Torah Study - Part 1

00:00 The Hemsek, in reference to the earlier installments where we discussed that the Rebbe came out with a call that shuls should be open during the evening and the night in order that Yidden can come in to learn Torah in those hours of the evening and night, especially as the nights, evenings are becoming longer towards the end of the summer into the winter. So we continue now on the same topic and basically, specifically, the inyan of setting up designated times for the study of Torah on a daily basis, in the morning and in the evening. The Alter Rebbe in his Shulchan Aruch, in The Code of the Law, Orech Chaim section, the first section of the Shulchan Aruch, chapter one fifty-five, writes the following as it is translated here in English by Sichas In English. "Every Yiddish male, whether poor or rich, whether of perfect health or ailing, even a poor man who begs from door to door, and even one who's married and has chi- children, is obligated to establish a fixed time to study the Torah by day and by night, as it is written, 'And you shall meditate on it day and night.' The time slot that one schedules for Torah study must be fixed as inflexibly that it will not be dislodged, even if one thinks that he will profit greatly thereby." Now, quoting from the Talmud, the Tractate of Shabbos 31a, Rebbe says, "After departing from this world, when a person is brought to judgment for the life he lived in

02:03 this world, they say to him in the order of that verse, 'Did you conduct business faithfully? Did you designate times for Torah study?'" This is one of the first questions that a person is asked after one hundred and twenty. We'll refer to a few sichas of the Rebbe, where the Rebbe discusses the inyan of setting up designated times for the study of Torah. One of them is in Tav Shin Chaf nineteen sixty, during a farbrengen of Shavuos. The Rebbe in middle of a sicha said that the summation of what was mentioned earlier is that every day a person needs to designate time for learning. This includes the revealed part of Torah and Pnimius HaTorah, which is the inner part of Torah, which is Kabbalah and Chassidus. Everyone according to his standards as based on what it says in Hilchos Talmud Torah. We'll make a quick reference to the Hilchos Talmud Torah of the Alter Rebbe, that the Alter Rebbe writes as following, that the Chachmei Ha-Emes, the wise people in Kabbalah stated that every nefesh, every soul, in order that it should be complete and fulfill its shleimus, needs to be involved in all the different sections of Torah, PaRDaS, Peshat, Remez, Drash, Sod, as much as she can understand and know. And everyone who is able to understand and know more, and he is lazy and did not exert himself, but he just did a little, so therefore he did not complete the studies what he needs to do in this life cycle. So

04:10 the neshamah needs to descend again in a gilgul, till the person will finally, uh, reach and understand and know everything that the neshamah needs to understand from the knowledge of Torah in all the different sections, levels of Torah. Alter Rebbe writes this in Hilchos Talmud Torah, Laws of Talmud Torah, as it is in the, uh, conclusion of the sixth volume as it's referred to, the sixth volume of the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, and it is Perek Alef, the first chapter of Hilchos Talmud Torah, and Seif Daled, the fourth paragraph. Now, the Rebbe continues in the sicha that we just mentioned, the second day Shavuos Tav Shin Chaf, that we can also add in regards to business people, that although according to Shulchan Aruch, there are those that they can exempt themselves with one chapter of Torah in the morning and one chapter in the evening. Nevertheless, besides the point that because of bribing, a person might sometimes be very lenient with oneself and make an error in halacha, which means that according to halacha, he's obligated to learn more, but he is misleading himself. So the Rebbe says, even when it is like he says that he is legitimate, but because of the ex-emanation of Torah, there needs to be no limitations and calculations, but a person should learn Torah without limitations. Now we go on to a sicha for Shabbos Parshah Nosey. This is after Shavuos Tav Shin Chaf nineteen sixty And the Rebbe is referring to the impression that the wife could have

06:14 on the husband in regards to setting up designated times for learning. When the husband argues that he doesn't have time, his mind is not clear now for learning. He's busy. He's distracted. Either it is communal work or his personal work that's causing him concern. And as the Chazal say, our sages tell us, A person has more property, has more concern. But he has only a little property. But for him, this already brings about concern. So the wife needs to tell him, what is the use? What is the benefit in all your calculations? Even if you are right, that you don't have a clear mind now to sit and learn. But at this point, you're not learning Torah. And the wife needs to inspire the husband, urge the husband, and also the children and the brothers that they should fulfill the shiurim, the designated shiurim, everyone according to the matters, the topics which relate to them. The wife needs to supervise and urge the husband that he should not go to sleep at night as long as he did not finish yet his shiurim. And even when the husband complains that he's tired and he'll anyway fall asleep on the sefer, the wife needs to explain to him, better that he should fall asleep with a vort in Tanya or in other Svarim than falling asleep with worries. And to make sure that he doesn't go to sleep as long as he did not finish the shiurim. Likewise, in the morning, she should urge the husband,

08:06 inspire him that he should get up in order to learn Torah. We will, im yirtze Hashem, continue in the next installment.