Whatever Your Heart Desires by Rabbi Moshe Newman https://ohr.edu/

https://ohr.edu/this_week/talmud_tips/7741

Rebbi said, “A person learns Torah only from a place that his heart desires.”

In the gemara, a seemingly identical statement is made by Rava: “A person should always learn Torah in a place where his heart desires.” Both teachings are based on a verse in Tehillim (1:2) that states, “But his desire is in the Torah of G-d, and in His Torah he meditates day and night.” The words “his desire” indicate that the Torah’s learner’s desire is essential for his Torah study.

Question: Are Rebbi and Rava in fact expressing the same idea? This would seem unlikely: the gemara would be teaching a redundancy, which is something we would not expect to find in Shas. And are we able to clarify this idea, or these ideas, in a more concrete and practical manner?

First let us examine the context of Rebbi’s statement. The Sages Levi and Rabbi Shimon the son of Rebbi were sitting in front of Rebbi and learning the meaning of certain verses in Tanach from him. When they finished the sefer they were learning, they each made differing requests regarding what sefer to learn next. Levi said he wanted to learn Mishlei, and Rabbi Shimon the son of Rebbi asked for Tehillim. Somehow, Levi was overruled, and Sefer Tehillim was brought for them to learn. When they reached the second verse — “But his desire is in the Torah of G-d” — Rebbi expounded it to be teaching that “A person learns Torah only from a place that his heart desires.” Upon hearing this, Levi said, “Rebbi, with this teaching you have given me permission to stand up (from learning Tehillim, and to learn Mishlei instead, as I desire).” Rashi explains: A Rav should teach his student only a masechet that the student requests to learn from him, because if the Rav teaches a different masechet, the learning will not be successful since the student’s heart is distracted by his interest in the other subject that he desires.

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https://ohr.edu/this_week/talmud_tips/7741

the approach

"Rav Yisroel Salanter said there is no general rule of how to serve G-d properly and this rule is also not an absolute rule. This is because the majority of distinctions and differences are a function of the place and time and thus it cannot be said one approach is "the approach." Rav Binyomin Silber, Otzar Gedolei Yisrael

interesting

"A person only learns Torah if he finds it interesting." Talmud Avodah Zara, 19a

Rashi: "A student should only be taught the Gemara that he is interested in."

these things which seem strange

"When a person beings to learn in yeshiva for the first time, it is important that he have a teacher who will properly explain what he needs to know. The teacher should also be available to explain to him these things which seem strange." Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igros Moshe, YD 4:38-7

is this the diff between the Manalim and Chassidim?

Little Big Man (1970) - Do you hate the White man now? - YouTube

Do you see this fine thing?

Do you admire the humanity of it?

Because the Human Beings, my son,...

...they believe everything is alive.

Not only man and animals,...

...but also water, earth, stone.

And also the things from them,...

...like that hair.

The man from whom this hair came,...

...he's bald on the other side,...

...because I now own his scalp.

That is the way things are.

But the white men,...

...they believe

everything is dead:...

...stone, earth, animals,...

...and people,

even their own people.

If things keep trying to live,

white men will rub them out.

That is the difference.

Did the Manalim pick this up from the goyim?

fear based kiruv

fear shuts down frontal brain function. you can no longer think, examine, process, question. you accept what you hear and do it with certainty.

you give up your autonomy and are furious with yourself for not trusting your instincts, you got snuckered

when you follow false gods, whether they be doctors, politicians, leaders of any kind, academia, whatever, all hell breaks loose

i begin with the experiential side

i begin with the experiential side. that take roots in a person and the likelyhood is that something of Elokis will come in a take that person further.

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin interviews Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi (October 6, 2010) - YouTube