As to the question of forgetting what we learn this is a problem that plagues all Torah scholars. There is no question that to establish a method of chazara review is a great idea. Even reviewing the mishnayos of the tractate after finishing the masechta is of great value. But regardless of whether or not we find time to review we should not let this dissuade us from starting in the first place. This is precisely the reason we say the formula hadran alach – we will return to you – after we finish each chapter and tractate acknowledging that we need to return to it again and asking Hashem that we be provided the longevity to return to these tractates many times over.
It goes without saying that starting is very difficult. There is nothing that the yetzer hara the evil inclination offers more resistance to than the study of Torah. One needs to exercise great spiritual strength and personal courage to give up other activities and start. But once we make that momentous gesture it’s easy sailing from then on.
For those who already have finished Shas we must not rest on our laurels. The Talmud teaches us that Torah is hard to acquire and easy to forget. It’s for this reason that we make a siyyum to say chazak – be strengthened in your Torah learning. This is also the reason why Shas starts on daf beis rather than daf alef – to hammer home the lesson that there is neither end nor a beginning to Shas. It is just a continuation to be studied over one’s entire lifetime.
Women should not feel left out of all this excitement. Our Shas would look totally different without the great Rabbi Akiva who told his 24 000 disciples All that is mine and all that is yours is only because of Rebbetzin Akiva. Similarly Dovid HaMelech attributed his success to his mother saying Ani avd’cha ben amasecha – I am Your servant the son of Your handmaid! Women receive an equal portion in all their husband’s Torah pursuits when they support their husband’s efforts. The gentle encouragement of a wife and her show of admiration for her husband’s Torah accomplishments go a long way in making the difference for many successful Torah scholars.
Hashem tells us Ki lekach tov nasati lachem Torasi al tazovu – For a goodly merchandise I have given you; Do not forsake My Torah. The words lekach tov goodly merchandise equals 155 in gematria which amazingly is the equivalent of Daf HaYomi.
Students of this past cycle remember digging out to attend a shiur during the blizzard of the century; they remember learning it through the horrors of 9/11; and they recall learning it by candlelight during the great blackout. This is how all-embracing this commitment is. I can guarantee you it will change your life for the better in countless ways.
