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I remember that Harav Kook (הראי״ה) had in Orot Hakodesh a 10 steps for how to study something new, though I couldn't find it.

What are the acceptable/recommended ways to study either Torah or science? What are the techniques that the greatest Jewish scholars used to follow in order to study so much material in so short time?

mevaqesh
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0x90
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  • Speaking for myself (not a great Jewish scholar). One should write a summary of everything one learns as short as possible. If it can be in a chart form that is even better. Doing this oneself not copying, internalizes the subject best to remember it. All the pages of my books are scribbled with this. I can give examples if necessary. – patient Jan 05 '18 at 13:54
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    Related: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/84612/8775 – mevaqesh Jan 05 '18 at 14:35
  • Related: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/70477/8775 – mevaqesh Jan 05 '18 at 14:45

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R Noach Weinberg (in his 48 ways to wisdom, based on Pirkei Avot 6:6) writes there are five elements to learning Torah well

  • constant: use all available "dead time" to study
  • consistent: set a goal, commit to carry out the daily activities to reach that goal on the same time, same place and same way, as much as reasonably possible
  • continuous: learn without interruption, better an hour straight than two with constant interruptions
  • cyclical: review multiple times, constant review is essential for retention
  • comprehensive: be hungry for wisdom, define yourself as a learner even if your profession is something else

The gemara has a number of principles for how to learn, many focused on regular and constant review, e.g.,

  • Anyone who studies Torah and does not review it is comparable to a person who sows and does not reap (Sanhedrin 99a)
  • One who reviews his studies one hundred times is not comparable to one who reviews his studies one hundred and one times (Chagigah 9a)

A number of books were written to apply these principles to learning Torah (with a focus on Talmud), the three I liked best are

mbloch
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