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As we know it is a big custom to learn a daf of Talmud Bavli a day (Dafyomi).

My question is why did they choose to pick Talmud Bavli. There are so many other Subjects that could actually affect your day to day life.

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    (I asked a question recently Why Do Yeshivos Learn Talmud Bavli so extensively (judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/40916/…) this question runs on similiar lines with my other question but very different because this question is not talking about yeshiva where they teach you how to learn but here it is much different.
    – user5224
    Jul 1, 2014 at 23:21
  • What makes us special is the Talmud since it is a mesora passed down and virtually every halacha comes from it and the Talmud explains Tanach and gives us insight to everything about are religion ,Tosfos writes that the Talmud has a mix of everything and it should be the main limud.
    – sam
    Jul 1, 2014 at 23:41
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    because it is the source for everything ,see the Yam Shel Shlomo (Rav Shlomo Luria) who explains the importance of learning talmud
    – sam
    Jul 2, 2014 at 1:59
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    So why is DafYomi so much more popular than MishnaYomi I am guessing because more rabbonim said to learn DafYomi if that is true then Why? @sam can you say in kitzur his reason I also saw KitzurYomi, Shulchan Aruch Harav Yomi, Mishneh Burah Yomi, Hayom Yom, RambamYomi (Sefer Hamitzvos, Perek Echad and Shlosha Prakim) Chumash with Rashi Daily Alyiah and TanyaYomi (kitzur365.org , www.kitzuryomi.org) (orachchaim.com) (learnshulchanaruch.info) (chabad.org/dailystudy/default_cdo/jewish/Daily-Study.htm)
    – user5224
    Jul 2, 2014 at 19:45
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    All the schools I know of teach Mishnayos Learning (around) 20-40 Prakim of Mishnyaos before they stop and learn Talmud. So far it seems that people should first learn the whole entire mishnyaos and then start the talmud but I feel like that is not happening in most cases unless I am wrong in my point of saying that you should learn the full Mishnayeos then start with Taldmud but so far it has yet to be wrong
    – user5224
    Jul 3, 2014 at 1:40

3 Answers 3

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In the olden days - as stated in Pirkei Avoth בן חמש למקרא - one would only learn Shas (Talmud Bavli) after becoming proficient in Chumash and Mishna.

One would then concentrate on Shas as it's the basis for Halacho.

Besides, it's really difficult to properly understand Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch (the 3 "off the page" pillars of Halacha) without having learned the relevant pieces on Shas. All the more so if one tries the Rif, Ran and Rosh who wrote "on the page".

So somebody who wants to live a meaningful - and Halachic - Torah life needs to become proficient in the DNA of Halacha - i.e. become proficient at Talmud Bavli.

Obviously, if one simply learns the Daily Daf and doesn't delve all the way into the practical applications of what one has learned, then one is simply "playing along" while missing the whole point of learning. (True for any learning program.)

To summarize: The point of the Daf Yomi program was two-fold:

  1. Ensure all Jews are learning the same Daf - thus making it easier from travelers to continue learning wherever they land.

  2. Ensure everybody can learn the entire Shas in a sensible time frame; thereby ensuring they cover all practical aspects of Jewish life every 7 years.

It was self understood that after/while learning the Daf one would continue on to its practical application.

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    I have to disagree with you on this point "Besides, it's really difficult to properly understand Rambam, Tur and Shulchan Aruch (the 3 "off the page" pillars of Halacha) without having learned the relevant pieces on Shas. All the more so if one tries the Rif, Ran and Rosh who wrote "on the page". 1. I feel that Rambam Mishneh Torah, Shulchan Aruch Harav, Mishnayos, Mishna Berua, Kitzur. Are all much easier than Talmud Bavli.
    – user5224
    Jul 3, 2014 at 15:32
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    "Obviously, if one simply learns the Daily Daf and doesn't delve all the way into the practical applications of what one has learned, then one is simply "playing along" while missing the whole point of learning. (True for any learning program.)" How are you Supposed to Delve Deeply into a Daf of Gemorah each day? It will take very long. DafYomi is more of a girsa Gemorah Daily.
    – user5224
    Jul 3, 2014 at 15:32
  • "So somebody who wants to live a meaningful - and Halachic - Torah life needs to become proficient in the DNA of Halacha"- Why can't you accomplish that with lets say KitzurYomi.
    – user5224
    Jul 3, 2014 at 15:35
  • @user613 - 1. because you are then limited to what is said--and any action slightly "different" (like the 100's asked on this site or to any Rabbi) you'll have no idea what to do and 2. because you don't understand what and why the halacha is the way it is; e.g. are you doing a d'Oraitha, a d'Rabanan or a Minhag. E.g. How to behave in less than optimal situations - emergencies, pressed for time, unwell, etc. There's more but this is a taste.
    – Danny Schoemann
    Jul 4, 2014 at 12:58
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    @user613 - of course "Rambam Mishneh Torah, Shulchan Aruch Harav, Mishnayos, Mishna Berua, Kitzur. Are all much easier than Talmud Bavli" because they've given you conclusions - but without the background you're kind of stuck if you want to deal with cases not clearly spelled out.
    – Danny Schoemann
    Jul 4, 2014 at 13:00
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In the introduction to the Shulchan Aruch, the Mechaber, HaRav HaGaon Yosef Caro Z"tzl explained that his work was meant to be learned over a period of 30 days. (lol)

Thus, from a stand point such as that, the basic source of psak halacha shouldn't take more than a month or so to actually take in at least on a basic level.

The Talmud on the other hand can be learned with extreme depth (i.e. machlokes Rishonim, points by Acharonim, psak halacha) and forms the cornerstone of not only our legal code and explanations on how to perform the commandments, but also is full of midrashic materials that strongly contribute to our hashkafic (and even mystical) understandings of the realities of existence. Hence, the Talmud is something that is far beyond simple psak halacha (something that as mentioned above was indeed meant to be completed quickly).

This is an answer based upon a pshat type of fold, the great mystical significance of learning the Talmud as brought down in the writings of Rabbi Nachman from Breslov, and other Mekuballim is also something to consider.

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As explained on JewishHistory.org (which says its information is based on the work of R. Berel Wein):

[Rabbi Meir Shapiro, the originator of the idea] saw daf yomi as a tremendously necessary unifying factor among the Jewish people. He said that if you look at a page of the Talmud, you see the words of the greatest Jewish minds covering the entire spectrum of Jewish life and history: There were Jews from the Land of Israel and Babylon; from France (e.g. Rashi) and Germany (the Baalei Tosafos); and in the back of the Talmud there was Rabbeinu Asher, “the Rosh,” from Spain, the Maharsham from Poland and the Maharam from Lithuania. He said that a page of the Talmud is the most universal and unifying fact in Jewish history because everyone great from every place in the world in history are all gathered in a single place.

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