Q&A: Talmud
Talmud
Question
Hi Rabbi Michi
Do you recommend that a third-year yeshiva student start learning Sha'arei Yosher straight through, in order? In your opinion, is that useful and recommended?
And where can one learn Rabbi Chaim's Brisker method from the original source? Where does Rabbi Chaim lay out his method at length — in his novellae on Maimonides, or in Rabbi Chaim in stencil form? (I'm not talking about Even HaEzel, Granat, etc.)
Answer
If you're already capable of learning it, then it's definitely recommended. Take a deep breath.
Rabbi Chaim's book is the one on Maimonides. The stencil version is collections from students. The one on Maimonides is more recommended. But learning it straight through means that each time you'll have to enter a different Talmudic topic. It certainly doesn't hurt, and it will even give you broad familiarity. The novellae of the Griz on Maimonides as well (Rabbi Yitzchak Zev HaLevi) use a similar form of analysis.
Discussion on Answer
Much more beneficial than bekiut. It's a better way to gain both broad familiarity and analysis together. I've written here in the past what I think about bekiut. You can try searching. First let a person understand, and afterward review quickly (as opposed to the Talmudic order).
Got it. Thank you very much.
Do you think it's preferable to learn this even if it comes at the expense of one bekiut study session? (Next year they're learning tractate Shabbat, so I don't know how many analytical topics there are in that tractate, so I'm considering sacrificing one study session for the Rabbi Chaim class.)