Part II
In the first part, HaRav Berezovsky noted that there are
an astounding number of people today who are dedicated
exclusively to Torah learning. Nevertheless, it is clear that
this new world of avreichim and kollelim still
lacks much before it can be said to have reached its full
potential. The reason is that the Torah world is not
organized.
The single most important strategy that we see, is to
encourage those who study together in the kollel to
produce chidushei Torah in the course of their
learning. Most people will need to do so in order to acquire
the structure and discipline that this activity can
provide.
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With respect to chidushim, there are several
possibilities. There are chidushim that constitute an
entire ma'arocho; there is a "local" chidush,
and there are also summaries of sugyos. These all
constitute chidushei Torah.
When an avreich learns a sugyo in its full
compass, and summarizes all of the shitos and opinions
of the Rishonim and the sevoroh of each one -- a
summary like this is certainly a great chidush. The
advantage of a summarization flows both from its own innate
benefit, and from the fact that the person feels in his heart
that he has managed to master the sugyo thoroughly,
which gives him a great chizuk.
Sometimes one labors on a sugyo and learns and learns,
but remains with a feeling that he has not yet quite mastered
it. Because of this, his spirit can fall, chas vesholom.
Producing a thorough and comprehensive summary of the
sugyo is a tried-and-tested way for the sugyo
to become his permanent possession, as if he had it in
his pocket.
Another vital matter is the writing of chidushei Torah.
Parallel to saying chidushei Torah in the
chaburos, every avreich who aspires to grow in
learning should have a fixed time for writing
chidushim. If one can manage this every day, so much
the better. But if not, he should make the effort at least
once a week, without fail, to write down something that was
mischadesh to him. A fixed arrangement such as this,
also serves as a strong motivational force.
With respect to the writing of chidushim, there are
also various options. One can write a complete ma'arocho,
or local chidushim in particular places in the
gemora, or summaries of complete sugyos. If he
chooses the latter, by the time the end of the zman
arrives, he will find that he is in possession of a
substantial work consisting of the summaries of all the
sugyos that he has learned during that zman.
But if an avreich feels no pressure, neither to say
chiddushim nor to write them, then the zman
just passes by itself and all the sugyos on which
he invested so much time and hard work, and needed a
summarization as the final finishing touch for understanding
them, just remain hanging. When the zman is over and
he has no summary, he forgets everything that he had managed
to clarify and to be mechadesh.
We see this from experience, both with bochurim and
with avreichim. The process of writing helps towards
attaining a clear grasp of the subject, and what is brought
in the siddur of the Arizal, in the name of the holy
Reb Shabsai Mirashkov zt"l is well-known. He says that
the advice of our Sages, "Keneih lecho chover"
(Acquire for yourself a friend), can also be read as:
"Koneh lecho chover" ("koneh" being a writer's quill) -
- the quill is also considered a chavrusa in the
learning of Torah.
Until now we have spoken of general matters that require
fixing. There is also the problem of personal crises, that
have no relation to practical cause-and-effect.
It happens at odd times that a person feels he is coming up
against a solid wall wherever he turns. Every bochur
in his learning goes through stages like this when he
sees absolutely no hatzlocho. The mind and the heart
seem closed; he does not manage to comprehend what he is
learning; and all this causes him depression. All the more so
is this the case with an avreich, who has so many
different distractions that disturb his concentration in
learning -- the house, the children, may they multiply, the
daily burdens, and also from time to time health problems, or
various other matters to which he must attend.
This is the most difficult stage of life. Sometimes during
this period, an avreich can go through a serious
crisis that is very difficult for him to overcome. He is at a
loss regarding how to strengthen himself. It is already
apparent to him that he will not become the godol hador.
As much as he sits and strains in Torah, he does not
succeed in being mechadesh and he sees no simon
brochoh. With what can a person strengthen himself at a
time like this?
The solution for such a person is clarity: clarity in
understanding the task of the generation, and clarity in
realizing how great a merit, how lofty a status it is to be a
ben Torah, a member of the tribe of Levi -- the
"King's own legion."
Being clear about the task of the generation flows from
awareness of what we spoke of earlier, the great revelation
that the Torah world has arisen anew. We see with our own
eyes that the hand of Hashem has done this, and as much as
the chilonim seek to choke off the world of Torah,
nevertheless, "as they afflict them, so they merely increase
and spread out more."
A sweeping and fundamental change of values has taken place
among the Jewish people, with respect to the esteem in which
Torah learning is held. The power of Torah is growing -- not
only among avreichim but even among baalei batim
at all levels of the community, to the extent that we
have merited that there are special kollelim for
baalei batim and kollelim for baalei
teshuva. All of them together constitute a sign from
Heaven that this is indeed the task of our generation, and
that now is the most propitious time for accomplishing it. It
is as if we ourselves are hearing a Bas Kol from on
High that the purpose of our generation is Torah.
Contemplating all this is included in the commandment of,
"Understand the years of each and every generation"
(Devorim 32:7). Without this realization, a person
remains limited to his own prior concepts and assumptions and
cannot accustom himself to the newly-changing realities. But
through contemplation of the changes that are taking place,
one understands what is before him and where his duty lies.
And, as the Ramchal writes at the beginning of Mesillas
Yeshorim, the foundation of piety and the pillar of the
service of Hashem is that a person should know what is his
duty in the world.
This generation, as we have said, has Torah as its task. The
pathway to becoming closer to Hakodosh Boruch Hu is
through Torah. The remedy to be saved from the yetzer hora
is Torah. The sole path to great accomplishment is
through Torah.
We can explain why this is so, in accordance with what we
find in the Midrash (Shocher Tov alef), which applies
to Noach the pesukim, "Happy is the man who did not
walk in the counsel of the wicked, and in the way of the
sinners he did not stand, and in the company of the scoffers
he did not sit. For only in the Torah of Hashem was his
desire and in His Torah he meditates day and night"
(Tehillim 1:1-2). Noach did not follow the counsel of
the generation of Enosh or the generation of the Flood, nor
the counsel of the generation of the Dispersal -- but only in
the Torah of Hashem was his desire.
Perhaps one ought to ask "What is the basis for this
statement that Noach learned Torah day and night, that he did
not go in accordance with the counsel of the generation of
Enosh, the generation of the Flood, nor in the way of the
generation of the Dispersion, but `only in the way of the
Torah of Hashem was his desire?' "
But it says in the seforim hakedoshim that even if a
person is himself a perfect tzaddik yet his
environment is corrupting, this will damage his own middos
and faith. Especially in a generation as corrupt as the
generation of the Flood, of which it is said, "The world was
corrupt" -- at a time like that, the sole means of coping is
to create a contrary environment, as it is written, "Noach
walked with Hashem," that he created around him an atmosphere
of G-dliness. Wherever he went he walked with Hashem.
The path to this is through learning Torah, which constitutes
in itself a complete existence encompassing the entire being
of man. Through learning Torah day and night, a person is
completely enveloped in the atmosphere of Torah and creates
around himself an atmosphere of kedusha which purifies
all the tumah that surrounds him.
This is the special attribute of Torah, beyond all other
mitzvos. Whereas all the other mitzvos do not have the power
to purify more than the inner tumah, Torah can create
an all-encompassing kedusha that purifies the
surroundings as well.
As Chazal said, "Hakodosh Boruch Hu has nothing in His
world except the four amos of Halocho." When
the Torah creates four holy and pure amos around a
person who is immersed in it with all his being, it is as if
he were dwelling in the Ark of Noach. Even if all around him
the waters are raging, the Torah protects whoever is inside.
This, then, was the "counsel of Noach," in order to be
protected from the polluted environment of the generation of
the Flood.
Also in our generation, the generation before the coming of
Moshiach, the Ikvesa Demeshicha when the entire
atmosphere is full of corruption and kefirah, Hakodosh
Boruch Hu has given us a rope, a means to rescue
ourselves -- the four amos of Halocho. Through
them a person can protect himself from the damaging
influences of the generation. As it says, "Torah protects and
saves." And as the Midrash says in Parshas Shelach,
"So long as this rope is in your hand you are assured of
life."
Together with this, we need to be clear about the exalted
status of Torah. As our teacher R' Moshe MiKobrin, zechuso
yogein oleinu, said, "The worst thing is when the son of
the king forgets that he is in fact the king's son and loses
contact with his own special status."
All of this applies also to the ben Torah. The very
fact that Hakodosh Boruch Hu has enabled him to make
Torah his occupation, gives him a position of the highest
nobility. In previous generations, it was necessary literally
to give one's life for this. When Hakodosh Boruch Hu
has helped a Jew so that all the required conditions are
fulfilled and he has the capability to dwell in the tent of
Torah, then he needs to recognize this exalted station.
When he will realize his own elevated status, he will be
delivered from depression and personal crisis. The moment he
discerns that being occupied with Torah is his mission in
life, he will no longer measure his level of accomplishment
according to whether he seems to be succeeding more or
succeeding less. And even if at various times he passes
through difficult periods when he sees no brocho in
his learning, he remains aware of his status and obligation
in the world and feels great joy that Hakodosh Boruch
Hu has granted him the privilege of dwelling with the
Torah, and he is not affected by transient difficulties.
HaRav Sholom Noach Berezovsky zt"l, was the Slonimer Rebbe
and author of Nesivos Sholom. The material was
prepared for publication by Rabbi B. Yisraeli.
