ISRAEL (VINnews) — HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shternbuch surprised students this week after delivering his “shiur klali”, when he asked them to bring him a l’chaim.
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As reported in B’Chadrei Charedim, the Posek Hador and Ra’avad of the Eidah Charedis explained that he was celebrating a siyum upon the completion of the well-known sugya of “T’kafo Cohen” in Bava Metzia. He explained that when one concludes a fundamental sugya which contains many important concepts, and which requires genuine immersion and effort, it is fitting to hold a siyum.
The shiur had spent more than a month and a half delving into the sugya. The Rav emphasized that if one spends time, invests energy and immerses himself in a sugya for more than a month, it is appropriate to make a siyum, and is no less an achievement than completing an entire Masechta in bekius.
After the shiur, the Rav delivered a schmooze about various approaches to learning. He discussed the dichotomy of how important it is to learn in depth, yet one still must cover ground and try to complete as many sugyos as possible.
The Rav went further, saying that Bnei Yeshiva are obligated to learn in depth (b’iyun), and that if one only learns Bekius, even though he may be learning for the same amount of time, it is considered qualitative “Bitul Torah”, because the quality of learning cannot compare.
He also discussed a well-known question: The Gemara in Megillah says that one is obligated to stop learning Torah in order to read the Megillah on Purim. The question is, isn’t leining the Megillah also a mitzvah of learning Torah? What sacrifice is one making by hearing the Megillah?
He quoted an answer given by the Beis Efraim, who explained that when one reads the Megillah, they are not learning a sugya in depth, so it is considered qualitative Bitul Torah .
The Rav concluded by encouraging his talmidim to continue learning in-depth, and at the same time, to review the difficult sugya of T’kafo Cohen.
Everyone knows what They say… that Rabbeinu Rav Akiva Eiger had 2 sedorim. One seder which he would learn 100 blatt a day and a second seder in which he would learn 1 blatt every 100 days.
In yeshivos the ikur limud must be iyun.
This is a warning to the daf yomi learners. Did you hear what he called it : QUALITATIVE BITUL TORAH oh boy will all those now learning a daf in one hour switch and use that time to learn two lines in depth. I think that the essence of learning gemara is figuring out how to read a rishon starting with rashi, tosfos, ritva, ranban, rashba, pnei yehoshua, etc. In order to become proficient in that you have to spend hours and hours reading and re-reading focusing on every word and even every letter because what they wrote 1000 years ago becomes halacha today and for halacha you need exactness in the details. Our quest is to become talmidei chachamim and that only comes with experience of many years learning correctly. BEHATZLACHA