Torah study

Did You Know?

• Pious individuals often daily review one of the major works such as Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi, Nach, Midrash Rabba, or the Zohar according to their interest.
• A d'var Torah, also known as a drasha or drash, is a talk on topics generally relating to a parashah of the Torah, typically the weekly Torah portion.
• Shnayim mikra ve-echad targum is the study of the weekly Torah portion together with the Aramaic Targum and often Rashi's commentary.

Traditional view

In rabbinic tradition, Torah study is a central duty for Jewish men, while women are not obligated. This body of literature fosters a deep enthusiasm for learning that goes beyond the Hebrew Bible to include the entire Oral Torah. One teaching holds that studying Torah equals the combined merit of honoring parents, performing acts of kindness, and making peace between people. In fact, it is considered greater than honoring one’s parents in one specific way: a person may leave them to study Torah without needing their permission, something not allowed for other commandments. Some rabbis in the Talmud even ranked Torah study above saving a life, but Jewish law does not adopt this view, since preserving life overrides all commandments except murder, incest, and idolatry. Rabbi Meir taught that studying Torah for its own sake makes the entire creation worthwhile for that individual and brings joy to God. The comparison is made that just as a child needs food daily, so should an adult engage with Torah every hour. Torah study is valued more than the daily temple sacrifice, and a single day spent on it outweighs a thousand offerings. A parable compares the Jewish people to fish who can only live in water, stating that Israel can only thrive within the Torah. Those who study at night are granted grace by day, while those who neglect it will face punishment in the afterlife. God is said to weep for someone who could have studied Torah but chose not to. Study must be selfless, pursued even at the cost of one’s life, and continued until the moment of death. Everyone, including lepers and those ritually impure, is required to study. It is also a duty to read the weekly Torah portion twice. According to Rabbi Yehudah, even God studies Torah for the first three hours of each day.

Origins

Torah study is counted among the 613 mitzvot, and the Talmud comments that study is necessary in order to teach. The importance of study is attested to in a Talmudic discussion regarding which is preferred: study or action. The answer is study that leads to action. Although the word Torah refers specifically to the Five Books of Moses, in Judaism it also refers to the Tanakh, the Talmud, and other religious works, including the study of Kabbalah, Hasidism, Mussar, and much more. The mitzvot are like a body because of their performances, done by action as the material elements with holy Kavanah to bring supernal life to all the world. But Torah study is always protection by God and is a cause of the Brit of Matan Torah. The Torah is the Tree of Life to find true spiritual life, that is the Holy Spirit with the three Supernal Sefirot with Da'at and the others. The study of Torah can give life and can build a Temple in the inner dimension of a person. The Talmud defines the objective of Torah study: that the words of Torah shall be clear in your mouth so that if someone asks you something, you shall need not hesitate and then tell it to him, rather you shall tell it to him immediately. In yeshivas, rabbinical schools, and kollels, primary ways of studying Torah include study of the Parsha with its Meforshim, Talmud, and ethical works. Other less universally studied texts include the Nevi'im and Ketuvim, other rabbinic literature, and works of religious Jewish philosophy. The text of the Torah can be studied on any of four levels as described in the Zohar: Peshat (plain or literal reading), Remez (allegorical reading through hint or allusion), Derash (metaphorical reading through comparison or illustration), and Sod.

Methods

The Brisker method consists of a methodical search for precise definitions of each concept involved in the discussion. Once the mechanism by which a law works is rigidly and correctly defined, it can become clear that one aspect of the definition applies in one situation but not another, so the final halacha will differ in the two situations even if they superficially appear very similar. Often an entire series of disagreements among the Rishonim may stem back to a subtle difference in how these Rishonim understand a line from the Talmud. The Brisker method can provide a precise formulation of how each Rishon understood the topic and thus account for their differences in opinion. This approach is most productive when a whole series of debates between two Rishonim can be shown to revolve around a single chakira, or difference in the understanding of a Talmudic concept. The Brisker method is not a total break from the past; rabbis before Brisk sometimes made conceptual distinctions, and Brisker rabbis can still resolve issues without recourse to the terminology they invented. The difference is one of focus and degree. Non-Brisk analysis tends to formulate conceptual definitions only when necessary, while for Briskers, these definitions are the first and most common tool. One example of the emphasis on precise definition is a quote attributed to Chaim Soloveitchik: one approach which answers three different problems is better than three different approaches to individually solve the three problems. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto was the only one to set down the sages' thought process in an organized, systematic, and complete program that can be taught and reproduced. This method makes Gemara learning accessible to everyone by exploring key logical concepts of Talmudic analysis, and it is claimed that based on precision and clarity of thinking, one's inherent intellectual powers are studied, cultivated, and nurtured.