small sessions.A lot of people that think they can not do math would discover that in fact they can do math. It just gets absorbed in a different kind of fashion.

The idea of small sessions seems to be important to mention. I mean that besides learning fast, there is also an important idea to divide the sessions small digestible bits. That is like doing a few pages in one book and putting in a place marker and then closing it and going on to a different book. This idea seems to work best for me in terms of most areas of learning.

Sometimes for me doing a lot of pages in one book does not seem to add much. I find for me small sessions works better.


[My own small sessions are mainly in Physics and Math. As for Torah, on the few occasions I manage to get to the local Litvak study hall I try to find just one or two pieces in Rav Shach's Avi Ezri to go over every day until I feel I have got the basic idea.]

I think this idea of learning fast by saying the words and going on ought to be more widely known. The person that made the most effort to emphasize this approach was Rav Nahman of Breslov but he would not have been using it for math and Physics, but for the several divisions of Torah learning. In any case, I think it is an amazing piece of advice. A lot of people that think they can not do math would discover that in fact they can do math. It just gets absorbed in a different kind of fashion.

learning Math and Physics is a tikun

I thought it relevant to mention that from an early age I had a great interest in Physics and Chemistry. In part it was just my own curiosity about how the world works and in part from love and admiration for my Dad. But neither of my parents actually indicated that they wanted me to go into those fields. They definitely let my own interests guide me.

But I also think that they saw a numinous kind of value [holy value] in those fields along the same lines that you see in early Rishonim like  Ibn Pakuda (Obligations of the Heart) and Maimonides/ Rambam.

In the Rambam, Physics and Metaphysics takes on a dimension that you do not see much. To him, learning these two subjects are a fulfillment of the commands to love and fear God.

But as he points out in the Guide, the intention of learning these subjects has to be directed towards the goal of coming close to God.[That is in the parable of the king at the end of volume 3.]

If I may, I would like to suggest that I also see something in these subjects that one could call "tikunim"(corrections). Tikunim is an idea mainly associated with Rav Nahman of Breslov. With Rav Nahman saying certain parts of Torah have a corrective power for various problems.[The list is too long to go into here. In short,  for almost any problem you can think of, he has some verses or sections of Torah that are a correction for it. But I think he means to say them daily for 40 days in a row of more until the problem is solved. Not just to say them once.]

The most famous example is the ten psalms (16,32,41,42,59,77,90,105,137,150). But there are lots of other examples in his writings.
So what I am thinking is that the very act of learning Math and Physics is a tikun. [Though there is support for this idea in the very beginning of Rav Nahman's major book and in other places inside it, I am not depending on those places since people can argue that that is not what those place imply. But in the Rishonim the issue is much more clear.]

approach of my parents to make the most sense: balance.

I find the basic approach of my parents to make the most sense: balance. What I mean by that is that found a lot of good and important ideas in the books of Rav Nahman of Breslov but I think I took things too far. I could have stayed with the basic Litvak approach of the Gra and not gone overboard.
After all there are some major points the Gra pointed out that one does not really get in the framework of Breslov, that is the learning Torah thing and trust in God.

It seems to me the point is like that Thomas Reid made about Isaac Newton. If Newton had tried to come up with a theory about everything, he would have failed miserably and would not have benefited anyone. But he confined himself to one question. How to understand gravity, And from that people have benefited. So when you learn from a tzadik like Rav Nahman, it best to limit yourself to what he actually says and take it as answering the basic issues that he brings up.
I mean it is human nature to want a general world view that makes sense of the whole picture. But that world view ought to include balance and certain amount of awareness of one's limitations on how much do we really know?


The approach of balance was also emphasized by Rav Freifeld my first rosh yeshiva, and also Rav Shmuel Berenbaum of the Mir--but that is not really part of my nature. I tend to take things to their outer limits. But anyway I found the path of balance to be hard since I realized to excel in anything I needed to concentrate on that one thing.


The point of balance however is not to have just a collection of good values. If lay out all the parts of a car --that is still not a car. It is car when all the parts are put together and working together in harmony.

So just to be clear, I see an ideal schedule daily as including Rav Shach's Avi Ezri (the essence of the Oral Law, Math, Physics, Music, outdoor activity exercise.

some links to some of the older music

Link to music files mp3

I might try to make some links to some of the older music since I do not see any of it in this folder.
That would be mainly things that were written in NY.
But after I moved from NY most of what I wrote was a waste of time. But then in Israel started the b files some of which I think are good.  Then later files were written in Uman. Some of the older pieces were also inspired when I was in Uman but only put together in NY. The V files are the most recent files.  [e files were all written in Uman and everything after that except for the V files. The V files were written in Israel. [I do not know why Uman got to be a problem. People would just simply attack on on the street in broad daylight. It got to be insane to stay there. Maybe God just wanted me back in Israel for some reasons I understand not.] V files were only Midi so they are not included in this folder. God willing I will try to make a link for people that are interested in listening.

That has been since Sept 27. I hope God grants to me to start writing music again--but in the meantime I think that to share what there already is is a good idea.

If I would have energy right now I would probably rather be learning Physics or the Avi Ezri of Rav Shach, but I am too tired now to do either.

Here is a link to that pieces i named mathematics  black hole p120 exodus4 great title Orchestra organ
piano[put for organ in mp3 but written on piano]

Orchestra is one of the oldest pieces. It was written when I was in high school.



Here is a  link to the folder that has the nwc files and some midi

That still does not include the older classics 

Yonadav ben Recav was a friend of Yehu

יונדב בן רכב Yonadav ben Recav was a friend of Yehu. [See Chronicles where the events surrounding Yehu at brought] Yehu was the one who wiped out the house of Ahav. So when Jeremiah asked his descendants to drink wine that was a few hundred years later and still they were keeping his word.

So honor your father and your mother still applies hundreds of years later.

The incident was that Jeremiah told them to drink wine and they refused because of the command of their great grandfather and for that they were granted a reward from God that their house would stand forever.

I can not say I have fulfilled this because my Mom and Dad clearly were interested in my keeping up my studies in Physics and Math, and yet I absolutely disobeyed them. Now some time later I find it is hard to make up for lost ground.

בבא מציעא ל''ה

Ideas in Shas

Ideas in Bava Metzia
In terms of   רב שך idea in laws of ה' שכירות א' הלכה ו. The idea is in short that in בבא מציעא לה: רב אידי בר אבין and אביי disagree about the sages of the משנה.  Then רב שך brings an idea not look that it fits well with אביי and רב אידי בר אבין. The basic idea is this. Two people come to the court of law and one claims payment for a loan.  The other says "You forgave the loan." If it is during the period before the loan is due to be paid the לווה is not believed, but if after that period, he is believed because he could say "I already paid you back".  Then why not during the time of the loan also? He answers it is a "טענה גרועה" since no loan is standing to be forgiven, It is standing to be paid,
Now רב שך applies this idea to when a work animal dies during the time it is being hired out. The Torah does believe the one that hired the animal with an oath but the actual plea itself seems weak. The animal is not standing in order to die. And רב שך in fact says that was the argument between אביי and רב אידי בר אבין. What bothers me here is that neither אביי nor רב אידי בר אבין say that that is what they are arguing about. They say they are arguing about when does possession pass to the one that hired the animal, the time of the oath or the time the animal died? That to me sounds like the whole argument between them is this: They agree that קניין פירות לאו כקניין הגוף of the object, And that שכירות אינה קניין הגוף. But in a case when the animal dies then that changes. Then the קניין פירות כקניין הגוף in the object itself. And there is a simple proof of this idea. A thief that damages the object he stole, he has to give back double the price or whole objects, and he keeps the vessel he broke. See what I wrote about אין שמין לגנב. So damage can confer possession in the case of hiring also.

בבא מציעא ל''ה ע''ב. רב שך בה' שכירות א' הלכה ו. הרעיון הוא בקיצור כי בבא מציעא לה: רב אידי בר אבין ואביי חולקים בדעת החכמים של המשנה.  רב שך מביא רעיון שקשה להבין בעניין אביי ואת רב אידי בר אבין. הרעיון הבסיסי הוא זה. שני אנשים מגיעים לבית המשפט  ואחד טוען תשלום עבור הלוואה. השני אומר "אתה סלחת את ההלוואה." אם זה בתקופה שלפני ההלוואה צריכה להיות משולמת הלווה לא נאמן, אבל אם אחרי תקופה זו, הוא נאמן כי הוא יכול לומר "כבר שילמתי לך בחזרה". אז למה לא בזמן של ההלוואה גם? הוא עונה זו  "טענה גרועה" מאז הלוואה אינה עומדת להיות נסלחת, זו עומדת להיות משולמת. עכשיו רב שך מביא את הרעיון הזה כאשר חי עבודה מת במהלך הזמן שהעבודה מתבצעת, התורה  מאמינה  השוכר עם שבועה, אך הטיעון בפועל עצמו נראה חלש. החיה אינה עומדת למות. וזה רב שך למעשה אומר כי היה ויכוח בין אביי ואת רב אידי בר אבין. מה קשה לי כאן הוא שלא אביי ולא רב אידי בר אבין מזכירים כי זה הם מתווכחים. הם מתווכחים בעניין הזמן שקניין עובר לשוכר את החיה, הזמן של השבועה או הזמן שהחיה מתה? זה נשמע לי כמו כל הטיעון ביניהם הוא זה: הם מסכימים כי קניין פירות לאו כקניין הגוף [של האובייקט], ושכירות אינה קניין הגוף. אבל במקרה כאשר החי מת אז יש שינוי. ואז קניין פירות כקניין הגוף בתוך האובייקט עצמו. ויש הוכחה פשוטה של ​​הרעיון הזה. גנב שהזיק את האובייקט שהוא גנב, הוא צריך להחזיר כפל המחיר או אובייקטים שלמים, והוא קונה  כלי שהוא שיבר. ראה מה שכתבתי על אין שמין לגנב. אז נזק יכול להעניק קניין במקרה של שכירות גם.

Bava Metzia page 35 - Rav Shach's idea.

In terms of  Rav Shach's idea in laws of hiring I:6 I do not have a lot to add to what God granted to me to write yesterday. The only thing is that I am not so sure if the actual approach really works.

The idea is in short that in Bava Metzia page 35b Rav Aidi bar Abin and Abyee disagree about the sages of the Mishna. Rav Shach brings a good idea from Rav Aaron Kotler that fits well in the place his brings it. But to me it does not look that it fits well with Abyee and Rav Aidi.
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The basic idea of Rav Aaron Kotler makes a lot of sense. It is this. Two people come to the court of law and one claims payment for a loan and the other says you forgave the loan.If it is during the period before the loan is due to be paid the borrower is not believed but if after that period he is believed because he could say I already paid you back. Rav Aaron asks then why not during the time of the loan also? He answers it is a "weak plea." since no loan is standing to be forgiven, It is standing to be paid,
Now Rav Shach applies this idea to when a work animal dies during the time it is being hired out. The Torah does believe the one that hired the animal with an oath but the actual plea itself seems weak. The animal is not standing in order to die. And Rav Shach in fact says that was the argument between Abyee and Rav Aidi.

What bothers me here is that neither Abyee nor Rav Aidi say that that is what they are arguing about. They say they are arguing about when does possession pass to the one that hired the animal--the time of the oath of the time the animal died? That to me sounds like the whole argument between them is this: They agree that possession of the fruits in not like possession of the object, And that hiring does not give possession of the object. But in a case when the animal dies then that changes. Then the possession or hiring does mean there is a possession in the object itself. And there is a simple proof of this idea. A thief that damages the object he stole, he has to give back double the price or whole objects, and he keeps the vessel he broke. [See what I wrote about אין שמין לגנב] So damage can confer possession in the case of hiring also. Maybe this counts as a new idea?


I ought to mention that when I was learning with my learning partner David Bronson-we found ways of answering difficult issues in Rav Shach and if I would be learning with him now perhaps I also could find an answer. However right now I think that my approach here makes more sense.