3091 —חשיבות לימוד הלכה מעשית לחיי היום יום

B"H, 10 Kislev, 5715.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vavac"h iy"a nu"n oseik b'tzt"z Moreinu HaRav Yonah Shtentzel

Shalom u'Vrachah!

Regarding what you wrote in your letter about the campaign to promote the study of halachah, I must express my astonishment at all those who are able to do more in this area. The vast majority lack knowledge of the halachos necessary for daily life—specifically, basic laws such as blessings over enjoyment, interruptions during prayer, muktzeh on Shabbos, and so on. Unfortunately, the greater a bochur or Avrech's Torah knowledge becomes, the less he knows these practical laws. It is well known from the Mishnah that 'not study but action is the main thing,' especially actions relating to matters that arise daily. In most cases regarding these halachos, there is no time to look up the law in a book; one must decide immediately.

Despite all this, we do not see people making an effort to study these laws. Not only is there no effort made, but it has become something of a 'why should I?'—as if this part of Torah belongs only to unlearned people and women—even though it is well known and publicized that this was one of Moshe Rabbeinu's original enactments: to learn the laws of each festival on or before the festival itself for precisely these reasons. See Shulchan Aruch HaRav at the beginning of Siman 529 and at the end of Hilchos Talmud Torah chapter one, as well as his wording at the end of Iggeres HaKodesh.

May it be G‑d's will that you begin this as soon as possible because every single day brings its own tasks.

Summary

The Rebbe stresses that practical halachah study is vital for everyone’s daily life—not just scholars or specific groups—and urges immediate action so that correct decisions can be made without delay when real-life situations arise.