Developing Love for Torah

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

In Parshas Yisro, the Jewish nation received the Torah at Har Sinai. This was uncontestably the most defining moment in Jewish history. It turned us from the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov into the nation of Hashem.

In the verses that precede the Giving of the Torah, Hashem commanded Moshe to impress upon the people the awesome privilege they were receiving. Hashem wanted the nation to know that the Torah would transform them into a (16:6 ) “kingdom of priests and a holy people.” We may wonder, though. The Jewish people understood that the purpose of being freed from Egypt was to receive the Torah. Why did Hashem feel that they needed further convincing?

Rav Yerucham Brodiansky shares a startling idea: Wanting the Torah is not enough. We need to love the Torah. One can learn Torah for the sake of Heaven and miss the point entirely! We must not overlook the most fundamental element of Torah learning: a loving relationship with Hashem. The Torah is Hashem’s love letter to the Jewish people. We should cherish every word we learn and grow closer to Hashem because of it. This is what He wants.

Hashem commanded Moshe Rabbeinu to impress the people with the Torah’s loftiness because He wanted us to know that He was giving us a very special gift. The Torah can raise us above and beyond the mundane existence of a corporeal world. Those who learn it become holier people. How, then, could one not love Hashem and the incredible Torah He has given us?

Unfortunately, it is easy to forget this message. A person must constantly work on strengthening his love for Torah. How can we do this?

The first thing to do is learn. The more we advance in our learning, the more we will appreciate the Torah’s beauty.

On a deeper level, Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul teaches that when we think about what it means to learn Torah, it is impossible for us not to love it. We should appreciate that when we learn Torah, we are connecting with the thoughts of HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself! This intimate interaction with the Divine compares to no other intimacy. As incredible and inspirational as other things may be, everything pales in comparison to Torah.

Torah has many other advantages. The Gemara (Kiddushin 30b) states that the only antidote for the evil inclination is the Torah. In other words, without Torah, we don’t stand a chance. The Mesillas Yesharim (in Zehirus) warns us not to fool ourselves into believing that we can overcome the Yetzer Hara by any other means. The Yetzer Hara is so strong and cunning, it is capable of destroying a person without his even knowing. Torah is our only hope.

The Gemara (Pesachim 68b) tells over that Rav Sheishes used to encourage himself. He would say, “Rejoice, my soul! Rejoice, my soul!” emphasizing the great effect the Torah would have on him. The Gemara questions Rav Sheishes, seeing this method of self-encouragement as flawed. Surely it would have been more accurate to declare, “Rejoice, O universe!” as Torah study has an effects on all of creation. Why did Rav Sheishes see Torah only as a means of uplifting himself?

The Gemara answers that a person’s main focus is on his own needs. I believe that the Gemara is teaching us a wonderful lesson. It is quite obvious that we can appreciate the Torah’s loftiness and greatness. The Torah is the blueprint of the universe! Still, the most effective way to acquire a love for Torah is to appreciate what the Torah does for us personally. Torah gives us the strength to completely transform ourselves. Step back and consider just how far you have come over the years—it truly is remarkable! Even if we didn’t reach the goals we have set for ourselves, Hashem’s Torah is still helping us become the people we need to be.

When I think of love for Torah, Rav Moshe Mandel immediately comes to mind. We can all learn to love Torah from his example. Every night, he would get up at midnight and learn until Shacharis. Already as a young man, he was fluent in Shas and Poskim. He set for himself a demanding learning schedule, and he could be found studying at all hours of the day and night. Anyone who saw him learn was touched by the beauty of the scene. He spoke out his learning in such a sweet tune, it almost brought listeners to tears. He loved to focus on minute points in a sugya.

He was greatly pained when he was no longer capable of such intense learning due to his poor health. Still, even when he was limited to Gemara, Rashi, and Tosfos, his love for Torah continued to express itself with the same enthusiasm.

Rav Moshe was such a strong believer in the importance of love for Torah, that he claimed that all problems a bachur in yeshivah could have stemmed from a lack of it. Indeed, according to him, insufficient love for Torah was the biggest problem a person could have.

May we be zocheh to truly love Torah!

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