The Torah’s Insurance Policy

“The following is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting-the Holy of Holies.” (Bamidbar 4:4) 
 

The Torah Restores the Lost Soul 

Dovid HaMelech wrote in Tehillim (19:8), תורת ה’ תמימה משיבת נפש – “The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul…” 
 

R’ Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, zt”l, explained the deeper meaning of this pasuk, with the following analogy: 

There was a man who was traveling in a wagon. He was carrying a priceless diamond in his pocket. At some point, the man decided to take the diamond out of his pocket to enjoy its beauty. As he was holding the diamond in hand, the wagon suddenly hit a bump in the road and the diamond fell onto the wagon’s floor. 
 

Since the wagon was well-sealed and did not have any holes or crevices, the man was not worried. He knew that when he looked for his precious diamond, he would have no problem finding it. Even though it fell, it would be safe. 
 

However, if the wagon floor did have a hole, the man would clearly worry that his diamond might have fallen through and would be lost forever. 
 

Every yid’s neshama, their soul, is like a precious diamond. If their soul “falls” through sin, they can always find their way back if they are connected to the Torah. As Chazal taught (introduction to Eicha Rabba) that the light in the Torah can restore someone to goodness. 
 

The Torah is תמימה-perfect. Like the sealed floor of the wagon in the analogy, the Torah’s perfection and wholeness ensures that every soul can be found if they were lost, can be uplifted even after they fell. As the pasuk continues, משיבת נפש-restoring the soul. The Torah’s perfection empowers ever neshama to be restored. 

Three Students 

R’ Chaim of Volozhin, zt”l, had three students who joined the enlightenment movement in Berlin. They were completely consumed by the non-Jewish culture and eventually they left the yeshiva. R’ Chaim was greatly pained by their decision to abandon a life of Torah and mitzvot. 
 

Moreover, these were not your average students. One of them came from a family of prestigious rabbis that went back seven generations. The second was blessed with incredible middot and remarkable virtues. However, the third was truly a Torah scholar who diligently pursued his studies. 
 

One day, the Vilna Gaon appeared to R’ Chaim in a dream and told him, “The merit of forefathers cannot help someone who has become a heretic. Every Jew is a descendant of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Simply being a good person with virtuous middot is not a justification. Even the non-Jews can be ‘good’ people. The Torah alone can save someone from being severed from the Jewish people. Every time a yid learns Torah sincerely, anyone who tastes the Torah’s sweetness, I promise that the Torah will protect his soul from the pains awaiting him in the afterlife. The Torah does not allow a Jew to deny Hashem’s existence and to assimilate into another culture.” 
 

Many years later, R’ Chaim wanted to know what had become of his former students. The first one who had come from an illustrious rabbinic family had totally forgotten his glorious lineage and had completely assimilated. The student who had remarkable middot became a philosopher. He became confused and eventually converted and would deliver false sermons. 
 

The third student, the diligent Torah scholar, enrolled in a university. His mind was sharp. He was successful and became known as a brilliant scholar. People flocked to his lectures. Eventually, he became a professor in the university. However, he faced many challenges. Prestigious roles were not typically given to Jews. There was immense pressure on him to convert. While he was able to remain steadfast, the pressure kept mounting. Finally, he asked for three days before he would convert. During that time, he thought about the choice that was before him. In the end, he decided to forfeit all of this honor and prestige and he escaped to Eretz Yisroel. 
 

The words of the Vilna Gaon came to fruition. Torah study was the only protection these students had from the Yetzer Harah and the Satan. It reminds a yid of their immeasurable worth and its light helps bring a soul back regardless of how far he may have fallen. 

Torah is Cleansing 

The Torah is our only protection. Therefore, you must dedicate time to study Torah daily. By doing so, you are fortifying yourself from a world that is full of impurities. Your Torah study will keep you safe from a world that is constantly challenging your spiritual well-being. 
 

The world has become polluted with a spiritual impurity that is in the air around us. The Torah is our filter, and it helps purify the world around us. 
 

The Torah is compared to rain as it says (Devarim 32:3), יערוף כמטר לקחי- My lesson will drip like rain…Hashem sends rain to clean and purify the pollution that is in the air. So too, the Torah cleanses one’s mind from polluting, impure thoughts. 
 

When yidden study Torah in the Beit Midrash, there is an even stronger presence of the Shechinah. It is like the sacrifices that were offered in the Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash. The pasuk says (Yechezkel 11:16), ואהי להם למקדש מעט- I have become for them a minor sanctuary… Chazal explains (Megillah 29a) that these “minor sanctuaries” refers to the shuls and Beit Midrash in Babylonia. When a yid sits in these holy places, they can access a more potent kedusha and this will help him avoid sin and impurity. 

Torah Empowers Teshuva 

This is what our pasuk is alluding to here. The word זאת-this is the same numerical value of צום קול ממון-fasting, voice, and money, which represent the foundational requirements for teshuva: fasting, davening, and tzedakah. The name קהת-Kohath also means gathering as it says (Bereishit 49:10), ולו יקהת עמים היא- and to him will be a gathering of peoples. 
 

Now, we can see a deeper lesson in the pasuk: זאת-teshuva is when עבודת בני קהת באהל מועד-the Jews gather in the “Tent of Meeting”, in the places where they can learn Torah; in the shuls and Beit Midrash. And, through that Torah study, they merit קודש הקדשים-a double-dose of holiness: the holiness of the Torah and the holiness of the Beit Midrash. And this holiness will give them the strength to do teshuva properly. And then they will never be lost to the spiritual depravity of modern-day society. 

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The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at www.kaalov.org.