I have heard that sefarim say that a baal habos who only a 2 or 3 hours a day to learn is mechuyav to learn primarily halacha l’maaseh. is this how we hold & if so does that mean he should not learn gemara?
Answer:
This idea is mentioned by some sefarim, notably the Shulchan Aruch HaRav (2:9), the Shach (Yoreh De’ah 246:5), the Mishnah Berurah (155:3), among others.
Learning halacha is important to know how to act in different circumstances.
However, it is also clear that learning halachic rulings alone is very difficult, and the most important thing about Torah study is that it should actually happen. A person must ensure that he enjoys the Torah study, and many will not find fulfillment and enjoyment in the study of simple halachic rulings.
Moreover, relative to the past it is quite easy today to find halachic rulings for specific circumstances that come up, both from books and from online resources, as well as from phone-rabbis – and so on.
Therefore, although one should certainly dedicate some learning time to halachah, this does not need to be exclusive, and a person should learn what he enjoys learning and what will keep him strong in his Torah study.
Best wishes.
