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Torah study – proficiency as repetition, non-soft study, and the Ramchal’s recommendation

שו”תCategory: Talmudic studyTorah study – proficiency as repetition, non-soft study, and the Ramchal’s recommendation
asked 6 years ago

Hello Rabbi,
1. If the rabbi has time to take a look at the study and rehearsal method offered by the “Grazan” (https://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/9) and express his opinion on it, I would be happy to hear it.
For the record, he presents here a logical and necessary path for most people who would like to be great in Torah. On the one hand, careful but rather soft study (because this is the only way to cover a large number of tractates but not superficially) and on the other hand, almost obsessive repetition (because most people do not have a phenomenal memory, and they simply forget).
2. I recently came across something the Ramchal wrote in the book Derech Hochma , about the knowledge and the study that is appropriate for a wise scholar:
“Student: Behold, you have increased your kindness toward me in that you have taught me thus far. Now, please, inform me what order I should take for my studies so that I may succeed.”
Rabbi: Here is what everyone who wants to be wise in Israel needs to know first: the 24 books with their main explanations. After that, the 13 Medot that the Torah requires, with all their explanations, because they are the ways of the Oral Torah. After that, he needs to know the study of the Shas until he knows how to understand every Halacha that will be on its own, and he needs to know the ways of negotiating difficulties and excuses. And he needs to know how to distinguish between the excuses of rejection and the real excuses and the difficulties that are made to offer an excuse, and the strong and real difficulties. After he knows all of this, he should study the entire Shas from beginning to end, understanding all the simple issues on their own. After that, he should study the Rambam’s handbook from beginning to end with his commentaries, to know the origin of every law and law. After that, he should study the Sha’a and see every law that differs from the words of the Rambam, or in addition to them, he should seek its origin in Beit Yosef and understand its reason and reasoning. After that, he should study all the ancient midrashim until they are complete. He should also study the work of logic and the melitza and the poem until he knows them, and be careful to learn them from the books of the authors who summarized them in them. He should also study the principles of engineering, the main calculations and the main properties until he knows them, and he should study the rest of the wisdom and the crafts until he knows them. Then he should focus all his study on the Divine all the days of his life. However, he does not need to study all of the Sha’a first and then start with the Rambam and then the midrashim and then the wisdom, but he should divide his hours for these studies and first increase those that are more in number until he completes them, and after he completes them, he can then reduce them from his first regular study, only that he should set aside hours for them He will forget them. And the external arts and wisdoms, as he knows them, he will enjoy them, but in order not to forget them, he will repeat them when he turns to the house of water. And he will divide his hours in such a way that the main focus of his study and effort will be on God, and from all the other parts of the Torah he will not rest his hand, but will learn something from them every day for the love of the Torah, and the Lord will give wisdom from his mouth, knowledge and understanding. Byla “6”.
Lawyer
Following the reading of the trilogy about who is great in the Torah, things were even more interesting. What does the rabbi think about this list of the Ramchal?
As I enter the yeshiva, I am plagued by questions about ways to acquire greatness in Torah. I would simply like to know how to properly study and know. It is a shame to waste time…
 
thanks
 


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0 Answers
מיכי Staff answered 6 years ago
Hello. I read this a long time ago. I don’t think there is a universal method for learning and not repeating (Baal Emek Yehoshua also suggests such repetition methods). If it suits you – do it. In general, I highly suggest that you do not deviate from the yeshiva study program. In these initial stages, what is important is mainly skill and less knowledge. Therefore, it is important to understand the learning analysis and it is less important to repeat the information you have learned. You have the rest of your life to accumulate information. The way to grow in Torah is to study. And a person studies in a place and in a way that his heart desires. Of course, if the way of the rabbi suits you and it doesn’t interfere with your ongoing study in the yeshiva, then yes. May you be blessed.

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מיכי Staff replied 6 years ago

Perhaps another comment. I suggest in general not to formulate methods before you get into the matter. It is not reasonable to determine for yourself ways of studying before you know how to study (you said you are about to enter a yeshiva). After you enter the study at a good level and understand what is involved and what speaks to you, then you will be able to determine the right ways of studying for you. Why limit yourself in the stages that you are skilled in to a program that was formulated in the stages in which you were not skilled? It is not reasonable.

תלמיד replied 6 years ago

Thank you!

I have no idea when a person can say that they know how to study. I have been studying Gemara for several years now (not yet in a high yeshiva, but I did get to study ayun from a T.H. outside of the regular study in a high school yeshiva), but maybe it really is worthless compared to studying in a yeshiva. We'll see.

Regarding the nature of studying ayun, I really don't have the will to deviate from the yeshiva's curriculum in the first stage, which would take quite a while (I know it sounds a bit pretentious, but I do plan to develop further, so I'm already thinking about it). Right now I'm mainly trying to find a way to remember what I'm learning.

Thanks again for the recommendations

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