("daily page"). A systematic approach to the daily study of the Talmud, formulated by R. Meir Shapira of Lublin in 1923. The program was for students of the Talmud who would commit themselves to learning a daf (a double-sided page) of Talmud every day, the same daf to be studied simultaneously throughout the Jewish world. In this way, the participants would review the entire corpus of the Babylonian Talmud once every seven years.
The concept was received with enthusiasm, and the number of people committed to this self-imposed study regimen has risen steadily over the years. Today, many Jewish calendars record the daf yomi; in Israel, it is listed in some of the daily newspapers. The first cycle was completed in 1931, the ninth was scheduled to end in 2005. The completion of each cycle is marked by a worldwide siyyum (conclusion) celebration.
In the wake of its success, other study cycles have been established, such as the daily study of Mishnah, Maimonides' Mishneh Torah code, chapters of the Bible, and sections of the Halakhah.
