Seforim from Slabotka

This phone literally came over from Europe. Take a look at this Gemara. You open up the front. Half [music] Reish Mem Beis, 1882. >> Oh my goodness. >> 1882. [music] >> We got special access to an archive housing the books from Beth Medrash Elyon. These books came from Europe from the 1800s from Yeshivas like Slabodka. Let's go check it out. >> Reuven learns with this phone. Reuven Gershovsky. [music] You open it up. It's really really gentle because like this is >> All right, I'll hold the cover so it doesn't fall off. Where was it printed? In Russia? >> In Russia. In Russia. And he's not only one. This is all his phones. This whole library. [music] Reuven Gershovsky in Slabodka. >> This is from Slabodka? This is >> Yeah, this is his stamp. Reuven Gershovsky Slabodka. This is what he learned with in Europe. >> What is the significance of this Yeshiva in America? >> This Yeshiva was the base for all the concept of people dedicating full-time learning to studying in depth, to spend time like [music] kind of like chewing over each word of the Rishonim to understand it and to develop ideas based on it and then to [music] continue from the Rishonim then to the later commentaries and then to the to the current Yeshivas. That whole concept traveled from Europe to America. >> Right. >> And here together with Beth Medrash Govoha, together with Lakewood [music] Right. That was the start of this type of learning. >> It was just an idea. >> It was just an idea. No one knew if it would take off. It didn't take off on the nails just like common. >> Unbelievable.