Learning Out Loud

Short Answer: There is a dispute whether a learner should, in general, scream and gesticulate when learning with his chevrusa. If he is in a Beis Medrash, and his screaming disturbs others, it is unclear whether he may continue to learn out loud.

Explanation:

Shulchan Aruch (Y”D 246:22) writes that one who learns aloud will remember his learning but one who learns quietly will quickly forget his learning.

There is a common minhag in many Batei Medrash that chevrusas scream at each other and animatedly wave their hands and jump when speaking to each other. Indeed, Yonoson Rosenblum in a 2019 Mishpacha article writes as follows: Last week, I was invited by Rav Yosef Chevroni, Rosh Yeshivas Chevron, to lead a group of about 40 senior education officials from 12 advanced countries — who were in Israel for a conference on educational methodology — on a tour of Chevron Yeshivah. The tour consisted primarily of standing in the ezras nashim and looking down on the action below. I introduced myself as a graduate of two of the world’s leading universities in order to give credibility to the comparisons that I would be making between the animated learning they were watching and traditional academic studies. To begin, I shared with them a vignette that has stuck with me for three decades. My chavrusa and I were learning in the main Mirrer beis medrash, when suddenly a pair of young chavrusas, probably not out of their teens, jumped up and started screaming at one another and gesticulating forcefully. An outside observer would have been perfectly entitled to assume that they were about to come to fisticuffs. My chavrusa and I, who were more than a decade older than they and who had done most of our studying at their age in university libraries where even a sneeze was likely to earn a dirty stare, looked on in fascination. Suddenly, I understood the vast chasm between their Gemara learning and my own studies at their age: Much of my learning consisted of the passive reception of information; theirs was almost entirely active …. The “wars of Torah” is a not inaccurate term to describe that process. And it explains the intellectual acuity of those who hone their minds on Gemara learning. See https://mishpacha.com/holy-battlefield/

But is this screaming and yelling correct?

The sefer Toras HaYeshiva (8:23) cites the Chida who supports the idea that chevrusas should animatedly scream and wave their hands when learning. In particular, the Chida writes that the Arizal originally doubted the screaming but then realized that it destroys the “klipos.” The Arizal would animatedly bang when learning and would work up a great sweat.

Similarly, Zichron Shmuel (cited in Toras HaYeshiva) explains that the kolos u’vrakim by har sinai was part and parcel of the giving of the torah experience. So too, the current learning that we do should simulate the giving of the torah, and include action and fireworks.

Further, the Zikukin D’Nurah (cited in the Chavos Yair, 152) writes that “yagia kapecha al sochal” should be taken literally. With the “toil of your hands” will you acquire torah. He explains that Yaakov has power over Eisav when Yaakov uses both “kol” and “yadayim” to learn torah.

On the other hand, some poskim have criticized the excessive theatrics that often accompanies chevrusa learning. For example, the Chavos Yair (ibid) asks why the Gemara is replete with derogatory remarks said by tanaim/amoraim about their fellow tanaim/amoraim. He explains that the Gemara (Sanhedrin 24a) which calls talmidei chachmim “chovlim” (attackers) for their bitter wars against each other does not mean that talmidei chachmim should attack each other through jumping and hitting things during learning. Rather, it means that talmidei chachmim should attack the logic of their chevrusa. He adds that there is no mitzvah to jump and dance when saying a svarah. If anything, it is detrimental to convince your chevrusa that you are correct based on your theatrics instead of based on the logic of your opinion. The Arizal was an exception, as he was totally l’shem shamayim.

The Chavos Yair continues and explains many cases in the Gemara that these are not truly derogatory remarks but are either rhetorical, jokes, or statements that are actually dan l’kaf zechus the other person (i.e. “he must have been sleeping when he said the statement” because he otherwise is always highly intelligent).

Further, the sefer Bichas Avraham (Gam Ani Odecha – Nosa’im, p.175) notes that R’ Elchonon Wasserman, zt”l used to state that if you ever see a talmid chacham gesticulating when saying a svarah, you know it is incorrect.

Finally, the Kuntres Shaarei Yosef (p.39) cites R’ Y. Zilberstein who proves from the Gemara in Succah — that the lulav was not another species that was dangerous — because it is not a mitzvah to cause fights (by hurting others in shul), especially in the context of doing a public mitzvah.

But what about the fact that the loud chevrusas are disturbing other learners in the Beis Medrash? May they still learn out loud? Should they?

The sefer Siach Avreichim (p.44) cites many acharonim, including the Chazon Ish, Mishnah Halachos, R’ Chaim Kanievsky, Shevet HaLevi, and Pischei Choshen, who hold that a person may continue learning out loud, even if he is disturbing the sleep of others. Since the learner is utilizing his house (or the Beis Medrash) in a normal and expected manner, the neighbors have no right to protest.

A trickier question, however, is where the loud learners are disturbing another person learning in the same Beis Medrash. Here, an argument can be made that learning out loud is not permitted at the expense of causing bittul torah to others. The Chashukei Chemed (Sukkah 51a) asks this question but leaves it tzarich iyun. The Siach Avreichim (p.45), after citing the Chashukei Chemed, cites other acharonim who suggest, generally, that the person being disturbed should gently mention it to the loud learner and the parties should reach some sort of compromise.

R’ Shammai Gross (Etz Chaim Journal, Bobov, Vol. 4, p.147) addresses this question as well and holds that if the loud learner is disturbing a majority of the Beis Medrash by learning in an abnormal way, he may be asked to stop. If he is only disturbing a few people, he has the right to continue.

The Darkah Shel Torah cites the Shaarei Orah (Shemos, p.70) who holds that the loud learner must stop disturbing everyone else in all cases. Since he is in a Beis Medrash, there is no benefit to learning out loud.