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Thought for the Day: Creating Chidushei Torah is a Daily Obligation

Maybe you don't think "shocking" or "riveting" when you think "Mishna Brura".  After all, we all basically know halacha and the we just need the Mishna Brura once in a while when we call R' Fuerst and he gives us a reference instead of an answer.  I hate to burst your bubble (not really, I actually really like bursting bubbles, actually), but there are some reasonably startling obligations that the Mishna Brura clarifies.  For me the most surprising -- nay, terrifying -- obligation is to be found in a very unlikely place: hilchos chol ha'mo'ed.  (Like any master author, the Mishna Brura likes to keep you on your toes by never letting you know where you may find a bomb chidush.)  The issue is that writing on chol ha'mo'ed requires a heter.  The Mishna Brura wants to be sure you know it is ok to write chidushei torah (he has no doubt you'll find all the heterim you need for writing checks and surfing the web).  So first he sets you up by pointing out that you could forget a chidush if you don't write it down immediately you could forget the chidush by next week.  "Ein davar avad gadol me'zu" -- there is no greater loss than that, so by the normal heter of "davar ha'avad" writing divrei torah is permitted.  Then the Mishna Brura delivers his knock out punch: but there is a bigger problem, since you are obligated to develop chidushei torah every day, you don't have time to write down your chol ha'mo'ed chidushim the next week because you'll be busy writing down that day's chidushim!

The last two weeks I have been, Barush HaShem, very busy visiting with my children and grandchildren.  That is also a "davar ha'avad" since I don't get the opportunity to see either my children or my grandchildren often enough.  What I did, therefore, was write down notes in outline form of thoughts I had so I wouldn't forget.  What about the imperative to develop new chidushei torah each day?  I find that writing down the thoughts in a coherent enough fashion to be understood always brings about new and deeper insights.  I am starting with this one so you wouldn't think I was just being lazy.
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