[All Lists] [By Thread] [By Date] [Previous] [Next]
From: R. Kovacs
Subject: Certificate format
Date: 8 Cheshvan 5782
Nu, this reminds me of what my father told me about studying.
When he was young in Munkács, the rebbe gave him the Talmud. Sixty-three tractates. Commentaries upon commentaries. The Rashi, the Tosafot, the Rosh, the Ran. Every question anticipated, every edge case discussed.
My father said: "I cannot learn all this. I need to know what to do."
The rebbe gave him the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. The abridged code. Just the rulings. No debates, no minority opinions, no chains of reasoning.
My father asked: "Is this not too simple?"
The rebbe said: "The Talmud is for understanding. The Kitzur is for doing. Know which you need."
My father used the Kitzur for forty years. When he had a hard question, he went back to the Talmud. But for daily life, the abridgment was enough.
—Shlomo Dov Kovacs
Thread: