Have you ever checked your phone while learning in a shiur, chavrusa, or even by yourself? This might seem innocuous, but Chazal teach us in Pirkei Avos that if you interrupt your learning to remark on the beauty of a tree or a field, then the Torah considers it as though you are "liable for your soul." This morning (2/26/23), I gave a YBT Sunday Shiur on that mishnah. After a brief methodological intro, we learned and discussed four different approaches to the mishnah with their practical implications; we concluded with some modern findings which have implications for how to level up not only in our learning, but in our professional lives as well.

Note: This is an updated version of a shiur I gave to my women's Thursday Night Pirkei Avos shiur on 12/29/22 entitled Avos 3:9 - Interrupting Torah for a Tree.
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This shiur is dedicated to the memory of my Popo (grandmother), Helen Chang (1924 - 2/1/2023) and my student, Adira Koffsky (2004 - 2/1/2023)
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מקורות:
רמב"ם – הקדמה לשמונה פרקים
משלי א:ד-ה; יח:ט
רמב"ן - במדבר י:לה
רש"י - אבות א:טו
Moshe Halbertal, Maimonides: Life and Thought (2015)
אבות ג:ה,ט,י
מאירי
אברבנאל
רבינו יונה
רש"י
רשב"ץ
ר' יעקב ב"ר שמשון
מדרש שמואל
רש"י - שבת דף ל עמוד ב
Rabbi Israel Chait, Transcription of shiur on Pirkei Avos 3:9
Selective Attention Test (Simons and Chabris)
Cal Newport, Deep Work (2016)
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If you have questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail.