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A shiur (, , ; , שיעורים ) is a lecture given any Torah-related topic of Torah study, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), or Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), usually given in a yeshiva, though commonly in other Jewish communal settings.
Concurrently, in the yeshiva-setting it came to refer to the daily study quotient for students, and then to the lecture given thereon. Akiva Eiger, for example,
would not miss learning a single shiur with the yeshiva. His shiurim with them were always three per day: there was a session of Talmud and Tosafot, a session of exhaustive Halakha, and a session of Shulchan Aruch and Magen Avraham, and these were aside from the session of Tur and Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De'ah he would learn with his children and some students, and with these he would learn a further shiur of exhaustive Talmud and Tosafot at night.
Typically, yeshiva students attend a shiur yomi (daily lecture) given by a maggid shiur (literally, "sayer of the shiur") and a weekly shiur klali (comprehensive lecture, which sums up the week's learning) given by the rosh yeshiva. The rosh yeshiva usually also gives the senior shiur—see below—on a daily basis.
Before the shiur, a bibliography and a series of textual references, or marei mekomot, Example marei mekomot - Halacha Example marei mekomot - Gemara are posted so that students may prepare for the lecture in advance. Students typically spend several hours preparing for the shiur yomi. After the shiur, students spend additional time reviewing and clarifying the lesson that they have just heard. These preparation and review periods take place in a special time period called a seder, in which students study the lesson individually and/or in Chavruta (study pairs).
Shiurim may also be offered in yeshiva on topics in Mussar movement, Chumash, and hashkafah (Jewish philosophy), depending on the yeshiva and the learning level of its students. The shiur is likewise the typical format for classes at women's midrasha.
Thus, following on from the practice of the Telshe Yeshiva, studies are typically organized by level. The term " shiur" is then used to differentiate different classes, so that first-year students are typically said to be in "Shiur Aleph"; second-year students in "Shiur Bet"; and third-year students in "Shiur Gimel", etc. Strong students may be "promoted", but it is less common for a student to be held back.
Commonly the fourth Shiur is that of the Rosh Yeshiva, head of the institution. Here students consolidate the approach to study, or " derech ha-limud", emphasized by their yeshiva. See .
In ("post-graduate" institutions), the shiurim address a yet more advanced level of study, with students learning independently, although under guidance of the rosh kollel; Rabbinic ordination, Semicha, programs similarly require that students have attained a high level in Talmud, this being the base for their advanced study of Halacha. Typically, then, before joining a kollel or pursuing ordination, students are required to have learned in the "Rosh Yeshiva's Shiur" for at least two years.
A more senior study group in a Yeshiva is sometimes referred to as a " Kibbutz", especially in older usage, preceding the use of that term for an kibbutz. The members of the Kibbutz proceed independent of a shiur. See for example and .
(Public) shiurim range in length and depth: from a short " vort", or " Dvar Torah" ("word (of Torah)", in Yiddish and Hebrew respectively), to a detailed " drasha" ("study", from the Aramaic; see midrash); the former above, baalebatim focused, is a vort, while the latter is a drosha. Especially in Chasidic settings, a less formal—often inspirational—shiur may be termed " sicha" (שיחה, lit. "speech"); see also Maamor and Maamarim (Chabad).
Commonly, the Rosh Yeshiva delivers a weekly shiur on the parashah (weekly Torah portion), exploring a particular question or theme. This is usually in-depth, of an hour in duration, and typically open to the public.
Many yeshivot, midrasha, and "community kollels" host yemei iyun ("days of in-depth learning"; : yom iyun), where community members study a specific topic. These are often held before Jewish holidays—especially Pesach and the New Year period—preparing the spiritual and halakhik elements of the upcoming festival.
A "Memorial Shiur" is often given to the entire yeshiva / community on the Yahrzeit of a (founding) Rosh Yeshiva or Rabbi; usually exploring a specific topic of general interest.
"Shiur" may include any kind of Torah lesson—including lectures to children, women, and baalebatim (lay audience), and taped lectures circulated via cassette tape, computer, MP3 or MP4 file, or call-in telephone lines. Some kiruv organizations advertise "five-minute shiurim" to attract new listeners.
Similarly, "Vort" and "Dvar Torah", may refer to any short Torah idea, (often linked to that week's parsha 1 minute vort on the parsha) delivered on various occasions, vortfinder.com shortvort.com Vedibarta Bam - topic areas and not necessarily by a Rabbi; for example: by the host at their Shabbat meals, by the leader before " Benching" (grace after meals), or by a guest at sheva brachot, or any Seudat mitzvah.
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