Re: Learning Properly
Question
I have a question on your response: what is the purpose of this fast learning through Shas? How does it help someone to quickly run through Gemaras, especially wiithout Rashis? Most likely they are going to forget most of what they learn anyways... I think this reflects on a broader question I have on your derech halimud: where is the thinking? Why must a person run through Shas before he touches an area in depth? WHen does a learner get to break down a sugya, and get to understand its underlying concepts. To me this is the real learning! With all due respext, the program you outlined requires a guy to do little more than translate- he spends the 1st three stages just translating halacha, chumash, and shas. Even the in depth part of your program- learning practical sugyas biiyun seems more like just translating what other people think as opposed to analyzing them. Thank you for adressing my question. Respectfully, Joey
Answer
Answered by Aaron AbadiIt's hard to address your question when you have not mentioned a Gemara somewhere or a Pasuk in the Torah. Do we get our opinions and views by just thinking them up? All your arguments are baseless. You ask, "where is the thinking?" Well, did you prove that there is such a requirement? "When does a leearner get to break down a Sugya...?" What if never? You can't build an argument based on a feeling that something should be a certain way. Open the Good Book and present some backing to your statements. Of course there isn't any. The reason we learn Torah is because the Torah says we should, and this Torah was given to us by God. If we need to know how to study this Torah, we look into the Torah and we see what it says. Well, the Gemara says that we must learn through Shas before breaking down a Sugya. It says "Ligmor VeHadar Lisvor." (A"Z 19a, Berachot 63b, Shabbat 63a, Nedarim 38a, and others). The Orchot Tzaddikim, the GRA, the Shlah, and many others wrote very strongly advocating the Gemaras and wrote against those that don't comply, some very serious charges. But somehow, this was not even an issue. The decision you would like to make is based on your feelings of how things should be. That in itself is one of the reasons you should be learning Shas before getting into depth. You'll get a better idea of how the rules of this religion work, and maybe you won't make such arguments. The laws of studying Torah are not to think, not to analyze, and not to come up with wonderful Divrey Torah. The reason for studying Torah is so that you should know the rules that you are required to keep, period. God gave the Jews the Torah, but he gave Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses) exclusively the rights to "Pilpul." (The analyzation tools) Moshe was generous and he gave it to us as a gift, but it certainly is secondary. (look into Nedarim 38a). There are many other reasons. Look at the Seforim and Gemaras I quoted and the Rashis, and you'll see a little of why it is that way. But whether you understand it or not, there is only one way to study the Torah, and that is the way that the Torah says to do it. Isn't it absurd to study Torah in a way that the Torah would not approve. Why study at all, if you are going against the very Book of Laws that you are studying?! AA