BPY – Ben Porat Yosef – is the name of an almost ten-year-old study group based in south central Israel.

The exact meaning of the BPY name is the subject of some controversy.

Some day it refers to the daily halacha book of that name; others claim it represents the name ( or honorific) of the primary author of that book; still others maintain that is the name of the publishing House itself.

Whatever the exact origin of the name, it is revered by many in South Central Israel as a touchstone and leader in the study of daily halacha.

As the BPY group has evolved over time, several important documents and milestones have been reported in its career.

תשפ”ב, פרשת פקודי

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Back in 2014, a small group of friends (two) decided to study the Ben Porat Yosef Daily Halacha.

Over the course of time, a new method was discovered to track the complexity and speed of each person’s study portion, and the Exert-O-Meter was born!

From early, more primitive formats…

To newer, more modern formats…

The Exert-O-Meter has adapted and changed as conditions required.

As the Exert-O-Meter has gained in popularity, the natural question has arisen: Do Exert-O-Points really exist? Are they of value in the so-called “real” world?

The actual origin of the EOP is lost in antiquity. Early mentions in some apocryphal fragments suggest the existence of so-called Exert-O-Cave societies, perhaps tied to the ancient cave paintings of Lascaux, France. Indeed, a close examination of these paintings show hints of early EOM charts: