R' Shlomo, a maggid shiur of a local daf yomi,
walked into his shiur room. He was surprised to
find the lights on, since usually at this time none of his
baalei batim had arrived yet. Today however, a full 10
minutes before schedule, there was Yankel, a middle-aged real
estate broker, sitting in his seat earnestly shuckling
over his gemara.
Overwhelmed by the sight, R' Shlomo couldn't hold himself
back and approached him.
"R' Yankel! Look at you! You're learning with the geshmack
of a yeshiva bochur!"
"Well, to tell you the truth Rebbe," he said smiling
sheepishly, "It's only natural now that I have begun using a
new learning and chazorah program. It feels so
natural."
"Learning program? What learning program are you talking
about?"
"You know that I've been complaining lately about the lack of
fulfillment in my learning. I started feeling that although I
was spending a lot of time learning, I was barely
understanding and retaining anything. My son-in-law mentioned
that there is a chaburah in his yeshiva that is using
a unique learning and chazorah program to solve this
very problem. I did a little research and I have now been
using this learning program for about a week and I see that
it's true! I am actually excited and can't wait to come to
the shiur."
Very intrigued, R' Shlomo asked for a phone number where he
could find out more about the learning program.
Later that evening, R' Shlomo called the number he was given.
"Someone in my shiur told me about a program he was
given to improve his learning," he said, "and now he can't
tear himself away from the gemora. He was awake and
totally involved in the shiur from beginning to end.
His questions are clear and to the point. And he even
remembered what I had said yesterday! There are times that I,
myself, can't remember all of the material that I have
prepared for my shiur, so I would like to hear more
about this amazing system."
Ten minutes later, R' Shlomo knew the answer. Here is a
simple and effective way to learn and remember Shas --
and anyone and everyone can do it.
Striving Towards a Goal
As with every successful endeavor, Torah study requires a
clear goal and strategy. Everyone realizes that the end
result of any project is directly related to the amount of
planning that goes into it. The same is true with Torah
study. It doesn't make a difference if you have the entire
day available to realize your goal or just a limited time
slot. As long as your goal is set to match the time
available, it can work.
The first part of setting your goal is to determine how much
material will be covered. Whether the limud will be
gemora, mishnayos or Chumash, a clear goal must
be set describing what will be covered.
But how does one set this goal? At the end of the page? The
blatt? The perek? The masechta? And, if
and when the goal is reached, is there some way to make sure
that the material covered will be retained and remembered?
And if there is, shouldn't this be an integral part of the
goal?
A common remark is, "I'm no genius. I can't set my goal at
finishing a masechta -- let alone remembering it!"
But -- does it really take a genius to remember one's
learning? Absolutely not! All it takes is the desire to do it
and a plan that can make it happen. Using this stimulating
learning and chazorah program, anyone with even an
average head and an average memory can accomplish this
feat.
The Theory
Science has taught us that memory is composed of two parts:
1) short term memory 2) long term memory. Short term memory
lasts for a number of days or at most a few weeks.
Every bit of information is first "deposited" into short-term
memory. It may become long-term memory but only if the
impression made in our mind is strong enough. Though there
are many different ways to create this impression, one very
basic strategy is continual review. The theory here is
simple: the review does not cause a person to remember his
learning, it just does not give him a chance to forget it.
Gedolim over the ages have extolled the virtues of
chazorah -- often referring to it as the very essence
of Torah learning. Chazal say, "Eino domeh shoneh pirko
mei'ah pe'omim leshoneh pirko mei'ah ve'echod" -- one
cannot compare the study of the one hundredth review to the
study of the one hundredth-and-first review (Chagigah
9b), meaning that with each review one develops a more
comprehensive understanding of the previously studied
material.
However, Chazal also anticipated a common problem. The
gemora says, "Migmar be'atika kashe
mei'chadeto," the review of old [learning] is more
difficult than new [learning] (Yoma 29a). The
excitement of tackling something new often entices a person
to commence studying. However, reviewing what was studied
yesterday just doesn't seem to excite us all that much. In
fact we sometimes have the feeling that it's boring (chas
vesholom).
Yet nothing could be further from the truth. When we finish
learning a blatt and turn the page, how well do we
really know it? Will we remember it tomorrow? Next week? Next
year? The only thing that can help to guarantee that the
average person will retain what he has learned -- is
chazorah. By maintaining a regular schedule of review,
one has created a mechanism that allows for a deeper
understanding of everything that was previously learned.
Yesterday's learning has merely set the foundation for
today's learning. We keep building to ultimately end up with
a deep understanding of the sugya.
Many times the gemora will discuss a particular topic
in one place, only to continue the topic many blatt
later -- and then again in several other places in
Shas. Without chazorah, how is one able to
remember what the gemora said 10 blatt ago --
let alone in a different masechta?
Of course, chazorah cannot consume all of one's
allotted learning time and new material must be learned on a
daily basis. However, by reserving part of our time for
chazorah we thereby follow a system that will allow us
to gain this great and important gift of long-term memory.
The rest of the theory is built upon constantly amassing new
material -- while maintaining a regular periodical review of
the old. Each day brings a new amud or blatt,
along with regular chazorah. After a gemora
is studied initially, a day must not go by before
reviewing the gemora a second time. The third time is
after a week. The fourth after a month. The fifth chazorah
is done after three months and then, the gemora
must be reviewed once a year (on the date that you saw it
originally).
When a gemora is chazerred six times over the course
of the first year -- how can one forget what he has learned?
Of course, one must be disciplined to maintain this schedule,
but it is well worth the effort.
Many people using this program have testified that each
chazorah actually deepens their original understanding
of the gemora, culminating in a comprehensive
knowledge of the entire masechta. The joy and
simchas haTorah that this brings is something that
cannot be described -- it must be experienced.
The Result
Many have been utilizing this unique program for the last few
years -- with remarkable results.
The originator of this program, R' Sender Dolgin, recently
made his first siyum on all of Shas. Four-and-a-
half years of diligent study, along with numerous
chazorahs, have culminated with his learning every
single blatt in Shas, at least three -- and as
many as nine -- times. Now that he has reached his original
goal, he plans to review all of Shas every year.
Imagine that! He has now set his new goal at learning Shas
with rishonim within the next four years.
A young man who had been attending a regular daf yomi
shiur found that he was having trouble concentrating and
staying focused on what was being taught. A good friend told
him about this learning and chazorah program. Though
he did not have the time to learn a full blatt of
gemora along with chazorah each day, he was
able to learn an amud a day. After working with this
program for a few short weeks he commented to his friend,
"You can't believe the difference this has made in my entire
household. I, myself, have my daily learning to which to look
forward, my wife is very proud of me, and I've even heard my
young son say, `Don't bother Tatty now, he has to learn.' "
He now recommends this program to all of his friends.
Another fellow who recently opened his own business and would
put in a very long day at the office, has taught himself to
find time that didn't exist. For instance, instead of driving
to business meetings, he now tries to find a way to take
public transportation. Why? Because this will create a couple
of extra hours to learn. He told someone, "If I would not be
using this program, I would have gone through the last three
years without learning a word -- and I really would have had
a good excuse!"
The same fellow once found himself in the waiting room in an
area hospital at two o'clock in the morning. What was he
doing? Why learning of course!
A kollel yungerman, after several years in yeshiva,
started to feel that he was "burning out" and began looking
to leave the yeshiva. A friend of his told him about the
chaburah that was using this learning and chazorah
program. After a very short time in the chabura,
this yungerman has developed a new eagerness for
learning, and has accepted upon himself to learn at least
1,000 blatt before leaving kollel. He is now
learning in the beis medrash, day and night.
Interestingly enough, the most enthusiastic proponents of
this system are the wives. Recently, a kollel yungerman
who was in this learning and chazorah chabura was
offered an opportunity to join a prestigious out-of-town
kollel. While this was an exciting offer, it meant
that he would no longer be able to continue with this
program. As soon as his wife heard about the offer -- she
vetoed the idea saying she was so happy with her "new"
husband and wanted him to continue with the program.
Why Not You?
The gemora says, "Hatorah . . . munachas bekeren
zovis. Kol harotze lilmod, yovo veyilmod" -- The Torah
was put in a corner, and anyone who wants to, may come and
learn it (Kiddushin 66a). Success in learning is not
reserved for the brilliant. It is available for anyone and
everyone.
In Mishnas Rav Aharon (Volume 3, pages 25-26) Rav
Aharon Kotler writes in the name of the Nefesh HaChaim that
after 120 years, each and every Yid will be tested on all of
Shas. Not only talmidei chachomim will be
tested. Each and every one of us must face this test.
When Rav Mordechai Gifter was a young boy in high school, his
wall was covered with pictures of gedolim. In the
center of all of the pictures was an empty space with a small
handwritten note that read: "WHY NOT YOU!" Of course, few of
us will grow to R' Gifter's level, but shouldn't we strive to
fulfill the potential that we have?
A yungerman who has been learning with this system for
close to three years recently told me, "Before I started this
system, I never dreamed that I could be a Shas Yid.
Now, I don't think that I could forgive myself if I'm
not!"
At the recent gathering celebrating the siyum of a
masechta by a group of kollel yungerleit, one
of the speakers mentioned the following story: Rav Isser
Zalman Meltzer said that during his days in Volozhin there
were three groups of talmidim: Those who spent their
entire day learning be'iyun, those who spent the
entire day learning bekiyus, and a third group of
those who spent half of their day on iyun, and half on
bekiyus. "The talmidei chachomim, "said Rav
Isser Zalman, "came from the third group!"
Even if one is zocheh to spend his entire day learning
Torah in yeshiva -- it is of utmost importance not to forget
that there is a vast Shas out there that must be
mastered by each and every one of us.
This program has been proven effective and is guaranteed to
work. If you would like a copy of this unique program or if
you would like more information, please send your request,
along with a self-addressed envelope to: Rabbi Sender Dolgin,
213 Squankum Road, Lakewood, NJ 08701.
Now you know that this learning and chazorah program
has been tried and tested. And you know how well over a
hundred people with only average abilities are walking around
happy and fulfilled as they move along on their way to
becoming Shas Yidden.
There is really only one question -- WHY NOT YOU?
