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Dear Avira: You asked, “Can anyone explain to me the rationale of learning ‘rambam yomi’?”
Let me go to divrei HaRav, paraphrased and reworked by me. The Rebbe suggested that Yidden everywhere learn the same shtikel Rambam on the same day for several reasons.
The Rambam Yomi promotes achdus and ahavas Yisrael because everyone is learning the same thing no matter what their situation is. Pirud caused churban HaBayis and golus. A remedy is unity and ahavas chinam by learning the same thing. Furthermore, it promotes pilpul which brings people together — a meeting of the minds.
Why the Yad? In his Hakdama the Rambam explains that he has gathered “halachos, halachos” which bring together “the entire Torah Sheb’al Peh.”
If anyone has a ta’anah it’s with this brazen statement of the Rambam. I wonder how many B’nei Torah have read the Hakdama? It’s part of the Rambam Yomi, though.
A primary advantage of the Yad is “mitzvas limud v’yedias haTorah kulah.” The Rebbe cites the Rav’s Shulchan Aruch where this is the p’sak halachah. Incidently, to this end, some people would say the names of the Taryag Mitzvos every day. These names are featured prominently in the Yad.
One feature of Mitzvas Talmud Torah is to learn halacha l’ma’aseh as you pointed out. Another is to know the entire Torah. To this end, a special feature of the Yad is to learn halachos that are not for our time and place — something that you won’t find in other poskim.
For those who are shayach, it’s suggested that they learn one halacha b’iyun.
This is a thumbnail sketch from several pages. I pray that I’ve done justice to divrei HaRav.
I have a particular request of you to stay on the topic. Please.Let’s consider Shna’im Mikra v’Echad Targum as a corollary. We could be doing something better with our time according to someone earlier — learning b’iyun, learning halacha l’ma’aseh. And yet the Shulchan Oruch tells us to be ma’avir the sedrah. And furthermore, “a yerei shomayim learns Rashi’s p’shat also.” This is despite the fact that Rashi’s p’shat is not always the halacha.
By analogy, while one could say that one could be learning something “better” than the “bare” Mishneh Torah, we can self-examine and realize that we botul some time everyday. So we can add the Rambam without taking away. Some of us learn one perek a day over three years to lighten the burden to make it more realistic. Also, it’s possible to dwell a little more on each halacha.
The Rebbe suggested learning the Rambam — it’s not like being ma’avir the sidra which is halacha — and thereby all Jews would be united in learning one item of Torah sheb’al peh every day. We certainly need unity.
Yisroel v’Oraisa v’Kudsha Brich Hu chad hu.