A tremendous sense of warmth and camaraderie permeated the
room at Congregation Gevul Yavetz in Flatbush, where more
than 150 men had gathered. Each spends significant parts of
his day involved in the same communal activity, and so the
discussions were all animated, the concerns all shared, and
the knowing looks were many.
Organized by the Daf Yomi Commission of Agudath Israel of
America, the Conference of Daf Yomi Maggidei Shiur on Sunday,
March 26, was the first such gathering of maggidei shiur
from throughout the greater New York and New Jersey area.
It turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for the dedicated
participants to compare notes, be mechazek one another
and hear speakers on topics relevant to their altruistic and
sacred jobs of teaching daf yomi. "There was an
overwhelming aura of ke'ish echod, beleiv echod," said
Mr. Gedaliah Weinberger, who serves as chairman of the
Aguda's Daf Yomi Commission. "Everyone at the conference
faces the same challenges and problems, the same joys and
rewards."
After a pesicha shiur for maseches Kesuvos by
HaRav Shlomo Feivel Schustal, the event focused on a
roundtable discussion on daf yomi methodology, which
was open for questions and comments from the audience. Dr.
Yosef Fink of Riverdale; Rabbi Shlomo Teichman, Dean of Bais
Yaakov Academy (Flatbush); and Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss, rav of
Agudath Israel of Staten Island, each of whom delivers a
daf yomi shiur in his respective community, were the
panelists. The panel addressed a variety of questions on
topics like comparing different methods of teaching the
daf, how to handle questions and the importance of the
shiur's promptness.
At the Keynote Luncheon Session chaired by Mr. Shlomo
Gottesman, Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon, mashgiach ruchani
of Beth Medrash Govoha, addressed the participants. It's
easy to evoke excitement in starting something new, said
HaRav Salomon. "But the true challenge of maggidei shiur
is to maintain the daily enthusiasm and excitement of
learning the daf." The maggid shiur sets the
tone of the shiur, he explained, and it is his challenge --
and responsibility -- to keep the participants interested and
enthusiastic.
A 22-minute audio-visual presentation of the most recent
Siyum HaShas was also shown at the luncheon. The maggidei
shiur at the conference, certainly, left with buoyed
spirits and refreshed determination, united in the feeling
that the event had been a tremendous success, and looking
forward to future such gatherings, which, in light of last
week's, will surely be a top priority for Agudath Israel and
the Daf Yomi Commission.
