Halacha2goThe one minute halacha

How much Torah Must I Know?

Question: Every Jewish man is required to fulfill the mitzvah of yedias haTorah (mastering the Torah). How is it possible to master the entire Torah?

Answer: On the most elementary level, this means being proficient in halachos hatzrichos (the necessary laws) that people encounter on a regular basis.

On a more comprehensive level, the mitzvah of yedias haTorah encompasses kol haTorah kulah, the entire scope of classical Torah literature, namely Tanach and the texts composed by Chazal, including even the less studied midrashim. The chachmei haKabalah (the sages who promulgated the ideas of Kabbalah) revealed that every neshamah (soul) has to learn the entire Torah in order to achieve perfection, and whoever fails to do so will be returned to this world in another gilgul (reincarnation) in order to fill the gaps in his knowledge.

Between these two disparate approaches lies a more moderate interpretation of the mitzvah of yedias haTorah (and the one given by the Smag [Sefer Mitzvos Gadol, an early, classic work detailing the 613 mitzvos, by R. Moshe of Coucy]): Being knowledgeable in all 613 mitzvos, not only those mitzvos and halachos which are currently relevant, but even those that don’t apply bizman hazeh (during the present era of exile). Practically speaking, the best way to achieve this is by learning Mishneh Torah of the Rambam, one of the only sefarim to cover every single halachah, even those that cannot be fulfilled until Moshiach comes.

Publishers Note:

Yesterday, 6 Kislev, thousands of Jews completed the 34^th cycle of daily study of Rambam. 

Today, those who study three chapters of the Rambam daily will iy”H begin the 35^th cycle. #453