Receiving the Torah Today

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

Our Sages (Yerushalmi, Rosh Hashana 4:8) state that a Jew must make a fresh acceptance of Torah study on Shavuos. They promise us great things if we do.

Why is a fresh acceptance of Torah necessary? After all, the entire Jewish nation accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai, and that acceptance was to be for all generations, including ours!

The Toras Chaim (Bava Metzia 85a) explains that when the Torah was given at Sinai, it continued to be given until this very day. The verse (Devarim 5:19) tells us that at Sinai, there was a “great sound that did not cease.” Rashi there explains that the giving of the Torah “continues eternally.”

What does this eternal giving mean? It means that every time we learn, Hashem is literally teaching the Torah to us. Indeed, this is why we bless Hashem each morning as the “Giver” of the Torah—in the present tense. Thus, when we reach a new understanding in Torah, that understanding is actually coming to us directly from Hashem. The Midrash teaches (Vayikra Rabba 22:1), “Every [Torah] novelty that a student would come up with was already given to Moshe.”

The Mishna (Rosh Hashana 16a) states, “On Shavuos, we are judged for the trees.” The Shelah (Ner Mitzvah Shavuos 19) states, in name of the Arizal, that this judgment is an allusion to the “Tree of Life”—the Torah. Hashem judges each Jew, and determines how much Torah he will merit to receive that year. As this is true, we must make a fresh acceptance of it to demonstrate how eager we are to receive it. This can be compared to the Jews at Mount Sinai, declaring that they are willing to keep the Torah before they knew what it would entail. Their declaration demonstrated their desire and craving to receive the Torah, and we should also demonstrate this desire.

How can we demonstrate that we are making a fresh acceptance of Torah?

The Pnei Moshe (on Yerushalmi, ibid.) explains that this entails applying greater effort to all areas of our learning: our focus and concentration, our depth of study, attempting to make a better use of our time. In short, we should do whatever we can to make our learning better.

The Chazon Ish would advise people to demonstrate how much the Torah means to them. He would tell them to be clever, even cunning, in finding ways to add on more time for learning. He would urge people to find ways to ensure that their learning is uninterrupted and of better quality. If one has chores or errands to do, he should try to organize them in a way that saves time, which can then be added to his learning. Carry a sefer in order to learn during times when one cannot be in his seat, but his eyes are available. When one cannot actually learn from a sefer, he should be prepared to think about his learning during those times.

The Chazon Ish would add, “Pray to Hashem that He help you in your effort to give over more of your life to Torah study!”

The blessing on Torah study states that Hashem commanded us “la’asok b’divrei Sorah – to work in the words of Torah.” Hashem commands us to make Torah our prime occupation in life. It should be our foremost goal in life, what we live for. It is true that we all need a source of income, and most of us benefit from a vacation. However, when Torah is our main pursuit in life, we will seek ways to minimize the concerns of livelihood – and surely, hobbies – in order to devote as much of our time and energy to growth in Torah. Thus, one should examine his daily, weekly and yearly schedule, and determine if he is learning as much as he can. He should examine his activities and determine if they are truly necessary.

Devoting yourself to Torah to this extent may sound difficult, and even impossible. However, the more that you apply yourself in learning, the easier it becomes. Try to tailor your learning seder to the type of learning that gives you the greatest sense of fulfillment. For some, it is the study of halacha; for others, Gemara b’iyun, or bekiyus. It is also worthwhile to put yourself in the most conducive environment for learning. Some people like a boisterous beis midrash; others prefer to learn in a quiet environment. Find a group of people learning at your level, and try to have (and be!) the best study partner possible. In short, do what you can to make your learning enjoyable.

After reaching a level where learning is enjoyable, there is still much room to grow. One certainly should not give himself the excuse of a poor learning environment, but that does not absolve one of learning when we find it hard to learn! We may be tired, preoccupied, or in a drafty or poorly lit room. If we reach a level where, in the words of Rav Shlomo Yosef Kahaneman, Torah is our shiras chaim, our life’s joy, we will be able to learn successfully even when the circumstances are against us.

Rav Kahaneman would bring an interesting proof from the Gemara (Megilla 3a), which recounts an episode in Yehoshua’s conquest of Eretz Yisrael. It was the night before the war against Yericho. Due to their preoccupation with the war effort, the nation had not brought the daily korban tamid, nor had they held their regular lesson in Torah study. When Yehoshua was confronted by an angel bearing a sword, he understood that this was in response to one of these two omissions, and he asked which of them had prompted the angel to come. “I have come now,” was the angel’s response. Tosafos (ibid.) explains that this was an allusion to the verse, “And now, write this song (the Torah) (Devarim 31:19),” The angel was coming because of the cancelling of Torah study, and not the lack of the korban tamid.

Yehoshua understood this hint, and the verse declares that he spent the night “in the emek (valley).” Emek shares a root with the word amok, depth. The Sages explain that Yehoshua spent an entire night “in the depths of halacha.”

Rav Kahanaman would ask how the angel could have criticized Yehoshua for canceling a learning seder. After all, the nation was in a state of war!

He explains that this would be an excuse only if Torah was merely an obligation. However, Torah should be a Jew’s shiras chaim! This attitude should give him the wherewithal to learn it continuously, in both war and peace alike. He points out that the angel’s criticism of Yehoshua alludes to the verse that calls Torah a song. Had Torah been the Jews’ song, they would have continued learning even though they were at war.

Some of us find learning particularly hard at night. We are groggy after a full day, and even an easy text becomes a struggle. We must not let this discourage us. The Rambam says that one’s primary successes in learning are accomplished at night (Hilchos Talmud Torah 3:13). In stressing the importance of learning at night, the Sages (Avoda Zara 3b) cite the verse, “At night, His song is with me (Tehillim 42:9).” In other words, if we reach the level that Torah becomes our song, it will inspire us to learn into the night with energy and joy.

This is one reason why there is a custom to learn the entire night on Shavuos. The Magen Avraham (Orach Chaim 494) tells us that the Jews slept late on the morning that the Torah was given. This demonstrated a severe lack of enthusiasm for the Torah. Thus, we atone for that late morning by not sleeping at all on Shavuos night, demonstrating our own enthusiasm for the Torah. At least on Shavuos, we want to reach the level in which Torah is a song, enabling us to overcome any obstacles – even fatigue from lack of sleep. We may be tired, but since Torah is our song, it energizes us. We do not want the song of our life to ever end.

There are those who calculate how much learning they will do on Shavuos. They claim that it is better to get a good night’s sleep on Shavuos night, because they will learn more and better on Shavuos if they do so. However, based on the principle above, HaRav Yitzchak Berkovits says that such a person is mistaken. Shavuos is about one’s enthusiasm! Enthusiastic people don’t sit there making calculations. They jump right in because they can’t help themselves!

There was once a philanthropist who wanted to meet with the Kloizenberger Rebbe. As it was known that this man did not arrive promptly to his appointments, the Rebbe only agreed to meet with him if he promised to come at a specific time. The philanthropist agreed, and when the day arrived, he came on time to the appointment.

The Rebbe’s gabbai apologized that the Rebbe could not meet with him yet, because he was in the middle of giving a shiur to the yeshiva. Upset, the philanthropist sat down to wait for the Rebbe, looking every so often at his watch. In the background, he could hear the Rebbe excitedly teaching over Torah to his students.

When the Rebbe arrived over an hour later, the man was furious. The Rebbe apologized right away. “Please understand, I woke up today with a terrible migraine headache. My gabbai wanted to cancel all of my appointments, because the pain was so great that I couldn’t function. I knew, though, that if I could assemble my talmidim and teach them Torah, it would help me deal with my headache. I apologize again, but I simply had no other cure.”

May we be zocheh to make Torah the song of our life!

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