn Daf Yomi and his many followers hastened to follow his lead.

    One Jewish newspaper ran a report detailing the phenomenon that was sweeping through the Jewish community.

    “It is amazing. On the first day of Rosh Hashana, they began with the study of the first daf in Berachos… Even people, who until now, felt that their jobs did not allow time for Torah study, have joined daily shiurim to study the Daf…The degree to which the study of Daf Yomi has spread is evident from the fact that one cannot find a single volume of Masechta Berachos in any sefarim store! In fact, they have even begun buying up volumes of Masechta Shabbos out of concern that none will be available when the Daf Yomi begins that masechta. Multitudes of G-d fearing Jews have joined the gaonim and tzaddikim of the generation in accepting with great love the study of Daf Yomi. It is to be hoped that the study of Daf Yomi will, with time, spread more and more…”

    According to the Feldheim book A Blaze in the Darkening Gloom, R’ Meir received a letter from a sister who lived some distance away, and was completely unaware of his grand plan for all of Klal Yisroel, after the first Daf Yomi cycle began. In the letter his sister wrote, “On the night of Rosh Hashana, I had a dream: I saw you in Heaven, dear brother, surrounded by a great mass of angels with striking figures, all radiant as the light of the firmament; and you, my brother, were standing in their midst, your face alight like the sun in its full strength; and they were all smiling toy ou, as they thanked you and rejoiced with you very, very greatly…Please dearest brother: let me know what the dream means…”

    Various siyumim on individual masechtas took place over the next seven years, some accompanied by other milestones. The first siyum of a masechta took place on November 12, 1924 with the completion of Masechta Brachos, with small siyums taking place worldwide and R’ Meir publishing a Daf Yomi calendar that would cover the entire cycle. At the siyum for Masechta Pesachim, which took place after the cornerstone was laid for R’ Meir’s yeshiva, Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, R’ Meir suggested that each person set aside one grosh daily in order to finance the building of the yeshiva and the Gerrer Rebbe himself immediately donated the sum of 2,700 groschen. The Second Knessiya Gedola, which took place in 1929, coincided with the siyum on Mesachta Zevachim.

    The first Siyum Hashas, attended by tens of thousands, took place on Tu B’Shvat 5691 (February 2, 1931), with the main event held at the newly constructed Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin and smaller siyumim held elsewhere in Europe, Jerusalem as well as in Baltimore and Philadelphia. R’ Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld said the Hadran at the siyum in Jerusalem, with R’ Meir himself making the siyum on Maseches Niddah in Lublin, reciting the Hadran with both tears and joy, followed by singing and dancing that lasted through the night.

    R’ Meir was niftar just two years into the next Daf cycle at the age of 46 and as the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, the founder of the Daf Yomi, a member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, the Vaad HaChinuch and the Polish parliament as well as chairman of a committee that was part of the Polish Ministry of Religious Affairs, his death was mourned by Jews and non-Jews alike.

    By the time of the second Siyum Hashas in 1938, the number of participants in the Daf Yomi program had grown to over half a million. As Nazi domination spread throughout Eastern Europe, Daf Yomi itself was threatened with annihilation, with public gathering places and places of worship closed, ostensibly to prevent the spread of diseases.

    Survivor Yosef Fuchsman told the Jewish Observer of the dedication of a group of Daf Yomi participants.

    “One group refused to give up on meeting to study Torah; it was a Daf Yomi group. On the seventh of Cheshvan, the yahrtzeit of Rav Meir Shapiro, these ‘Daf Yomi’niks’ as they were called, made up their minds that come what may, the Daf would be studied in public. So the group met in ‘Yegiche’s Kloiz’, learned the Daf, and after Minchah said Kaddish for the neshamah of the gaon of Lublin, Rav Meir Shapiro. Suddenly a contingent of eight militia men broke in and started swinging their clubs. Some of the Jews fled for their lives, but fifteen Slonimer Chassidim were determined to stick it out and refused to leave the kloiz; they still had to review the day’s Daf. Blood flowed, clothes were ripped and a few of the men were forcibly evicted. The dedication of these Jews to the study of Daf Yomi remains a living inspiration to us, the survivors.”

    R’ Meir’s kever miraculously survived the desecration of the Nazis in Lublin and in 1958, his remains were moved to Har Hamenuchos. The Zichron Meir section of Bnei Brak, which is home to several major yeshivos, was named in his memory. Aside from the immeasurable legacy that he left behind in Torah learning, R’ Meir authored both the Ohr HaMeir and Imrei Da’as and many of his vortlach have been included in many seforim.

    Starting with the seventh Siyum Hashas took place in 1975, the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah decided that all Siyumim would be dedicated in memory of the six million who perished in World War II. As quoted in Five Great Leaders, the Bluzhever Rebbe, a survivor of the Holocaust, addressed the crowd at the seventh Siyum saying, “I can personally testify that those who perished bore their suffering with love. For many, their greatest concern was not the tragedy of their own death, but who would say Kaddish after then and who would learn a perek of Mihsnayos in their memory. Truly, there is no greater remembrance, no greater memorial for them, than the dedication to their memory of the learning of Daf Yomi.”

    As the number participants in each Daf Yomi cycle has grown, so too has the magnitude of each subsequent Siyum, with each of the last three celebrations taking place at Madison Square Garden. At each siyum, a banner emblazoned with a portrait of R’ Meir has been draped across the dais and his spirit continues to inspire Jews worldwide to take it upon themselves to do the unthinkable, taking on a daily commitment to learn over 2,700 pages of Gemara. Daf Yomi participants continue to be inspired by R’ Meir, nearly one hundred years after he first presented his idea to the Knessiya Gedola, with shiurim taking place daily in the United States Senate, on Wall Street, on every El Al flight and even on the 7:51 and 8:15 Long Island Railroad trains headed from Far Rockaway to Manhattan, where commuters in the last car can enjoy a Daf Yomi shiur.

    What began as a plan to foster achdus within Klal Yisroel has grown to a project who scope is likely beyond anything that could have ever been imagined by R’ Meir as over150,000 people are expected to take part in the celebrations around the world, both at MetLife Stadium and with the simulcasts in various locations including Israel, Chile, Johannesburg, Venezuela, London, Mexico City, Costa Rica, Beijing, Montreal, Vancouver, Panama, Melbourne and even R’ Meir’s very own makom Torah, Yeshivas Chochmei Lublin in Poland.


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    12 Comments
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    11 years ago

    He struggled painfully to keep the Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin financially alive. But it would have closed down, even without the war. People were just not interested in giving larger sums to that Yeshiva. He was niftar, when he did not want any Goyishe physicians to touch his holy body, and he was unfortunately misdiagnosed by the Yiddishe doctors until it was too late.
    Yhi Zichroh Boruch.

    grandson1
    grandson1
    11 years ago

    Godol Sechorcho Rav Meir.

    ZSNYC
    ZSNYC
    11 years ago

    Beautiful write up, Sandy. Keep it up. Just for the record. The Agudah was totaly against the Daf Yomi idea. In the leading days prior to the main sessions, the agudah leaders voted on what topic should or should not be addressed at the kneissiah. Reb Meir had very srtongly lobbied far the implementation od the Daf, but it was rejected and voted against by the leaders of Agudah. Reb Mier was very sadend by the rejection, the Ahavas Hatorah burned in him, so he went to complain to the Chofetz Chaim, who also came to the kneissiah. The Chofetz Chaim advised him to go against the instructions of the Agudah leaders, and yes to address it at his scheduled speech. Rav Meir laught, I’m only 30 years old who’s going to listen to me if I go against protocal? The Chofetz Chaim said: listen to my advice bring it up in your speech, but come into to hall 20 minutes into session. When Reb Mier entered the assembly the Chofets Chaim got up from his seat at the diaz in his honor. Poeplehad no idea why and for whom the Godol Hador the Chofetz Chaim got up, so too the entire crowed including all gedolie yisroel rose. Then Reb Mier went to his seat. Only then did the Chofetz Chaim sit down. It was at that point that people started giving the proper kovod to Reb Mier. Indeed, at his electifying speech he brought up the idea of Daf Yomi.

    Thinking
    Thinking
    11 years ago

    Very well written…
    Its amazing to see the power of Achdus, just imagine if Satmar wouldn’t have an issue with tis… how awesome it would’ve been…

    rebchuna
    rebchuna
    11 years ago

    we have a long way to get to the pre-war number of 500,000

    sane
    sane
    11 years ago

    Rav Meir Shapiro actually was a unique man, possessed of great vision, who was way ahead of his time. A brilliant Rosh Yeshiva and Rav, he was also a member of the Polish Parliament and a great orator in the Polish language. In this regard he championed Jewish rights for ALL Jews regardless of their affiliations. Chachmei Lublin was his brainchild to raise the status of the Yeshiva Bochur who would no longer have to suffer the indignities of “ess teg” and could now learn with dignity free from worry as to where he would eat and sleep. Indeed, he abhorred the penurious atmosphere prevalent in religious institutions, such as, the Cheder and mikvah, and always sought to improve their physical appearance, in the various towns he visited.

    He also proposed a Cheder “Aleph” and Cheder “Bais” respwctively for boys who showed promise in learning and for those who vocational education was appropriate, however his idea was met with strong resistance.

    He was truly unique and vigorously independent, yet, at the same, time part of the main stream. Such exceptional qualities in one man are rare.

    Benabenja
    Benabenja
    11 years ago

    Rav Meir Shapiro, zt’l’, had a very devoted gabbay that was running the Lublin yeshiva when the Rav was out-of-town and I am lucky & proud that his yeshiva gabbay was also my great-grandfather in-law, A’H”.

    menachemwh
    menachemwh
    11 years ago

    I would like to also remind everyone how important art scroll is to this great endeavor. more and more people can study a daf evey day because of art scroll which opened up the daf for the hamom am. One other fact should be stated. But for Rabbi Norman Lamm who helped art scroll secure the funding from the likes of stone and shottestein , art scroll was to close years ago. Thank you for allowing klal yisroel to grow to greater heights than ever imagined

    Benabenja
    Benabenja
    11 years ago

    When is Artscroll translating also the Rashis and Onquelos in the Talmud Bavli (in separate books)?. That would be awesome.