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.