Loving Learning Or Learning What You Love?

 https://www.torahmusings.com/2026/05/loving-learning-or-learning-what-you-love/

Question: Should a person only learn what he enjoys?

Short Answer: While learning what you enjoy has special power, there are certain limits to this principle.

The Gemara (Avoda Zarah 19a) states that a person only learns “from a place” that he wants to learn from. Rashi explains that this means that a Rebbi should teach his student the mesechta of the student’s choosing, as the Torah will remain with the student when he learns a topic he enjoys or is interested in learning. This fits with the next story in the Gemara, where Levi looked for an excuse to leave shiur when it was not learning what he wanted. Rabbeinu Chananel has a slightly different girsa – a person only learns what his heart desires.

Does this learning what you desire principle apply to children?

The sefer Michtam L’Dovid (cited in Avodah B’rurah, ibid) holds that it does not apply, as a child has no “da’as” to decide what he desires.

On the other hand, R’ Chaim Segal (Gam Ani Odecha, p.184) holds that you may learn torah with a young child on erev tisha ba’av, because otherwise the child won’t learn anything. Certainly, the child is not interested in learning the “bad topics” normally learned on tisha ba’av, and thus the learning what you desire principle trumps him not learning. R’ Segal apparently holds that this principle applies to young children as well.