[Avodah] Does Daf Yomi Exemplify Talmud Torah?

[Moshe Yehuda Gluck via Avodah]

R' YL:
:> Does Daf Yomi meet the above definition of the ideal type of :> Talmud
Torah? That depends. If a person spends the proper amount :> of time on each
daf so that he can analyze it, understand it, and have :> it sink into his
memory so that he will not forget it, then obviously it :> does...

R'MB:
As I would put it, daf yomi's true value is in the number of magidei shiur
it requires, rather than the number of attendees. Prep alone means that more
gemara is really being learned than ever before.

In prior iterations, I noted what the AhS (YD 246:17) said about the
phenomena of shuls' chevrah shas -- same pace but without global
synchronization.
<SNIP>
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While I don't doubt that R' YL is correct in a perfect world, in an
imperfect world Daf Yomi is going to be the catalyst for many people who
otherwise wouldn't learn. Just the social aspect is significant, but the
built in deadline is crucial to making people want to keep up and not skip
even one day. 

But I want to add one thing to R' MB's list of benefits that Daf Yomi has.
The Gemara (Berachos 6b) says that the reward people receive for going the a
derashah is because they ran there - not because of the learning they did
there. Rashi explains that they don't receive reward for the learning itself
because "most of them don't understand in a way that they can maintain the
text and repeat the halachah in the name of their teacher after a while." So
this is certainly not a new issue. That said, no one in the time of the
Gemara advocated stopping giving shiurim TTBOMK, or that people stop going
to the derashah and learn a different way. I think we can conclude from this
that the going itself is significant enough of a benefit that one should
still do it.

On a personal level, I have a lot of hesitation when anyone has taanos on
anyone learning in any way that's not clearly against halachah. You want to
sit in Bermuda shorts in a hot tub and learn? You want to lie on the couch
on learn? You want to learn on Nittel Nacht? You want to rely on those who
say that you can learn on 9 Av that comes out on Shabbos even after chatzos?
You want to learn while you sip a martini? You want to learn daf yomi? Go
ahead. Learn. You keep on learning and learning and everything else will
sort itself out. 

KT,
MYG