On Tuesday, June 21, the Orthodox Union’s app All Daf, a non-profit that provides users with free Torah learning, released a 2.0 version of its Daf Yomi program, which originally launched in January of 2020. The app’s new features provide users with a brand-new homepage design, a new search engine that allows users to filter through a series of texts, a Daf Yomi calendar, daily shiur picks that cater to all types of learning styles, audio-only settings for traveling users and speed selections for lectures.
The app’s fixes and additions enable users to maximize their Torah learning experience by improving their ability to access the information they want. Users are also encouraged to build their own schedules, sifting through the app’s many options and shiur levels.
With 2,711 pages in the Talmud (also known as Gemara), one Daf Yomi cycle takes about seven years and five months to complete. The Talmud is the exposition of the six tractates of the Mishnah, written by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi (Judah the Prince) in the beginning of the third century. It is considered the oral law of the Jewish people. “Shas” is an acronym for shisha sedarim (the six orders).
Accessible Germara learning has become more commonplace in the past few decades. Previously, learning Torah, and specifically Gemara, was mostly reserved for men who had the means to access yeshivot and high level teachers. The first cycle of the Daf Yomi was established in August 1923 by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, zt”l, and it has been gaining popularity ever since. In January 2020, the Orthodox Union was one of many sponsors and participants in the Siyum HaShas, a celebration of the completion of the 13th cycle. The siyum was held at the MetLife Stadium and welcomed approximately 90,000 people.
While the OU has previously hosted a Daf Yomi website that welcomed 3,000 unique visitors a day, in January 2020, it launched an app for Daf Yomi students across all levels. However, All Daf is not limited to just Daf Yomi; the application includes shiurim and sources in topics including Jewish history, halacha and Tanach, among others. Since its inception, the app has garnered roughly 40,000 users in over 130 countries, according to JNS. The app has revolutionized modern Torah learning by providing users with on-the-go shiurim and opening access to everyone who wishes to learn.
All Daf’s sources and lectures reach a broad scope of people. Those who otherwise had no access to a Torah education due to financial struggles, lack of a community with resources, religious status or gender, are now able to fully immerse themselves in Torah learning at a pace that best suits their educational needs. More specifically, women now have the technological support to take part in the once-exclusive-to-men Daf Yomi phenomenon.
On the All Daf app, Rabbi Moshe Elefant’s daily lecture is available alongside those of Rabbi Shalom Rosner, Rabbi Sruly Bornstein, Rabbi Shloimy Schwartzberg and Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz. The beloved “8-Minute Daf Rebbe,” Rabbi Eli Stefansky, also has his shiurim available on the app. Supplemental clips by Rabbi Yaakov Trump and “Jewish History and the Daf” by Dr. Henry Abramson are also offered, as well as outlines, reviews and lectures that go deeper in depth into a specific daf or commentary. Those with a specific learning level in mind, as well as preferences of speakers who talk “fast or slow,” certainly can peruse the choices offered and select a teacher and pace best suited for them.
For years, the Orthodox Union has worked to create a more accessible learning space. Now, All Daf’s newest features and additions will allow all kinds of people—regardless of financial status and community access—to participate in Torah learning. The constant evolution of technology has caused a widespread phenomenon of all-inclusive Torah learning environments.
Rina Shamilov is an intern for The Jewish Link and a Brooklyn native. She is a rising junior studying English Literature at Stern College for Women.
