We are where are minds are. We don't become better at anything unless we invest the time and energy needed to improve. And our skills and knowledge can also atrophy if they are not being exercised.
The importance of daily study of Halacha, as part of a general study program, is learned from the Talmud: "It was taught at the Academy of Eliyahu, that whoever studies halachot [Jewish laws and customs] every day, is guaranteed a place in the next world...." (Talmud Megillah 28b).
While the idea of a place in the world to come may seem farfetched — it's a way of explaining that the Torah you study daily is a "merit" that you take with you after you pass from this earth. We cannot take our money, our property, or our record collection. However, we can take with us the merit accrued from mitzvoth that we have done, the tzedakah we have given, and the Torah we have learned.
My goal is to expand our appreciation for the beauty of Torah, inspire our daily living, and help people make lasting commitments to Jewish practice. The more you know about Jewish practice, the more integrated your spiritual life will be. - Rabbi Yonah
Even if you learned Kitzur Shulchan Aruch before, learning it with Rabbi Yonah will bring the book to life. With input from later authorities and Rabbi Yonah's own personal experience, these 20-30 minutes of Torah learning will transform for your day.
Rabbi Yonah's first daily study group started in 1998 when he was acting rabbi for the Nozyk Synagogue in Warsaw. The group would meet every day after minyan to delve into the why and how of Jewish practice. Over the years, and in different settings, Rabbi Yonah created new groups. When the pandemic started in March 2020, Rabbi Yonah's daily class at Pico Shul, shifted to Zoom, and has been online ever since.
With participants from California, to New York, England to Israel, this class is going global and we hope you will check it out!
For more information and to sponsor a class email info@picoshul.org
Rabbi Yonah Bookstein's "Daily Study" is a project of the Pico Shul Alevy Learning Center
and soon on TorahNow.org.