At nearly 58 years of age, I have decided to take on the task of studying a page of Talmud a day. Though this concept of daily study has been around for centuries it has mainly been associated with the ultra-Orthodox community. Fortunately in recent years "daf yomi" has become more mainstream. The last 7 1/2 year cycle concluded on Shabbat, January 4, 2020 and the new one started the next day.
The tractate Berachot (blessings) eases us into the Talmud. Though we usually associate the Talmud with legal argumentation and discussion of the minutiae of Jewish practice and ritual, the first several pages of the Talmud actually discuss basic and profound issues of Judaism and the meaning of life.
From its first question, from when can we pray and up to what time can we pray the evening service, we understand some basic Jewish concepts. The rabbis answer that we can start praying from the time the kohanim (priests) eat their food (terumah) which is also the time when the poor eat their bread. But how does the average person know that time? How often does the average Jew show up in Jerusalem and learn about the eating habits of the kohanim? How often does the average Jew provide food for the poor and learn about their needs? And that is the point of the Rabbis of the Talmud - we learn about the rituals of Judaism by helping the poor. In that way we ensure that all segments of the community recognize their co dependence on one another.
The rabbis then go on to discuss other essential religious topics. Who is God and what does God do in heaven? (God wears tefillin, God prays to be merciful, God wants us to be good and kind). They tell us about the greatness of King David and Moses. They try to explain why good things happen to bad people. And they even respond to superstition by providing a way to discover the hidden demons around us.
Welcome to "daf yomi" and I look forward to this 7 1/2 year journey. May it be one of health and learning!
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