On the eve of Mattan Torah, the administration of the world organization Dirshu, has released for the first time, the amazing behind-the-scene figures of the largest body in the world dedicated to encouraging and promoting Torah study, figures which prove the tremendous impact of chizuk which Dirshu has throughout the world.
Dirshu now operates on five continents and 26 countries, running hundreds of branches in almost every Jewish community. Today, Dirshu has twelve different programs of study, most of them open to the general public, while part of them are directed to choice groups of select avreichim.
The Dirshu Mishna Berurah
In the various frameworks of Dirshu, 150,000 married and single Torah students and laymen have undergone the Dirshu exams on Mishna Berurah, Daf Yomi on Shas Bavli, Bnei Yeshiva programs, Kinyan Shas and Kinyan Halacha, including various platforms of Dirshu whose objective is to increase Torah study. 473 different centers operate to handle the tremendous scope of these exams.
The Kinyan Torah program tests the participants on the Daf Yomi of thirty pages of gemara each month, and once every four months, on 120 pages inclusive. Up till now, 30,778 members were tested in 232 exams, of them, 186 monthly exams and 36 summarizing tests.
Those who participated in the Kinyan Shas program passed all the exams offered by the program while also taking part in the 15 semiannual tests. In the last one, 2,430 pages of gemara were required, beginning from Brochos till page 122 in Chulin, and by the end of this program, they will be tested on the entire Shas, that is, on all 2,711 pages!
In the scope of the Kinyan Halochoh program, 1,835 scholars are tested on five different courses of study, with exams on Mishna Berurah according to a regimen of one page a day and an additional page of explanations and addenda of the Dirshu edition. To date, 80,388 have taken part in its 155 tests. All told, 1,804 pages of the Mishna Berurah have been covered in the first run of this program.
The crowning glory of the Dirshu printed editions are the Mishna Berurah works which include the excellent commentary of "Biurim Umussafim" which quotes the rulings of our latter poskim relating to the halochos being studied in the Shulchan Oruch and the Mishna Berurah.
259,810 copies were sold / distributed, of which 47,848 were complete sets of Mishna Berurah and 211,962 individual volumes. The third volume, which deals with the laws of Shabbos, is the most popular and widespread individual volume, has been printed in 52,132 separate copies.
The Dirshu Chumash
The Dirshu Chumash which includes the five chumashim in one eye-opening single volume, with special features unique to Dirshu, has three editions. 55,094 copies of the regular edition were printed, with another 5,982 chumashim in the larger format, and 3,887 in the smaller one.
Dirshu edition of Shemiras Haloshon
Dirshu has invested huge sums in the printing works of the Chofetz Chaim, such as "Nidchei Yisroel", "Shem Olam" and others, with a total of 10,600 volumes. The Chofetz Chaim works in its Dirshu edition, with the "Beiurim Umussafim" addenda, sold 28,262 copes. "Shemiras Haloshon" sold 11,292 copies. Other Dirshu editions are likewise popular: "Moed LeDavid" which includes an in-depth study of Yomim Tovim by Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter, booklets of chizuk, "Sefer He'osor," "Sefer Dirshu" and "Kinyon Shmaatesa," as well as many other titles.
The Acheinu organization, the Kiruv arm of Dirshu, has published the books and pamphlets of "Likras Shabbos" which have become a big best seller throughout the Jewish world.
According to the charitydata.ca, the Hofstedter Family Foundation had a budget of close to $20 million (Canadian) in 2017.
