Hiddur Miss
Daf Yomi learners just finished Masechta Nedarim and started Masechta Nazir. Those who learn Amud Yomi may feel bad that they didn’t cover as much ground and are not finishing yet another masechta. They learn three and a half blatt a week and will only finish Shas every 15 years. Oraysah followers learn only 2.5 blatt a week. Those who follow the Daf HaShavua regimen will need almost 52 years to finish Shas!
Rav Reuven Feinstein, shlit”a, broached this subject at the recent Darchei Yovel Dinner. After reciting the Hadran on Shas, he said to notice the words he just recited, “We toil, and they toil. We toil and receive reward, they toil and don’t receive reward.”
The reward for studying the Torah is based on the time and effort that one invests. He lamented that, too often, people focus on the number of masechtos one finished. However, the real focus should be on the time and effort expended. If one studies Daf HaShavua and spends two hours a day on it, the reward will be greater than if one studied Daf HaYomi and only set aside a half-hour a day for the limud. Whatever Talmud schedule one follows, one should be sure to focus on the time and energy that one is investing in the limud and not merely the amount of masechtos one has completed.