Sorry for the late post, but some people commented that they were surprised that I didn’t post anything about the Siyum Hashas or the beginning of the daf yomi cycle which starts today.   I don’t know if it is really my place to give over my opinion, but since you never know who will be inspired by what, and just a little push is sometimes all people need, I’ll go out on a limb and just make a brief pitch in hope that perhaps one of you will be inspired to start learning the daf today.

My opinion is that if you are not setting aside time to learn Torah each and everyday, take on daf yomi.  This is certainly not to exclude people who already learn each day, but those that don’t learn everyday need structure and that is what the daf offers.  I started the daf 8 1/2 years ago for that reason and was fortunate enough to complete the cycle last summer.  I can’t put into words how much doing the daf had an effect on me, but to say the least,  I am certain this blog would not have been created but for the daf.   It really molded me into the person I am and I encourage everyone to do it.

With the amount of resources available today, there is no one that should feel like they cannot do it.   Everyone will get something out of it.   I just read that the Tana D’vei Eliyahu tells a story in his sefer about an elderly man who completed recitation of the entire Shas without understanding a single word, and yet his face shone like the sun at noon.

There are many different levels, but anyone can do the daf.

The 7 1/2 cycle begins today with Berachos which is my favorite mesechta and a perfect starting point.  If there is even a little part of you that is thinking of going along for the ride, don’t let the yeitzer hara convince you otherwise.  Don’t think about it; just do it!  I promise you won’t regret it.

Here is a list of just a few great websites that I found to be very helpful:

http://www.dafdigest.org/ – Great short review or preview of the daf which can be emailed to you daily for free.

http://daf-yomi.org/  – same idea as above.