This past Shabbos, thousands have celebrated the completion of the 11th cycle of the Mishna Yomit – the daily study program of 2 Mishnayot. Today, July 4th, the 12 th Cycle of Shas will commence. This seder halimud (program of study) was founded over 63 years ago, as a method to perpetuate not only the memories of those who were murdered in the Holocaust – but to perpetuate their way of life.  

Immediately after WWII, when the rumors of the mass murder of European Jewry became tragically known as fact, Rabbi Yona Stencel  ztl of Tel-Aviv , himself a recent immigrant (in the 1930s) from Sosnoweic, Poland as well as a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Tel Aviv and the Rov of the Bais Medrash of Chasidei Radomsk in Tel Aviv, sought a method to eternalize the memory of our murdered brothers and sisters. Upon Rabbi Stencel’s consultation with and subsequent  receiving the haskamas (recommendations) of Rabbis and Rebbes of then Palestine, as well as the Chief Rabbi and  the Rishon Ltzion of Palestine, as well as the BDATZ of the Edah Hachareda of Jerusalem, the daily study of 2 Mishnayot was chosen. Why Mishna? As the Arizal states, the Hebrew word for soul (Neshama)  has the same Hebrew letters as Mishna – the study of one (Mishna) would eternalize the other (Soul). 

On Shvuos 5707 (1947) the Mishna Yomit Program was formally launched. The Imrei Emes of Ger declared that the study of the Mishna Yomit should be done prior to studying the Daily Daf (the Daf Yomi), by spending a few minutes studying mishnayot  prior to tackling that days Daf Yomi. The Imrei Emes ztl had joined the study of the Mishna Yomit as well as subsequent Rebbes of Ger. Many thousands also took the opportunity to join  together in the study of Mishna. Yomit. The famous as well as learned Sefer on Mishnayot, the Mishna Mevueres authored by Rabbi Pinchas Kehati ztl was originally sold as a subscription (bi-weekly)  as a study aid to followers of the Mishna Yomit Program.    

If you wish to join the Mishna Yomit Program and would like to receive a study calendar or to receive an e mail reminder of that day’s Mishna study please advise via e mail to Mishnahyomit@gmail.com. Please also contact them if you have any shiurim or study groups on the mishna Yomit so they can add your group to our mishna yomit directory. Tzku L’mitzvot. (Reader submitted-Michoel R.)