Dear Matzav Inbox,
In recent weeks, a glossy new effort has begun making the rounds, complete with polished language and lofty promises, all centered on one seductive phrase: helping bochurim “know Kol HaTorah Kulah” by learning Rambam. It sounds inspiring. It sounds ambitious. It sounds holy. And it is precisely because it sounds so good that it deserves to be challenged, forcefully and without apology.
A bochur is not supposed to be mastering Kol HaTorah Kulah. That may sound jarring to some ears in an age addicted to slogans and shortcuts, but it is a simple truth rooted in mesorah, experience, and common sense.
A bochur is supposed to be learning how to learn.
That is not a semantic distinction. It is the entire foundation of the yeshiva system.
The goal of the formative yeshiva years has never been encyclopedic knowledge. It has never been box-checking or coverage. It has never been about being able to say, “I finished X” or “I know Y.” The goal has always been something far deeper and far less flashy: acquiring the tools, discipline, patience, and intellectual honesty required to engage Torah seriously for a lifetime.
Learning how to learn means grappling with a sugya until it hurts. It means struggling through a Tosafos that refuses to cooperate. It means developing the ability to ask the right questions, to recognize when something does not yet make sense, and to sit with that discomfort rather than paper it over with summaries or surface-level clarity. It means learning a derech halimud, not collecting achievements.
And crucially, it means learning what one’s yeshiva tells him to learn.
The yeshiva system is not an accident. It is not a haphazard assembly of masechtos and meforshim. It is the result of generations of refinement by Torah giants who understood that Torah growth requires structure, restraint, and patience. Bochurim are not free agents building personal Torah portfolios. They are talmidim being shaped, carefully, by a framework designed to produce depth, not breadth.
When a yeshiva chooses a particular masechta, a particular approach, a particular emphasis, it is doing so with one goal in mind: building a ben Torah. Not a walking index. Not a marketing success story. A ben Torah.
The recent push to redirect bochurim toward mastering Rambam under the banner of “knowing Kol HaTorah Kulah” fundamentally misunderstands this. Limud of Rambam is, of course, sacred. Learning Rambam is invaluable. But when, how, and for whom matters. Not every good thing is good at every stage. Not every lofty goal is appropriate for every age. And not every powerful sefer belongs at the center of a bochur’s already demanding and carefully calibrated learning schedule.
What worries me most is not the Rambam itself, but the mindset behind the campaign.
We are increasingly uncomfortable with process. We crave outcomes. We want to be able to say that our bochurim are “doing something,” “finishing something,” “knowing something.” We want neat narratives and impressive claims. And so we invent new tracks, new initiatives, new frameworks, often without asking the most important question of all: Who asked for this?
Our bochurim are already under immense pressure. They are navigating demanding learning schedules, expectations from yeshivos, families, peers, and shidduch systems, all while trying to figure out who they are and how they fit into the world of Torah. The last thing they need is yet another external program whispering in their ear that what they are doing is not enough, that unless they are also “knowing Kol HaTorah Kulah,” they are somehow missing the boat.
That is not encouragement. That is distraction.
And distraction in the formative years is not benign. It pulls a bochur off track, not in dramatic rebellion, but in subtle misalignment. Focus becomes divided. Priorities blur. The message shifts from “immerse yourself fully in your yeshiva’s derech” to “add this on, just in case.” Over time, that erosion matters.
We should be deeply wary of new inventions in chinuch, especially those introduced from outside the yeshiva world and marketed directly to bochurim. Mesorah does not reject innovation out of fear; it rejects it out of responsibility. The burden of proof lies with those who want to change the system, not with those who are protecting it.
There will be a time—many times, in fact—when a Jew can and should broaden his horizons, build bekius, master Rambam, and aspire toward encompassing Torah knowledge. That time is not defined by a catchy campaign or an advertising push. It comes naturally, organically, after the foundations have been laid.
A bochur does not need to know Kol HaTorah Kulah.
He needs to know how to learn Torah.
He needs to know a derech halimud.
How to make a laining – or a “lainis‘ for the old timers – on a Gemara.
He needs to know how to stay on track even when shiny alternatives beckon.
Let us not confuse ambition with wisdom.
Let us not mistake slogans for substance.
And let us not pull our bochurim off the path that generations before us fought so hard to preserve.
Sometimes the most responsible thing we can say to a new idea—no matter how well-intentioned—is simply this: not now, and not for them.
A Simple Yid
The Tri-State
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Nice letter, but way too long for my Attention-deficit disorder. Anyway, this program should be pushed on us, aging baaley batim, not bachurim. My boys have their hands full trying to hold up with their Rebbe/chabura/chazoras hashiur etc. After they get married they can try this program, perhaps.
The kids are dumb and ignorant. Addiction to smartphones and other devices. Maybe worse yet. Hopeless
Kul Hatorah Kulo by learning Rambam? The Rambam knew all of Tanach, the midrashim, all mishnayos, all gemara, all early geonim and rishonim…. With all that knowledge, he wrote the Yad. Without knowing Chumash, mishnayos etc.. how does one expect to learn Rambam properly?
Just like you don’t want us to listen to other people’s ideas we should also ignore yours.
Because in the end the yeshivah’s will make their decisions and we can choose where we send our kids.
No reason to debate this.
It’s not like the bochurim are spending all day with the rambam limud, it’s maybe 15-20 minutes a day. Better they should waste that time batteling? SMH
If you follow this person’s advice, you too will remain a “simple Yid” instead of a talmid chochom that knows something. Maybe one day you too can encourage bochurim not to know anything, just like yourself!
Thirty five years ago I was learning in a Yeshiva that very much valued bekius and went for a farher by a Rosh Yeshiva who stressed iyun. He said to me “When I was earning in Beis Medrash Elyon I heard from Rav Reuven Grozovsky that your whole life, you have to learn how to learn. That is the focus of this Yeshiva. If you feel otherwise, this Yeshiva is not for you”. Of ironic note the highest level Maggid Shiur in the Yeshiva I was taking a farher had been recruited from the Yeshiva I was learned in by this very Rosh Yeshiva.
Anyway, to be blunt important as it it to know how to learn, if you don’t learn and value bekius you won’t even know how to learn. I ended up going to a third Yeshiva. They were learning a mesechta I had learned in its entirety. All of the hanahalla members were tremendous Lamdonim. Even so, I would sometimes catch some of them on obvious mistakes in their svoras because they simply did not know the entire mesechta. They were unaware of the Gemora and Rishonim who said otherwise. They were also sometimes unaware of the practical difference things made because they did not know enough about them
I do agree that learning Rambam as a limmud in itself is a bad idea. Without knowing the Gemoras the Rambam is based on, you are just as likely to misunderstand things as a big lamdan who only knows a few blatt.
Learning Daf-Yomi is in-depth?
In the history of Klal Yisroel, until the last 50 years in the USA , there was never such a thing as learning so little. All the big litvishe rosh yeshivos said shiurim in a winter zman fir at least 40 to 50 Blatt. Teaching bichurim to learn 3 Blatt a zman is not anybody mesorah. It is a new invention in the USA.
“it deserves to be challenged, forcefully and without apology”
If this is the case SIGN YOUR NAME
could we stop with this Sign your name stuff?
Accept the truth of the speakers words, what in heavens, does it make difference who he is?!
The only thing that writing a name does is open that individual up to unwanted feedback.
It does NOTHING as far as content or credibility, so why dont you simply decide whether you agree to the concept or not?! Hatzlacha!
This letter is disingenuous. The writer is anti Chabad and is beating around the bush. Be truthful as to what is bothering you.
You’re obviously correct, Chabad did make a big push for learning Rmbm, with much pushback from Rav Shach et al, and to my knowledge no one else did, but the letter writer knows he won’t be published if he writes an anti-Chabad article… His timing is rather strange, though, since it is 50+ years since that tumult
You write “His timing is rather strange, though, since it is 50+ years since that tumult”. I believe he’s writing this now because the yearly Siyum HaRambam according to that cycle is tonight/tomorrow, hence why there may have been a push now to start learning Rambam.
In Europe there was an emphasis put on Bekius s well as Iyun.
The way to achieve this has generally been to learn the rest of the Masechta in your own time (certain Yeshiva’s do this during seder).
Learning up Rambam is the best way to know Rambam, not Kol HaTorah Kulah.
There are many areas in which the Rambam’s Psak is vastly different from the way we Pasken.
This is not to say one shouldn’t learn Rambam, it’s important to learn Rambam as post of understanding the Sugyos properly, but presenting learning Rambam alone as somehow “learning Kol Hatorah Kulah” seems very misguided.
All Gedolei Yisroel spent a good portion of their time even at a young age learning fast. There is no stira between emphasizing both learning how to learn and acquiring Yedias Hatorah they are both important. Also if a Bachur spends his whole day learning how to learn they have very litle sipuk in their learning you can give all the shmoozen you want about ameilus batorah and how important it is but the bottom line is that people need goals in order to feel good about what they are doing. I know many a lot of people that spent all their bachur years learing only iyun and they ended up feeling very unsatisfied with their learning and it resulted in them only learning bekius. Both are necessary that is our mesora. This recent this of spending all a bachurs day doing iyun is a modern development.
More importantly, they are taught to learn all the Rishonim. This is because learning a single Rishon, especially like the Rambam where it is written like Halacha, is not the derech in Klal Yisroel. To understand why, it needs to be undersood that the Rambam includes Halachos that are relevant in these times, even though it is often not the Halacha as paskened – this can lead to people actually mistakingly not following Psak. Learning Rambam as a limud in itself is dangerous and misses the full halachic and iyun process that takes place when one learns the broad spectrum of ALL the heilige Rishonim including the Rambam. If one wants to learn Halacha it needs to encompass all the Rishonim, which is what all Halacha sefarim do today – like the Mishna Brurah and the many other Halacha sefarim.
The Rambam himself disagrees with you, as he writes in the Hakdamah to Yad HaChazakah. He writes that one needs to learn and know the whole Tanach, and then he should learn and know the entire Yad to know halachah lemaaseh in kol hatorah kulah.
the rambam says that you only need the torah and his book and thats it. while that might not be everything, a knowlege of rambam encompases all mitzvos and halacha although psak dosent follow himm all the time
First let’s see if they know basic chumash and rashi
Second try learning without artscroll
Kula? One in a million
Wow couldn’t have said it better
Didnt go through the whole thing, got the point.
You are standing on a bit of truth, but miss a few good points.
Yes, Yeshiva is meant to teach how to learn, not simply gain encyclopedic knowledge.
I knew my rebbeim said this as well, and it was very pronounced when, as a yungerman, I learned with an older israeli individual, who was a rov, and saw that he literally could not learn well. He kept missing nuance, hava amina vs maskana, etc. Its not just me saying this, he himself kept saying “woa, thats a good ‘chopp'” and complimenting my learning, while i saw he clearly struggled. I recognized somone who had knowledge, but no “method”.
That said, you can see from all the gedolim how important it is to cover more ground than what is currently “in” in yeshivos.
Yedios are also important.
Unfortunately, though the issue of “lechaded shmaytsa” has taken its proper place center stage, the Yetzer Hara got its foot in as well, and things became more and more of a competition. Till “who has the best vort”, what chiddush did you hear, and these types of challenges became the focus by too many.
The skimming of your letter also seemed to have that quality.
Learn what the Yeshivos tell you, dont touch anything else.
That was never the mehalech, and never the way of the gedolim. I apologize if i misread it
Anyways the whole thing is Lubavitch propaganda. In the 800 plus years since the Rambam passed away, no one made completing Rambam the ikkur limmud or even a major limmud in a bekius manner. The myriad seforim written on the Rambam are approaching it biyun rav. Lubavitch would do well to work on developing their own bochurim in learning before turning towards the Yeshivos to “fix” them.
Why do can’t you fargin making a buck off of learning?
This article, while well-written, is wrong on every level and is the reason most bachurim today are largely ignorant of Torah. Bachurim and yungeleit certainly should strive to possess wide ranging yedios in Shas and Rambam, and halachah, etc. and learning Rambam is an excellent idea. All the true gedolim of the past, R’ Moshe, R Yaakov, R Shach, the Steipler, railed against the contemporary “Yeshivishe derech,” which only emphasizes lomdus to the exclusion of all else. Having bekius is what makes one a true lamdan, not furrowing your brow on one piece of Gemara over and ever again. It’s what created Rishonim and Achronim, as the Shelah writes. Second seder and night seder should be devoted to bekius only. R’ Yaakov Kaminetzky famously said: “Bachurim are always learning how to learn. When will they actually start learning” (quoted in Artscroll bio). He went to Eretz Yisrael especially to speak to R Shach about this, and R Shach agreed that the yeshivishe derech that evolved after the churban is a travesty. A sign still hangs in Ponovezh reminding everyone of R Shach’s mandate to learn 100 blatt a year (or a zman, I forgot). R Shach said that he never saw a lamdan who didn’t know the whole shas. Bottom line: to make a shitah out of being amei ha’aretz and pretending that you’ll start learning later in life is flat-out wrong and backwards
I think most people who’ve been around for a while are aware that today’s “derech” in learning is bedieved at best and was never done in history. It’s much easier to sit and hock around on one blatt for 2 months than to learn 30 blatt with Tosafos (even without other rishonim), but they say bachurim are too weak today. But to make a “shitah” out of this and explicitly write that “A bochur is not supposed to be mastering Kol HaTorah Kulah” is nothing short of kefirah. Everyone is obligated to master the whole Torah and it’s best to start young and gain yedios while the mind is fresh. All the gedolim of the past would tear keriah reading this article.
This is such a sad letter. It implies that a bachur cannot learn Rambam between sedarim. It implies that a bachur cannot finish Shas outside of Seder. It implies that Tanach is never to be learned after night Seder. That the great shmuessen of Rav Yeruchem, Rav Dessler to be pored over over lunch break.
Just the yeshivas mesechta.
Name one adam gadol in the last 300 years who followed such a plan. Every member of the founding moetzes didn’t follow this letter writer and would have laughed at the premise.
Great letter. I agree 100% and felt the same way when I sqaw the placards on Madison Avenue here in Lakewood! What a chutzopah!
What you’re saying is very logical but Chazal say differently. ליגמר והדר ליסבר. But trying to master Rambam without knowing Shas is impossible. One will not understand hardly anything. We should be encouraging bochurim to get a yediya in shas on a simple level which means many חזרות. That’s what bekiyus sedorim should be for.
famous Steipler which explains that that was kol zman that there were no seforim
Really? Can you tell us exactly where this Steipler is? He never said that. It’s pashut that one has to learn the whole Shas first, and preferably when he’s younger so that more will be retained. The krum way that they learn in yeshivos today, not sanctioned by any true gedolim, would take over a thousand years to learn Shas, so we know it’s wrong.
A certain sect, based in Crown Heights, is known to promote learning Rambam like this, based on the instruction of their late leader. As is well known, the Frum velt overall, differs with and has rejected their ways.
the rambam is great and everything in it is clear without argument or dissent. maybe learn some rambam and youll apreciate it more.
remember: in the same place rabbenu yonah burned the rambam the catholic priests burned the gemara
As you said everything should be done in consultation with Rabbeim. However, of course Yeshiva bachurim are obligated to know Kol Hatorah Kula, as is every Yid. (I don’t think that learning the Rambam without the Gemarah is the way to do that.) Part of knowing how to learn is to learn in order to know. Also the mesorah was always to learn up in addition to being amel in the sugyos. And all the gedolim still hold that this is true. The question is just how to go about it in the best way.
There are no names behind this initiative. It smells like chabad….
Smells like teen spirit
Wow. Talk about yekkish. Ever hear about chanoch lenaar al pi darko? Some boys just cannot do iyyun. Leave it to the experts and go back to your job
thanks for poinying out the obvious
anytime there is a massive campaign, one must check their motives
over 10k worth of silver given away in a raffle – just to switch your bochur’s derech halimud??
does your son’s rosh yeshiva approve? since when are bochrim supposed to be wooed by public ad campaigns?
what did rav schach ztzl say out about rambam yomi- was there an agaenda by any group?
all torah is sacred, and rav schach definately knew that as well, so perhaps lets hear what he said about this movement to gain some clarity
It is run by people that disrespect our yeshivas. They believe it’s okay for our bochrim to abandon their chinuch.They just want them learning rambam yaymi and nothing else.
Who makes you a bal deah in this field. The Rambam him self said all you need is a tanach and his yad hachazka
This week is Yud Shevat, it will be the 75th anniversary since the Rebbuh MH”M shliteh officially became the Nusi Hadeyr, the Chabad Lubavitch Rebbee. As is know, the Rebbuh MH”M advocated learning Rambam Yeymi. What a great kuvod it would be for the Rebbuh if the yeshivishe velt would start learning Rambam this week for his yuntiff, Yud Shevat.
That also coincides with nittel nacht.
Very interesting. Did you ever wonder why Rav Boruch Ber has many pieces all over the masechta? It’s because he gave shiurim to the bochurim who learnt the whole masechta! If the yeshivos today spend their most waking hours on Rav Boruch Ber’s seforim then they probably should understand what he would have wanted them to do… Unless we can “refine” the learning process better than him. Or maybe you would say that he told the bochurim to learn only four blatt a year and they didn’t listen and he couldn’t change them because they were “snowflakes”…. There was an interview with Rav Dovid Cohen Shlit’a of Chevron in which he was reminiscing about the amount that he and his chaveirim were supposed to and did learn in yeshiva. so, learning how to learn was never the only agenda, until today…..
It is well known that Rav Shach wrote letters and implored the American Roshei Yeshiva to stop this 9 blatt a year business. He was ignored.
So much for all this talk about “Daas Torah”. Seems that Rav Shach and other Gedolim know everything with the exception of their true are of expertise…
How to learn Torah!
This whole “learning how to learn” thing is pure rubbish. And anyone who mentions it indicates that they can’t really make a proper leining on a Gemara. It’s a handy excuse to sit on 4 blatt for a whole zman (or year!) instead of at least finishing the mesechta, which is what every yeshivah bachur should do from 9th grade and on. Those of previous doros never needed to ‘learn how to learn’; they simply learned! And the more ground one covers, the more he understands everything. That’s how the Rishonim became who they were. R Elchonon Wasserman zatzal said it best: “az men lernt ken men lernen.” Did the Rashba and the Rambam, the Ketzos and the Steipler learn how to learn? No! they learned daf after daf until they finished shas — at a young age — and then kept on reviewing it, and the chiddushim flowed as a result. The so-called ‘mehalach’ in Yeshivos today is a travesty and it’s only getting worse.
Beautiful op-ed. So well put
The new push is typical of what passes for polish nowadays: glorified flashy compact am ha’aratzus
What about teaching about excitement of Yiddishkeit, excitement of mitzvos — Shabbos, tfillin, kashrut , etc . Simcha shel mitzvah..excitement about Eretz Yisraoel. Echad hamarbeh, echad hammamit- how many blat is top priority ? Nobody can know kol hatorah kulo. Learn what you like, as Rava says.
If the author of this letter had learned Rambam (or Shulchan Aruch) he would know that knowing kol hatorah kula is one of the 613 mitzvos.
According to the Rambam, one can be yotzei this mitzvah by learning Tanach and Sefer HaYad.