The Baltimore Connection

In truth, there are deeper connections between these two talmidei chachomim. Both Rabbi Reisman and Rabbi Frand have given exceptionally popular weekly lectures for decades within the same genre of Torah scholarship. This type of class features examining a Tanach event from the Torah or Neviim from a halachic perspective. Some of the common issues may surround the degree to which the Patriarchs observed the laws of the Torah or the times at which a given Rabbinic decree was first enacted. Both scholars style is to trace the elaboration of the halacha from its earliest sources to contemporary halachic issues. Rabbi Frand's class typically relates to the weekly Torah portion, while Rabbi Reisman has used numerous books of the Neviim as his starting point.

Other Baltimore scholars have had a significant hand in popularizing this style of Torah study. Rabbi Shraga Neuberger, a close colleague of Rabbi Frand on the faculty of Ner Israel, began disseminating weekly Torah thoughts on these topics to fellow Ner Israel students over 40 years ago. Another member of the Ner Israel family, Rabbi Shimon Krasner, has written a series of volumes entitled Nachlas Shimon, in which he engages in in-depth analysis of halachic themes organized according to their appearance in the books of the Neviim. Rabbi Reisman frequently quotes Rabbi Krasner in his weekly lectures.

Common Sources of Inspiration

Rabbi Frand noted that it was Rabbi Reisman's mentor, HaRav Avraham Pam, ZT'L, who motivated him to study the Neviim and Kesuvim. At an Agudath Israel convention over 30 years ago, Rabbi Pam was lecturing during Shabbos. As he was citing a verse from the prophet Amos, the lights went out. Undaunted, Rabbi Pam continue to say the verse verbatim – because he knew all the Neviim by heart! Amazed, Rabbi Frand decided that he needed to improve his knowledge of the Neviim. This led to the formation of the Chabura which now, 30 years later, was being mesayem Neviim and Kesuvim. Thus, the gratitude for Rabbi Pam had come full circle with Rabbi Reisman being asked to mark this occasion with a call for strengthening the learning of the subjects. While denying that his knowledge of Tanach was in any way comparable to that of his mentor, Rabbi Reisman acknowledged that from his time as a bachur, he took upon himself to learn a perek a day until he too finished all of Neviim and Kesuvim.

Learning Tanach

Rabbi Reisman began his talk by noting the widespread custom that a person marking a yahrzeit is generally honored with maftir. However, contrary to popular belief, the emphasis is not on the maftir aliya (the last Torah portion) but rather on the haftorah read from the Neviim.  Moreover, he said that the Halacha really applies to any haftorah during the entire twelve months when someone is in mourning for one's mother or father. In fact, in some communities such as Bnei Brak, it is common to prioritize giving an aveil haftarah all year. The reason a mourner is given priority for this role is because the haftarah was designed to evoke feelings of teshuva in the reader and in the whole tzibbur. He noted the anomaly of a special haftarah said on the day before Rosh Chodesh - all other special occasion haftarahs relate to something occurring on that Shabbos, not the following day. His explanation is that since Erev Rosh Chodesh is also known as Yom Kippur Katan and is supposed to be a day of teshuva, the haftarah of Machar Chodesh is actually about the Shabbos itself rather than the following day. This underscored the connection of the haftarah to role of stirring teshuva.

Rabbi Reisman mentioned a quizzical gemara in Nedarim 22b: Rabbi Adda bar Chanina said: "if the nation of Israel had not sinned, they would've only been given the Five Books of Moses and the book of Joshua".  Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv), in his introduction to the Haemek Shealah, finds this aggada astounding: How could we be better off without knowledge of the Davidic dynasty, the building of the Bais Hamikdosh, or the many prophecies that are so relevant to this day? The Netziv proposes that certainly all information in the Neviim and Kesuvim would have been retained and passed down orally as the legacy of the Jewish people. However, when it became apparent that the Jewish people would not stay on the highest levels of devotion, it was not feasible to assume that these traditions could be passed down orally with the needed fidelity. Therefore, the Ribono Shel Olam concluded that the information in the Neviim and Kesuvim would need to become additional books in the Torah Shebichsav.

Reviving the Study of Tanach

Many years later, there was an unintended consequence of this moving of Neviim and Kesuvim away from Torah Sheb'al Peh into the realm of Torah Shebichsav. The Maskilim of the 19th century sought to separate the Written and Oral traditions and embrace the former, much as their predecessors the Sadducees and the Karaites.  In response, many European Orthodox Jews responded by pulling away from the study of Neviim and Kesuvim, just as they shied away from studying dikduk.  Some as in Chasidic circles, the study of Tanach is still avoided and notably, the haftarah is not even read out loud. Rabbi Reisman felt that this is a loss for the Jewish people.  He felt that learning Tanach fell into the category of actions that are not strict requirements but that show love for the Ribono Shel Olam and a desire to grow in the fear of Heaven. While he took no credit, this is evidently why he and numerous others have spearheaded the return to the learning of Tanach with a special focus on showing the indivisible nature of Torah Shebichsav and Torah Sheb'al Peh. The holiday of Shavuos, during which generations of pious Jews have read the Tikkun Leil Shavuos, seems designed to underscore complete unity of the Written and Oral traditions. Rabbi Reisman concluded with an impassioned call for the community to study and master all of the books of Tanach.

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