14.3.18
To get the big picture in the Talmud.
I imagine the best way to do Shas [Talmud] the first time is the way I was learning at the Mir --that is with the Maharsha and Pnei Yehoshua. The reason I say this that the first time through Shas I think it is very difficult to have any idea of what the "Lumdus" (note 1) of Rav Shach and Reb Haim Soloveitchik is all about. That is my suggestion. This is not the general way people do it. Most people just spend the morning preparing for the rosh yehiva's class at 12:00 P.M.. Then in the afternoon, to just plow through as many pages as they can with Tosphot.
It is hard to explain why I think these basic אחרונים [later commentaries] are important. You might say -it is to get the big picture before you get bogged down in the details.
So the Maharsha and the Pnei Yehoshua are perfect for that. You get an idea of the basic issues in Tosphot and the Gemara, but you do not have to spend a whole month on one Tosphot if you had been doing it with the Avi Ezri (note 2) and Reb Haim.
It is like a middle ground of Lumdus,--not too much, and not too little. But just right.
[If you are doing something that does not have the Pnei Yehoshua on it, you should probably change venue. But in any case, most things have something along the lines of the Pnei Yehoshua--like the ערוך לנר or the new edition of R. Akiva Eiger arranged in the order of Shas..]
(note 1) Lumdus means learning in depth and great detail.
(note 2) Rav Shach's book. It is arranged according to the order of the Rambam like Reb Haim's book the חידושי הרמב''ם
So the Maharsha and the Pnei Yehoshua are perfect for that. You get an idea of the basic issues in Tosphot and the Gemara, but you do not have to spend a whole month on one Tosphot if you had been doing it with the Avi Ezri (note 2) and Reb Haim.
It is like a middle ground of Lumdus,--not too much, and not too little. But just right.
[If you are doing something that does not have the Pnei Yehoshua on it, you should probably change venue. But in any case, most things have something along the lines of the Pnei Yehoshua--like the ערוך לנר or the new edition of R. Akiva Eiger arranged in the order of Shas..]
(note 1) Lumdus means learning in depth and great detail.
(note 2) Rav Shach's book. It is arranged according to the order of the Rambam like Reb Haim's book the חידושי הרמב''ם
My learning partner emphasized diet to me --especially fresh vegetables some time ago. After that I started having raw beets and black bread in the morning. But he never took kindly to the idea of exercise. [Though in theory he agrees with exercise because of the Rambam in הלכות דעות]
On the other hand there is one fellow -that sends his whole day in the gym. The older he gets, the more exercise he does.
Both approaches I think ought to be combined.
One thing I did notice, however. The idea of waiting between exercise sessions a full day that I heard from my learning partner does not seem valid. Rather, I think what ever amount of exercise one does ought to be be done every day.
Exercise for some reason in high school revolved around several focal points. Running around the track 4 times [one mile] and sit-ups, push-ups. For some reason squatting and standing was never a part of it. [Squats I think were part of Physical Education in Russia, but not in California.]
I once discussed with the P.E. instructor his views on physical fitness. He said some PE instructors imagine that what they teach in high school, the kids will continue later. He said that is not his view. His view rather was to get his students as physically fit as possible while in high school and then just hope that later they will continue. [This conversation took place when I was a senior so I might have told him that I was going to Shar Yashuv Yeshiva in NY which meant --not a lot of physical education.] In any case, that four times around the track was done every single day (except weekends) for the entire four years of high school.
On the other hand there is one fellow -that sends his whole day in the gym. The older he gets, the more exercise he does.
Both approaches I think ought to be combined.
One thing I did notice, however. The idea of waiting between exercise sessions a full day that I heard from my learning partner does not seem valid. Rather, I think what ever amount of exercise one does ought to be be done every day.
Exercise for some reason in high school revolved around several focal points. Running around the track 4 times [one mile] and sit-ups, push-ups. For some reason squatting and standing was never a part of it. [Squats I think were part of Physical Education in Russia, but not in California.]
I once discussed with the P.E. instructor his views on physical fitness. He said some PE instructors imagine that what they teach in high school, the kids will continue later. He said that is not his view. His view rather was to get his students as physically fit as possible while in high school and then just hope that later they will continue. [This conversation took place when I was a senior so I might have told him that I was going to Shar Yashuv Yeshiva in NY which meant --not a lot of physical education.] In any case, that four times around the track was done every single day (except weekends) for the entire four years of high school.
13.3.18
The awkward thing about Tosphot in the beginning of Bava Batra is that it seems to contradict the Tosphot on page 34b. Over there on page 34 Tosphot [ד''ה ארבא] brings from the Riva that the law of שנים אוחזים בטלית שחולקים applies even if neither is holding it. The reason is that the same law applies to a document. So the reason is rather that it is possible that they both own it. Such a case is possible if they both picked it up at the same moment. If on the other hand there is a case where it could not be of both then the law would be כל דאלים גבר.
But the Gemara there makes clear that the reason for the law that they divide it is המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה. And Tosphot in the beginning of Bava Batra says we do not say המע''ה in a case where could be of both. We only say המע''ה when the object must have been of one and not the other.
[I admit I just am relaying on my vague memory that the Gemara holds שנים אוחזים בטלית שחולקים because of המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה.]
I am not saying this is a "קושיא" rather just something that needs to be worked out.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The awkward thing about תספות in the beginning of בבא בתרא is that it seems to contradict the תספות on page ל''ד ע'ב. Over there on page 34 תספות ד''ה ארבא brings from the ריב''א that the law of שנים אוחזים בטלית שחולקים applies even if neither is holding it. The reason is that the same law applies to a document. So the reason is rather that it is possible that they both own it. Such a case is possible if they both picked it up at the same moment. If on the other hand there is a case where it could not be of both then the law would be כל דאלים גבר.
But the בבא בתרא there makes clear that the reason for the law that they divide it is המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה. And תספות in the beginning of בבא בתרא says we do not say המע''ה in a case where could be of both. We only say המע''ה when the object must have been of one and not the other.
דבר המביך בתספות בתחילת בבא בתרא הוא שנראה שסותר את התספות בעמוד ל''ד ע''ב ד''ה לפיכך. שם על דף ל''ד תספות ד''ה ארבא מביא מן הריב''א שהחוק של שנים אוחזים בטלית שחולקים חל גם אם לא מחזיקים אותו. הסיבה לכך היא כי אותו החוק חל על מסמך. אז הסיבה היא כי יתכן ששניהם הבעלים שלה. מקרה כזה הוא אפשרי אם שניהם הרימו אותו באותו הרגע. אם מצד שני יש מקרה שבו זה לא יכול להיות אז החוק יהיה כל דאלים גבר. אבל בבבא מציעא שם מבואר כי סיבת החוק כי הם מחלקים אותו הוא המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה. ותספות בתחילת בבא בתרא אומרים שאנחנו לא אומרים המע''ה במקרה שבו יכול להיות של שניהם. אנחנו אומרים המע''ה רק כאשר האובייקט חייב להיות של אחד מהם ולא את שלשניהם.
But the Gemara there makes clear that the reason for the law that they divide it is המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה. And Tosphot in the beginning of Bava Batra says we do not say המע''ה in a case where could be of both. We only say המע''ה when the object must have been of one and not the other.
[I admit I just am relaying on my vague memory that the Gemara holds שנים אוחזים בטלית שחולקים because of המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה.]
I am not saying this is a "קושיא" rather just something that needs to be worked out.
_____________________________________________________________________________
The awkward thing about תספות in the beginning of בבא בתרא is that it seems to contradict the תספות on page ל''ד ע'ב. Over there on page 34 תספות ד''ה ארבא brings from the ריב''א that the law of שנים אוחזים בטלית שחולקים applies even if neither is holding it. The reason is that the same law applies to a document. So the reason is rather that it is possible that they both own it. Such a case is possible if they both picked it up at the same moment. If on the other hand there is a case where it could not be of both then the law would be כל דאלים גבר.
But the בבא בתרא there makes clear that the reason for the law that they divide it is המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה. And תספות in the beginning of בבא בתרא says we do not say המע''ה in a case where could be of both. We only say המע''ה when the object must have been of one and not the other.
דבר המביך בתספות בתחילת בבא בתרא הוא שנראה שסותר את התספות בעמוד ל''ד ע''ב ד''ה לפיכך. שם על דף ל''ד תספות ד''ה ארבא מביא מן הריב''א שהחוק של שנים אוחזים בטלית שחולקים חל גם אם לא מחזיקים אותו. הסיבה לכך היא כי אותו החוק חל על מסמך. אז הסיבה היא כי יתכן ששניהם הבעלים שלה. מקרה כזה הוא אפשרי אם שניהם הרימו אותו באותו הרגע. אם מצד שני יש מקרה שבו זה לא יכול להיות אז החוק יהיה כל דאלים גבר. אבל בבבא מציעא שם מבואר כי סיבת החוק כי הם מחלקים אותו הוא המוציא מחבירו עליו הראיה. ותספות בתחילת בבא בתרא אומרים שאנחנו לא אומרים המע''ה במקרה שבו יכול להיות של שניהם. אנחנו אומרים המע''ה רק כאשר האובייקט חייב להיות של אחד מהם ולא את שלשניהם.
Metaphysics.In any case, I think it is safe to assume that the Rambam had a fairly decent understanding of what Torah is all about.
Do you include Kant, Hegel in the category of Metaphysics that the Rambam requires. I think so. It is the subject matter and its development that the Rambam is thinking about. [However I do not know how to decide between them. What I assume about Kant and Hegel is that it is similar to the debate between Plato and Aristotle in this way. Philosophy tends to come up to some kind of problem once in about 1000 years. It takes a long time until the problem is understood and even longer to come to any kind of solution. Thus the problem of change was formulated by Parmenides and answered by Plato and Aristotle. But the difference between them led to new problems until the synthesis of Neo Platonic thought. I assume this same kind of process is going on with Kant and Hegel with the Mind-Body problem. There is a lot of tension between these two streams of thought.
[The Rambam's opinion about this is in הלכות תלמוד תורה where he says the עניינים הנקראים פרדס that he explained in the first four sections of Mishne Torah are included in learning the Gemara. He is much more open about this in the Guide, but it come up throughout his writings. It is not something he decided only when he was older,-- but rather he held by this approach from the beginning.]
Some people were upset with the Rambam because his opinions offended their sensibilities. However "faith in the wise" require us to hold with the wise even when we imagine that we know better. In any case, I think it is safe to assume that the Rambam had a fairly decent understanding of what Torah is all about. In any case the Rambamis safely within the Neo Platonic school of Plotinus. But how would he stand in regard to the issues raise by Kant and Hegel?]
This is not all that different than when the Rambam requires learning Physics. I do not think that I have to learn Attic Greek and the set of books, The Physics by Aristotle. Rather I think it refers to the subject matter.
On the other hand, the Rambam limits severely the subjects one ought [or is allowed] to learn. The Rambam does not give a free pass into modern day pseudo sciences.
He also has a large category of what you would call ספרים חיצוניים "outside books" that one is not allowed to learn- Does he decide like R Akiva that one loses his portion in the next world by reading them? I do not see him bring down R Akiva as law. Still there the plenty of things he forbids to read. And what is most interesting is the opinion of the Rif and Rosh that say ספרים חיצוניים outside books are books that explain the Torah not like דרשת חז''ל [the way the verses are explained in the Midrash and Gemara.] That would mean that to understand the meaning of Torah one would have to go into the many Midrashim מדרש רבה מדרש תנחומא ספרי ספרא וכו
I actually had a learning partner in the Mir that spent all his free time learning Midrash. [Eventually he became rosh yeshiva in Leningrad and later in Jerusalem.] If I had been smart I would have done the same thing.
Midrash however is sometimes hard to get. For example, many amoraim [sages of the Talmud] take a highly negative view of Job. That is a bit hard to swallow. However there is a another sage of the Talmud that says Job was greater than Abraham the Patriarch.
[The Rambam's opinion about this is in הלכות תלמוד תורה where he says the עניינים הנקראים פרדס that he explained in the first four sections of Mishne Torah are included in learning the Gemara. He is much more open about this in the Guide, but it come up throughout his writings. It is not something he decided only when he was older,-- but rather he held by this approach from the beginning.]
Some people were upset with the Rambam because his opinions offended their sensibilities. However "faith in the wise" require us to hold with the wise even when we imagine that we know better. In any case, I think it is safe to assume that the Rambam had a fairly decent understanding of what Torah is all about. In any case the Rambamis safely within the Neo Platonic school of Plotinus. But how would he stand in regard to the issues raise by Kant and Hegel?]
This is not all that different than when the Rambam requires learning Physics. I do not think that I have to learn Attic Greek and the set of books, The Physics by Aristotle. Rather I think it refers to the subject matter.
On the other hand, the Rambam limits severely the subjects one ought [or is allowed] to learn. The Rambam does not give a free pass into modern day pseudo sciences.
He also has a large category of what you would call ספרים חיצוניים "outside books" that one is not allowed to learn- Does he decide like R Akiva that one loses his portion in the next world by reading them? I do not see him bring down R Akiva as law. Still there the plenty of things he forbids to read. And what is most interesting is the opinion of the Rif and Rosh that say ספרים חיצוניים outside books are books that explain the Torah not like דרשת חז''ל [the way the verses are explained in the Midrash and Gemara.] That would mean that to understand the meaning of Torah one would have to go into the many Midrashim מדרש רבה מדרש תנחומא ספרי ספרא וכו
I actually had a learning partner in the Mir that spent all his free time learning Midrash. [Eventually he became rosh yeshiva in Leningrad and later in Jerusalem.] If I had been smart I would have done the same thing.
Midrash however is sometimes hard to get. For example, many amoraim [sages of the Talmud] take a highly negative view of Job. That is a bit hard to swallow. However there is a another sage of the Talmud that says Job was greater than Abraham the Patriarch.
12.3.18
But in some systems there is real abuse that in fact deserves to be thrown out.
A lot of times, movements are caused by perceived abuse of an existing system. Not that the newer system (that is promised) turns out so much better. It does not matter so much if the old system was really all that bad. What matters is that people got mad enough to decide to change it.
I am thinking of Communism for one example. Enough people were upset by the abuses they saw under capitalism. And to a large degree the abuses were real.
But then Communism did not exactly turn out the way most people expected in Russia. So they went back to capitalism. I was kind of shocked when I asked people in the former USSR how were things? And I always expected an answer "terrible." But instead they always said "Better than now.."
[Even today I asked one woman, "I guess you did not love the USSR?"
She answered me "What do you mean not love? Things were better. I went to school for free. I went to a technical college for free. All my brothers and sisters went to university for free, and families stayed together. Now I can barely pay for my daughter to go to a local college. People's children go off into foreign countries because there is nothing doing here. No work no nothing." And she went on but since my Russian is really rusty I did not get the whole gist. Sometimes they mention they got their homes for free or else bought a new home for $200. And as I was walking along one street today I looked across the river at the numerous and enormous buildings the soviets built for housing.I can not tells the differences in style. But I assume they were built after the 1960's.]
The same thing applies to Martin Luther. Enough people got upset with the Catholic Church to throw it out. But that is not to say that what they got instead was much of an improvement.
In the Middle Ages this dynamic existed in what was considered "fair price" of goods.
This dynamic still take place when people wander from movement to movement.
[The thing about Russia is that the abuses were bad enough for enough people to revolt against the czar. Better systems try to alleviate the abuses to the degree that people have less reason to be angry. The whole dynamic of Leftist movements is mainly to get people angry at real or imagine abuses in the USA. The main idea of Leftists is that whatever the USA does is by definition wrong. The reason why it is wrong always come after the aforesaid conclusion.]
But some systems there is real abuse that in fact deserves to be thrown out.
This dynamic I think is a good thing. The question.is how to tell when a system has gotten bad enough to need to be scraped? And what to replace it with? A lot of times people decide to go back to the old system they previously threw out because the abuses already have been forgotten.
[The Litvak yeshiva world certainly has a degree of trouble in it. But it seems much less than any other system I have seen. But it is not irrelevant. The question really is how much abuse is tolerable until you decide to overthrow the system and with what will you replace it with? Something better? Or worse?]
Thus my own kind of solution is to simply avoid the problem by learning Torah at home and minding my own business. And the few great Litvak yeshivas I have seen [like the Mir in NY and Shar Yashuv in Far Rockaway] to recommend them to anyone that will listen.
Of course Ponoviz I have not seen,-- but any place that could produce a masterpiece like the Avi Ezri has to have something gong for it.
[ Rav Silverman's yeshivas in Jerusalem that go by the Gra also are excellent.]
I am thinking of Communism for one example. Enough people were upset by the abuses they saw under capitalism. And to a large degree the abuses were real.
But then Communism did not exactly turn out the way most people expected in Russia. So they went back to capitalism. I was kind of shocked when I asked people in the former USSR how were things? And I always expected an answer "terrible." But instead they always said "Better than now.."
[Even today I asked one woman, "I guess you did not love the USSR?"
She answered me "What do you mean not love? Things were better. I went to school for free. I went to a technical college for free. All my brothers and sisters went to university for free, and families stayed together. Now I can barely pay for my daughter to go to a local college. People's children go off into foreign countries because there is nothing doing here. No work no nothing." And she went on but since my Russian is really rusty I did not get the whole gist. Sometimes they mention they got their homes for free or else bought a new home for $200. And as I was walking along one street today I looked across the river at the numerous and enormous buildings the soviets built for housing.I can not tells the differences in style. But I assume they were built after the 1960's.]
The same thing applies to Martin Luther. Enough people got upset with the Catholic Church to throw it out. But that is not to say that what they got instead was much of an improvement.
In the Middle Ages this dynamic existed in what was considered "fair price" of goods.
This dynamic still take place when people wander from movement to movement.
[The thing about Russia is that the abuses were bad enough for enough people to revolt against the czar. Better systems try to alleviate the abuses to the degree that people have less reason to be angry. The whole dynamic of Leftist movements is mainly to get people angry at real or imagine abuses in the USA. The main idea of Leftists is that whatever the USA does is by definition wrong. The reason why it is wrong always come after the aforesaid conclusion.]
But some systems there is real abuse that in fact deserves to be thrown out.
This dynamic I think is a good thing. The question.is how to tell when a system has gotten bad enough to need to be scraped? And what to replace it with? A lot of times people decide to go back to the old system they previously threw out because the abuses already have been forgotten.
[The Litvak yeshiva world certainly has a degree of trouble in it. But it seems much less than any other system I have seen. But it is not irrelevant. The question really is how much abuse is tolerable until you decide to overthrow the system and with what will you replace it with? Something better? Or worse?]
Thus my own kind of solution is to simply avoid the problem by learning Torah at home and minding my own business. And the few great Litvak yeshivas I have seen [like the Mir in NY and Shar Yashuv in Far Rockaway] to recommend them to anyone that will listen.
Of course Ponoviz I have not seen,-- but any place that could produce a masterpiece like the Avi Ezri has to have something gong for it.
[ Rav Silverman's yeshivas in Jerusalem that go by the Gra also are excellent.]
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