A lot of people are not aware of the depths of the Gemara and Tosphot. I myself was unaware of this in even though I knew there was an emphasis on in depth learning in Shar Yashuv and all Litvak yeshivot. But I had no idea of how to get to the depths. Like a deep sea diver--one needs the proper equipment,
So my year of study of Hulin I just did the Gemara with some Tosphot. And the class given by Rav Forest went into some Tosphot and rishonim and the Shulchan Aruch with the Taz and Shach on each subject.
I learned on my own the Maharsha and Rashba, Ritva and Tosphot haRosh. Still I had no entry clearance into the depths of the Gemara until I asked Naphtali Yegeer a question on Tosphot. Then Before I could explain the question he asked me to say over the question and answer of Tosphot, When I started to do so I could feel a sort of of bump in the Tosphot. There he showed me that tosphot is intending some deeper level. Some question that Tosphot means to ask in around about way. but then would naturally occur a deeper question and there too in Tosphot itself would be the answer to that next question and thus one would go on for about twenty levels successively getting deeper and deeper. So I became aware of this depth in Tosphot even though I could not get there myself.
At the Mir in NY the sort of learning was very much along the lines of Rav Chaim of Brisk.--But the classes were not in Rav Chaim's book but rather the roshei yeshiva had there own new ideas in every class that were along the lines of Rav Chaim. It was like a continuation of of Rav Chaim. [The Roshei yeshiva there never wrote their ideas --all except the first year teacher who wrote the Sukat David which was a synopsis of his classes.]
I still was not able to get to this level of depth, but I was aware that it existed sicne the window to it had been opened to me once. Later in Uman when David Bronson came I saw this level of depth again. He had learned in the yeshiva of the Gra in Jerusalem of Rav Silverman. [This seems to be a proof that the real authentic spirit of Torah is found only in Litvak yeshivas.]
