English Translation
I was privileged to hear from the holy lips of Rabbi Abramsky [whose wife’s grandfather was the Ridbaz] who said that when someone would begin discussing Torah learning with the Ridbaz on any topic, for example:
If one would begin saying, “The Gemara says in Pesachim page 4b, ‘Everyone agrees that chametz from the sixth hour and onward is biblically forbidden…'” and would want to start saying something, perhaps a question or an interpretation or the like – immediately, as soon as they would just begin citing the Gemara, the Ridbaz – like a drunk person who sees a bottle of wine – would immediately continue reciting the rest of the Gemara’s words. He would sit there, no longer seeing the person before him.
That person had merely given him a road sign, merely whispering “Pesachim page 4b,” and the Ridbaz would already be sitting there, reciting and reciting… He could continue this way, reciting dozens of pages of Gemara by heart in one continuous flow.
[From] The Gaon Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Schulzinger of blessed memory, “Cheshkat HaTorah” (Bnei Brak 5772), page 8
Original Hebrew Version
זָכִיתִי לִשְׁמֹעַ מִפִּי קָדְשׁוֹ שֶׁל הָרַבִּי הָרַב אַבְרַמְסְקִי [אֲשֶׁר הָרִידְבָּ”ז הָיָה סַבָּא שֶׁל הָרַבָּנִית שֶׁלּוֹ] שֶׁאָמַר, שֶׁכַּאֲשֶׁר אָדָם הָיָה מַתְחִיל לְדַבֵּר עִם הָרִידְבָּ”ז בְּלִמּוּד בְּאֵיזֶה עִנְיָן, לְדֻגְמָא,
הוּא מַתְחִיל לוֹמַר. ‘הַגְּמָרָא אוֹמֶרֶת בִּפְסָחִים דַּף ד, עַמּוּד ב’ ‘דְּכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא חָמֵץ מִשֵּׁשׁ שָׁעוֹת וּלְמַעְלָה דְּאוֹרַיְתָא…’ וְרוֹצֶה לְהַתְחִיל לְהַגִּיד מַשֶּׁהוּ, אֵיזֶה קֻשְׁיָא, הֲבָנָה וְכַדּוֹמֶה, מִיָּד, כַּאֲשֶׁר רַק מַתְחִיל לְהַגִּיד אֶת הַגְּמָרָא, הָרִידְבָּ”ז – כְּמוֹ שִׁכּוֹר שֶׁרוֹאֶה בַּקְבּוּק יַיִן, מִיָּד מַמְשִׁיךְ לוֹמַר אֶת הֶמְשֵׁךְ דִּבְרֵי הַגְּמָרָא. הוּא יוֹשֵׁב, וְהוּא כְּבָר לֹא רוֹאֶה אֶת זֶה שֶׁלְּפָנָיו.
הַהוּא רַק נָתַן לוֹ תַּמְרוּר דֶּרֶךְ, הוּא לָחַשׁ לוֹ ‘פְּסָחִים דַּף ד’ עַמּוּד ב” וְהָרִידְבָּ”ז יוֹשֵׁב כְּבָר
אוֹמֵר וְאוֹמֵר… וְכָךְ הָיָה יָכוֹל לְהַגִּיד עַשְׂרוֹת דַּפֵּי גְּמָרָא בְּעַל פֶּה, בְּרֶצֶף אֶחָד.
הגאון רבי משה מרדכי שולזינגר זצ״ל ״חשקת התורה״ (ב״ב תשע״ב) עמי ח׳
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