Q&A: Does learning with Schottenstein "kill" the Gemara?
Does learning with Schottenstein "kill" the Gemara?
Question
Hello and blessings to the honored Rabbi, may he live long and well,
I am a yeshiva student and I want to begin, without making a vow, to learn the Talmud with Schottenstein, several pages a day.
Since I get through much more with it than with learning with Rashi.
But someone told me that learning with Schottenstein "kills" the text, and causes me to lose my understanding of the Talmud.
But I want to know what is written before creating some new interpretation.
What does the Rabbi think about this, and is it true? And if so, is that a reason to give up learning with Schottenstein and learn with Rashi?
Answer
I’m not personally familiar with Schottenstein up close, but my impression is that it doesn’t kill anything. If it brings a significant improvement, I wouldn’t refrain from using it. By the way, if you’re doing this for breadth study and continuing the in-depth analysis the way everyone does in yeshiva from regular Gemaras, then I don’t see any problem at all.
Discussion on Answer
There is value in making an effort and using your head, but I say: why use that effort for code-cracking or for struggling with the language of the Talmud? It’s a different language from Hebrew, and I’m not even talking about Aramaic. It seems preferable to focus on getting down to the depth of the straightforward meaning. And Rabbi, what do you think about other editions of the Gemara, such as Steinsaltz or Metivta, and do you have recommendations for a specific commentary or for a method of learning?
I’m not familiar with them, and no.
Thank you very much for the Rabbi’s answer.
That’s actually what I do, but there are those who tell me that it isn’t "Torah that is mine," and that I’m only saying what Schottenstein wrote.