The way of learning of "Girsa" [saying the words and going on] is very different from what people experience in school. The reason is that in school there is an emphasis on tests.
There is aspects of tests that are good. They show to oneself what he or she is good at and thus spend effort in that direction.
On the other hand the emphasis on tests does not take into account the idea that some things are important to learn whether one is good at them or not.
So when I say that people ought to learn Physics and Mathematics in this way of "Girsa" [just say the words from the beginning to the end of the book], I am not saying that everyone will become geniuses because of this.
But I still think after doing this with any text of Physics four times, from beginning to end, the effect will be such that even people that imagine that they are not talented will discover that they are a lot more talented than they thought.
[I am going here with the idea that the Ten Commandments are contained in the Ten Statements of Creation [See the commentary of the Gra on Pirkei Avot V.]. So the Law of Moses in contained in a hidden way in the Work of Creation. In some way, you can see this in the Gemara itself. "R. Yohanan ben Zacai knew the Work of Creation and the Divine Chariot." You can see this theme a lot in Rav Nahman of Breslov' s LeM.]
טבעו בארץ ששעריה "The gates of Torah are sunken into the Earth". That is towards the end of volume I of the LeM. But there are plenty of hints to this all throughout the LeM--if one is willing to see them.
[I am not saying to stop learning in depth or doing review. But for some reason this kind of fast learning was mentioned by Rav Nahman in is Conversations number 76 as being the main way of learning. He almost seems to de-emphasize learning in depth on purpose. he says to have every day a session in learning with "slight iyun" [lit., a small amount of in depth learning.] To me that seems to imply that in fact learning fast was his preferred method for everyone.
[I think you have to say that Torah hidden in the work of Creation is more powerful to help a person come to good character traits than open Torah. In the LeM of Rav Nahman he brings an idea that telling open Torah to a wicked person causes them to become more evil. So the tzadik [saint] has to tell them Torah in a hidden way. There the idea is a about the "secular conversation" of a tzadik, but to me it seems the same principle applies here. The hidden Torah inside of the Work of Creation is what causes people to become better people.]
You can see in Rav Nahman's LeM also that there is not a proportional relationship between learning Torah and good character. So this idea of learning the Hidden Torah in the Work of Creation makes more sense to spend time and energy on.
[I am going here with the idea that the Ten Commandments are contained in the Ten Statements of Creation [See the commentary of the Gra on Pirkei Avot V.]. So the Law of Moses in contained in a hidden way in the Work of Creation. In some way, you can see this in the Gemara itself. "R. Yohanan ben Zacai knew the Work of Creation and the Divine Chariot." You can see this theme a lot in Rav Nahman of Breslov' s LeM.]
טבעו בארץ ששעריה "The gates of Torah are sunken into the Earth". That is towards the end of volume I of the LeM. But there are plenty of hints to this all throughout the LeM--if one is willing to see them.
[I am not saying to stop learning in depth or doing review. But for some reason this kind of fast learning was mentioned by Rav Nahman in is Conversations number 76 as being the main way of learning. He almost seems to de-emphasize learning in depth on purpose. he says to have every day a session in learning with "slight iyun" [lit., a small amount of in depth learning.] To me that seems to imply that in fact learning fast was his preferred method for everyone.
[I think you have to say that Torah hidden in the work of Creation is more powerful to help a person come to good character traits than open Torah. In the LeM of Rav Nahman he brings an idea that telling open Torah to a wicked person causes them to become more evil. So the tzadik [saint] has to tell them Torah in a hidden way. There the idea is a about the "secular conversation" of a tzadik, but to me it seems the same principle applies here. The hidden Torah inside of the Work of Creation is what causes people to become better people.]
You can see in Rav Nahman's LeM also that there is not a proportional relationship between learning Torah and good character. So this idea of learning the Hidden Torah in the Work of Creation makes more sense to spend time and energy on.
