"A 'Daf' of our own”: gender, Talmud study, and Orthodox Judaism in digital space

The daf yomi (literally, daily page/folio) multiyear Talmud-study cycle was conceived in the early twentieth century as a means to unify Jews worldwide through a common consistent encounter with the foundational text of rabbinic Judaism. Participation has grown dramatically in recent decades. Since its inception, the overwhelming majority of partakers were Orthodox men. The year 2020 marked a watershed, when over three thousand attendees congregated in Jerusalem for the inaugural international ceremony marking completion of the daf yomi Talmud cycle by women. My investigation engages the profound developments in women’s daf yomi study from that conspicuous moment onward, the critical agency of digital technology in this process, and its meaning in the context of contemporary Orthodox Judaism’s enduring struggles over the religious standing of women.