Today's Daf Yomi: Bechoros 31

What Is Daf Yomi?

Daf Yomi (דף יומי, "daily page") is a daily regimen of studying one page (daf) of the Babylonian Talmud. It was inaugurated by Rabbi Meir Shapiro at the First World Congress of Agudath Israel in Vienna on August 2, 1923. The program unifies Jews around the world, who all study the same daf each day, completing the entire Talmud in approximately 7.5 years.

The Siyum HaShas — the celebration marking the completion of a cycle — is held at large gatherings worldwide. The 13th Siyum HaShas (completion of the 13th cycle) took place on January 1, 2020, with a gathering of over 90,000 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The current 14th cycle began on January 5, 2020 and concludes on June 7, 2027.

How the Daf Yomi Cycle Works

The Babylonian Talmud comprises 2,711 daf (pages, since each physical leaf has two sides — amud aleph and amud bet). The cycle covers all 37 tractates (masechtot) of Seder Zeraim, Moed, Nashim, Nezikin, Kodashim, and Tahorot. The learning schedule is fixed: one daf per day, with no breaks.

The Daf Yomi dates on this page are calculated automatically using the same algorithm as the KosherJava/PhpZmanim library, based on the Julian day count from the cycle start date. There is no manual data entry — the schedule updates itself every day, forever.

The 14th Cycle (2020–2027)

• Start date: January 5, 2020
• Completion (Siyum HaShas): June 7, 2027
• Total duration: 2,711 days
• Tractates covered: 37 (the entire Babylonian Talmud)

Why Study Daf Yomi?

Daf Yomi creates a global community of learners. Whether in Jerusalem, Brooklyn, Lakewood, or London, everyone studies the same page on the same day. This synchronized learning has become one of the most successful adult-education programs in Jewish history, with thousands of shiurim (classes) and resources available online and in person worldwide.