Question

I usually experience a big drop in learning during break time. In the end, I do study a little every day, but in a pretty casual way, not as organized and regular learning. During that time I also spend some effort studying other subjects (philosophy, for example), and also a lot on just resting, trips, and various other time-wasters. I tell myself that this is break time and that this is ostensibly what it is for, but I always have some inner doubt about whether it is really necessary. In other words, we have this kind of assumption that of course you need a break from learning from time to time, and from the self-discipline of studying every day consistently, but I wonder whether that is really true. True, during break time there is this feeling that I’m already “dragging myself” and need to rest, but I wonder whether the causality is not actually the other way around—because from the outset I know there will be a break, and because in practice I stop studying, I automatically lose the discipline and it becomes harder for me to study. Maybe if I kept studying consistently, I wouldn’t feel the difficulty of learning or the need for rest, and that would be preferable. Does the Rabbi think it is better to keep studying consistently even during break time, or that you really do need the vacation (or some combination of the two)?