מִשִּׁעוּרֵי אַאַמוּ"ר: בְּכָל יוֹם פַּרְשָׁה חוּמָשׁ עִם פֵּרוּשׁ רַשִׁ"י. אֲמִירַת תַּנַ"ךְ בְּעַל פֶּה: קאַפִּיטְל אֶחָד מִתּוֹרָה וְכֵן מִנְּבִיאִים וְכֵן מִכְּתוּבִים. פֶּרֶק אֶחָד מִשְׁנָיוֹת. שִׁעוּר גְּמָרָא לְעִיּוּנֵי בּ' דַפִּים לְשָׁבוּעַ, שִׁעוּר לְמִיגְרַס ג' דַפִּים לְיוֹם. שִׁעוּר בִּירוּשַׁלְמִי. גַּם שִׁעוּר — לֹא בְּ‏כָל יוֹם — בְּפּוֹסְקִים. בְּמֶשֶׁךְ הַשָּׁנָה הָיָה מְסַיֵּם כָּל הַמִּדְרָשׁ רַבָּה: לֹוֶה בַּסִּדְרוֹת הָאֲרוּכּוֹת וּפוֹרֵעַ בַּקְּצָרוֹת.

The daily study schedule of my revered father, the Rebbe [Rashab], included the daily passage of Chumash with the commentary of Rashi; reciting the Tanach by heart — one chapter from the Torah, from the Prophets, and from the Writings; one chapter of Mishnah; a session of in-depth Gemara study, covering two folios1 a week; a review of three [Talmudic] folios per day; a study of the Talmud Yerushalmi; anda study session — though not every day — in the works of the halachic authorities. In the course of the year he would also study the entire Midrash Rabbah. In weeks in which the text [of the Midrash] was extensive, he would “borrow” time,2 and would repay it in the weeks whose text was shorter.

Living as a Chassid

The above listing of subjects is obviously a partial one; it does not include, for example, the Rebbe Rashab’s extensive studies and writings in the Torah’s mystical and philosophical dimension. Presumably, the Rebbe Rayatz is informing us of his father’s study schedule so that we may emulate it to some degree, each of us according to our abilities.

Two approaches are evident here, one extensive and one intensive: (a) an attempt to cover a broad range of fields, in which many of the classic Torah subjects are represented; and (b) a slow and patient rate of progress, with no attempt to complete everything at once.3