We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Theology

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Shiur?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 23, 2024
Views: 9,609
Share

Shiur is the Hebrew word for study. A shiur is the study of the Talmud’s and Mishnah’s interpretations of a biblical passage from the Torah. The Torah is what Christians term the Old Testament.

A shiur is rather like literary criticism that accounts for all interpretations of a passage prior to the writing of a criticism. Yet it is of much greater significance than criticism of literature, because it is the interactive way in which Judaism interprets the law of God. While many view Jewish law as static and old-fashioned, it is quite the contrary. Interpretation of the law is a constant process and a dialogue that has been occurring for thousands of years.

In a yeshiva, a school focusing on interpretation of Torah, one learns to both study and write a shiur, or shiurim, the pluralized form. One evaluates the Torah and its commentaries to come closer to how Jewish law should be best interpreted and followed. Writing a shiur or delivering it at Temple is a vital part of Judaism stressing the many disputations and resolutions on Jewish law.

Some compose a weekly shiur to be delivered during Temple, similar to interpretation of scripture that forms the basis of a sermon. At other times a shiur can be much longer and in depth with the writing concluding with a personal position on Jewish law as it has been interpreted.

Sometimes a shiur can have a dramatic effect on the interpretation of the law, which in the past has caused different sects of Judaism to arise. All depends on which shiurim a person agrees with, and how leaders of a Jewish community interpret them.

For example, some use the shiurim written from the past to argue for various deviations from normally accepted Jewish law. A shiur on what type of work is permitted on the Sabbath might conclude that certain types of work, say for example, a necessary surgery are permitted, while other types of work, such as working overtime at the grocery store are not.

Many shiurim have been written on the subject of Kosher food law. Those who do not keep Kosher point to a progressive shiur or several progressive shiurim that suggest the consumption of certain foods is not in fact a violation of the law. Interpretation allows for one to find one’s place in the varied sects of Judaism. Thus a shiur can be conservative, Hasidic, orthodox, or progressive depending upon the author’s final conclusions.

Depending upon the sect of Judaism, writing a progressive shiur at a yeshiva can cause concern among the teachers. This is well illustrated in Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen. The character Danny is often taken to task for studying Torah in a way that is not in keeping with the ideals of the school.

However, some yeshivas are open to the more progressive shiur, and in fact the shiur is often used to determine how to apply the law of God in modern times. This negotiation with the law as new circumstances arise which test it, is a major purpose of the shiur. It is a quest for knowledge of God’s word and law and a way for the modern Jew to keep close to God’s law in a modern world not envisioned in the Torah.

Share
Language & Humanities is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a Language & Humanities contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
By anon29850 — On Apr 09, 2009

The way I understand it, Torah, which means "learning" could refer to the entire Christian "Old Testament." But in fact it specifically references only the first five books. Jewish people prefer the term "Hebrew Bible" to "Old Testament." The Hebrew Bible itself is also known as the "Tanakh," a Jewish acronym that stands for Torah, the Nevi'im, and the Kethuvim - the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a Language & Humanities contributor,...
Learn more
Share
https://www.languagehumanities.org/what-is-a-shiur.htm
Copy this link
Language & Humanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

Language & Humanities, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.