<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 4/11/07, <b class="gmail_sendername">Shoshana L. Boublil</b> <<a href="mailto:toramada@bezeqint.net">toramada@bezeqint.net</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"><br>The 2nd issue is based on the saying: "Just b/c I teach geometry, doesn't<br>mean I'm a triangle..."
<br><br>There are shitot of learning that invest in the training of the mind of the<br>student, in his ability to use logic and learn the meaning of the G'marot --<br>but completely ignore any kind of spiritual/emotional content. It is these
<br>shitot that bring about the existence of people who can be brilliant when it<br>comes to understand a G'mara -- and lousy as human beings. For them, there<br>is no connection whatsoever between what they are learning and what they
<br>must do, how they should act.<br><br>In another post on Avodah, someone quoted the tale of Rabbi Shimon Ben<br>Shetach's donkey (IIRC). How many times have we heard this Rav's response<br>and guidance on how to act quoted by lomdei G'mara? In fact, many people
<br>act like his talmidim and not like the rav at all!<br><br>It is interesting that davka many places that teach according to the method<br>mentioned in the 2nd issue above -- brought in Mussar.</blockquote>
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<div>When Gemara is taught correctly, as not just a training of the mind but a tool in refining the person, a blatt Gemara really can be the best mussar seder. When Limud Gemara is divorced from character development, a separate mussar seder is needed. The places that didn't bring in mussar didn't think that character development isn't important - they just thought the same goals could be accomplished with learning Gemara. If Gemara is learned properly - they're right.
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<div>Michael</div></div>