Article by Rabbi Mendel Dubov: The challenge of Limud Harambam reflects the great challenge of our time. Without the Rebbe’s Takana, Rambam would probably not be your first choice of learning. If it were, it would not be three Perakim a day.
By Rabbi Mendel Dubov – Shliach to Sussex County, NJ
We’ve just come from Shavuos, and our thoughts are around Torah, our Shiurim in Torah, etc. So let’s put the cards on the table:
Without the Rebbe’s Takana, Rambam would probably not be your first choice of learning. If it were, it would not be three Perakim a day. Even if you would choose to embark on such a project, it would not be indefinite, year in year out, until Moshiach comes.
You probably want to learn a lot of other things. I know I do.
I recently came across a letter of the Rebbe to Rav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, the great Gaon and editor of the Encyclopedia Talmudis.
Rabbi Zevin had commented to the Rebbe about the length of detail in the entries of Sefer Ha’erchim (the equivalent of the Encyclopedia Talmudis for Chassidus). The Rebbe acknowledged that he completely agreed with R. Zevin, and that he had brought this up with the editors of Sefer Ha’erchim “with some success”.
But, the Rebbe added:
[1].“וקשה אפהאלטן פון קאכן זיך אין חסידות, קשה “גם” להמגביל”
It is difficult to hold back (the editors) from “קאכן זיך” in Chassidus; [and] this is difficult “also” for the one who is placing the limitation (i.e. the Rebbe)”.
This rare expression by the Rebbe acknowledged the fact that no one more than the Rebbe understands and desires “קאכן זיך אין חסידות”. To limit this for anyone is as hard – actually harder – for the Rebbe than for the one of whom it is being asked. The idea of the Sefer Ha’erchim, the Rebbe wrote, was to bolster the spreading of Chassidus. Brevity and speed of publication had to take precedence over the length and depth of the entries.
This was essentially what the Rebbe hinted at (or more than hinted) regarding the study of Rambam:
We are living on the verge of Moshiach’s coming. In this historic time, there is a special Avoda. Limud Harambam, preferably three Perakim a day, every day, is a crucial part of what we need to accomplish right before the Geulah.
Imagine asking a Yid in any given century, “can you conceive of the fact that the Avoda in the years right before Moshiach’s coming would be unique? Special? Different?” Perfectly so. It would actually be hard to conceive that the Avoda in these pivotal years would be “usual” in any way!
As explained in Hayom Yom[2], we can sometimes be aroused with the deep desire of learning Chassidus and delving deeply into its השכלה, but these are just the machinations of the “Frum” or even “Chasidishe” נפש הבהמית holding us back from doing the Avoda that is necessary at that moment.
The challenge of daily Limud Harambam is a reflection of the great challenge of our time: Staying with the Rebbe, all the way, all the time; for as long as necessary and for as much as necessary, until Moshiach finally comes.
So, to put it simply:
Don’t give in to the temptation of downgrading to one perek or Sefer Hamitzvos out of desire to learn other things. Don’t resign yourself to reading the words of Rambam without proper attention, while investing your actual learning efforts in other parts of Torah.
Just think for a second what that would actually mean. I know I need to learn Rambam. Why Rambam? because this is from the Rebbe. So now, what, I’ve moved on?…
In the words that Hashem uses regarding B’nei Yisrael: שטרי קודם – “my contract is first”. The deepest bond we have with the Rebbe, that the Rebbe is everything to us, means that the Rebbe’s Inyanim take precedence over everything else.
Now, does the Rebbe know that he made a Takana that has no end date and no break even for a day? Does he know that many Perakim and segments of Rambam are too hard for most people to properly grasp, certainly if they are pressed to finish the day’s Shiur? Does he understand that no one has the same schedule and that long, hard Perakim may be the Shiur for a long, hard day and there’s a good chance that it will just need to be “said”?
I think we can all smile in understanding. The Rebbe knew all this and much more. He spoke about these concerns himself!
And, as in the letter quoted above, it may actually have been very “hard” for the Rebbe to ask us for an Avodah with such limiting factors. But here we are, in the last moments of Golus, and there are special, particular things that must be accomplished. Would we really trade on being a full part of this incredible time? At such a time, do we want to forfeit being – fully – on the Rebbe’s “wagon”?
So next time someone asks you, or you ask yourself: “What are you learning these days”? You have no reason to be “ashamed” to say: Three Perakim of Rambam every day.
Chitas and Rambam done with effort are not “obvious”, and do not “go without saying”. By any standard they constitute a very respectable Shiur of learning.
But when it’s 1:00 in the morning and you still have 2 whole Perakim left to learn in Hilchos Geirushin, Yibum V’chalitza or Kiddush Hachodesh, consider this:
Just like being a Tankist or a Shliach, tenaciously keeping the Takanos of Chitas and Rambam means that you are a soldier of the Rebbe, fulfilling his holy request even when it’s not easy. That should fill you with the deepest joy and pride.
The Rebbe’s requests are the place where the Rebbe is to be found. In addition to everything that Limud Hatorah carries in it, every Halacha of the day’s Shiur carries in it the Rebbe himself. After all is said and done, staying together with the Rebbe should be all we could ever wish for.
[1] Igros Kodesh Vol. 32 p. 79.
[2] 23 Sivan
The Rebbe made it clear that Chitas and Rambam are an addition to the daily shiurim in learning that every Yid must have. Learning Gemara every day is not an “extra,” is the bread and butter of a Yid. Learning Chassidus and the Rebbe’s Torah is also not an “extra” for a chossid.
Using the idea of “shtari kodem” actually weakens your argument…
I’m not against learning Gemara daily, but where does it say that it’s bread and butter? In Halacha it says פרק א שחרית ופרק א ערבית , that could mean a perek in tanach or in Mishnah.
For starters, basic practices of Yidden for generations doesn’t need a written source. As explained in Hilchos Talmud Torah (2:1), Gemara is a basic element of Torah study, without which one is a “boor.”
Likewise, the Tzemach Tzedek told his grandchildren who were learning Choshen Mishpat, “Torah means Gemara with Rashi” (Lsheima Ozen p. 47).
In other places, we find emphasis on Gemara learning: Likutei Torah Devorim 84b – Learning Gemara even though halacha is in Shulchan Aruch; Hemshech 5666 p. 572 – grabbing the Gemara whenever there is time; Igros Kodesh Rayatz vol. 8 p. 584 – daily learning Gemara is the tool for hiskashrus.
The Frierdiker Rebbe instructs to learn an amud of Gemara each day (Lsheima Ozen p. 126).
You can find additional sources here:
https://yagdiltorah.org/pdf/gemara.pdf
At 1 in the morning in Sivan there are still 19 hours left to finish the daily shiur in its time.
My wish is that I should be on the level to prefer other learning over Rambam. The darga that this article is sholel is already for a shtikel mentch.
so,
i understand the writers immense feeling of hiskashrus –
and this well meant,
although i tend to connect with a more ‘natural’ kind of hiskashrus,
i feel that it is of utmost importance – to have kabolas ol,
and yet i feel that in our times, we neef a much bigger koch in the avodas hasimcha.
we can be kabolas olniks from today till tommorrow,
if we don’t learn to have simcha –
we are not achieving the goal
the article is great, don’t disagree with anything, and i wish i could do it, I learn gemarah with rishonim and sugyos it’s not easy, I value it. What gets me going is that I can somewhat connect to it, I know if I took on 3 perakim rambam i wouldn’t end up learning anything, I have tried and tried that is what happened… I feel guilty but that is reality and i know that a yid has to learn…
I found that over the years Chitas has become like davening for me. BH since there is no question in my mind about davening it doesn’t make me sweat thinking about it. Chitas took a few years but I think it’s the same. Now just have to view rambam that way as well.
The only time I ever kept a long streak of rambam was when I did it in the morning. This 1 AM thing….
I know what is taught (openly and not openly) in Yeshiva—that everyone must learn 3 perakim to be a Chossid—but maybe this is merely a hergesh from some people’s imagination? The Rebbe himself offered the 1 perek option. Why did we make it seem as if you’re a lesser Chossid if you follow that path?
One of the most prominent Rabbonim in Crown Heights always emphasizes that the Rebbe meant Rambam “benosaf la’shiurim hakvuim”, which is… you know, Gefes.
On the other hand, when I asked a respected mashpia years ago in Yeshiva for permission to downgrade to 1 perek in order to better enjoy the learning, his answer was, “I’m afraid you’ll end up learning 1 like you currently learn 3…”
I liked this article—it touched on every question I had.
“Hmm… is it a made-up hergesh or not?”
This question should only be asked about something the Rebbe hasn’t spoken about and published *dozens* of times.
Regarding the Rambam, the Rebbe made the takkanah as clear as can be, time and time again: the mainstream track that everyone should aspire to is Shlosha Prokim, finishing כל התורה כולה in a year.
If someone is able to do Shlosha Prokim but settles for Perek Echad – it amounts to bittul Torah.
If it is impossible for someone to do Shlosha Prokim, they should feel pained that they are forced to do Perek Echad (אונס רחמנא פטריה), and that feeling of pain itself will somewhat compensate for what they are lacking by doing Perek Echad.
All of this has been made clear by the Rebbe on many occasions. Dismissing it as a “hergesh” is just an excuse to take the easy way out.
M. Shmei
Anyone familiar with the Rebbe’s farbrengens and igros knows that the Rebbe set a high bar in all areas. The Rebbe demanded serious iyun in nigleh and Chassidus, avodas hatefilah, dedication to the mivtzoim, etc.
At the same, time the Rebbe told individuals to prioritize and know what they are capable of by speaking to their mashpia.
How do you resolve these two opposites?
The answer is simple: As an ideal, we need to aspire for the full thing. But in practice there is an order of priorities.
Grabbing one horaa at the expense of all the others is a Chassidus shel shtus and against the Rebbe’s own instructions.
Maybe the solution to the Rambam Crisis is not to double down on reading it but to pivot to learning it. If it’s late at night and we are reading Hebrew words and wish we could satiate our brains with other learning stimuli, maybe the solution is not to just plow ahead but to fight our fatigue to try to understand the words we are saying.
How many of us learn Rambam like we do the other subjects?
How often do we pass by a word that we don’t understand and think that the word is not a make it or break it to understanding pshat?
When we buy groceries with our wives shopping list, do we also skip over the words that are hard to understand? Is that also not a make it or break it?
At the end of the day, there’s a reason learning only works when libo chafetz—when the heart desires it—as Chazal taught and the Rebbe strongly emphasized. When taking on a major undertaking like learning three perokim a day, this inner motivation is not optional; it’s essential.
That’s why, in reality, around 90% of the “big mashpi’im and Chassidim” who promote the daily Rambam cycle end up merely reading it—to varying degrees—rather than truly learning it. There’s just no way around it.
Ask yourself: how many people do you know who actually do the three-perokim cycle? Now ask: how many of them are real experts in the Rambam, despite completing it every year? Exactly. It proves a simple and undeniable point.
So if someone tries learning three perokim a day without libo chafetz, it’s almost inevitable that they’ll retain very little. That defeats the whole purpose of the takana. When it comes to mesirus nefesh—throwing ourselves into the fire for the Rebbe—we’ll do it without hesitation. But when it comes to real learning, retaining, benefitting, and enjoying—it has to align with our intellectual and emotional makeup. There’s no shortcut around that.