Amid the spate of anti-Semitic attacks occurring around the world, and particularly the series of vicious assaults on Jews in the New York/New Jersey area recently, a massive celebration of Jewish learning was held in Met Life Stadium in New Jersey on Wednesday night where 90,000 people braved the cold to rejoice over their completion of studying the entire Talmud in the Daf Yomi tradition, a daily odyssey that takes 7 ½ years.
Known as the Siyum HaShas, as “Siyum” means “completion,” “Ha” means “the,” and “Shas” is the name for the 20-volume Babylonian Talmud, the celebration is unlike any other celebration, as it is not a massive gathering to share a sporting event or musical concert but rather an introspective journey into the intricacies of Jewish law and an elucidation of what is adumbrated in the Bible. The Siyum HaShas, which has completed its 13thcycle, is marked by celebrations around the world by Jews; the other celebrations will be marked in the next few weeks.
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