Aryeh Wise, z’l
R’ Shmuel Wise
Real Clear Daf Brings Talmud To Technology
By Rabbi Shmuel Wise
It is the World to Come, and all of the nations of the world are being judged. The Heavenly Tribunal calls its next witness, a representative of America: Steve Jobs. The Al‑mighty questions Mr. Jobs:
“What did you accomplish in your lifetime?”
Mr. Jobs replies, with utmost conviction, “We produced many computers, smartphones, and tablets—and all of this was for the sake of the Jewish people, so that they could study Torah!”
G‑d is not convinced.
“Fool! You produced these things only to increase your bottom line and your own glory!”
Another proof of American pettiness and self-aggrandizement.
“Next defendant!”
Mr. Jobs leaves the tribunal, head bowed and crestfallen. Believe it or not, the above is a Gemara in Avodah Zarah (2b). Well, OK, we modernized it a bit, but the Gemara there does predict a Heavenly Tribunal during which one nation after another claims to have applied its ingenuity to enable the Jewish people to learn Torah, only to have G‑d summarily dismiss its claim as patently false.
The rosh yeshiva R’ Henoch Leibowitz, zt’l, raised the question: The next world is the World of Truth. So how could these nations possibly state a blatant falsehood? The rosh yeshiva answered with a fascinating insight. In the World to Come, it will be so clear that everything of this world was in order to enable Klal Yisrael to learn Torah, that it will simply be inconceivable to anyone that their handiwork was for any other purpose. Therefore, the Al‑mighty will need to remind them that while they were still on earth, stumbling through the darkness of this world, they were only acting for themselves.
There is no question that modern technology, and the Internet in particular, has presented serious dangers for individuals, families, and yeshivos. But this article is not about the dangerous side of technology: it is a sample from a growing online world of hope, learning, and inspiration.
It is called Real Clear Daf. What began as an experiment to start recording daf yomi turned into a deep commitment when my eldest brother, Aryeh Wise, z’l, suddenly died at the age of 33. My brother, who always found learning difficult, decided on his own to learn daf yomi. He stuck with an early-morning shiur, always reviewing along the way, until he completed the entire Shas. Days after completing Shas, he passed away. Now my idea to record daf yomi was no longer an experiment; it was a way to create a meaningful z’chus from something that was so much a part of my brother’s life. It is one of the few things that actually soothes the pain of the void Aryeh left behind.
This was almost four years ago. Since then, Real Clear Daf has grown into a full-service website and state-of-the-art app that has touched thousands of Jews worldwide. It is truly inspiring and humbling when people write to me that they would not have reached their learning goals without Real Clear Daf. I think that people are drawn to it not because I am some great scholar, but because of my commitment to clarifying Gemara and bringing it to life. Nothing substitutes for sitting down with a Gemara and toiling to plunge its depths. But Real Clear Daf is here to invite you into the process, help you keep up, or enable you to review while commuting. Steve Jobs may have been oblivious to it, but technology can be a great tool for Torah study. My brother shrugged off his “limitations” and accomplished so much in Torah through sheer determination. Let’s follow his example, and discover our own portion of Torah that is waiting for us. v
Rabbi Shmuel Wise is founder and magid shiur for Real Clear Daf. The program can be accessed at www.realcleardaf.com or by downloading the free app for iOS or Android.