Founded in 1997, the organization produces study cycles, sponsors shiurim (Torah lectures), furnishes and grades tests, and offers financial incentives to individuals and groups to learn and master Talmud, Halakha, and Mussar texts.

[1] Dirshu was originally established to combat the challenges to Jewish religious life faced by baalebatim (working men) in the modern age.

According to Dirshu founder Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter, by enabling these men to continue immersing themselves in Torah study, many of these challenges are rendered moot.

[1] As it gained popularity, the Dirshu program of daily study, review, and testing also appealed to Jewish men who were still enrolled in yeshiva and kollel.

[1][3] In 1997, Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter, a Canadian Jewish businessman working in real estate and property management, opened a small beis medrash (study hall) in his Toronto office.

He sought like-minded Jewish businessmen to participate in an early-morning program that included chavrusa-style learning and a shiur (Torah lecture), followed by morning prayers and hot coffee.

[9][10] Kinyan Torah testing sites were also opened that month in more than 300 communities around the globe, including South Africa, Gibraltar, France, Russia, and cities across the United States.

[10] The program's popularity in Israel also indicates the importance of the stipend awarded for outstanding test scores, as many members of the Israeli Torah community struggle to make ends meet.

[12] The cumulative tests are new each time, prompting the student to diligently review and retain huge amounts of material over the seven-and-a-half-year Daf Yomi cycle.

[14] Daf HaYomi B'Halacha ("A Page a Day in Halakha") is a seven-year study cycle based on the authoritative halakhic work Mishnah Berurah by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (the Chofetz Chaim).

[17] Daily shiurim expounding the text are held in most major cities in the United States and Canada; online classes are also available through the Dirshu website.

The idea of supplementing the traditional kollel or yeshiva learning program was a controversial one, but Dirshu was supported by Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz and other Torah leaders.

Today a full-time chaburah (study group) based on the Dirshu system is in place at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey, the premier yeshiva in the United States.

The English date each year varies, corresponding to the Hebrew yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, whose seminal work, Chofetz Chaim, sets out the Torah laws on avoiding gossip and slander.

They are also asked to pray for "a world of peace, stability and civility", commit themselves to avoiding gossip and slander, and study the Sefer Chofetz Chaim.

Instead, Dirshu maintains a small staff in its various branch offices in Israel, United States, Europe, South Africa, and Australia.