I remember 7.5 years ago when the last Siyum Hashas happened and I didn’t go to the celebration at Madison Square Garden. I was in college at the time and our professor came back to class the next day and told us how he attended it and how it was incredible.
I immediately regretted that I didn’t even attempt to go.
Personally, I have NOT learned the entire Talmud. It is a massive undertaking and at the time, I wasn’t thinking further than my next meal. I really didn’t care much at all, but there was a part of me that regretted not going.
But I have since grown up. And commitment and dedication are words that mean a whole lot more to me. I now appreciate what it means to set a goal and try to achieve it no matter what.
This time I went
And I went to be inspired. And I was.
In Chicago there were around 1,500 people in attendance. We were joined by close to 100,000 people who filled up Giants Stadium and other celebrations all around the world. A tremendous accomplishment and for anyone who finished it should be very proud.
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But even more than finishing it, what inspired me was the dedication they have. To study the entire Talmud takes discipline. You can’t miss a day. If you do, you are kind of screwed.
SRSLY!
It takes approximately an hour to review one double sided page. Carving out an hour of time everyday, that can NEVER be missed, is really difficult. Imagine missing one day and now you need to do two!!??!
Think about what this kind of commitment means. If you go to a conference, that night you have to go back to your room at night and learn it. If you go out to dinner and a movie with your significant other, you need to make sure you study before or after. Vacation evenings mean 1 hour set aside for this.
I hope one day I can complete this study myself.
Challenge
Which is why for 30 days I will challenge myself to study one daf (double sided page) every day. I officially began last night. Before I commit to the entire thing, I want to start small.
We shall see where this goes. Wish me luck
This is the video that was shown at the event.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFhv5L3t2ZQ[/youtube]