Excuse the (possibly obscure) English reference in the title.
Rav Kahana has said in the name of Rav: One need not begin, but if he begins he should finish.
I found this statement of Rav Kahana in the name of Rav to be rather profound and to have much broader applications than the context of the discussion, about whether one should read the whole of the third paragraph of the shema or not.
There are so many things that we don't have to start - we may feel nervous about beginning a new thing, an awkward conversation, making a new friend, starting a new blog or religious practice. And we don't necessarily have to start these things, or open these doors.
However, if we do start, Rav Kahana advises us to see everything through to its end, not to give up half way through but to do a thorough, complete job in any task we undertake.
So here's my Talmudic-style challenge: Rabbi Tarfon teaches (Avot) that you are NOT required to finish. Perhaps he was only talking about a task which you yourself didn't start? Or maybe the statement here by Rav Kahana was referring only to Shema and cannot be applied at large.
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