BEHAR BEHUKOTAY 2013
THE SH’LAH ON SHAVUOT
The Sh’lah Hakadosh, on Shavuot, writes something that gives us all a punch. First, he notes that despite its being a day of tremendous happiness for our receiving the Torah, the day of Shavuot is also a day of judgment. Judgment on how much effort we put into our learning, quality and quantity, all year long. This is one reason why we stay up all night learning: to express on this day of judgment that we realize the great importance of learning at night. Then, he lays the punch.
The Midrash says, R Pinchas, in the name of R Chilkia, said, הקובע עתים לתורה מיפר תורה שנאמר עת לעשות לה’ הפרו תורתך one who sets aside time for Torah study is annulling Torah, as it says in the passuk, A time to do for Hashem, {literally, but “to do” meaning setting aside a time for your study} is annulling your Torah. The Sh’lah questions how this is possible, as we know that the first thing a person is asked when he gets up to the Heavenly Court is קבעת עתים לתורה “Did you set aside time for Torah study?”. If so, how can the Midrash say that if someone sets aside time for Torah study, he is annulling the Torah?
The Sh’lah answers that if someone is not busy working, not a businessman, he is obligated to learn day and night, without stopping for a second, except for the time he needs to pray, eat and sleep. If such a person makes a schedule in which he learns three hours in the morning, three hours in the afternoon and an hour and a half at night, while the rest of the day not thinking in learning, he is annulling the Torah. For such a person, his whole day should be learning. כי בתורת ה’ חפצו ובתורתו יהגה יומם ולילה Hashem is his desire, and he contemplates Torah learning day and night. He must always be thinking in learning. The principle of a person being קובע עתים לתורה , having a set time for learning, is reserved for one who is a “working guy”. He, at least, has to set aside time to learn. And this is why it says קובע עתים in the plural, and not קובע עת, in a singular form, to imply that it is not enough to set aside only a “one hour-and-a-half block” of learning. Rather, he should make another seder whenever he does have time. In the car, on the way to work, with his wife at supper and any other opportunity he can take advantage of. Get yourself a time-management coach.
It is interesting how, in life, we get busy all day long taking care of those things that are important and urgent. The things that are just important and not urgent just sit around waiting to be done. It does not make a difference how important something may be; if it is not urgent, it is usually ignored. Included in this group of important and not urgent are our close relationships, health and fitness, organization, and last, but not at all least, setting aside time for learning Torah. If we could just find time somewhere in our schedule for these things, it would add quality to our lives.
When I was a yeshiva bachur, I had such a goal. To always be thinking in learning , wherever I was. An older bachur, a friend, told me to give up such an unrealistic, unattainable goal, for “it will make you crazy.” Only now, I realize how wrong he was. The words והגית בו יומם ולילה “You should think about it day and night”, do not mean that a learning guy has to be thinking stressfully about the hard parts of the Talmud and lose focus on his daily life and responsibilities. It just means thinking about any part of Torah that you can. An idea on the parasha, a thought of mussar, or a story from the Tanach. This is not only a mitzvah, but has a very practical application, as well. I have noticed that when I am under stress or about to get angry, I can avoid both situations if I have something else to focus on. So, I think over what I have learnt that day, and – like a charm – I am able to stay calm.
There is only one way to make time for learning. Mark it not only important, but urgent and important. Stay up all night for it. Do it the first thing on the schedule of the day. This is the only way the learning will get done. And, if it is not getting done, it means …
My neighbor has a friend, a chassidishe friend, that learnt Massechet Shabbat (with Tosefot) a number of times. They both know the Gemarra of Shabbat very well. I liked this American chassidishe guy a lot, and every time that he came to visit my neighbor for Shabbat, I enjoyed chatting with him. I asked my neighbor what this guy was up to lately, where he was learning. My neighbor answered that he has gone to work: he became a painter. He paints walls. I could not believe it. I thought that this fellow who loves learning had a future in Torah. I discussed this with my neighbor. He responded, leaving me shocked. “ The chassid needs parnassah, to make a living. He wanted to work in something that did not involve his seeing immodest sights, and, because he loves learning so much, he wanted to be able to think in learning while working. He has just made a siyum on Beitzah. He learnt it five times without opening it once. All day, as he paints, he listens on the headphones to daf yomi on Beitzah; he knows it by heart… “
Painting is a job where one could be thinking in learning. Many of the Tanaim and Amoraim had jobs that made it possible to be thinking in learning while working, R’ Yochanan Sandlar- shoe maker, R Yitzchak Nafcha – blacksmith, etc. It seems that some people try to learn between working. These people worked while learning. ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת Torah is called a song, in the sense that just as when you are walking down the stairs you can sing a tune, you can relate to Torah the same way. Walking down the stairs, in the car, and wherever life takes you…
A TORAH EDUCATION
…אם בחקתי תלכו…ונתתי גשמכים בעתם If you follow my statutes…I will provide you with rain at the appropriate time… Rashi explains that this verse teaches us about “toiling in Torah study” (שתהיו עמלים בתורה). Indeed, as the Chazon Ish ( ק”א ח”א ס י’ב ) points out, all the brachot in the following verses are reserved for those who exert themselves in studying Torah. This concept of toiling in Torah – known in Hebrew as amal ba’Torah – refers to more than intellectual exertion alone, as we shall soon see.
One sign of truly fulfilling the injunction to be a person who is ameil ba’Torah is one’s total absorption in Torah learning. It is possible to witness this in a serious beit midrash, where study partners often voice their opinions in booming voices without disturbing those studying right next to them. Compare this with the library or study hall in the secular world, where it is accepted that people need silence in order to concentrate.
This is just one of the many differences between the approach to learning in the yeshiva world and the approach just about everywhere else. Indeed, many yeshiva students are unaware of the many significant differences which they simply take for granted. A few years ago, a non-religious Israeli professor visited Yeshivat Mir in Jerusalem – host to almost 6,000 students – and recorded the differences he observed:
-The Talmudic scholar studies and explains his point of view using his hands.
-He often sways while studying.
-He usually studies with a partner.
-When he asks the teacher a question, he gets up and goes over to the teacher. Out of respect, he usually remains standing while the teacher continues sitting. This is different from the secular classroom, where the student usually raises his hand, and the teacher address the question while the student remains seated . .
– In Talmudic study, the student is expected to manage relatively long periods of concentration – at times, even four and a half hours. This is very different from the secular educational systems, where focused learning times or class periods tend to be no more than an hour. .
-The study halls of yeshivot thunder with noise, and it does not seem to bother anyone. Instead of learning by reading with the eyes alone, the students insist on verbalizing, considerably slowing the reading.
-A question-and-answer format is very widely used.
-No cell phones are allowed in the beit midrash.
After thinking about these differences, the professor reached the conclusion that the learning in the yeshiva beit midrash is education at its best. “Education” comes from the Latin word “educor” – to pull out or extract. And this is just what yeshiva learning is all about. Let us elaborate.
Upon being asked a question by a teacher, a student will extract the information from his own mind, on his own. This is far superior to being spoon-fed by a teacher. Real education involves drawing conclusions through outside guidance. This results in recall far superior to that of the student who is responsible only for swallowing information. When studying in pairs, the students are expected to verbalize the information they have gleaned and express ideas in their own words while relaying it. By learning in pairs, each partner stimulates the other’s intellect for maximum results.
Verbalizing the information and ideas with excitement (even if sometimes a bit artificial), helps one focus and contributes to long-term memory. Studies have proven that students absorb information in noisy classes better than in silent ones. The commonly used technique of starting off in a low tone of voice and gradually increasing the volume adds to the listener’s excitement about the information and ideas being discussed.
The swaying while learning affects body heat and helps blood circulation, sending oxygen to the brain, which contributes to clear thought and focus. The rhythm caused by swaying enhances concentration as well. This is why it is more effective to study while standing, pacing or walking. (It is not surprising that the theory of relativity was conceived while walking!) Body movement keeps the mind awake and energetic, and brings emotion into learning.
Although the professor’s observations are revealing, there are many things that he could not possibly be aware of. Behind the scenes, the first conscious decision the true yeshiva student must make is at what level he wants Torah study to be in his hierarchy of values. For the serious student, a good resource for the proper way to learn Torah can be found in the end of Pirkei Avot (6:5), where the 48 traits and techniques needed to succeed in acquiring Torah are listed. All the blessings attributed to one who toils in Torah are for learning through these 48 “ways.” The first on the list is learning with continuity. We see this clearly from the Chafetz Chaim’s characterization of a proper Torah study session: It must be uninterrupted Torah learning, unless something comes up that must be taken care of specifically by the learner and immediately (Mishna Berura, Shaar HaTzion 250:9). The ultimate example of continuous learning (besides Moshe Rabbenu) was that of Rabbi Akiva.
Rabbi Akiva was encouraged by his wife, Rachel, to maximize his potential by learning Torah away from home for twelve years. Rabbi Akiva grew in his studies and became Rosh Yeshiva for 12,000 students. When the twelve years had passed, Rabbi Akiva returned home with his students, all the while expressing the gratitude he felt towards his wife. All of our Torah learning is in her merit, he told them. Before entering his home, he overheard his wife saying to a friend that if it were up to her, she would be delighted if her husband would continue learning for an additional twelve years. Upon hearing this, Rabbi Akiva returned to his yeshiva to complete a total of twenty four years of uninterrupted Torah study. (Ketubot 63b)
Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz asks the obvious question: Why didn’t Rabbi Akiva enter his home for a few minutes and have a cup of tea with his wife, before returning to learn for an additional twelve years? His answer is legendary: In this context, twelve plus twelve does not equal twenty four!
But, we might ask, doesn’t the question remain? If R. Akiva had already left yeshiva to come home to his wife, had he not already broken his continuity?
The answer to this question provides us an important rule of thumb. As long as Rabbi Akiva was doing what the Torah expected of him – such as visiting home for family obligations – he was still in the same flow of continuity in Torah learning by living according to its obligations. But once he overheard his wife saying that she would rather he continue learning another twelve years, entering his home for his own reasons would break his 24-year learning streak.
Anything that will interrupt continuity, such as the use of cell phones, is a breach in the spirit of a proper study session. I remember a more subtle application of this important principle. In one yeshiva where I studied, there were no cups for the students to drink from the water fountain. Wanting to offer students the option of drinking in a more comfortable way, I set up a “cup fund.” But when the Rosh Yeshiva found out about it, he approached me and asked if he could donate all the cups. He wanted to keep his yeshiva a place where nothing is “going on” except for learning – not even cup funds.
During this time of year. especially – the period of Sefirat HaOmer – we should remind ourselves that the proper approach to Torah study goes all the way back to Matan Torah and the Mishkan. The Ba’al HaTurim writes that the two Cherubim facing each other on top of the Holy Ark symbolized (among other things) two students learning together, asking questions and answering one other (Sh’mot 25:18). Furthermore, the way we accepted the Torah at Mt.Sinai – with thunder, lightning and fire – is the way it must be passed on through the generations. Practically speaking, this means that whatever excitement or “fire” that can be instilled into our Torah learning is essential for re-living Matan Torah. Unity and mutual responsibility – like all the 48 requirements listed in Pirkei Avot – are absolutely necessary for Torah learning. These, too, were a crucial part of accepting the Torah at Mt.Sinai (כאיש אחד בלב אחד). This is the way we accepted the Torah – and the only way it can be passed on is in its original form. These qualities are so crucial that all 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva perished because they did not possess them to the extent they should have. Thus, despite their superior learning, they were prevented from being the ones to transmit Torah to future generations.
Students of Torah sheh-Ba’al Peh know that the Gemara repeatedly uses a question-and-answer format. Indeed, it never hesitates to question even basic assumptions. And this is a technique we can use effectively in our own lives as well. The way a question is asked is going to affect what type of answer the brain will come up with. A great question can give birth to a new approach; it can even change humanity.
One powerful question that a Jew should ask himself is the one asked by Rabbi Akiva, then a shepherd, when he noticed that steady stream of drops of water had cut through rocks. Must a rock always remain a rock, or can small, constant change as consistent and gentle as dripping water make a major revolution – either to a seemingly rock-hard assumption or even to person set in his ways? In our terms: Can I get more out of life than I am at the moment; can I change significantly for the better and realize my full potential?
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Shabbat Shalom, Yosef Farhi
