[Avodah] WHO MUST LEARN IT ALL?

David Wacholder dwacholder at gmail.com
Tue Apr 17 23:42:05 PDT 2012


Skip to Dr. Maimon's Prescription at the end of the post. .

Rambam's Hakdamah - is actually the basis and infrastructure of Hilchos
Talmud Torah. Without connecting the two, neither one is readable. Put them
together and many passages in both suddenly become coherent and alive..


   1. Title Pasuk  - Tehillim 119-6, Then I will not be embarrassed when I
         am examining deeply all of your Commandments - HOW does the upcoming
         recital of facts connect to that?
         2. [Body] The [written] commandments were given with their [orally
         transmitted] explications. He commanded us to do the Torah
with its [oral]
         details and practices.
         3. ...line ten - the explanation of the details and meaning [Moshe
         Rabeinu was not allowed to write] Mosheh did not write it,
rather he taught
         it and commanded them to [keep it whole and not add or subtract]
         4. To the [70? ] elders to Yehoshua and to all of Israel
         5. The oral commands/explanations of written commands, Those you
         you shall be careful to do - do not add or subtract to any of
teh oral ,
         were one large entire Body of Law, forbidden to add or
subtract FROM THE
         ORAL LAW.  (up to ilne 13 in Shabtai Frankel ed. Sefer Hamada volume)
         6. And this is why it is called Orally Taught Law.
         7. Line 14 - despite its unwritten [only orally taught] Moshe
         taught ALL OF IT in his court TO 70 ELDERS
         8. [Although] all three - Elazar Hakohein and Pinchas ben Elazar
         and Yehoshua learned the [entire?] Oral Torah from Moshe -
         9. Still to Yehoshua who was specifically his Talmid - Special
         student o fMosheh the teacher of us all - - he specifically
gave Yehoshua
         "Achrayut" duty of of the Oral Teaching and specifically
adjured him to
         carefully watch over it.
            1. Column 2 line 23 - Shmaya and Avtalyon "Geirei hatzedek" and
            their courtr accepted from...and Hillel and Shamai and their Courts
            accepted from them

===    Each generation has one person, or two people or 70 people whose job
it is to teach the entire Torah to the next generation. Fact - it cannot be
written!! So how does it survive for one generation much less for 3600
years and counting? Who is the guard who must learn it and keep it?

            There is no specific person appointed from birth!! Rather -
each father brings up every child to become Moshe Rabeinu or Yehoshua. Each
person then takes responsibility for as much of the Yedias Hatorah as is
his ability at the moments. Even Moshe did not absorb it in one huge
swallow - he learnt it piece by piece, and may have needed the spaces
between Parshyas.

             Just as Moshe received whatever level he needed to stand on
Har Sinai 40 days and forty nights - just so each potential Moshe Rabeinu
or Yehoshua - will receive whatever help they need. Hillel's daily routine
of working the time necessary to earn the bare minimum, spending the
discretionary portion on Talmud Torah, that drive to become "MIMAATIKEI
HASHEMUAH" was not unique to Hillel only.  The dut is on every man, young,
old,  etc.

          The entire Torah - the indispensable instructions - must be
learnt, redacted from mistakes and errors, and then given over to the next
generation. The obligation - is as universal as the potential. Nobody is
"less than equal" - all must step by step approach becoming the Gadol hador
- in Rambam parlance Maatikei Hashemuah.  The One Big Man who is crowned
like Yehoshua - earned it by "the sweaat of his brow" did not relinquish
the Tent of Moshe rabeinu.  He let no law escape his hearing.

            This "universal draft" and "Maamad Har sinai" generated epic
journey - is the obligation of every single person. The father is in best
position to orient the child and initiate his journey, and if th eson
 learnds the entire Torah - That is a specific detail.

            Klal uprat, or in parlance "Tzurah v'chomer" - to the Rambam
the Hakdama is the "acceptance of the Mission of the burden of the Call -
for the entire Yad Hachazakah.  One can envision him,  first putting the
hakdamah as part of Hilchos Talmud Torah, then putting the whole thing into
the Hakdamah, then deciding to split the pieces - the Klal at the Preface -
and the operational details in Hilchos Talmud Torah.

           Important details include - the break when you hit Chapter one
paragraph 12 - after Stage One you are put on Maintenance - fewer hours
repeating the Laws he heard and absorbed from his teachers, and more time
generating brand new insights and deeper novel connections.


>From PRESCRIPTION PAD OF
 MOSHE BEN MAIMON, DOCTOR OF SOULS:

Study and memorize each Written Law along with its Oral Law instructions.
 Continue and do not stop until you have learnt and remember all 613
Mitzvot. Then reduce review to one third of the day. The other two thirds -
study how they fit together adding novel insights.

Repeat process as often as needed.

May we all arrive there on Atzeres - Shavuos coming soon - all agree that
the Mitzvah of enjoying the material pleasures - "Lachem"  is binding.
 We have no time to idle away. By  the end of Sefiras HaOmer - we have
little choice but to complete the entire Torah.  Then for one third of the
day we will review what we learnt..


Looking forward to Yom Tov!
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