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The Power of Torah Shebe'al Peh: Learning Mishnayos for the Merit of the Deceased
by Rabbi Tzvi Yabrov
Part II
In the first part, the author discussed the great importance of Mishnayos in general, and cited several important gedolim who stressed the great merit of learning Mishnayos for deceased relatives, exceeding the merit of leading the davening and saying Kaddish. This part is a further discussion of studying Mishnayos to benefit deceased relatives.
For Part I of this series click here.
For Part III of this series click here.
Especially Suited
Many siddurim contain a special order of learning for a yahrtzeit which includes certain specific mishnayos and special times for learning them. We quote from the introduction to one of these siddurim: "The order of learning for one's father and mother for the first twelve months and for the anniversary of their deaths, called the yahrtzeit. It is propitious to learn Seder Taharos. Shelosha Terisin. The twenty fourth perek of maseches Keilim, is especially suitable for it contains seventeen mishnayos, each of which ends with the words, "completely pure," while the perek ends with the words "...is pure both from within and without."
This is what I have heard from the holy rebbe of Ruzhin zy'a. Whoever has more time, should learn the perakim beginning with the letters of the name of the deceased person and also mishnayos beginning with the letters of the word neshomoh, which are found in the seventh perek of Mikvo'os (Yesh Ma'alin)."
In many siddurim there is further material about the uniqueness of the seventh perek of Mikvo'os.
"In the work Atzei Eden and Ma'ase Oreig by the holy rebbe of Kamarno, which was printed on the margin in the Levov edition of the mishnayos, the following appears: `We have received from our teachers, who in turn received from their own teachers and so on, back to Eliyohu z'l, that through this perek, the seventh perek of Mikvo'os, the neshomoh of the deceased ascends to its place.' Mourners should therefore learn it during the first twelve months as a tikkun for the neshomos of their parents and for their friends and relations, on their yahrtzeit etc.
"The initials of the first words of the first three mishnayos spell out "ayeh" and the those of the last four, spell "neshomoh." When learning these mishnayos, one should have the intention to raise the neshomoh to the elevated mazal, known as Ayeh, and when learning the fourth mishna, which begins with the word "nofal," whose letters stand for the initials of the three words from the posuk (Tehillim 112): "Pizar nossan lo'evyonim," one should set aside money for tzedoko, in order to raise the neshomoh from its descent, through tzedoko.
In the case of parents, one should learn this perek every motzei Shabbos after Havdoloh throughout the first twelve months, as well as on the yahrtzeit and on erev Shabbos before mincha in order to bring to life the soul of any living creature, as is necessary, amen."
Merits For The Niftar
In the work Menuchoh Ukedusha, (Sha'ar Hatefillah, cheilek I, siman 31) the author, a student of Rav Chaim Volozhiner zt'l, explains the idea of benefiting the deceased person by the performance of further mitzvos. It would seem that this should not be possible, for Chazal learn from the posuk, "Lameisim chofshi," that once a person dies, he is no longer obligated to do mitzvos. If his connections with mitzva performance are severed, how can he gain any merits from mitzvos which are done for him?
The author bases his explanation on a comment of the Vilna Gaon zt'l, who writes that someone who rebukes a rosho and succeeds, through his reproof, in returning him to the correct path, has an extremely great reward, equal to all of his disciple's subsequent Torah and mitzvos. The Divine reckoning is as follows: first, the disciple's reward is set for each mitzva which he performs and he receives his recompense in full, with no deductions whatsoever. Then, another measure of reward, equal to the first, is measured out and given to the teacher.
The author of Menuchoh Ukedusha then continues, "It is true that after death, there are neither further merits nor further liabilities, but during his lifetime, one is capable of planting a tree that will bear fruit that will never, ever end. This is possible by raising righteous disciples. Then although he [the teacher] is in his grave, many new mitzvos still come into existence each day, through the actions of his disciples. It is actually considered as though he had done whatever they do. How much more so in the case when he leaves behind a son whose righteous conduct stems from the training in Torah and mitzvos given him by his father. The son's actions are certainly credited to the father for both the son's physical form and his neshomoh are drawn from the father and it is obvious that the father gains merit through his son, as though he were actually alive.
"According to this understanding, how sweet and fitting are the gemora's words which state that whoever leaves behind a righteous son is considered not to have died... Even when the father lies in his grave, if the son is performing mitzvos for him, how can he be considered dead? If a businessman engages in commerce by sending off packages to distant locations which net him a handsome profit, would anyone dream of saying that he was sitting around doing nothing, merely because he himself wasn't running to and from the market?"
A view of a recent Pirchei Siyum
Learning For A Number Of Neshamos Together
Can one learn mishnayos for several neshomos at once, by saying before one starts that one is learning in order to merit so-and-so and also so-and-so?
HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman argues that one can do this based on the halachic principle that, "a hundred people derive benefit from a light that was lit for just one person."
I came across this same argument in the testament of Rabbi Naftali Hagodol for his sons, which is brought in Menuchoh Ukedusha (page 22) where we find the following: "After your mother passes away, conduct yourselves according to the above regimen of Torah and prayer for her. When twelve months have elapsed after her death, continue to do it and have the intention that it should be for the two of us, in my name and in hers, for one hundred people may benefit from a light lit for one."
Further testimony on this point is provided by the HaRav Y. Wallis zt'l, who is quoted in Tzitz Eliezer (Cheilek VII, siman 49, perek 7) in a letter to HaRav Eliashiv shlita, as follows; "I will end by citing an actual practice which was related to me by the gaon HaRav Y. Wallis who told me: "It was the custom throughout Hungary to recite the Kaddish for a number of people who had passed away, and likewise for learning mishnayos. Nobody ever objected to this practice."
According to HaRav Shteinman, however, it is preferable to designate a special time for learning, when all the learning can be considered for the merits of one deceased person. He maintains that it is still beneficial however, even if one is sitting learning anyway and merely has the intention that the learning should merit so-and-so.
Reading And Understanding
In his More Be'etzba, the ChYD"A describes the minimum requirement for the learning to be considered as such. "At the very least, when reading the mishna, one should try to understand the meaning of the words, even though one may not really understand the explanation of the subject matter, for there is an opinion that if one doesn't even understand the words, it is not considered learning."
The ChYD"A is apparently referring to the opinion of the Mogen Avrohom (siman 50:2) who writes that if one says mishnayos without understanding them, it is not considered learning at all.
We find that the Shulchan Oruch HaRav, (in Hilchos Talmud Torah, siman 2: 12-13) distinguishes between the written Torah and the oral Torah. He says that in the case of the former, even if one reads without understanding the words, one fulfills the mitzva of learning, whereas with the latter, learning without understanding is not considered learning. He goes on to say however, that one should involve himself with learning even those areas of Torah which he is unable to grasp and in the future, he will merit understanding all of Torah. (See the introduction to Asher Lishlomo (Moed) by HaRav Shlomo Berman who discusses this point.)
On the other hand, the Sheloh HaKodosh writes, "Even if someone does not understand at all, as he lacks fluency in the explanation and he is only involved in reading the words, he still receives reward for his labors. The posuk says about such people, "uveSoroso yehege yomom volailo."
Chazal point out that rather than the word "uvaTorah," the word "uveSoroso," meaning, "his own Torah," is used, to refer to each individual's level of learning and breadth of knowledge." (See also, Amolo Shel Torah, kuntrus "Hevei Rotz Le'mishna," pp. 577-8.) It should be noted though, that the Sheloh does not say that the Torah's mitzva of talmud Torah has been fulfilled where one doesn't understand at all. He merely says that there is a reward even for such learning.
During the first year after his father's petiroh, one Torah scholar, a resident of Bnei Brak, conducted a survey among rabbonim to determine whether it was preferable for him to learn one of the six sedorim of mishnayos in depth, or to cover all the six sedorim, despite the fact that his learning would not be as thorough. Most of those with whom he consulted were of the opinion that the second course was preferable. Obviously, one should seek individual advice based on his particular abilities before applying this in practice.
Seudas Mitzva
Does the completion of a maseches of mishnayos have the status of a joyful mitzvah celebration, for which, for example, meat and wine are permitted during the nine days?
Rav Ezriel Hildesheimer (in a teshuva at the end of cheilek Yore Deah, pg.374) rules that even if one has learned the mishnayos with the commentary of the Bartenura, it is not a simcha shel mitzva in the above respect. The author of ShU"T Binyan Shlomo, on the other hand rules that it is. It was also the practice of Rav Yisroel Ruzhiner to regard it as such, as is mentioned in ShU"T Afarkasta De'anya, siman 154.
End of Part 2
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