Someone once asked Rav Yisrael Zev Gustman if he should stand up every time a pregnant woman walks into the room. After all, the Midrash says that while a baby is in the womb, a malach (angel) teaches him or her the entire Torah. So it seems one should be required to stand up in honor of the baby who is, at least temporarily, a talmid chacham (Torah scholar). Rav Gustman answered no, since respect is accorded to one who expends effort to learn, while the baby is being spoon-fed the entire Torah as a gift!
Parshas Bechukosai opens with, “Im bechukosai teileichu…—if you will walk in My ways.” Rashi explains that these words don’t mean simply going in Hashem’s ways, but rather it means, “If you will toil in Torah.” Ameilus (toiling) is the key to achieving respect and rewards for learning, not just having Torah knowledge.
This explains a puzzling Midrash. When Rivka was pregnant with Yaakov and Eisav, whenever she passed a shul or yeshiva, Yaakov would kick to leave. But why would Yaakov want to leave the womb, where the malach was teaching him the entire Torah? My rebbi, Rabbi Hillel Ruvel, answered that with a chavrusa like Eisav, you have to get out to learn properly! He also offered another explanation based on the above. The malach was spoon-feeding Yaakov the entire Torah, but Yaakov preferred to leave in order to make his own efforts to learn Torah in a yeshiva.
Rav Chaim Volozhin says that malachim would often visit the Vilna Gaon to reveal to him secrets of the Torah, but he would chase them away, not wanting Torah to be “gifted” to him. The blessing over Torah that is recited every morning reflects this concept, as the bracha concludes, “la’asok b’divrei Torah—to busy ourselves in the words of Torah.”
Rabbi Singer, zt”l often related that his rebbi, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, would tell people struggling to understand a Gemara, “I am jealous of you.” Rabbi Kotler was known to be a genius and was able to grasp concepts quickly, but he knew the priceless reward for ameilus in Torah, which applied to those struggling to learn.
This charge to toil in Torah was said to the entire Jewish nation, not just to those who sit in a yeshiva. Why is ameilus such an important priority, even though it’s not one of the 613 mitzvos?
Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz explained that a person feels close to something in which he makes an effort. The more that people invest themselves in learning Torah, the more they become attracted to it. Torah is the conduit which we can use to attach ourselves to Hashem, since Torah learning and observance are desired by Hashem.
Relationships are very precious. A deep relationship requires time and effort! In a marriage, it’s absolutely essential. The same applies to relating to Hashem. Hashem doesn’t want us to relate to Torah as a book to memorize; Hashem wants a deep connection. We do that by attaching ourselves, with effort and creativity, to His greatest gift to us: the Torah.
What happens to those who just can’t focus on learning Torah, or to women, who don’t have the specific mitzvah of learning Torah? There are other ways to achieve closeness to Hashem. The Gemara says that Yehoshua merited to be Moshe’s successor. Why? Hashem told Moshe that Yehoshua would succeed him because he never left Moshe’s tent. It sounds like he was always learning with Moshe! But the Midrash says it means that besides learning, he was always making sure the chairs and tables were set up, so everyone else could learn when they returned in the morning. Yehoshua’s extra efforts in Torah were that he facilitated many others’ efforts to learn Torah.
Many people find learning Gemara or other Torah topics difficult. Some struggle with translating or following the flow of the debates in the Gemara. Others get lost in the multiple explanations offered by the Rishonim. They then come to the erroneous conclusion that learning Gemara or Torah is not for them. That’s a big mistake, as Hashem is most interested in the effort—not necessarily the knowledge.
People often ask me, “What’s unique about your yeshiva?” The answer is that it’s a yeshiva for adults, offering them a place to learn Gemara in depth regardless of their background or skill level. Rabbi Singer, zt”l founded this yeshiva for adults with the deep conviction that all Jews deserve to enjoy toiling in Torah…the surest path to connecting to Hashem.
Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim is the rosh yeshiva of Passaic Torah Institute (PTI)/Yeshiva Ner Boruch. Rabbi Bodenheim can be reached at rbbodie@gmail.com. For more info about PTI and its Torah classes, visit www.pti.shulcloud.com
