Chazal teach us that one should learn ma shelibo chafetz—what his heart desires. I really like learning Chassidus, so is it okay if I only learn Chassidus and not other parts of Torah which I don’t enjoy so much?
We should view our learning like we view our eating habits. Torah is the nutrition of the neshama, just like food is the nutrition of the body. There are two components to our eating. For the nutritional value of our food, we need to eat things like protein (eggs, meat, etc.) and other foods that everyone needs in order to be healthy. But there is also the tastiness of the food, and eating food that we enjoy is also very important. If we only eat food that we do not like, it can make us feel downcast and not good about ourselves.
The same concept applies to learning Torah. Every Yid should have a set time to learn the “main nutrients of Torah,” l’fi kocho (in accordance with his unique abilities), such as Chumash, Gemara, and Halacha. Even if this is not a part of Torah that “his heart desires,” one should do so with mesiras nefesh (kafo aleihem har k’gigis). Of course, one should also be sure to dedicate time to learn Torah that is “tasty” to him, as this infuses his neshama with chiyus (vitality) and is an important part of the “diet” of his soul.
How much time to put into each part is really a question that each person has to ask his rebbe, who knows the nature of his soul. But in a very general way, one should ideally split up the time he has to learn Torah between “the main nutrients” and the ma shelibo chafetz. (It doesn’t have to be exactly 50/50, but more or less so.) If the nature of one’s neshama is that this is very difficult for him, at the very least one should make a strong kvius of a dedicated time to learn these areas of Torah that are hard for him. Even a short kvius of a few minutes is very significant, and over time will add up to a lot!
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 39.
