Water in the Desert and Pillows for Servants
HaRav Meir ben Jacob HaKohen Schiff (1608–1644) wrote a commentary on a number of mesechtos that are commonly studied in yeshiva. The commentary, commonly referred to as the “Maharam Schiff,” is cryptic and often challenging to understand. One prevalent theory is that his manuscript was not ready for publishing. Perhaps he never had the chance to finalize it due to his short life. Others suggest that HaRav Meir Schiff intentionally wrote his commentary in a concise fashion, choosing to maximize his available time for communal endeavors. He was already serving as a rav at the tender age of seventeen!
HaRav Yaakov Kamenetzky, zt”l, was invited to speak at a yahrtzeit gathering. His lecture followed an intricate Talmudic discourse. HaRav Kamenetzky noticed that one of the sources used for the discourse was from the Maharam Schiff. He lamented that, sadly, his students did not even know where to find the Maharam Schiff in the Gemara, “Is it (printed) before the Maharsha or after?” He further noted that the state of intensity in Torah learning has diminished in our generation. HaRav Kamenetzky noted that students stopped learning the Maharam Schiff “because you have to count words.” Students nowadays tend to use commentaries that are easier to read. (These remarks were recorded for prosperity by Rav Nosson Kamenetzky, zt”l, who transcribed hundreds of his father’s lectures.)