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Should every household have a set of shas?
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amother
OP


 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2020, 10:31 pm
Even if it's unlikely they will be used much?
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amother
Burlywood


 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2020, 11:09 pm
There is certainly a benefit to the family by having a lot of seforim, even if they are not used, it changes the tone in the house.

But I doubt it has to be specifically Shas.
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amother
Bronze


 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2020, 11:10 pm
Yes! Absolutely! It's a necessity!
Torah is the foundation of a Jewish home!
You never know if itll be used or not, maybe just maybe 1 day at a given time dh or ds will want to learn so itll be convenient to have it around and it should always be easily accessible!
You never know what guest shows up and then wants to learn....
Even if dh doesnt learn it all good for children to see that you have a set of shes and seforim in your home!
It's something about having seforim around makes you feel a connection and reminds you of Hashem!
Many other reasons as well...
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2020, 11:15 pm
I’m not saying having a lot of sefarim is not important. But don’t forget what is truly important - using the sefarim. We never had a shas until my son turned bar mitzva, because when we first got married, we didn’t have a bookcase and my father didn’t want to buy my husband a set of Shas until we had a place to keep it. And then it just never happened. But, my husband has always learned with my son, and they made multiple siyums on big sefarim before he was even bar mitzva. So we really didn’t have too many sefarim, mostly just what they were learning. But I’ve gotten comments from other people how impressed they are about how much my husband learns with my son, and how they never do. While they have full bookcases that sit and don’t get used.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jun 25 2020, 11:16 pm
If I had the space and money I'd have a set. But there's no space to have a whole set in a way that gives it the kavod it deserves.
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twizzlers1




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 1:21 am
In my opinion if it's just going to sit there and not get used that you're better off spending the money on seforim that will get used. I mean if you already have a set I'm not saying you should give it away just that if you have a certain budget you should buy things that you will actually learn.
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amother
Jade


 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 1:33 am
We have multiple sets, but the truth is that in the age of the smartphone,, we're all carrying a Shas around every day but shabbos, anyway.

There's a story that a family came to Rav Herzog for guidance about what to write on their father's matzeva. His first yahrzeit was approaching, and somehow, they just couldn't bring themselves to do it. As they were leaving, a woman came in who knew the family. She said that by chance she had been at the house when the father had written his own epitaph. (A very beautiful one about how he believed without a doubt that Hashem would return His people to their land, and if he did not merit to see a Jewish state, then surely his children would. The state was founded within months after his death. Anyhow...) After he wrote it, he tucked it into his Mishna, in the spot in מסכת שבת where he was learning.

The children looked, and lo and behold, there it was. They asked Rabbi Herzog if he thought there was something lemaala min hateva in the coincidence of the woman coming exactly then and knowing where to look.

Rav Herzog answered dryly that the only thing lemaala min hateva here was that a set of mishnayos had been sitting on the shelf for a year without being opened.
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 1:49 am
I dont think there is a value of having shas just to have them or just in case.
If one learns them then yes there is a value in having them all.
But to me there is more of a value of buying each gemara as one learns them.
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Rappel




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 2:06 am
shabbatiscoming wrote:
I dont think there is a value of having shas just to have them or just in case.
If one learns them then yes there is a value in having them all.
But to me there is more of a value of buying each gemara as one learns them.


Agreed. We don't buy sefarim unless we're going to read them, and I think we're richer for it (in Torah).
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LovesHashem




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 3:29 am
I think every house should have sefarim - that's a Jewish house.

Why does it specifically have to be a shas?
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 4:47 am
I think this really depends on the situation.
I think that buying a shas for a chosson is not necessary. It costs alot of money. Here in Israel, my kids in yeshiva buy a small version of whichever mesechta they are learning in cheder or yeshiva. It doesn't have to be a whole set and I think that the expense is unjustified, if parents are struggling to pay for a wedding.
Where I am coming from: We bought a beautiful Shas for our son in law. When they separated, we got the shas back in its original package, untouched.
I don't think we need to keep doing things just because this is the norm. Things will be different next time around.

If you are asking if a family should run out and buy a Shas, just to have, in case someone wants to open it up - I don't think so. There are so many other seforim that one can have and learn. Seforim that may give someone Cheshek (desire) to go out and learn Shas. Don't buy something just to have it.

Hatzlacha.
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amother
Mint


 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 6:37 am
Every household should have sefarim- lots of them. Chumashim, Nach, mishnayos, Shas, Rambam, Tur, Shulchan Aruch, Sifrei Mussar/ Chassidus/ Halacha/ Hashkafa, English sefarim, and Jewish stories for children.

First step is to buy them. Second step is to learn them.
There should always be interesting sefarim on hand to pick up and learn for a few minutes.

I have a small house and not enough room for more sefarim, for now I have 3 packed tall (ikea) bookcases.
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Raisin




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 6:45 am
I think you should both have one and use one. But if someone is not proficient in aramaic, (eg a BT) might make more sense to get an artscroll english set, even if incomplete, and build up over the years.

Not having bookcases is not an excuse for no books...I have always lived in houses with more books than space for them.
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Rappel




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 6:52 am
Raisin wrote:
I think you should both have one and use one. But if someone is not proficient in aramaic, (eg a BT) might make more sense to get an artscroll english set, even if incomplete, and build up over the years.

Not having bookcases is not an excuse for no books...I have always lived in houses with more books than space for them.


Tell me about it. Our clothes closet is almost completely full of sefarim; only two shelves have actual clothing on them. No, we don't have a book problem, why do you ask? TMI
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Angolama




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 7:46 am
I think a Shas is like a Chumash, tehillim, and mishnah berurah... There are some basics that are almost like mezuzos. They have pretty small ones that are cheap. It doesn't need to take up much space. I definitely think it makes more sense to buy a chosson a Shas than a watch or cufflinks... This way, if he ever learns with the kids, he can say "This is the Shas from Grandma and Grandpa". It shows a chain of mesorah, that Torah is one of the foundational things being transmitted generationally, that you can point to and show your kids as the first thing you had when you set up a home. (OP is probably right that a lot of it is semantics though.)
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Ora in town




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 8:06 am
I think they should acquire each massechta as they learn it...

What is bought as a set is not always practical to learn from...
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Ora in town




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 8:11 am
Rappel wrote:
Tell me about it. Our clothes closet is almost completely full of sefarim; only two shelves have actual clothing on them. No, we don't have a book problem, why do you ask? TMI

A book-messy! I like that concept... Same here...
Not the wardrobe full, but just the bookshelves overflowing!
And then I try to give some away (to the nice give a book-take a book places)...
and I always end up with more books...
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 8:48 am
Angolama wrote:
I think a Shas is like a Chumash, tehillim, and mishnah berurah... There are some basics that are almost like mezuzos. They have pretty small ones that are cheap. It doesn't need to take up much space. I definitely think it makes more sense to buy a chosson a Shas than a watch or cufflinks... This way, if he ever learns with the kids, he can say "This is the Shas from Grandma and Grandpa". It shows a chain of mesorah, that Torah is one of the foundational things being transmitted generationally, that you can point to and show your kids as the first thing you had when you set up a home. (OP is probably right that a lot of it is semantics though.)
the op didnt specifically ask about a chatan gift, just if one should have the ehole set.

In my mind, the difference between a mezuza and shas is that not everyone uses all of shas whereas eceryone needs a mezuzah.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 9:13 am
Raisin wrote:
I think you should both have one and use one. But if someone is not proficient in aramaic, (eg a BT) might make more sense to get an artscroll english set, even if incomplete, and build up over the years.

Not having bookcases is not an excuse for no books...I have always lived in houses with more books than space for them.


Books are different than sefarim. And a very small house where kids can reach and rip everything might not be ideal for sefarim.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Jun 26 2020, 9:14 am
shabbatiscoming wrote:
I dont think there is a value of having shas just to have them or just in case.
If one learns them then yes there is a value in having them all.
But to me there is more of a value of buying each gemara as one learns them.


This is what we do. and BZH by the time we get the bulk of the set we will have a bigger space.
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