The Ramban's Timeless Letter: Infusing Daily Life with Sacred Teachings (Iggeres HaRamban)

It is arguably the greatest letter ever penned. It's from the Ramban. A thousand years ago or so in the 1200s, the St Louis Nachmanides wrote a letter back to his son in Catalonia and described to him Jewish wisdom for daily living, tips and tricks on how to live life properly, the importance of living modestly and with humility. And many scholars cherish it and many of the rabbim read this letter at least once a week, as the Ramban actually instructs his son to do in the end of the letter and often one of the overlooked points inside these Igeres, the Nachmanides great letter, is where he tells us a practice that everyone should engage in that maximizes their Torah study. The Ramban says and you should learn Torah often, and when you will arise from the book, you are done learning to chapeh. But asher lamadita, think, brood over that which you have just learned. Im yeish boy davar, asher tuchal l'chaimo, Is there anything now that I can put into practice? The Ramban tells that there's something to do at the end of every Seder, every Chavrusashan. It doesn't to walk out and return to regular life, but to pause and think what did I just learn and now, what can I do differently? It's very funny that at times our Torah study can be this set up kaitish hakadashim, a place to amass knowledge, and it's almost like we can separate our daily life from our holy rooms and our holy knowledge, the Torah hakadasha. But it's not supposed to be like that. When you finish learning about Chafetzchaim Shmiras HaLashin, then you say, okay, I really can't say that anymore. You change that practice At the end of Parashashim. You may think twice before you say it. Before you, some guy soap here in Yeshiva on top of the sinks that says his name on it, or take someone's tissue. It may be Lysigzel. You see somebody who's got a flat tire on the side of the road. Is there some Perika or Teina opportunity here? Because his ox, so to speak, as it's traveling, is now struggling on the side of the road. Maybe this is how we can fulfill Reva's great advice, which is, after all, the point of Torah study. Reva says is taachas tyras chuva umaisim tovim, to ultimately repent and to do good deeds. So, after our study sessions, pause as the Remban and brood and analyze what you have just studied and see if there's anything that you are able to put into practice.