Sukkahs around the world will receive a special infusion of Torah study and joy this Shabbat as hundreds of thousands will complete their annual study of the Mishneh Torah —Maimonides’ magnum opus, a compendium of all the laws of the Torah. Learning three chapters a day, it took these dedicated learners the better part of the past year to study the 1,000-chapter monograph.
For many, it will be the 35th time that they have completed the series since the Rebbe—Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory—first instituted the study cycle in 1984.
Maimonides’ 14-volume work is the only collection of Jewish law that spans the entirety of Jewish life, including those laws that only apply when the Temple is standing in Jerusalem, and many others that are not included in prior or subsequent codes.
For those unable to study three chapters each day, the Rebbe suggested a parallel track at a more modest pace of one chapter daily. (Those studying one chapter a day are currently one-third of the way through the 12th cycle).
For those who find that too difficult, the Rebbe instituted yet a third track. Paralleling the three-chapter-per-day regimen by learning daily about the same commandments being studied in more detail, this one explores Maimonides’ significantly shorter Sefer Hamitzvot (“Book of Commandments”), concluding all 613 mitzvahs each year.
When the Rebbe first called for the near-annual study of the Mishneh Torah, he underscored the unity achieved by the entire Jewish people studying the same subject in Torah at the same time (and the unique achievement of studying every aspect of Torah). The Rebbe’s emphasis on daily study echoed Maimonides’ own suggestion of how his work should be learned, but until the Rebbe’s innovation, most people studied the Mishneh Torah piecemeal.
Digital and Online Resources
Over the years, digital and print resources have made the Hebrew-language text readily accessible. Moznaim Publisher’s landmark translation of the entire Mishneh Torah by Rabbi Eli Touger was put online in 2009 by Chabad.org, complementing the existing Hebrew texts and audio classes. Chayenu—a weekly Torah-content magazine—carries the one-chapter-a-day Moznaim text of the week in both Hebrew and English. For many years, thousands of people have been receiving their daily Rambam via Chabad.org’s email subscription.
In 2012, Rabbi Yehoshua B. Gordon began streaming live classes following the one-chapter-a-day track on Jewish.tv. The rabbi passed away in February, but the interest in his teaching remains stronger than ever: Thousands of students worldwide join these classes daily in that online study.
Rabbi Mendel Kaplan of Montreal, Canada, recently completed a landmark online class of the daily Sefer HaMitzvot on Jewish.tv, and various translations of Sefer HaMitzvot, for both kids and adults, are easily accessible on Chabad.org.
A major step forward was the production of the “Hayom” app, where the daily Rambam, along with other components of the daily study regimen and handy information, can be easily accessed on smartphones.
Worldwide Celebrations
As every year, special siyum (completion) celebrations will take place around the world. In Israel, major public events will begin on Saturday night, the eve of Hoshanah Rabbah, at the resting place of the Rambam in Tiberias.
The annual celebration in Tiberias is in accordance with the specific instructions of the Rebbe, according to Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Aharonov, director of the Chabad Youth Organization in Israel, and are held under the auspices of Rabbi Yosef Kramer, director of Chabad of Tiberias. The program begins at 9 p.m. and includes the recitation of Psalms, the completion of the final chapter of Mishneh Torah and beginning anew with study of the first chapter, followed by a festive Simchat Beit Hashoeva celebration prior to the customary Hoshanah Rabbah study program that begins after midnight.
Among the many celebrations scheduled for the weeks to come is one hosted by Lubavitch of Wisconsin on Sunday, Nov. 6, featuring a video presentation, dinner and completion ceremonies that will include presentations by area rabbis.
For more information about programs in your area, contact your local Chabad center here.
Join the Discussion