Reflections on the Daf, Week One: Toras Chesed By Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb

(PLEASE LEARN THIS FOR THE REFUA SHELAMA OF RAV CHAIM KANIEVSKY-Rav Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim ben Pesha Miriam,Rav Shteinman - Aaron Yehuda Leib ben Gitel Feiga, Rav Weiss - Yitzchak Tuvia ben Rikal, Rav Yosef - Yaakov Chai ben Margalit Harav Shlomo Leib Ben Miriam - HaRav Shlomo Brevda Harav Yeshaya Yaakov Ben Raizel - HaRav Yeshaya Yaakov Portugal Harav Meshulem Fish Ben Tziril - The Toshe Rebbe Rav Yerachmiel Shlomo Hakohen ben Raizel. -Rav Yerachmiel Shlomo Rothenberg, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Mountaindale Rav Shaul ben Pasha-Gavaad Zurich, Switzerland and rav of Beis Medrash Agudas Achim for a refuah shleima b’soch kol cholei am Yisrael.)(AND L"N RAV YOSEF SHALOM BEN RAV AVRAHAM(RAV ELYASHIV ZT"L) There are two motives that I have for deciding to write a weekly column of reflections on Daf Yomi. They are both based on stories; one, a legendary one, and the other, a treasured recollection that my grandfather a"h shared with me many years ago. The legendary story is attributed to various chassidishe rebbeim (Hasidic rabbis). There was once a young man who met the Rebbe but behaved in a very haughty fashion. It seems he was the worst of characters, the typical baal gaava, haughty individual . The Rebbe entered into a conversation with him that deteriorated more and more into arrogance. Finally, the Rebbe asked him in Yiddish if he had learned much Torah. The young man responded, "Ich habe durchgegangen ganz Shas, I went through all of Shas!" The Rebbe was shocked by the degree of gaava (haughtiness) in this young fellow, and he retorted, "Yuh. Uber hatte Shas dich durchgegangen, did Shas go through you?!" As more and more people engage in the daily study of ganz Shas, it is important that Shas "go through" them and have an influence upon their character, behavior and moral fiber. The other story was told to me by my paternal grandfather, Reb Chaim Yitzchok Weinreb a"h. He was a talmid, a student, of the great Berzhaner Rav, Rav Shalom Mordechai Schwadron zt"l (the grandfather of the famous Maggid of Yerushalayim, who was named after him). My zaide learned for several years under the Berzhaner Rav and told me many stories about his derech halimud, his teaching style. One of the interesting demands he made of all his students was that they must extract a practical lesson from every page of Gemara (Talmud) that they studied, something they would use in their daily lives. I spent many hours learning with my grandfather, and before we turned each page, he invariably would say to me, "Nu, voss hast du gelernt in der blatt vos kenn dir machen a besserer mensch, what did you learn on the page that can make you a better person?"