On Shabbos Parshas Korach, June 27th, Hundreds of Oraysa participants from around the world proclaimed, Hadran Alach Masechta Brachos Vehadrach Alan! We will return to you Masechta Brachos and you shall return to us!

This familiar, intimate farewell greeting to a masechta upon completion will have special significance for these lomdim, who, over the past six months, developed a personal bond with Masechta Brachos, learning and absorbing it amud after amud, many of them with daily and weekly chazaras and optional monthly bechinos. They are now coming away from Masechta Brachos with a lifelong affinity and attachment to the opening tractate of Torah Sheb’al Peh!

Indeed, there is another translation to the words Hadran Alach Vehadrach Alan that is equally apropos – Masechta Brachos, your splendor remains with us and our splendor shall remain with you – forever!

The Oraysa program, an initiative for a daily Amud V’echazara launched immediately after the 13th Siyum Hashas this past winter. Klal Yisroel came away from that momentous celebration of accomplishment with a clear message. Not only does one need to have a daily learning seder but one also needs to have a strategic goal that motivates him day in day out.

That very Sunday, January 5th, individuals, chavrusos, chaburos and shiurim in communities around the world set out on a journey with a united goal of learning and retaining Shas through a methodical and realistic program. Participants would learn one new amud each day, Sunday thru Thursday, along with a thorough chazara of the previous day’s amud as well. Friday and Shabbos would be reserved for chazering the week’s two-and-a-half blatt.

Oraysa has been warmly embraced by lomdim from the full spectrum of the Olam Hatorah, including balebattim, mechanchim, as well as yungeleit in Kollelim. Now, six months later, they celebrate the vision behind the program which has been born out in their retention of the masechta.

The program provides a plethora of resources, including daily audio and video shiurim, marei mekomos and review sheets, and the popular interactive Rischa D’Oraysa Q & A’s, sent daily to participants via email. All resources can be accessed anytime from anywhere, via the website, www.oraysa.org.

In addition, a monthly optional bechina is given every fourth Sunday on the ten blatt learned over the course of the month. The bechina is a critical tool for testing and promoting retention, motivating participants to do an additional, pre-bechina review at the end of each month.

Oraysa also provides support for setting up local shiurim, chaburos, chavrusos, and more. The handy, easy-to-use calendar produced by Oraysa provides a clear outline of the program and one’s ongoing progress throughout. A custom calendar can be created and maintained by creating a login account on the website.

The start of Mesechta Shabbos is an opportunity to join this initiative and acquire this fundamental masechta for life. As is well known, an encompassing familiarity with the sugyos of Masechta Shabbos is crucial to understanding many of the relevant halachos. This is your opportunity to acquire it through a proven learning framework that works!

Oraysa has the strong endorsement and enthusiastic encouragement of leading Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbonim and Gedolei Yisroel who issued strong statements of support for this learning model. The project is under the auspices of Harav Noach Isaac Oelbaum shlit”a, Rav of Khal Nachlas Yitzchok in Queens.

For more information or to set up or join a shiur or chaburah in your neighborhood, please contact Oraysa at 855.4OR.AYSA or email [email protected].