Judy Howard
Judy Howard
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A Day in the Life of a Breslover part 5
Judy Howard
Monday July 23 2018, 11:32 PM

I have been posting A Day in the Life of a Breslover from breslov.com.  The tasks seems daunting and nearly impossible if you have children or a job.  Rabbi @jeffrey-siegel has written out his schedule for our review.  In his methodology it is doable even for the busiest of us.  Take a look and comment on your thoughts or your schedule

Studying Torah part 6
Over the years, i have developed my own system of Torah study, that I recommend too all who ask. It combines the Sepharadic approach of emphasizing bekiut, as well as going for practical knowledge, The ARI z"ls insistence on studying all the levels of Torah each day, which reflect different spiritual realities, and Rabbi Nachman's approach of visiting all the "chambers", and reviewing all major sources time after time, which will eventually result in a deeper understanding than trying to analyse and reanalyse the text before us. Many people have told me that my method is worthless. But I have found it to be both practical and comprehensive. I get up in the morning, and study some of the teachings of Rabbi Nachman, from his magnum opus,Likuttei Moharan. I then study the interpretations of his disciple, Rabbi Natan, in Likutei Halachot. These provide me with inspiration for my morning prayers. After praying, I study halachah. My minimum is RAMBAM's Code, with the commentary the great Yemenite scholar, Rabbi Yosef Kappah, and the Shulchan Aruch, without commentaries. If I happen to be faced with a halachic problem, I will delve into commentaries and additional sources before rendering a decision. After these, I study part of that week's Torah portion; reading it twice in Hebrew and once in Aramaic translation, so that I finish it on Friday morning. On Shabbat, as my illness does not permit me to attend synagogue, I reread the entire Torah portion in Hebrew. I then read a chapter of the Prophets and a chapter of the Holy writings, exclusive of Psalms, which I read through every month independent of my other learning schedules. In this way, I complete the Torah and Prophets each year, and the Writings twice a year. I consult commentaries only when a passage cannot be readily understood by itself. Following this, I study Mishnah, and then Gemmara. I top this off with Zohar, and the writings of the ARI. In the evening, following the Evening Service, I study the Jerusalem Talmud. How much of each do I study? That is the beauty of this system. In a day in which I am pressed for time, all of these can be done in under and hour. When time permits, I can devote several hours to one or more of these works. Many people who were trained in 'Iyyun and Pilpul, would see such study as hopelessly superficial, and essentially worthless. But these people, once out in the business world, have neither the time nor the patience to delve into sources in depth. The result is, that they almost never study Torah, except perhaps on Shabbat. In the way I do it, even on the Eve of Passover, I can still manage to study, albeit a little. Each and every day means an encounter with the Word of G-d, as expressed through His Prophets and Sages. Few people would enter into a scholarly debate with me, as I have seen parts of Torah that they have never encountered. I believe that everyone, from beginner to advanced student, can follow this method to great advantage. For someone just beginning, a somewhat shorter list of sources might be more appropriate. Soon, they will find that the combined knowledge of different sources, reviewed over and over again over the course of a few years, gives them not only a breadth of knowledge, but also insights into the depths, that comes with familiarity with a variety of sources. This has worked for me, and I hope will work for you.

Judy Howard
@judy-howard   6 years ago
I believe this additional post from Rabbi is quite good for beginners

Studying Torah part 7
In my last post, I outlined my system of study sessions. But what of the beginner? The same basic system would apply, albeit with modifications. I would first concentrate on books that inspire. Hasidic literature, much of which is ideal for this, is widely available. I especially recommend "Crossing the Narrow Bridge" by Rabbi Chaim Kramer, along with other works published by the Breslov Research Institute.Iw ould urge caution with the books by Rabbi Shalom Arush. They are beautiful but often talk in superlatives that tend to frighten people away. I have never really "resonated" with Musar literature; but many are inspired by this genre, particularly the works of RAMCHAL. I would avoid books of speculative philosophy. They lead nowhere; even if written by great rabbis. The same holds true for works attempting to reconcile Torah and Science. Usually, they are more apologetics than real information. Take Torah as a separate discipline, independent of other subjects. On the contrary, try to see other subjects in the context of Torah. One should go through the Five Books of the Torah each year. For those who must do so in English, I recommend "The Living Torah" by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan. I would also make it my business to go through the Prophets and the Writings, even superficially. Besides this, I woukld put an emphasis on practical halachah, especially the clear and concise works of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Little by little, as one becomes comfortable with this schedule, other areas can and should be added. You will be amazed at the amount of knowledge one will amass with an investment of even half an hour a day. A controversial area is study for Noachides and potential converts. In my opinion, study as much as you can. I understand the classical reticence for non Jews studying Torah to refer to those who learn it in order to mock it. If you seek the G-d of Israel, you will find Him in the Torah. Especially today, where few works have been left untranslated, I can see no reason to restrict access for any seeker. For Jew or non Jew, it is very helpful to find a knowledgeable person who will allow you to "pick his brains". But seek one who is willing to show you sources. I have met many people who quote RAMBAM, who never actually read RAMBAM. Worse yet, are those who put ideas into RAMBAM's mouth. . The same applies to those quoting other rabbis, or even non Jewish sources. The rabbi who helped me a great deal when I first began learning, would, sadly, make claims against Socrates that came directly from Aristophanes' parody of Socrates in "The Clouds". Not that I am a fan of Socrates, but the rabbi simply proved to me that he was quoting things of which he had no knowledge. What else was he distorting? Another idea to bear in mind is Rabbi Nachman's teaching that when the Talmudic rabbis said that when one comes before the Heavenly Tribunal for judgement, the first question one is asked is "Kava'ta Ittim L'Torah?" (Did you fix definite times for Torah study?), there is actually a secondary meaning to "kava'ta". Did you STEAL time for Torah? At moments between clients in your shop, or while riding a bus or subway, did you take out a book and study? A huge part of my knowledge was gained when I was in college, and had a twenty minute subway ride in each direction. I went through a holy book each week! When I went to graduate school, I had a two hour commute each way., That meant a book a day! Today, a vast literature is available in recorded form. Even when driving a car, there is able time to "steal" knowledge and inspiration. In my next post, I will explore the issue of Torah for women.
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