Joe* emails: All serious students of Torah learning should have this on their favorites.
Go to the halacha shiurim of Rabbi Yisroel Reisman – there are talmud and other shiurs by him as well, and he is of course famous for his navi shiur, but the halacha shiur is truly unique.
He is now just finishing the laws of circumcision, but in the past few years, he has done the laws of meat and milk, torah study, honoring parents, and many of the laws of kashrut (and other topics as well).
There are many fascinating elements of R. Reisman’s Halacha shiur.
First, plaudits to his congregants for picking Yoreh Deah which has the ritual portions of the law, other than the holidays, blessings, and shabbat to study. There is only so much of the laws of cooking on Shabbat that one can handle.
Second, Reisman’s enthusiasm for the topics is evident and he is a good speaker. He does not stutter, he speaks slowly, and he is prepared.
But third, and truly what makes the shiur remarkable, is his style. Take circumcision for instance. For a subject of some sensitivity, once you listen to his shiurs on the topic, a bris milah will never be the same. You will know things about the medical procedure, the controversies, the blessings, and the scenarios involving conversions, and baal teshuvas applicable to circumcision. But what is intangible is the manner in which Rabbi Reisman takes you through the history of the Halacha, from the Talmud to the present day and his personal history with Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and other legendary Rabbis in dealing with practical halacha. The shiur is almost like a history of the Halacha shiur. It is truly incredible.
It completely kicks the rear end of Prager’s line by line lessons on the Bible. I went and it was like watching planes taxi on runways. It was clear that Prager wanted to hear his own voice and would much rather have spoken about his own radio show. Reisman wants to deliver the Torah and he is but its mouthpiece.
