The Gra, The Villna Geon, held is is an absolute obligation to go through the Oral and Written Torah.
Once he was with his disciple Chaim from Voloshin and saw some person in a inn who was not keeping Torah. The Gra said he will have to give an account of why he did not learn the secrets of the Chariot [mystic aspects of Torah] also.
We know that there is a statement in the Talmud that when a person goes up to stand before the higher court of law in Heaven to decide his fate, he will have to give account and answer these questions:"Did you learn the Written Law? [the Old Testament]? Did you learn the Oral Law?Did you finish the Mishna? Did you learn the Talmud? Did you learn the work of the Divine Chariot? Did you do your business dealings with honesty?"
The Gra understood this to be literal. There will not be an excuse on the day of judgment for a person to say, "I was not religious."
And further he held that one does not need to understand every word he learns. Sometimes people say that the Gra held that one needs at least to understand the meaning of the words. But f you look in the new edition of the אבן שלמה that brings down the sources from the actual language of the Gra you can see that is not so. You can just say the words and what you don't understand in this world they will remind you of in the next world. The main thing is to have gone through every single last word of Gemara, Rashi, Tosphot, and Maharsha, and the Jerusalem Talmud with the Pnei Moshe, and also all the writings of Isaac Luria.
I don't want to make it sound as if I have done all this. I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit that I am still in the middle of this process. And even the small amount of time I have to learn Torah I spend most of it on a tiny in depth session with a learning partner. So I am well behind schedule. So I hope at least I can explain this subject to others that might be able to take up this project.
[To some degree I have an excuse that my time in limited. I also have to give violin lessons and other kinds of activities in order to pay the rent.]
And further he held that one does not need to understand every word he learns. Sometimes people say that the Gra held that one needs at least to understand the meaning of the words. But f you look in the new edition of the אבן שלמה that brings down the sources from the actual language of the Gra you can see that is not so. You can just say the words and what you don't understand in this world they will remind you of in the next world. The main thing is to have gone through every single last word of Gemara, Rashi, Tosphot, and Maharsha, and the Jerusalem Talmud with the Pnei Moshe, and also all the writings of Isaac Luria.
I don't want to make it sound as if I have done all this. I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit that I am still in the middle of this process. And even the small amount of time I have to learn Torah I spend most of it on a tiny in depth session with a learning partner. So I am well behind schedule. So I hope at least I can explain this subject to others that might be able to take up this project.
[To some degree I have an excuse that my time in limited. I also have to give violin lessons and other kinds of activities in order to pay the rent.]
