Title: The Transformative Daf
By Rabbi Dr. Daniel Friedman
Mosaica Press
Daf Yomi has created an entire set of literature to support the daily daf. There are references to explain the text itself and also those that add to the topic. Perhaps the most significant innovation for Daf Yomi learners is the Zichru memorization method created by Rabbi Avraham Golhar, memory expert and founder of the Goldhar Method. Using the Zichru review system, Daf Yomi (and even those not doing Daf Yomi) can literally have the entire Talmud at their fingertips.
While not focused directly on the daf itself, in The Transformative Daf (Mosaica Press), Rabbi Dr. Daniel Friedman, founder of the Center for Torah Values, has started a series of volumes that focus on the human element of the Talmudic text.
Each volume has short and sweet essays of 2-3 pages corresponding to selected pages of the specific tractate. While The Transformative Daf series will undoubtedly enhance those who are holding on the daf, you don’t have to be doing Daf Yomi to gain insights from this fascinating Series.
As a pulpit rabbi, Friedman said that he found that the biggest obstacle for most people is that they struggle to find meaning in their Torah learning. He said that when he teaches Torah, he aims to make it relevant, meaningful, and inspirational to the student.
Friedman writes in an easy-to-understand style. And while the Aramaic text of the Talmud may stymie some people, the messages in The Transformative Daf are pretty accessible. The truth is that the text of the Talmud is not inherently accessible and understandable, to the degree that Professor Haym Soloveitchik astutely noted that Rashi’s commentary on the Talmud democratized Talmudic scholarship. Without Rashi, the Talmud was a closed book for most Jews.
While the Talmud may now be an open book, plenty of people are still intimidated by it. The Transformative Daf shows there is nothing to be intimidated about. And after going through the book, those who are intimidated may, at last, feel comfortable engaging with the Talmud itself. Friedman notes that every page of the Gemara, word, and letter contains the secrets of the universe to achieve a life of simchah and purpose. Obviously, extracting that when dealing with tort law or sacrificial offerings is not the most uncomplicated endeavor. But Friedman is able to provide those life lessons.
Rabbi Friedman currently has volumes of The Transformative Daf for nine mesechtas and is putting out new volumes on a regular basis. For those that want to add some spice and insights to the daf they are learning, this is a set of books worth having close by.
