Studying Torah 6

Over the years, I have developed my own system of Torah study, which I recommend to all who ask. It combines the Sepharadic approach of emphasizing bekiut, as well as going for practical knowledge, The ARI z"l's 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 analyze and reanalyze 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, Likutei 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 of 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,. 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 an 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 only 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.

Studying Torah 5

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 knowledgeable in many, many areas. "'Iyyun" ("to eye"), means to delve deeply into the subject, considering it's broader implications that are not stated explicitly. Many Yeshivot have two separate sessions of Talmud study; one for Bekiut, and one for 'Iyyun. We have already seen that Sepharadic 'Iyyun concentrates on the halachic implications of the text, while Ashkenazic 'Iyyun centers on deeper theoretical, rather than practical, knowledge. A late version of "Iyyun", is Pilpul. The word literally means "peppered", indicating "sharp", or "flavor enhanced". We find this term already in Talmud, where it is used to mean a deep analysis. In recent centuries, Pilpul has become a style of learning, mostly in Lithuanian style Yeshivot, prized by many, but denigrated by others, as simple mental gymnastics. There are several methods of Pilpul that have developed in different Yeshivot. In ordinary "Iyyun, the student will study several different commentaries on a Talmudic discourse, being then able to see the discussion through four or five different viewpoints. In Pilpul, the student will first try to understand HOW each commentator arrived at his conclusion. Why didn't the others come to the same conclusion? If another commentator HAD come to this conclusion, given his different methodology, would he have presented his conclusion differently? One version of Pilpul is to find a difficulty in the text, then finding an answer to the difficulty, then finding a difficulty with the answer, then answering that difficulty, and so on, until there are no more difficulties or no more answers. Some consider this the ultimate depth of learning. Others consider it a game that has little or no connection with Torah or G-d. (I am of the latter opinion). Another method is to seek unusual wordings in various passages, attempting to discover why a particular word was used when another might have fit in better. Then, the implications of the unusual usages will be analyzed. One late nineteenth and early twentieth-century rabbi wrote extensively in this manner. Many of his essays have been brought into question, as older texts were found, and the "unusual wordings" proved to be, in many cases, printing errors. We may see his work, therefore, as a monument to a great mind, or a testimonial to the power of imagination and creativity, but, nevertheless, invalid. A basic feature of the Pilpul movement is that we do not learn Torah to gain information or insights, but as a way to connect with G-d. The idea of "Torah L'Shmah" (Torah for its own sake), which classically meant to learn without ulterior motives, came to mean "with no intention of learning anything new". It is essentially a sublime form of devotion. Pilpul has captured the hearts and minds of many, while others question if it is even a valid form of Torah learning. I am very anti pilpul, but have known many devout people who extol it as the ultimate encounter with the Divine. In my next post, I will go over my own method of learning, based on the teachings of Rabbi Nachman, as well as the Sepharadic approach.

Studying Torah 4

Until the seventeenth 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 differing methods of Torah study. Some sought breadth of knowledge, while others emphasized depth. Some were centered on the derivation of halachah from Talmud, while others focused on derivation of theology from the narrative parts of Talmud (aggadah) . Many were deeply immersed in Kabbalah, while others took a philosophical approach. Everything changed after 1666, with the dramatic rise and fall of the Shabbatean movement. Whereas Sepharadic communities took the attitude of "OK, we made a big mistake. Let's start over from where we left off", Ashkenazic communities became suspicious of every charismatic figure or any call to spirituality. "Witch Hunts" for those who still espoused Shabbatean views, continued for several centuries, often condemning the righteous along with the wicked. Anyone who was not "low keyed" and level headed in his conformity to community norms, was under suspicion. Some communities jettisoned Kabbalah altogether. Others put restrictions on who could study it. Still others produced a sterilized, emotionless Kabbalah. The lasting negative effects of the Shabbatean debacle cannot be overemphasized. The main Jewish communities of Eastern Europe were, from the mid-sixteenth century, until the mid-eighteenth century, governed by "The Council of the Four Lands". This body had both temporal and religious authority over the Jews of Poland and Lithuania. Among the activities of the rabbinic court of the council after 1666, was seeking out Shabbatean pockets of heresy, and making sure that such a thing could not happen again. One of their enactments was a unified curriculum of study for the burgeoning Yeshivot of Eastern Europe. (Although the huge Yeshivot that we know today only really began in the late eighteenth century). The curriculum they advocated was essentially purged of emotion and spirituality. Soaring to heights of ecstasy was replaced with plumbing the depths of the Talmud. Repairing the Higher Worlds was replaced with perfection of one's character. A Talmudic tractate was chosen for all Yeshivot to study each year. They were chosen largely on the basis of content that would not lend itself to spiritual excitement, or even to question communal norms. Conformity was a high priority. Tractates dealing with monetary and property law were preferred over ones that dealt with more "religiously" oriented subjects. Students would strive for ever deeper intellectual interpretations of Talmud, rather than speculate on the Divine. New methods of achieving this grew up, known collectively as "Pilpul". The term was old, but was given new meanings. One faculty member of a Lithuanian style Yeshivah, once told me "Pilpul? It is our life and length of days". Rabbi Ovadia Yosef once remarked in a class (a recording of which reached the Israeli media, causing great consternation in rabbinic circles) "The Ashkenazim are doing Pilpulim that are actually Bilbulim (confusion)" Rabbi Yitzchak Abadi, a great scholar, who for many years was associated with the great Lakewood Yeshivah, called Pilpul "a Sin". Most Hasidim are likewise opposed to Pilpul. What exactly is Pilpul? That will be my next post.

Studying Torah part 3

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 to us. First, I will examine the methodology of the classical Sepharadic Yeshivah. While this methodology still exists in some Yeshivot in Israel, most have gone over to the Lithuanian approaches, which I shall discuss next time. In a Sepharadic yeshivah, after the students have recited the morning prayers, and grabbed some breakfast, they begin studying a work known as "Hok L'Yisrael". This is a work divided into the days of the year, that includes selected readings from the Torah portion of the week, followed by a selection from the Prophets, the Holy Writings, Mishnah, Gemmara and Zohar. The idea is found in the ARI, that we must every day study in all the "chambers" of the Torah. Some may prefer to actually study each of these works, rather than just read excerpts. (This is my practice). Afterward, the day is primarily devoted to Talmud. The students will study in pairs (Havruta); first understanding the simple meaning of the text, usually with the help of the commentary of RASHI. In most yeshivot, especially on more advanced levels, the commentary of the Tosafot is also studied. Actually, Tosafot is not an individual, but rather over a thousand Franco-German rabbis who lived between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries. In all standard editions of the Talmud, RASHI is on the inside margin of the page, with Tosafot on the outside margin. The writers of the Tosafot would analyze the comments of RASHI, often disagreeing with them. They would compare the statements at hand, with other statements in other parts of the Talmud; carefully analyzing the differences, and what lay behind these differences., Rulings of other medieval rabbis were also discussed, and compared with the Talmudic text, as well as with other rabbinic views. In Ashkenazic Yeshivot, the study of Tosafot is a very major part of the curriculum. In Sepharadic Yeshivot, the emphasis is on figuring out the meaning of the text, and how it comes down to us in halachah. Over the course of the next several hours, the Havrutot will have covered roughly a folio page of Talmud. Later in the morning, the Rosh Yeshivah (Dean), or another member of the faculty, will give a class (she'ur). He will go over the sections studied, and follow through with RIF. RIF (Rabbi Yitzchak al Fasi), a great rabbi who lived in the eleventh century, wrote an abridged version of the Talmud, including only those parts that he felt reflected the final decision. His writing is included in the back of all scholarly editions of the Talmud. After going through RIF, he will turn to the Code of RAMBAM on the same topic. RAMBAM's father was a student of a student of RIF. But they do sometimes differ. The differences will be noted and discussed. Following that, he will turn his attention to the commentary of ROSH (Rabbenu Asher) (1250-1327). He was the heir of the great schools of the Tosafot. He lists all laws to be derived from each chapter of Talmud. His views, and how they differ from RAMBAM, will be noted and discussed. Then the student will turn to TUR, the son of ROSH, who composed a four volume code of law, based mostly on his father's views. Great attention will be paid to the Beit Yosef, an encyclopedic commentary on TUR by Rabbi Yosef Karo. It includes all post-Talmudic rabbinic views, or as far as they were known in the sixteenth century, carefully comparing and analyzing them. The same author later wrote a condensed version of Beit Yosef, calling it the "Prepared Table" (Shulchan Aruch), THE Code of Jewish Law, which is seen, especially by Sepharadim, as essentially the final word in halachah. The Rosh Yeshiva has brought the Talmud, through the reasoning of a thousand years of discussion and debate, right up to the final, practical decision. The student will now know not only the law, but its background and reasoning. In some Yeshivot, some later rabbinic opinions are noted as well. The afternoon will be spent in review of the material, with some time available for individual study that interests the students (Homiletics, Ethics, Kabbalah, etc.) Next, we shall turn to Central and Eastern Europe.