Shiur (, , lit. ''amount'', pl. shiurim ) is a lecture on any

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

topic, such as

Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah w ...

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

Halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

(Jewish law),

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''

yartzeit Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of ''minhag'' and ''mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community. Mourners In Judaism, the ...

, the dedication of a new home, or the evening of a holiday, and then to a public reading and explanation of the same. The act of teaching and studying these texts at the designated time was known in

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

as ''schiur lernen''. These shiurim would be attended by all classes of people; it was traditional for learned attendees to engage the lecturer in continuous discussion, and for the larger lay audience to listen intently. Concurrently, the word came to refer to the daily study quotient for students of a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

, and then to the lecture given thereon.

Akiva Eger Rabbi Akiva Eiger (, also spelled Eger; , yi, עקיבא אייגער), or Akiva Güns (17611837) was an outstanding Talmudic scholar, influential halakhic decisor and foremost leader of European Jewry during the early 19th century. He was also ...

, for example,

would not miss learning a single ''shiur'' with the yeshiva. His ''shiurim'' with them were always three per day: there was a session of Talmud and
Tosafot The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot ( he, תוספות) are medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The auth ...
, a session of exhaustive
Halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
, and a session of
Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Is ...
and
Magen Avraham Abraham Abele Gombiner () (c. 1635 – 5 October 1682), known as the Magen Avraham, born in Gąbin (Gombin), Poland, was a rabbi, Talmudist and a leading religious authority in the Jewish community of Kalisz, Poland during the seventeenth centur ...
, and these were aside from the session of Tur and SA
Yoreh De'ah Yoreh De'ah ( he, יורה דעה) is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, ...
he would learn with his children and some students, and with these he would learn a further ''shiur'' of exhaustive Talmud and Tosafot at night.

Yeshiva learning

Shiur may refer to the type of learning that takes place in

yeshivot A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish education, Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish p ...

and

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

im, where students hear an in-depth lecture on the sugya (

topic) they are studying at the time. Typically, yeshiva students attend a daily ''shiur yomi'' (daily lecture) given by a maggid shiur (literally, "sayer of the shiur") and a weekly ''shiur klali'' (comprehensive lecture, which sums up the week's learning) given by the

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

. The rosh yeshiva usually also gives the senior shiur - see below - on a daily basis. Before the shiur, a bibliography and a series of textual references, or '' mar'e mekomot'', Example ''marei mekomot'' - Halacha
Example ''marei mekomot'' - Gemara
/ref> are posted so that students may prepare for the lecture in advance. Students typically spend several hours preparing for the ''shiur yomi''. After the shiur, students spend additional time reviewing and clarifying the lesson that they have just heard. These preparation and review periods take place in a special time period called a ''seder'', in which students study the lesson individually and/or in '' chavrutot'' (study pairs). Shiurim may also be offered in yeshiva on topics in mussar,

Chumash Chumash may refer to: *Chumash (Judaism), a Hebrew word for the Pentateuch, used in Judaism *Chumash people, a Native American people of southern California *Chumashan languages, indigenous languages of California See also *Chumash traditional n ...

, and ''

hashkafah ''Hashkafa'' ( he, השקפה, lit., "outlook"; plural ''hashkafot'', ''hashkafos'', ''hashkafas'') is the Hebrew term for worldview and guiding philosophy, used almost exclusively within Orthodox Judaism. A ''hashkafa'' is a perspective that O ...

'' (Jewish philosophy), depending on the yeshiva and the learning level of its students. The shiur is likewise the typical format for classes at women's seminaries and ''midrashot''.

Class levels

For Talmud-study, the level of complexity and understanding expected from students increases each year, successively incorporating additional layers of commentary and perspectives, and with the analysis compounding correspondingly; see . Thus, following on from the practice of the

Telz Yeshiva Telshe Yeshiva (also spelled ''Telz'') is a yeshiva in Wickliffe, Ohio, formerly located in Telšiai, Lithuania. During World War II the yeshiva began relocating to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is now known as the Rabbinical College ...

, studies are typically organized by level. The term "''shiur''" is then used to differentiate different classes, so that first-year students are typically said to be in "Shiur ''

Aleph Aleph (or alef or alif, transliterated ʾ) is the first letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician , Hebrew , Aramaic , Syriac , Arabic ʾ and North Arabian 𐪑. It also appears as South Arabian 𐩱 and Ge'ez . These letter ...

''"; second-year students in "Shiur ''Bet''"; and third-year students in "Shiur ''Gimmel''", etc. Strong students may be "promoted", but it is less common for a student to be held back. Commonly the fourth ''Shiur'' is that of the ''

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

'', head of the institution. Here students consolidate the approach to study, or "''derech ha-limud''", emphasized by their yeshiva. See . In ''

im'' ("post-graduate" institutions), the ''shiurim'' address a yet more advanced level of study, with students learning independently, although under guidance of the ''

rosh kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

''; Rabbinic ordination, ''

Semicha Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

'', programs similarly require that students have attained a high level in Talmud, this being the base for their advanced study of ''Halacha''. Typically, then, before joining a ''kollel'' or pursuing ordination, students are required to have learned in the "Rosh Yeshiva's Shiur" for at least two years.

Related structures

Some

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

- such as

Ner Yisroel Ner Israel Rabbinical College (ישיבת נר ישראל), also known as NIRC and Ner Yisroel, is a Haredi yeshiva (Jewish educational institution) in Pikesville (Baltimore County), Maryland. It was founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok R ...

and Kollel Etz Chaim - organize learning (at senior levels) in ''"chaburahs"''. Here, the members of the ''chaburah'' all focus on the same specific area or work of Torah study, informally lead by the rosh-chaburah. A (more structured) study group in a Yeshiva is sometimes referred to as a "Kibbutz" - see for example - especially in older usage, preceding the use of that term for an agricultural community.

Public study sessions

Synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

rabbis and noted rabbis also give ''shiurim'' to their communities. In ''

shul A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worsh ...

s'', the shiur given between the ''

Mincha Mincha ( he, מִנחַה, pronounced as ; sometimes spelled ''Minchah'' or ''Minḥa'') is the afternoon prayer service in Judaism. Etymology The name ''Mincha'', meaning "present", is derived from the meal offering that accompanied each sacri ...

'' and ''

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

is usually geared to ''baalebatim'' (laymen). Noted rabbis give more in-depth ''shiurim'' to attendees on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

or weekday evenings, usually in the local synagogue or

beth midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...

(study hall). (Public) ''shiurim'' range in length and depth: from a short "''vort''", or "'' Dvar Torah''" ("word (of Torah)", in Yiddish and Hebrew respectively), to a detailed "''drasha''" ("study", from the Aramaic; see

midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

); the former above, ''baalebatim'' focused, is a ''vort'', while the latter is a ''drosha''. Especially in

Chasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

settings, a less formal - often inspirational - shiur may be termed "''sicha''" (שיחה, lit. "speech"); see also

Maamor Maamor or ma'amar (Hebrew, plural: Ma'amarim (masculine); Ma'amaros (feminine)) is derived from the Hebrew word to "speak/pronounce/express/say." It literally means an "expression/statement/enunciation," or in a broader sense "teaching/lesson/disc ...

and

Maamarim (Chabad) Maamarim/Ma'amorim (Hebrew language, Hebrew: מאמרים, meaning "Discourses", singular MaamarHebrew language, Hebrew: מאמר) in Chabad Hasidism are the central format texts of in-depth mystical investigation in Hasidic thought. In Chabad ...

. Commonly, the ''Rosh Yeshiva'' delivers a weekly ''shiur'' on the ''parashah'' (

weekly Torah portion It is a custom among religious Jewish communities for a weekly Torah portion to be read during Jewish prayer services on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The full name, ''Parashat HaShavua'' ( he, פָּרָשַׁת הַשָּׁבוּעַ), is po ...

), exploring a particular question or theme. This is usually in-depth, of an hour in duration, and typically open to the public. Many yeshivot, midrashot, and "community ''kollels''" host ''yemei iyun'' ("days of in-depth learning", sing. ''yom iyun''), where community members study a specific topic. These are often held before

religious holidays Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

- especially

Pesach Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, the first month of Aviv, or ...

and the New Year period - preparing the spiritual and ''halakhik'' elements of the upcoming festival. A "Memorial Shiur" is often given to the entire yeshiva / community on the ''

Yahrzeit Bereavement in Judaism () is a combination of ''minhag'' and ''mitzvah'' derived from the Torah and Judaism's classical rabbinic texts. The details of observance and practice vary according to each Jewish community. Mourners In Judaism, the p ...

'' of a (founding)

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

; usually exploring a specific topic of general interest. "Shiur" may include any kind of Torah lesson — including lectures to children, women, and ''baalebatim'' (lay audience), and taped lectures circulated via cassette tape, computer,

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

or MP4 file, or call-in telephone lines. Some

kiruv Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as ''Kiruv'' or ''Qiruv'' ( he, קירוב "bringing close"), is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life accord ...

organizations advertise "five-minute shiurim" to attract new listeners. Similarly, "Vort" and "Dvar Torah", may refer to any short Torah idea, (often linked to that week’s parsha ) delivered on various occasions, ''Vedibarta Bam'' - topic areas
/ref> and not necessarily by a Rabbi; for example: by the host at their Shabbat table, by the leader before "''Benching''" (grace after meals), or by a guest at ''

sheva brachot ''Sheva Brachot'' ( he, שבע ברכות) literally "the seven blessings" also known as ''birkot nissuin'' ( he, ברכות נישואין), "the wedding blessings" in ''Jewish law'' are blessings that are recited for a bride and her groom as par ...

'', or any ''

Seudat mitzvah A ''seudat mitzvah'' ( he, סעודת מצוה, "commanded meal"), in Judaism, is an obligatory festive meal, usually referring to the celebratory meal following the fulfillment of a ''mitzvah'' (commandment), such as a bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah ...

''.

References

External links

"How to Review Shiur: A Practical Guide""Video Shiurim"
{{Orthodox Judaism Torah Orthodox yeshivas Hebrew words and phrases Jewish education