30.8.15
learning Torah
I don't know how to go about learning Torah. It seems to me the best idea --if at all possible to to get a small Talmud Bavli, [Babylonian Talmud] and set of Musar [mediaeval Ethics] books and to learn at home.
It is not that this is the best way to go about it, but rather that any other way seem to be unworkable.
Hillel's are more for fun activities. Synagogue are also for other things.
In Eastern Europe there was a concept of a place where people would go when they were off from work, and be able to go in a sit and learn Torah; but today there are no such places. Yeshivas are private, and certainly not anyone can walk in and sit and learn. So the old concept of a "beit midrash" is largely extinct.
Now if you have a Hillel or a Reform or Conservative Temple in your neighborhood in theory you could set aside a place inside for learning Torah alone. But that would depend on other people's desires. And you don't want your learning Torah to be dependent on other people's desires.
What I mean by a small Talmud Bavli is the small set they used to print a few years ago. You could get the whole Talmud for about hundred dollars then. And it had the Rif in it also. I should mention that I do think the Ari is also good to learn. But Torah learning nowadays really has to be done at home unless you happen to be in the vicinity of a legitimate Lithuanian yeshiva. But those places are rare.
It is not that this is the best way to go about it, but rather that any other way seem to be unworkable.
Hillel's are more for fun activities. Synagogue are also for other things.
In Eastern Europe there was a concept of a place where people would go when they were off from work, and be able to go in a sit and learn Torah; but today there are no such places. Yeshivas are private, and certainly not anyone can walk in and sit and learn. So the old concept of a "beit midrash" is largely extinct.
Now if you have a Hillel or a Reform or Conservative Temple in your neighborhood in theory you could set aside a place inside for learning Torah alone. But that would depend on other people's desires. And you don't want your learning Torah to be dependent on other people's desires.
What I mean by a small Talmud Bavli is the small set they used to print a few years ago. You could get the whole Talmud for about hundred dollars then. And it had the Rif in it also. I should mention that I do think the Ari is also good to learn. But Torah learning nowadays really has to be done at home unless you happen to be in the vicinity of a legitimate Lithuanian yeshiva. But those places are rare.
29.8.15
(1) n27 [n27 in midi]
I think this needs editing but I am not sure about which part.
(2) p120 p120 in midi
(3) CHS chs in midi
(4)organ piece [organ in midi]
organ 2 [organ 2 in midi]
(5)n103 [n103 in midi]
(6)n102 [some editing] [n102 in midi]
(7) n101 n101 in midi
needs editing. a lot.
I think this needs editing but I am not sure about which part.
(2) p120 p120 in midi
(3) CHS chs in midi
(4)organ piece [organ in midi]
organ 2 [organ 2 in midi]
(5)n103 [n103 in midi]
(6)n102 [some editing] [n102 in midi]
(7) n101 n101 in midi
needs editing. a lot.
There is a divide between Jewish people and Conservatives in the USA. Jews always vote for as close to Communism and Socialism as they can get. And our support of blacks can be interpreted as not so much a love of blacks, but more because they are enemies of white people.
So what I suggest to correct this situation is that people should learn Torah.
This will be helpful in two directions. One is that when Jewish people learn Torah, they will see that the Torah's values are not socialism, but rather identical with conservative values. On the other hand when Conservatives learn Torah, they will benefit by gaining a more consistent world view.
The left is so antisemitic it is a wonder to me that any decent person can associate themselves with them. My advice is thus to vote for what would be considered conservative values in the next election. And in the meantime to start learning Torah. For those who need an introduction to Torah I recommend the Horev of Shimshon Refael Hirsch--but only as an intro. At some point you need to start serious learning on your own. That is to get a Talmud Bavli and start working your way through it. . [Avraham Cook's books also are very good for an introduction in Torah.]
mysticism is not an introduction to Torah. It is best to learn them after one has finished the Talmud at least once and also the main writings of Isaac Luria. Without that basic background the tendency is to misunderstand him.
So what I suggest to correct this situation is that people should learn Torah.
This will be helpful in two directions. One is that when Jewish people learn Torah, they will see that the Torah's values are not socialism, but rather identical with conservative values. On the other hand when Conservatives learn Torah, they will benefit by gaining a more consistent world view.
The left is so antisemitic it is a wonder to me that any decent person can associate themselves with them. My advice is thus to vote for what would be considered conservative values in the next election. And in the meantime to start learning Torah. For those who need an introduction to Torah I recommend the Horev of Shimshon Refael Hirsch--but only as an intro. At some point you need to start serious learning on your own. That is to get a Talmud Bavli and start working your way through it. . [Avraham Cook's books also are very good for an introduction in Torah.]
mysticism is not an introduction to Torah. It is best to learn them after one has finished the Talmud at least once and also the main writings of Isaac Luria. Without that basic background the tendency is to misunderstand him.
For health I recommend learning Musar, [like the Duties of the Heart and the general set of books on Ethics you can find in almost any Lithuanian yeshiva. These are yeshivas which walk in the path of the Gra.]
These are books that don't deal directly with health but rather with the world view of Torah and how to keep Torah in a practical way. But the offshoot of learning these books is one gains fear of God. And fear of God is useful in several ways, one of which is health.
But not everything that deals with Torah ethics is accurate. Many books which claim to be teaching Torah are pseudo Torah. To get to real Fear of God one needs authentic Torah.
Now I realize that authentic Torah can be dry. This is in fact the reason why Musar and Gemara are not learned. They are hard and unless you develop a taste for them they are dry.
These are books that don't deal directly with health but rather with the world view of Torah and how to keep Torah in a practical way. But the offshoot of learning these books is one gains fear of God. And fear of God is useful in several ways, one of which is health.
But not everything that deals with Torah ethics is accurate. Many books which claim to be teaching Torah are pseudo Torah. To get to real Fear of God one needs authentic Torah.
Now I realize that authentic Torah can be dry. This is in fact the reason why Musar and Gemara are not learned. They are hard and unless you develop a taste for them they are dry.
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