A Tzaddik's Advice To Me
How Gemara used to appear to meInstead of continuing to ponder and post questions about my daily learning seder, yesterday I spoke with the Sudilkover Rebbe about my difficulties learning Gemara. I told the Rebbe about my constraints and my limited time to learn Torah as a baalebos who works full time and has three small children at home. I explained to him that I learn for two to three hours each day and that I had just recently paired down my daily learning seder to consist solely of Chumash with Rashi and the Ohr HaChaim's commentary, Tehillim, Halacha, and Degel Machaneh Ephraim. I then asked him if he thought that this was sufficient or whether I should also be learning Ein Yaakov.
The Rebbe acknowledged my time constraints and instructed me to learn Ein Yaakov. "A Yid must learn Gemara!", he said unequivocally. Learning Ein Yaakov would help me do just that, he said, while still allowing me to get some enjoyment from my learning. The Rebbe told me to remember, "Gemara brings holiness into the Jewish neshoma and into the Jewish body." He then stressed the importance for me to continue learning a significant amount of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch every day in order to know how to live a proper Jewish life.
I thanked the Rebbe for the guidance and the brocha that he gave me and told him that I immediately planned to adhere to his advice concerning my daily learning seder; a daily learning seder specifically tailored for my neshoma and my life as a simple Jew.
12 Comments:
Wow, sounds great!!!
I thanked the Rebbe for the guidance and the brocha that he gave me and told him that I immediately planned to adhere to his advice concerning my daily learning seder; a daily learning seder specifically tailored for my neshoma and my life as a simple Jew.
I hardly want to upset your apple-cart, but perhaps you should ask the Rebbe about girsa learning of Gemara. This is done by simply reading the words of the Gemara, whether or not you understand them, for 20 minutes daily. You can cover loads of ground that way, and even make a Siyum! Rabbi Lazer Brody told someone I'm close to, to do this, saying this was an eitza from Rebbe Nachman himself!
Yitz: While the learning seder you mentioned most certainly has its merits, it is a learning seder given to someone else. Since I told the Rebbe about all my past difficulties with Gemara and he tailored his eitza to me, that is good enough for me...I don't need to look further. As I said, I plan to adhere to this 100%.
Interesting thoughts, Tzemach. Do you share my difficulties learning Gemara as well?
Ain't it great to have a Rebbe?!
And I think Tzemach makes a great point - Torah Sh'Baal-Peh is the daily theme of this here blog!
Bob Miller summed it up beautifully in a comment he left to a posting back in December 2006:
"This shows how an individual needs to get advice from a Tzaddik as to how to balance his learning program appropriately for himself. This is a very important practical function of Tzaddikim, of which many Jews are not aware."
A daily learning seder is like a specialty diet. If a person is lactose intolerant, giving him milchig foods may have an adverse affect. Similarly, a BT who works, has a family, and never went to yeshiva should not be given the same "diet" as a yeshiva-educated FFB. I think this is a fact that is too often overlooked.
"A yid has to read blogs.."
Not just any blogs!
Tzemach Atlas should consider asking his Rebbe which blogs---or maybe which types of blogs---are recommended or at least permissible.
I also got a brocha from a great Tzaddik in Yerushalyim, that I should make sure to learn Kitzur Shulchan Aruch daily. (The Tzaddikim know a lot more than we do, since I insisted to him that I wanted to learn Mishna Brura instead, but he said no, only Kitzur.)
That is very interesting because the first time I met Rabbi Lazer Brody he also was careful to specify Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.
I am amazed when I read certain blogs how many people tend to disregard or hold it in low esteem. I guess the more bizyonos that it gets, the greater its inherrent kedusha...
No real talmid chachom would hold the Kitzur in low esteem. The people that do are ones that think of themselves as talmidei chachomim but forget that the most important part of "Talmid Chochom" is the talmid part not the chochom.
Blogging is no substitute for real "hands on" [or should I say heads on?] Torah-learning. Certainly we can share ideas of Torah thru blogging, which may have aspects of limud HaTorah, but we should definitely deal with the Chumash, Tanach, Medrash, Gemara, Zohar etc. straight on!
Anonymous: What did they say about Shulchan Oruch haRav?
I write a daf yomi blog which has highlights that are pretty easy to understand and provide insight as well here. Daf Notes
i send out in pdf format as well if youre interested.
Let me know please.
Hatzlocha
I'm linking to your site, if you wouls reciprocate, I'd be grateful.
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