NEW YORK – A record 40,000 participants from more than 130 countries have participated in Daf Yomi through All Daf, the Orthodox Union’s (OU) innovative free digital app that has made Gemara learning accessible to every Jew whenever it is convenient for them to learn. The international learning program finished the tractate of Eruvin during the last week of November.
The app’s shiurim have been accessed by Jews in more than 130 countries on six continents. Daf learners in countries such as Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Chile, France, Gibraltar, Jordan, Kuwait, Iceland, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sudan, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States are all using the app to learn the daily daf portion.
On Monday, Nov. 23, participants started the tractate of Pesachim and those learning daily with the Daf Yomi cycle will finish it on Mar. 22, just five days prior to the start of the holiday it focuses on.
In order to excite more Daf Yomi learners, All Daf has launched a “Pesachim for Pesach” campaign which include raffles and prizes. Individuals who commit to learning the tractate and finishing it by Monday, April 12, 2020 are eligible to enter into a raffle with a grand prize of a trip for two to California and a tour of Herzog’s winery, along with VIP reservations at the Tierra Sur restaurant at the Herzog Wine Cellars. Other prizes include gift cards and swag. For more information or to register, please visit: https://alldaf.org/pesachim.
“We’re thrilled that in less than one year, All Daf has helped tens of thousands of Jews learn Gemara. Our team has been able to positively leverage the benefits of apps into a dynamic platform that makes Daf Yomi accessible to an even broader group of Jews at all learning levels. While we did not envision this at the time we launched, All Daf has enabled continuous learning even when many communities had to suspend in-person learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane.
“All Daf is an outstanding Torah initiative, and with the calendar falling as it does this cycle, with us now beginning Pesachim, it will allow learners worldwide to look towards Zman Cheruteinu, with our daily Torah study helping to prepare us to be in the right mindset for the holiday,” said OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Moshe Hauer. “Making time in our busy days for Torah study is something everyone should strive for.”
Beyond offering shiurim on the daily daf, All Daf offers participants of all backgrounds the opportunity to enhance their learning with a host of related topics including Jewish history, lomdus, Tanach and other sources and resources. Daily shiurim on the daf are offered by world-renowned maggidei shiur such as Rabbi Moshe Elefant, Rabbi Shalom Rosner, Rabbi Sruly Bornstein, Rabbi Eli Mansour, Rabbi Shlomie Schwartzberg, and Rabbi Eli Stefansky. All Daf introduces participants to fascinating subjects in the daf with written and video content from teachers such as Dr. Henry Abramson, dean of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences, on historical subjects related to the day’s daf, and Rabbi Moe Mernick, author, speaker and educator, on daily daf moments of inspiration, among others.
“It is so gratifying to see how many people are participating not only in the shiurim, but all the vast resources on the app to complement their learning,” added Orthodox Union Daf Yomi Initiative Director Rabbi Moshe Schwed. “The platform was created to offer numerous learning options so that people at every level would be comfortable joining us.”
All Daf is available in the Google Play Store, Apple App Store and at https://alldaf.org/.
Founded in 1898, the Orthodox Union, (OU), serves as the voice of American Orthodox Jewry, with over 400 congregations in its synagogue network. As the umbrella organization for American Orthodox Jewry, the OU is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals through NCSY, Israel Free Spirit Birthright, Yachad and OU Press, among many other divisions and programs.