A Beginners Guide to Learning Torah and Loving HaShem

0:11Then read the parsha with commentary, which will already help you for 15-30 minutes to walk. Specifically for this, you need to focus. You need to learn how to become a Jew. You need to learn what to try, try, try, and try again.

1:24אז קרא את הפרשה עם פרשנות, זה כבר יעזור לך ל-15-30 דקות ללכת. במיוחד לזה, אתה צריך ללמוד הלכה. אתה צריך ללמוד איך להיות יהודי. אתה צריך ללמוד מה לנסות לעשות ומה לא לנסות לעשות. Even though you might think knowing the laws of blessings is crucial, still, the first Gemara is Masechet Berachot. If you forget a blessing or you make a mistake in a blessing, it's not a severe penalty. However, if you make a mistake on Shabbat, it is a serious penalty. So, the first thing you need to know is to learn the halachot of Shabbat. Every day, you learn a couple of halachot - 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, whatever it is, spend 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes you read. Let's say, for example, if you're Sephardic, you'll find yourself resources in English or in Hebrew. I'm sure there are many more options available, even if you're Ashkenazi, such as those from ArtScroll, Feldheim, and other publishers. Many of the Chachamim wrote in a very simple way of learning halacha, and...

2:47If you're going to only spend 15 to 30 minutes learning halacha, don't learn it from the Shulchan Aruch. Why? Because Shulchan Aruch requires you to delve into things to understand them much deeper. Don't think that you can learn halacha from the Gemara. Gemara is not for learning halacha; Gemara is for learning how to think. Learn halacha from the poskim. But you have to learn in the beginning stages; if you're a Ba'al Teshuva or a convert, you have to learn it, bottom line. Yes, no, yes, no, yes, no. That's what you need to learn just to get through the day. So, you spend 15 to 30 minutes a day learning halacha. So now, you have weekly parasha and halacha. The third thing you must learn is mussar. You must learn at least 15 to 30 minutes a day of mussar. What's mussar? Our lectures. You learn our lectures, that's your mussar. Why? Because there are always issues that at least one or two of you will get hit on the head with. It reminds you that you're supposed to do teshuva. It reminds me that I'm supposed to do teshuva. That's what mussar is. Mussar is reminding us that we're still trying to refine ourselves in order to become diamonds. It's not about judging anyone. We're not a judge, we're not a jury.

4:04u'musar, is is is remaining, is is is is is is is is is is is is is is Orchos Yisroel, Chovos HaLevavos, Orchos Yisroel, Chovos HaLevavos. at least 15 to 30 minutes a day. If you are at a point where you're doing all three of those already for a while, you're learning the weekly parasha on a regular basis, you're learning halacha on a regular basis, you're learning mussar on a regular basis for an extended period of time, then it's time for you as a man to add Gemara. You have to add Gemara, again, at least another half hour a day, if not more. Of course, everything should be as much as possible.

5:16But you see, just to learn the basics, you can't get away with less than an hour a day of Torah. Even if you're going for the minimum, these four things require no less than an hour. In reality, it should be an hour for each one. But the absolute minimum requires you to study at least an hour a day. So for all of those people who say, when I tell them to listen, you have to learn Torah, they respond, "Oh, can I just learn for like 10 minutes? Like a video clip they send me on WhatsApp, and I'm fine." However, an hour a day is a commitment you must make to genuinely learn and grow in your knowledge and practice. Yeah, you're fine if it's your first day, your first week, your first month, even your first six months of realizing that you're a Jew. After that, it's not enough. Why? Because you're not going to learn enough from just one video clip. So it's important to know that there are four things. A woman should focus on the laws of modesty, the laws of Taharat Hamishpacha, the laws of Shabbat, and the laws of child-rearing: how to raise children. Az ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein, ein.

6:45And for all of those people who say they love Hashem, first of all, you should know you're full of it. Because if you love Hashem, you would be at a completely different level. You would have no struggles regarding any of the mitzvot. Because, like we said, loving someone means that you're doing something just because. Just because. Not because of any other reason. So, if you're struggling with a certain mitzvah, I've been repeating myself, which is usually a sign of wanting to emphasize something essential. In the context of growing in our love for Hashem, it's important to understand that reaching that level not only provides us with unique divine protection and blessings but also transforms our past sins into mitzvot, truly the greatest reward we can have in this world. In order to reach the level of loving Him, because if we get to that level of loving Him, not only does He give us the special protection that we talked about, and not only does He give us the special blessings that we discussed, but also all of the sins we've ever made in our life turn into mitzvot. It's the ultimate reward in this world.

8:15The ultimate reward in this world is where Hashem takes all of the sins you've ever made in your life and turns them into mitzvot. Meaning it's definitely a worthwhile endeavor to try to get there. But you're not going to get there overnight. First, you have to fear Hashem. Serve Him purely out of fear. Then respect and honor the awe and the majesty of Hashem. Get to the highest level. And ultimately get to love. Realistically, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado, ein od milvado. We have to stop telling ourselves this horrible mantra: "I can't do it. This is too hard. This is too this, this is too that." And do it. Just do it. Failed? Do it again. Failed? Do it again.

9:28And keep doing it. Stop saying, oh, maybe I should do this, or maybe I should do that. Maybe I should go here, maybe I should go there, maybe nothing. Get the word "maybe" out of your vocabulary. Either do it or be quiet. But you have to move forward. Why? Because we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work to do.