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Produced and housed by
Shema Yisrael Torah Network
Shema Yisrael Torah Network

Opinion & Comment
How to Approach Torah Learning — and Interruptions in Torah Learning

by HaRav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel, zt'l

The following is an excerpt from a sefer called Leket Reshimos Be'Inyonei Tefilloh (Notes About Prayer)

Assistance Must Train to Self-Reliance

The Mashgiach frequently said that when parents teach a small child to walk, they firmly hold his hand, escort him, and place chairs around him so he can hold on to them and not fall. All this is done so the child will later make his first independent step. After that breakthrough, we let him walk alone.

Any assistance that we provide him is for the ultimate goal of his later being able to walk without anyone helping him. It is worthless if his whole life he will need someone to hold his hand and put chairs around him. He must become self- reliant.

Being Self-Reliant

HaRav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel zt'l would underscore the need for a person to realize that the above example applies to matters of ruchniyus as well — to all sorts of spiritual achievements.

When a boy studies in a yeshiva he finds himself in an environment particularly conducive to his spiritual advancement. He has top-grade friends who are excellent models of how a ben Torah should look, and he is surrounded by a whole circle of yeshiva students who study diligently and deeply and daven with kavonoh and seriousness. This most-fortunate boy is enveloped in an atmosphere of striving for advancement in Torah and yiras Shomayim. We should, however, keep in mind that this is merely a preparatory stage and no more! Our aim is that he become independent so that eventually he will not need such extensive external reinforcement.

"Noach walked with Elokim" (Bereishis 6:9). Rashi explains that Avrohom's madreigoh was basically different from that of Noach. About Avrohom, the Torah writes, "Hashem before whom I have walked" (Bereishis 24:40). Noach needed Hashem's support to be virtuous but Avrohom Ovinu walked before Hashem, so-to-say. Our Patriarch was self-reliant, and constantly advanced in tzidkus through his own unrelenting efforts.

Man's Goal in Life

Man should aspire to be like Avrohom Ovinu in not needing to be supported by others. He must constantly strive to be independent and to make even an extreme effort to advance himself in all spiritual areas.

A person needs to understand that he must study mussar without being prodded to do so by a mashgiach; that he must study Torah diligently without being urged to do so; and that he must strictly follow the yeshiva's study schedule for his own benefit. The yeshiva offers a talmid a framework and ideal environment in which to shtieg — a tangible golden opportunity — and lends a helping hand to assist him to take his first crucial step. If, Rachmono litzlan, that first step never takes place, all of the yeshiva's investment of time, planning and earnest attempts to improve its talmid, will unfortunately have been wasted.

Aim of Creation

Who knows what Hashem did "behind the scenes" in order that this boy will end up studying in a yeshiva and also continue to study there? How much covert and even overt Hashgochoh Protis was involved until this boy sat before an open gemora? How few bnei Torah are there in the whole world. Each yeshiva bochur is unique! Nonetheless, the aim of all this is that in the long run he will be able to choose of his own accord to follow the ways of Hashem, and will aspire to elevate himself in pure avodas Hashem.

The objective of the Creation is for a person to utilize his power of free will properly. If a person cannot choose the right way on his own, then all is, chas vesholom, lost!

Many Are Lost

When he would tell us that many bnei Torah become lost to Klal Yisroel we would feel his tangible pain. What happened to these precious bnei Torah?

They left the yeshiva and entered a somewhat different life situation, another environment, and they changed dramatically. They feel they cannot daven properly and they stop studying mussar. Even though they surely remain Torah observant, studying Torah and performing mitzvos, but they are lost. They are no longer true bnei Torah! The reason for their downfall is that when they were talmidim in the yeshiva they did not learn to be independent, to walk on their own in the path of life.

Building Klal Yisroel

Once, in a shmuess, the Mashgiach told us that we all know that Avrohom Ovinu was the one who built Klal Yisroel. How was our illustrious people, Hashem's Chosen Nation, founded? It was through Avrohom Ovinu's independent tzidkus, as mentioned above, his personal aspirations to achieve excellence in emunah.

Closing Gemora Only After Asking Rachamim from Hashem

Parshas Vayeiro relates to us how Avrohom Ovinu was engaged in hachnosas orchim. "My Lord, if I have found favor in Your eyes, please do not pass away from your servant" (Bereishis 18:3). The Targum Yonoson ben Uziel explains that this was not only a request from Avrohom to Hashem, it was an entire text of tefillah emitting from the depths of his pure heart: "And he said, `I ask for pity before Hashem. May I find favor before You. Please do not remove the glory of Your Shechinah from Your servant until after I take care of the guests.' " (This commentary is similar to Rashi's second explanation that Avrohom is addressing HaKodosh Boruch Hu and not the most honored of the guests, and that he is requesting Him to wait until he takes care of his guests. See Peirush Yonoson, ibid.)

Avrohom Ovinu was talking with the Shechinah, but hospitality to guests is more important than greeting the Shechinah (Shabbos 127a) and therefore he must stop to take care of his guests' needs. Nonetheless, when such a situation arrives, one must offer a fervent prayer to HaKodosh Boruch Hu that the Shechinah not disengage Itself from him.

The guests arrive and Avrohom Ovinu must help them to the best of his ability. But he asks for rachamim that the Shechinah will not distance Itself from him—"If I have found favor in Your eyes." Avrohom Ovinu is actually saying to the Ruler of the World: "I am not going away; I am not diverting my attention from Hashem; Temporarily I am fulfilling the mitzvah of hachnosas orchim [and this will occupy my attention], but I will immediately return, so therefore, `Please do not pass away from Your servant.' "

Torah Study is Greeting the Shechinah

We must understand that the presence of the Shechinah, being engaged in Torah study and the revelation of the Shechinah is all one. The Bach writes as follows: "The Torah was given to His nation Yisroel so that they will cling to its kedushoh and to His blessed Shechinah.

"This is the meaning of the brochoh before studying Torah that reads: `Who chose us from all the peoples and gave us His Torah.' Hashem chose us at Mount Sinai and gave us His Holy Torah that He takes joy in daily, so that our neshomos will cling to the essence of the Torah's kedushoh and ruchniyus, and to make the Shechinah descend to the earth and reside among us.

"If we engage in Torah study with such intents, the outcome will be that we would be a vehicle (chariot) and temple for His blessed Shechinah. The Shechinah would actually be among us since we would be a temple for Hashem. The Shechinah will dwell permanently among us and the whole world will radiate from His honor. This would be a sanctification of the Heavenly entourage with the entourage of below, and `the Mishkan would be one.'

"However, since we do not act like this and we only engage in Torah study for our material needs — for our own pleasures, merely in order to be knowledgeable of the laws concerning our business affairs, to pride ourselves in our knowledge — and we do not intend to intensify our connection to the holiness and spirituality of the Torah and cling to it — to make an effort that the Shechinah will descend to the earth so that our neshomos will ascend to a higher level after their demise — the result is that we have severed the Shechinah from the Land and It has ascended to its place Above . . . " (Bayis Chodosh, Orach Chaim, Chapter 47).

Closing the Gemora

Accordingly, the Mashgiach argued that since studying Torah is actually a dwelling of the Shechinah, how can we so easily stop studying and, even for a limited time, disconnect ourselves from the Shechinah? This does not refer to foolishly discontinuing the study of Torah because of some nonsense, but to someone who closes the gemora to engage in a mitzvah. Even such a person must ask for abundant rachamim from HaKodosh Boruch Hu that the dwelling of the Shechinah caused by his Torah study will not cease.

What are our thoughts when we must engage in a mitzvah, something that necessitates that we stop studying Torah? What is our outlook about doing such a thing? Do we know that we must offer an entire tefillah to Hashem — "My Lord, if I have found favor in Your eyes, please do not pass away from your servant" (Bereishis 18:3) — before closing our gemora? Even if doing so is undoubtedly permitted and justified, even if we must temporarily leave off from our Torah learning and absolutely have no choice in the matter, our approach to such a situation must be altogether different. We must realize that such an interruption from our studies is a terrible churban, and we must ask rachamim from Hashem.

Merit of Studying in Yeshiva

When the Mashgiach would say the following he would burst out crying: "Who knows how many zechuyos, how many tefillos of our grandfathers and grandmothers, tefillos said over the many generations, were needed so that we merit to study in a yeshiva? How can one possibly know how many untold and unrevealed miracles HaKodosh Boruch Hu performed so that someone can sit next to a gemora and study Torah?

How unfortunate it is that to take care of every small matter a person stops studying Torah and shuts his gemora. For performing mitzvos such as attending a wedding or doing a vital chessed one surely must cease studying — but where is our fervent tefillah of, "My Lord, if I have found favor in Your eyes, please do not pass away from your servant." Choliloh vecholiloh — we might remain without a zchus and without any connection with the Torah. A person correctly connected with the Holy Shechinah cannot, chas vesholom, possibly want to disengage himself from the Shechinah.

Dearth of New Gedolei Torah

Gedolei Torah are not developing today because of the interruptions in our Torah study. We have the same capable roshei yeshivos as we had in the past. We recite daily the brochoh, "Who teaches Torah to His people Yisroel," and through our current roshei yeshivos, that brochoh has certainly materialized. Our lack of developing new Torah giants is because the talmidim interrupt their studies.

Undeniably, one must rest well so he will have enough strength to study properly and that is not considered an interruption because it is a necessary preparation for future study. We must strive to be considered one who "is zocheh [and] it becomes a potion of life for him" (Yoma 72b). For this reason, one must be fearful of interruptions in our Torah study and must ask for abundant rachamim before such inevitable interruptions, "Please do not pass away from Your servant."

HaRav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel, zt'l, was the mashgiach of Beis Medrash Govoha of Lakewood.


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