To learn Torah. This simply described commandment occupies a status of supremacy in the Jewish world. It is an activity like no other, an experience that cannot be duplicated. It is the mechanism of ensuring the future of Judaism, passing the concepts down from generation to generation. It raises those who participate in it to the highest levels of perfection. One should want to immediately enter into this unique world. Yet, as we will soon see, the Talmud offers guidance as to how to approach learning Torah, as having a distorted approach can render this hallowed activity into something profane and destructive.
In the middle of the Parshas Ki Tavo, Moshe says the following to the Jewish people (Devarim 27:9):
“Moses and the Levitic priests spoke to all Israel, saying, "Pay attention (haskes) and listen, O Israel! This day, you have become a people to the Lord, your God.”
The Talmud offers various interpretations of what the word “haskes” means (Berachot 63b):
“R. Judah spoke further in honour of the Torah, expounding the text, Attend [hasket] and hear, O Israel: this day thou art become a people unto the Lord thy God. Now was it on that day that the Torah was given to Israel? Was not that day the end of the forty years [of the wandering]? It is, however, to teach thee that the Torah is as beloved every day to those that study it as on the day when it was given from Mount Sinai. R. Tanhum the son of R. Hiyya, a man of Kefar Acco said: The proof is that if a man recites the Shema’ every morning and evening and misses one evening, it is as if he had never recited the Shema’”
According to this first opinion, the main concept here is one should have a strong type of relationship with Torah, treating it as if one received the Torah that very day. What new idea is being conveyed here? Furthermore, the proof offered seems to not have to do with learning Torah. What is the tie between the two?
The Talmud then offers a second opinion:
“The word ‘hasket’ implies: Make yourselves into groups [kittoth] to study the Torah, since the knowledge of the Torah can be acquired only in association with others, as stated by R. Jose b. Hanina; for R. Jose b. Hanina said: What is the meaning of the text, A sword is upon the boasters [baddim] and they shall become fools? A sword is upon the enemies of the disciples of the wise who sit separately [bad bebad] and study the Torah. What is more, they become stupid. It is written here, ‘and they shall become fools’, and it is written elsewhere, For that we have done foolishly. What is more, they are sinners, as it says, and we have sinned. If you prefer, I can learn the meaning from here: The princes of Zoan are become fools [no'alu].”
This explanation is very difficult to understand at first glance. Why can someone only succeed in learning if he is with a group? Why is someone compared to the enemy of the disciples of the wise? Or a sinner? This seems to be a fairly harsh condemnation for what would seem to be a minor feature in how one learns.
The Talmud introduces another possible explanation:
“Another explanation of ‘Attend [hasket] and hear, Israel’. Cut yourselves to pieces [kattetu] for words of Torah, as was said by Resh Lakish. For Resh Lakish said: Whence do we learn that words of Torah are firmly held by one who kills himself for it? Because it says, ‘This is the Torah, when a man shall die in the tent’.”
What is the Talmud referring to by “cutting” when it comes to learning Torah? When we look at the commentary of Rashi, we see that one should be “pained” over the words of Torah. This seems astonishing to take literally, as one would think the state of learning Torah itself is one of immense enjoyment and pleasure. Why would one be attracted to such an endeavor if in fact it is a source of pain?
Finally, the Talmud says:
“Another explanation of ‘Attend and hear, O Israel’: Be silent [has] and then analyze [katteth],as stated by Raba; for Raba said: A man should always first learn Torah and then scrutinize it”
This seems to be the simplest concept to understand. What new concept is the Talmud introducing? Doesn’t every area of knowledge require such an approach in order to truly succeed?
To begin, it could be that there is one overall theme tying together these various directives. The study of Torah requires a person to be in a certain psychological state, where the emotions are ordered properly and all energies directed towards the uncovering of the infinite knowledge. The Talmud lists various challenges that await the individual in this pursuit.
In the first opinion, we are told that every act of learning Torah should be viewed as if the Torah was given that very day. What concern is being addressed here? As we know, God gave the Torah to the Jewish people to serve as the blueprint for perfection. One could easily think that the Torah is merely the guidebook, a collection of various rules that one must abide by. Learning would then be reviewing the laws repeatedly, committing them to memory. If this were the case, then the idea of “learning Torah” would never occupy the revered place the system of Jewish law affords it.
In truth, the essence of Torah is revealed through the process of learning. Each time one learns, the opportunity to uncover a new idea emerges. Each time one learns, the wisdom of God is revealed. This is the idea of the Torah being “new” – indeed, each time one is involved in learning Torah, it is unique and distinct from any other experience.
The proof offered by the Talmud helps solidify this concept. There is a commandment to recite the Shema prayer twice a day. On one plane, one can see this as a rote command. It is this exact error that the Talmud is targeting. One should see each recitation of the Shema as a new opportunity to develop an innovative idea or discover a concept. If one chooses to skip saying it, he does not see the true benefit of this commandment. It is tempting to consider the Torah a book of laws like any other guide. In reality, learning is critical in seeing the wonders of the Torah.
This leads to the second opinion offered by the Talmud, the need to learn in a group, and the harsh condemnation of those who do not. At this point, the Talmud has presented the supremacy of learning Torah. Now, the Talmud is warning about the attitude one must have when approaching learning Torah. In uncovering new ideas, it is critical to divorce oneself from the ego as much as possible. Learning from, as well as with, someone else forces one to consider the validity of a posited notion. If one approaches the learning of Torah as an individual activity, it is almost impossible to see one’s ideas separate from the self. In other words, one becomes convinced of the veracity of the idea because it is his or her thought.
When the ego becomes invested in the development of Torah ideas, a distortion will emerge, and the learning becomes tainted. This could be the rationale for the various condemnations being proffered by the Talmud. One must recognize the potential disaster in approaching the learning of Torah as an activity of the self.
Looking at the third reason offered, one can see a continuation of this theme. Without question, the learning of Torah itself is an experience in enjoyment that touches the soul. Yet the Talmud seems to want this to be a process of suffering. It could the Talmud is not referring to pain obtained in learning Torah. Instead, the pain is the necessity of withdrawing from the surrounding physical world. To immerse in Torah requires turning away from the instincts and desires, the area where we normally find out pleasure and enjoyment. Therefore, the Talmud is explaining how one must forego that world, a decision that elicits a certain frustration, prior to entering the world of Torah.
Finally, we are left with the seemingly obvious concept of learning prior to analyzing. Rashi adds another dimension to this. He writes that one should be quiet and listen, even when the person feels unsettled by the problem. After internalizing the issue, one should then ask the necessary questions and work out the answers. Rashi could be addressing another potential pitfall when one approaches learning Torah.
Quite often, a statement from the Torah or Talmud presents itself as a tremendous problem, a seemingly insurmountable contradiction or even something that defies any sense of normative reality. At that moment, a danger emerges. A person sees the Torah as not a guide to perfection, but a book devoid of wisdom. Therefore, Rashi is explaining that one should pause, recognize the Torah is in fact a system of God’s wisdom, and then move to ask the right question.
The Talmud thus reveals to us common impediments that emerge when one initially approaches the learning of Torah. The learning of Torah, as referenced above, is truly an experience like no other. With the various concepts introduced by the Talmud, one can overcome these obstacles and gain in the most profound ways from this fundamental commandment.