Another Great Week

Hello everyone,
This week has been very fun and exciting. I have switched Talmud classes again, this time I moved down to level 6. The other head of the Yeshiva came back from America and is now teaching this level. Instead of learning what the Gemara says relatively quickly and then learning some of the many commentators' opinions, we are just focusing on the Gemara and Rashi. We not only need to understand what each word says, but why each word is neccessary, and why the Gemara is trying to teach what it does. This level is perfect for me at this stage in my learning because it will improve my reading tremendously.
I have been asked to use the word study instead of the word learn, so I would like to clarify why religious Jews use learn. Maimonides writes in his laws of "Learning Torah" that every Jewish father has a mitzvah to teach his sons and his grandsons Torah. If a son or grandson was never taught Torah he has the mitzvah to teach himself in order that he will be able to teach his sons and grandsons. If you pay close attention to the words Maimonides uses he does not say that a person must study Torah, he says a person must TEACH HIMSELF Torah. When I think of the word studying I think of learning something by myself with no teacher. When I think of the word learning I think of gaining knowledge as a result of being taught. Since a person is not studying by himself, but rather teaching himself, he has a teacher and is therefore learning not studying.
This Shabbat I am staying at the Yeshiva and going to eat at different families with some guys from the Yeshiva. This Shabbat is going to be a relatively calm Shabbat since two of the older students here are getting married in the next two weeks. Next Shabbat the groom is from Great Britain and since Britain is close to Israel there will be 60 guests here for the wedding. The Shabbat after that a guy from Michigan, who I met two years ago when I was just starting my journey, is getting married. We are going to try to get all the guys from Michigan who are learning somewhere in Israel to stay at Shapel's for his wedding.
I hope everyone is doing well in America.
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