Shiur

A shi'ur (/ˈʃiːər/, Hebrew: שיעור [ʃiˈʔuʁ], lit. 'amount'; pl. shi'urim, שיעורים [ʃiʔuˈʁim]) is a lecture given any Torah-related topic of study, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), or Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), usually given in a yeshiva, though commonly in other Jewish communal settings.

The Hebrew term שיעור ("designated amount") came to refer to a portion of Judaic text arranged for study on a particular occasion, such as a yahrzeit, the dedication of a new home, or the evening of a holiday, and then to a public reading and explanation of the same. The act of teaching and studying these texts at the designated time was known as shiur lernen (Yiddish: שיעור לערנען, lit. 'study of the portion'); by synecdoche, the act itself became known as shiur. These shiurim would be attended by all classes of people; it was traditional for learned attendees to engage the lecturer in continuous discussion, and for the larger lay audience to listen intently.

Concurrently, in the yeshiva-setting it came to refer to the daily study quotient for students, and then to the lecture given thereon. Akiva Eger, 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.

"Shiur" will typically refer to the type of learning that takes place in yeshivot and kollelim, where students hear an in-depth lecture on the sugya (Gemara topic) they are studying at the time.

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 mar'e mekomot, 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 chavrutot (study pairs).

Shiurim may also be offered in yeshiva on topics in mussar, 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 seminaries and midrashot.