Love of Torah – Breaking Free 

“Assemble yourselves and listen, sons of Yaakov, and listen to Yisrael your father.” (Bereishit 49:2) 

The Merchant Who Became Like a Dead Man 

The great gaon, Rav Ephraim Oshry zt”l, Rav of the Beit HaMidrash HaGadol in New York, once shared with me a story he heard directly from his rebbe, the great gaon, the Chofetz Chaim, zt”l:  

A wealthy merchant once traveled with his family members to sell his merchandise at a large fair. But after he arranged his goods, the merchant suddenly disappeared. His family went searching for him and found him learning in the beit midrash.

 

They cried out to him, “Every moment you sit in the beit midrash, we’re losing the profits we could be receiving from the many buyers passing through the fair. They want to purchase the merchandise but cannot find the seller!”

 

But the merchant responded to them:

“I am like a dead man from whom you cannot ask to go to the fair. For last night I dreamed that I departed from this world and arrived at the Heavenly Court, and they ruled that I should go to Gehinnom because I wasted my time on idle matters and did not learn enough. I pleaded that they give me another chance to rectify this and acquire more merits through Torah study. After much debate, they barely agreed to let me descend once more to this world. 

 

“Ever since I had that dream, I constantly contemplate that in truth, I could already have been dead. The fact that Hashem continues to give me life is so that I may fulfill the Creator’s will to learn Torah. Therefore, during the time of Torah study, I conduct myself like a dead man who is freed from all subservience to the people of this world.”

Breaking Free from Subjugation to Others 

The subjugation we feel toward other people causes the nullification of Torah study in several ways. 

There are those who participate in various visits or celebrations for far too long, trying to find great favor in others’ eyes. This diminishes their fixed Torah study schedule for that night, or causes them to wake up late the next day and cancel their morning study session. 

Similarly, there are those who are drawn to spend long hours at home in idle chatter with their wives and children. At the expense of their fixed time for Torah study, they spend far more than necessary because of the subjugation they feel toward others. 

Even answering a phone call during study time comes from feeling enslaved to immediately answer everyone. 

Therefore, each person must overcome this sense of obligation to others, by accepting upon himself the yoke of Heaven’s Kingdom completely. Each one must establish in his soul that he is committed only to Hashem. 

Consequently, he will look at every situation and every moment to determine what is the Creator’s Will to do now, and how much time he must dedicate to each matter. 

Then he should inform everyone that he accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah in such a way that the obligation to learn his fixed Torah study session will take precedent over all other forms of commitments to people. 

In him will be fulfilled the teaching of Pirkei Avot (3:5): 

 כָּל הַמְקַבֵּל עָלָיו עֹל תּוֹרָה מַעֲבִירִין מִמֶּנּוּ עֹל מַלְכוּת וְעֹל דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ  

“Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, they remove from him the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns.” 

Torah Study: The Soul’s Daily Nourishment 

We must always remember that Torah study is what brings vitality to this entire world and to all the supernal worlds. 

It is the spiritual nourishment that every Jewish person must give to his soul each day, exactly as he must give physical nourishment to his body each day. 

And just as people customarily eat at least twice each day, in the morning and evening, so too it is fitting for a person to have fixed Torah study sessions at least twice daily — one in the morning and one in the evening. 

The Power of Fixed Study Times: Acquiring Love of Torah 

One who trains himself not to neglect his fixed study sessions under any circumstances, merits through this an awakening of love for the Torah and its mitzvot. R’ Eliezer Tzvi of Komarna, may his merit protect us and all of Israel, wrote this in sefer Damesek Eliezer (Volume 1, page 73a). He heard from R’ Yitzchak Moshe of the city of Skala, zt”l, that all the desire and love of Torah — how his heart greatly yearned for the study of Torah — he acquired for himself specifically from those times when he could have exempted himself with a sufficient excuse that he did not have time to learn. Nevertheless, strengthened himself to learn even more. 

The Protection of Fixed Learning Times 

We also find in the Gemara (Gittin 62b) that Abbaye said, 

 אִית לִי עִדָּנָא לְדִידִי  

“I have an idana for myself.” 

The commentators explain that idana (עִדָּנָא) means a fixed time for Torah study. The tzaddikim taught that regarding such fixed learning, Chazal (Sotah 21a) applies especially:  

תּוֹרָה בֵּין בְּעִדָּנָא דְּעָסִיק בַּהּ וּבֵין בְּעִדָּנָא דְּלָא עָסִיק בַּהּ מַגְּנָא וּמַצְּלָא מִן הַחֵטְא 

 “Torah protects and saves from sin both when one is engaged in it and when one is not engaged in it.” 

One who has an idana — a fixed time to learn each and every day that he does not cancel on any day — merits through this to be constantly saved from sin. 

Yaakov’s Final Message: Assemble and Listen 

It is possible to suggest that Yaakov Avinu alluded to this concept in the words of guidance he transmitted to his sons before his passing: הִקָּבְצוּ— “Assemble yourselves” to the gathering places of Israel in synagogues and study halls. וְשִׁמְעוּ — “And listen” to Torah classes, בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב — those who walk in the ways of their father who was “a wholesome man, dwelling in tents,” in the tents of Torah of the yeshiva of Shem and Ever. 

And at the fixed time for this, remember: וְשִׁמְעוּ אֶל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲבִיכֶם — “And listen to Yisrael your father” — that you should listen to the pure will within you, implanted in you from your father Yisrael. This is to be on the level of the name Yisrael, which was given because “you have striven with the Divine and with men and have prevailed.” (Bereishis 32:29) 

This word Yisrael (ישראל) can be broken down into two word: לִי רֹאשׁ — “I am the head” — that you should be able to be the head and master over yourselves. 

Do not become enslaved to people who seek to disturb you from your fixed Torah study session. Rather, dominate over the Yetzer Harah and his messengers, and elevate yourself in Torah study according to the desire of your pure soul. 

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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.