Reading of Talmud Ends, and Begins, Amid Celebrations

The infinite nature of the Babylonian Talmud, a sacred religious text of Judaism, makes it possible to study its pages for more than seven years and still have much more to learn.Today marks the ending, and beginning, of another cycle of the Daf Yomi, or daily page, a study method that enables Jews all over the world to read the same page each day, until all 2,711 have been studied. This process takes about seven and a half years. Today, the last lines of this cycle will be read, along with the first lines of the next cycle, illustrating the seamless infinity of the Talmud.As many as 120,000 Jews across North America are scheduled to gather today in celebration of the 11th Siyum HaShas, which marks the end of the cycle of study. The celebration will be held on six continents in about 75 venues throughout dozens of countries, including the largest celebrations held in the New York area.“It’s universal,” said Rabbi Nasanayl Braun of Manhattan’s Lincoln Square Synagogue. “Jews everywhere in the world are studying the same page every day.”Rabbi Braun expects packed crowds at Madison Square Garden, the Jacob Javits Center, and Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands during the celebration tomorrow, which will be connected via satellite with other celebrations worldwide.“Torah is a circle,” said Rabbi Shea Hecht of the National Committee for the Furtherance of Jewish Education in Brooklyn. “There is no beginning and no end. Torah itself is infinite.”“Whenever you learn it again, there is always something else you didn’t know before,” said Joseph Wassner of Queens, who has been studying the Talmud for 65 years.Mayor Bloomberg hosted a reception last night at Gracie Mansion in honor of today’s ceremony. He praised the tolerance of New Yorkers and suggested that participants in today’s ceremonies might include the building of the West Side Stadium in their prayers.

Reading of Talmud Ends, and Begins, Amid Celebrations

Reading of Talmud Ends, and Begins, Amid Celebrations

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