Q. Should one go to sleep early, at the expense of learning Torah, in order to wake up early and be from the asara rishonim the next day? (He will learn before Shacharis, but maybe learning more at night is a bigger mitzvah, and maybe one shouldn't push off a mitzvah and should rather learn as much as possible at night?)
A. Horav
Shlomo Miller's Shlit'a opinion is that since this type of question
depends on other personal issues, such as the quality of learning and
remembering at different times of the day or the nature of the
material being learned, as well as the personal awareness changing
daily condition etc. there is no straight forward answer to this
question.
A
competent Rabbi familiar with the individual and his situation and
environment should be consulted.
The
Rov compared this shaila to the Talmud's unresolved question
(Zevachim 91a) of what has priority; todir (a constant or everyday
mitzva) as compared to mekudash (one of higher holiness). Rambam (H.
Temidim Umusafim 9: 2), rules that one should follow his personal
need or desire.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller and Horav Aharon Miller Shlit'a
Important Numbers
