BSD

Brochos 11b (2)

Menachem Av 7, 5786.  07/21/2026

Very short notes and interesting links to read on Tishah b’Av.

1 – We discussed the תוספות that established the idea that the חיוב of לימוד התורה is a ‘constant’ and so so overwhelming that even if a person pauses his leaning, it does not create a ‘vacuum of time’. There is never a proper הפסק and therefore one does not need to remake the ברכה on learning when he resumes.

2 – Mentioned the הלכה למעשה on the above from the Alter Rebbe’ Shulchan Aruch, 47, 7 that our מנהג  of reciting ברכות התורה only once a day (even for people like us who a not  ‘לומד תמיד’ ) is based on the opinion of the ספר האגור that ברכות התורה, is like ברכות השחר that are made once a day only. See also לקו”ש חי”ד ע’ 150

וכן מי שאין דרכו ללמוד תמיד^סז ובירך ולמד שיעורו^סח ויצא לעסקיו והסיח דעתו מללמוד עוד באותו היום ואח”כ נמלך לחזור וללמוד צריך לחזור ולברך ויש אומרים^סט שברכת התורה היא כברכות השחר שלא תקנו אותן אלא פעם אחת ביום^ע ולפיכך אפילו ישן שינת קבע על מטתו או שיצא לעסקיו והסיח דעתו א“צ לחזור ולברך

וכן נהגו^עא.

 3 – Tosfos mentions the idea that a person cannot be sure when he lays down that he will definitely fall asleep.

We mentioned the question of the רש”ש that is seems from a גמרא in תענית that this assumption is incorrect.

4 – Discussed the Rashash himself, the famous library established by his grandson מתתיהו, the wranglings on the remnants of that library after WWII and… the recent humorous slugfest…..

Read these links in  order to get a picture of this saga.

“In the Strashun Library”: a postcard from the “Vilner yidishe geto” (Vilnius Jewish Ghetto) series with illustrations by Ber Zalkind. (Ber Zalkind, Khaykl Lunski/Wikimedia Commons.)

The Rashash. Here. Story.

His grandson. Here.

The library. Here.

After WWII. Here. Here. Here. Here.

Recent findings about a famous visitor to the library. Here. Here.  Here.

Strashun Library Reading Room. Layzer Ran, Jerusalem of Lithuania, vol. 2, 346.

An easy and meaningful fast to all.