How to organize Mishnah learning for the Shloshim

When someone dear to us passes away, it is customary to learn mishnayot for the elevation of their soul. The family shares out the learning among relatives, friends and the community. Each person takes a part, and together they finish by the Shloshim, by the end of the eleven months, or by the yahrzeit. This guide covers what is learned, by when, how to divide it, and the siyum.

What is learned

• The whole Mishnah (Shas Mishnayot): six orders, 63 tractates, 525 chapters and 4,192 mishnayot. All the mishnayot
• The letters of the name: a mishnah for each letter of the name of the deceased, followed by four mishnayot for the letters of Neshamah (נשמה), Mikvaot chapter 7, mishnayot 4 to 7. A letter that repeats gets a different mishnah. Mishnayot for the letters of a name
• Or both: the whole Mishnah, and the letters of the name as well.

By when: Shloshim, eleven months or the yahrzeit

• Shloshim: thirty days, counted from the day of the burial.
• Eleven months: until the end of the eleven months, when Kaddish is no longer said.
• Yahrzeit, the yearly memorial (azkara): the anniversary of the passing in the Hebrew calendar. A passing in Adar, in a leap year, follows the Rema (with the option of Adar II), and a passing on the 30th of a month follows the Mishnah Berurah.

For a practical question about the laws of mourning or the yahrzeit, please ask a rabbi.

Dividing the mishnayot

The whole Mishnah can be divided in three ways, depending on how many people take part:

• Whole tractates only: 63 parts, each tractate whole, the long ones too. Suits a small group.
• A whole tractate, and chapter by chapter in the long tractates: 19 long tractates, such as Shabbat and Kelim, are divided into chapters. This is the site's default.
• Chapter by chapter throughout the Mishnah: 525 small parts. Good when there are many participants.

It helps to start early and give everyone time. A week before the target date, a part that nobody has started goes back to the board, so that others can complete it. The organizer can enter the name of someone who learns from a printed page, and someone who only has email can take a part, learn it and mark it Done by email.

Step by step

1. Open a board: the name of the deceased, the date of passing, what is learned and by when.
2. Send the link to the family and friends' WhatsApp group, or by email.
3. Each person chooses a free part and receives a personal link with the vocalized mishnah and a Done button.
4. The organizer sees what has been taken and what is completed, and prints an A3 board with a QR code for the house of mourning.
5. At the end, the siyum page shows the hadran and the names of the learners.

The siyum

When every part is completed, people gather for the siyum. The hadran is said, followed by Kaddish deRabbanan. The full text of the siyum is in the siddur, or at the end of a volume of mishnayot.

Questions people ask

How many participants are needed?

There is no fixed number. The whole Mishnah has 63 tractates and 525 chapters, and anyone who wishes can take more than one part. To finish in thirty days, the group as a whole learns about 18 chapters a day. For the letters of the name a few participants are enough: a mishnah for each letter, and four more mishnayot.

What if we fall behind?

The organizer sees on the dashboard which parts are at risk. A week before the target date, a part that nobody has started goes back to the board so that others can complete it, and the organizer can also change the target date.

Can someone take part without a smartphone?

Yes. The site works in a filtered browser and on an old phone too. Someone who only has email can take a part, receive the mishnah and mark it Done by email, and the organizer can enter the name of someone who learns from a printed page.

What are the letters of Neshamah?

Four mishnayot in tractate Mikvaot, chapter 7, mishnayot 4 to 7, which open with the letters נ, ש, מ, ה. They are learned after the letters of the name. The mishnayot of Neshamah

Is there a sign-up? What does it cost?

No sign-up and no password: you take a part with a name, and an email or a phone number. The site is free, with no ads and no requests for donations.

Open a board

Free, with no ads and no sign-up. It works in a filtered browser and on an old phone too.