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.