Mazel Tov to my boy

My son is eight years old. About a year and a half ago he started going to the Kollel with my dad once a week, to learn some Mishna.

They started around Succos time, and began learning Pesachim, which they finished six months later, and made a siyum on chol Hamoed Pesach. They then began learning Succah, which they finished six months later, and we had a siyum on Chol Hamoed Succos.

After finishing Succah, they started learning Bayah, which I am proud to report, they finished yesterday and made their third siyum. They began their next Mesechta, Shabbos, and hope to finish it before we leave next summer.

It is very interesting to watch them learn together (on occasion they don't make it to the kollel, and learn at our house instead), especially since I never had the patience to sit and learn with my dad.

My boy is getting something of indescribable value, as he listens to my dad go over each Mishna and explain it to him. My son reads the hebrew. My dad translates.

And my son is always surprising us. We always wonder how much he absorbs from this chavrusa he has, and every once in a while, we are talking about something, and he remembers learning about it in Mishna. He can usually open the mishna, and find it inside too, without spending very much time flipping through pages.

I hope that the main thing my son learns from this experience is the importance of setting time every week to learn torah. He doesn't usually see me go to learn, as my two torah nights begin after he is in bed, but I think doing it himself is even more important than watching me go learn.