Daf Yomi was created to bring Talmud study to more people. An edition known as the Schottenstein Talmud, published over a 14-year period from 1990 to 2004, continued that trajectory of popularization, by providing in depth English translations. Now ArtScroll, the leading Orthodox publishing imprint, has released the Schottenstein edition in a long-awaited app, and in doing so takes another step in that process of making the Talmud ever more accessible. The app costs about half as much as the printed version, though the exact price comparison depends on whether you opt for a subscription, package, or buy the volumes piecemeal. Any way you look at it, it's still not cheap. It's also not the first Talmud app, but the depth of the tools available (floating translations, pop-up commentaries, and multiple view options for different layouts and translations) set a new standard for Jewish text apps.She also links to some comments by Shai Secunda at the Talmud Blog which take a similar line.
But here's what the app doesn't do: The app is a closed work, much like a book, and doesn't take advantage of the openness made possible with networked tablet technology. It's not repurposable (it's copyrighted); it doesn't allow for inline contributions or conversations; it's not social. It's a book made digitally navigable, but it's not a book made digitally interactive.
And on a related note, some reflections on the signficance of the Daf Yomi movement by Anshel Pfeffer in Haaretz: The curtain of Talmud: Inside the Jewish underground of daf yomi, daily Talmud study. Excerpt:
But for the first time I realized that I belonged to a club. I can make some sense of that jumble of unpunctuated syllables, formulate an argument based on the cut, thrust and parry of those ancient scholars and the layers of commentary that have been written on them in every century since. I used to be very proud of this ability which took long frustrating years to achieve, but I always felt it was just another intellectual achievement, like writing and reading in two different languages or having an appreciation of poetry and fine wines. Well, not quite the same, but I didn't feel that having a certain Talmudic fluency made me stand out from other, lesser mortals. It certainly hasn't shielded me from foreign culture (though many would argue that is my fault, not the Talmud's ).Much background on Daf Yomi is here and links.
