Eiruvin 57a, b

The rabbis continue their discussion of yesterday's daf regarding measurements of cities, their boundaries, and eruvin.  They speak of Levirite cities and the boundaries suggested for those cities in the Torah as reference. Yesterday's daf, 56, began with instructions on how to calculate in which direction eiruvin should be drawn: which part of the eiruv should be facing north and how we can figure out which way is north according to the stars.

So much of the past two dapim are difficult for me to calculate and follow in detail.  I am confident that I have the capacity to follow the rabbis' understandings and examples; however, when it comes to mathematical computation and logic, I read differently.  It is as if I relax; I feel willing to trust that the rabbis' formula are correctly derived and calculated.  My mind does not stay focused.

I wonder whether or not I am alone in this experience of Talmud study.  Part of what maintains my interest in this study of daf yomi is the intellectual exercise: I must focus my mind on a limited piece of work every day, finding a way to maintain attention and interest.  But when I simply cannot push myself to understand complex calculations, I can only imagine that many others before me have experienced the same difficulties.

In the past, I have used the experience of today (and yesterday's) study to be proof that I should not be tackling this material; it must be over my head or beyond my grasp.  And I certainly hope to turn to other resources to aid my study.  But at this point, without the time to find and use those teachers' explanations, I am still motivated to return to the study tomorrow.  I recognize that I will never understand some of the rabbis' words.  However, I can continue to struggle to better my knowledge.