A World of Torah: The Musician Who Finished Shas on the Road

B’Chadrei Chareidim proudly presents A World of Torah, a special series of articles in excited anticipation of the long-awaited Siyum HaShas, when tens of thousands of Jews worldwide will collectively celebrate the Siyum HaShas Daf Yomi.

During the next two weeks, we will present heartwarming, inspirational stories of Yidden throughout the world who will be completing Shas on this remarkable day. For many mesaymim, it’s a first time occasion, a milestone they never dared to dream they would realize. Yet in just several days, they will stand proudly together with thousands of their brethren at the Siyum HaShas as full partners of the Torah.

Our very first article features popular musician Yossi Dinner of London, England.

“I decided that I wouldn’t leave any holes in the Gemara.”

For Yossi Dinner of London, it’s a memorable moment, the first time he’s meriting to complete Shas. A gifted musician who plays in one of Jewish Europe’s most popular wedding bands, Dinner is a familiar face in many a city. He spends his evenings gracing weddings, bar mitzvos and sheva brachos with his faithful instrument, but never misses a day of Daf Yomi. Now, seven-and-a-half years after launching this formidable project, Yossi Dinner is on the verge of completing Shas for the first time in his life.

Dinner was born and raised in Bnei Brak, whereupon he traveled to England to enroll in the eminent Gateshead yeshiva. He attests that though he was always deeply entrenched in the yeshiva world, he never dreamed of completing Shas.

The turning point occurred at the previous Siyum HaShas, when Rav Dovid Hofstedter, creator and Nasi of Dirshu, an international organization promoting limud Torah, celebrated his own Siyum HaShas.

“I happened to be present at Rav Hofstedter’s Siyum HaShas; and after he made his siyum, I recall staring at him in amazement. I was awed by the fact that a famous businessman with an obviously hectic schedule is still able to devote time every day to give a Daf Yomi shiur and thus complete Shas. I told myself then, ‘If he can make time for it, then maybe I can too,’ despite the fact that I work full-time as a factory manager in London and also play at weddings and simchas in the evenings.”

Dinner relates that he grappled with the idea before making a final commitment. “I remember exactly when it was that I reached my decision,” he recalls. “It was five p.m., and I resolved to start learning with the goal of ending as well. I entered the Beis Knesses HaGadol in Gateshead and listened to Rav Munk’s shiur. It was then that I determined to finish Shas and that nothing would stand in my way.” Dinner adds that his father purchased his first Gemara Brachos and lovingly inscribed, “Yehi ratzon that you should continue on to each volume in Shas.”

Dinner realized that it would be necessary to establish a policy regarding his learning if he truly intended to succeed at his goal. “I decided that there would be no ‘skipping pages,’ and that I would linger a bit after the shiur to wrap it up. I wouldn’t leave ‘holes’ in the Gemara that I would ‘go back to’ because I knew that it would never happen.”

Despite many a long and overloaded workday, Yossi Dinner remained steadfast to his goal. He struggled, toiled, refusing to ever miss a day. In the interim, he married and had three kids, but despite the many distractions of work and a new family life, in just two weeks, Yossi Dinner will stand proudly together with tens of thousands of Acheinu Beis Yisrael and celebrate his own Siyum HaShas.

“My mother was amazed. ‘You really learned all this?’”

“The greatest challenge in Daf Yomi corresponds exactly to the satisfaction in learning it—the fact that you are bound to the Daf. There is no vacation; there is no such thing as missing a day. If you somehow skip a day, then you must learn catch up and learn two the next day. Daf Yomi makes the Torah a part of you, an essential facet of your daily life. And the satisfaction that it brings is indescribable.”
“Were you ever tempted to stop?”

“Of course there were moments like those, many a time when the going got tough. But I always tried to look back at what I’d already learned and draw chizuk from that. I told myself, “That’s it? After you’ve learned this many Masechtos, you’re going to give up now?” I would gaze proudly at the shelves in my room that had filled with Gemaras. Every time I completed a Masechta, I purchased a new Gemara; and that gave me tremendous satisfaction. At one point in time, I realized that there was no turning back; there was no way I was going to abandon Daf Yomi. It’s an integral part of my life, like Shacharis and laying tefillin. Daf Yomi has become part and parcel of my daily routine.”

“What do you feel that the learning does for you?”

“If I would be learning in Kollel, I would say that it gives me widespread knowledge in Shas, because today, there’s not a single Masechta that’s foreign to me. But because I’m not in Kollel, and I’m in a working rather than yeshiva environment, I say that what it does is link me to the olam haTorah. If I wouldn’t be learning Daf Yomi, I wouldn’t feel that the Gemara is a part of my life. Today, I can proudly assert that I truly belong to the Torah velt, and I feel this as well.”

“In just two weeks’ time, you’ll be standing at your own Siyum HaShas together with tens of thousands of others. How do you project you’ll feel then?”

“Looking back, I recall all those trying, difficult moments, and I can tell myself with ultimate gratification, ‘You did it!’ I know that when I stand at the Siyum HaShas, I will be overcome with emotion. I really don’t know how I accomplished this. It was a tremendous challenge.

“My mother visited us recently in London. She saw the shelves filled with the Gemaras that I’d finished learning, and she was simply astounded. ‘You really learned all this?’ she asked in amazement. To gaze at five shelves filled with Gemaras that I’d learned day in and day out for over seven years brings intense spiritual and emotional gratification.

“I began Daf Yomi, inspired by Rav Dovid Hofstedter. Today, besides for the Shas that I’ve been zocheh to learn, I’m also privileged to be a member of the magnificent Dirshu organization, as well as one of the people who helped establish the London branch. All this gives me boundless satisfaction.

“I learned at home, so the kids would see their father learning.”

Dinner reveals that there are four individuals from London who have registered to be tested on the entire Shas. “The challenging tests that Dirshu has introduced into the Torah world have completely transformed limud Torah in London. Sometimes, you can hear Kollel avreichim discussing a thorny topic in Gemara, and when they get stuck on a point, they’ll remark, ‘That’s a question for Dirshu!’ Dirshu’s tests have strengthened learning amongst Klal Yisrael, and among each and every Kollel avreich individually.”

“What part does your home—your wife and children—play in your Siyum HaShas?”

“Throughout the years, I endeavored to learn Daf Yomi at home as much as possible, so my kids would see their father learning. Unfortunately, I do work hard and have a very busy schedule, sometimes leaving the house as early as sunrise and not returning until I collapse after midnight. But it’s still very important to me that my kids should see my learning in the little spare time that I have.”

“Where do you learn when you don’t learn at home?”

“There are periods when work is very busy, when we’re under pressure. Once, I was on a train, en route to Belgium with the band and all our instruments and equipment. The wedding didn’t end until five in the morning, and from there we headed straight to a bar mitzvah in London and from there to another chassana. Then, I ended up learning together with our keyboard player during the mitzvah tantz! He played the background tune of the grammen, and in the meanwhile, we sat and learned the Daf!

“We’ve also learned together on the road from Gateshead to London. It’s a long drive, and more than enough time to accomplish the Daf Yomi. No matter how busy our schedule was, we search and find time to learn. I firmly believe that even when there’s no time, you can find time, you can make time. Today I feel that I’ve reached the finishing line. Baruch Hashem, I’ve been zocheh to reach this day, and I sincerely believe that if I was able to complete Shas, then many others can do the same.”

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