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"For it is our life, and our length of days". These words from our evening prayer sum up the Jew's attitude to the Torah. It's not just a series of books. It is our life. It is the blueprint of the Universe, as well as that which gives shape,...
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All the different approaches to study center around a debate in the Talmud; which is better, "Sinai" or an "uprooter of mountains"? That is, are we to prefer someone with a comprehensive knowledge of sources (like Mt. Sinai, from where all Torah...
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Before we can examine how each of us can embark on Torah study, it is important to have an overview of methodologies, adopting that which is relevant for us. First, I will examine the methodology of the classical Sepharadic Yeshivah. While this...
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Until the eighteenth century, methodology of Torah study in Europe was fairly loose. Rather than organized, institutional Yeshivot, students would come from far and wide to be disciples of renowned rabbinical figures. These rabbis had widely...
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Before we can proceed, we need to define certain terms. "Bekiut", means to be expert, or at least well versed, in a topic or text. In Torah learning, it means to study rather superficially, but covering so much ground that one is fairly...
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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...
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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,...
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I have often had the experience, in which a man will come to my home, wishing to receive guidance for a problem. My wife, Sima, will often have an insight that adds another dimension to the discussion. The man will politely remain silent while she...
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Sarah Schenirer (1883-1935) brought about a total reassessment of Torah education for women. A seamstress by profession, she was devastated by the growing secularism in her native Poland. Jewish girls and women, especially, with little or no Torah...
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There is a debate in the Talmud between Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai and his colleagues. His colleagues said "Torah study is good together with a worldly occupation". Indeed, most of the rabbis of the Talmud had professions; shoemakers, woodcutters,...
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