I am an avreich from Modi’in Illit. On Motza’ei Shabbos Parshas Lech Lecha I met for the first time with a precious nineteen-year-old bachur. It was not only his first meeting with me, it was also his first meeting with a Gemara. Nineteen is an age when it is quite late to start, but with goodwill and siyata dishmaya, he would certainly succeed. The Torah is available to anyone to come and take it, even if he did not start at cheder-age.
People with experience told me that if he was learning Gemara for the first time, it was preferable to start with perek “Eilu metzios” in Maseches Bava Metzia.
“Let’s begin,” I told the bachur. “Bring me Maseches Bava Metzia.”
“I don’t have books at home,” he said, “only one Gemara Bava Kama.”
“Fine, bring Bava Kama,” I said, hoping I would manage with this masechta as well.
He went over to the closet, pulled out the only volume of Gemara that was there, and then he told me in surprise, “It’s not Bava Kama, it’s Bava Metzia!”
We were excited. We saw this as he’aras panim from Hashem, Who had prepared the Gemara so that this beginner would start his learning career in the best possible way, with Hashem’s help.
