Torah Study - Part 2

00:00 Behemshek, in reference to the earlier installment relating to setting up designated times for Torah study on a daily basis, we now continue with installment number two, where we refer to a sikha, a talk of the Rebbe on the second day of Shavuos, Teshlamed Heh, nineteen seventy-five. In this sikha, the Rebbe elaborates as to the standard how one needs to study Torah. The Rebbe says the following as it is originally in the Yiddish text, and here comes the harod, the directive of the calendar setting when Shavuos falls out on Shabbos, which means the second day Shavuos is on Shabbos, which benegea, relating to the study of Torah, we have already mentioned many times what the Midrash tells us in the Mechilta, in Bashalah, "Lei nitna Torah l'eichlei haman." Torah was given to those who ate from the manna. The cheira hayitochen, how could we say that? Torah was given to all Yidden in all generations, so how could we say that Torah was given exclusively l'eichlei haman to those that merited to eat from the manna in the time of the forty years in the desert? And the Rebbe explains, the Rambam says in the end of Hilchas Malachim and in Hilchas Deis that in order that a Yid should be able to learn Torah in an appropriate manner, he should not have any worries, concerns, and nothing that relates to war or being envious or hate or competition or thirst or hunger, because all these matters will distract the person and will not allow the

02:11 person to be able to learn, to learn Torah in an appropriate manner. As the Rambam says in Hilchas Deis that when the, the guf, the body is healthy and complete, this is midarke Hashem. This is one of the ways of Hashem. As it's mentioned in a different version that the Rebbe would quote, midarke avedes Hashem. This is part of the serving Hashem because learning Torah and serving Hashem cannot be in an appropriate manner if the body is not healthy and complete. But we need that it should be maadanim metzuyim k'ofer. All the pleasures, physical pleasures are all found, and there are so many, like offer like the dust of the earth. Similar to the eichlei haman, similar to those that ate the manna, they tasted in the manna the taste of all kinds of pleasant appetizing foods. And this is what the Gemara says, that Torah was given only to those who are similar of the ones who ate the manna. By the manna, we find that there were different groups in Am Yisrael. One group needed to process it, the man, the man, the manna before it was eaten. Another one needed to do a mild processing. And then there was the highest level, tzadikim, they had it ready without any need for processing. Similarly, throughout the week, the man needed to be processed. But Shabbos, nobody had to bother with preparing it because everything was done before the Shabbos. And therefore, the Talmud tells us in the tractate of Yuma, "Lei nitna Torah,"

04:14 Torah was given only to the ones who are eating the manna because the study of Torah has to be in a way that there's no distractions, no disturbances, similar to the eating of the manna on Shabbos. And this is also the lesson in regards to the study of Torah, that there shouldn't be any distractions, any disturbances when a person is studying Torah, as the Rambam says in Hilchas Talmud Torah, and the Alter Rebbe mentions it in his Shulchan Aruch that every Yid is obligated to study Torah, in what, in state or status he finds himself in. But when it comes to the study of Torah, he needs to focus, concentrate to the learning without any worries, similar to receiving the manna from heaven. And this is the inyan of Shabbos, as the Alter Rebbe says in Shulchan Aruch, when Shabbos comes, a person has to picture as if all his work has been done already. The Alter Rebbe brings this midrash from a Mechilta, and he brings it in Shulchan Aruch. And the Rebbe elaborates, although there are m-many midrashim in regards to Shabbos, nevertheless, the Alter Rebbe does not cite them. But this midrash, the Alter Rebbe cites and quotes it. And although in Shulchan Aruch he only brings halachas or reasons of halachas, from this we understand since the Alter Rebbe cites it that this is a basic concept in Shabbos, that a person needs to picture when it comes to Shabbos as if all his work has been done. No worries, no

06:01 concerns. And the Rebbe says this is the lesson in a practical sense, that when he designates a time for Torah, he needs to fulfill it as if now he finds himself in a state of Shabbos. If the phone rings, he doesn't answer. It's Shabbos now. When somebody comes and tells him he can do a business, invest in a business, and gain thousands of dollars, he responds by me now is Shabbos. And when somebody comes and speaks to him about the health of the body, of course the Rebbe is not speaking here about emergencies. The Rebbe is talking in general. Speaking about the health of the body when a person cannot really do anything about it. So the Yid answers, Shabbos im elizek or fuach rebe lovey. As we say for the prayer of someone who is not well, on Shabbos we say since it is Shabbos, so we hope that the refuah will come on its own. And this is the lesson that when a person sits down and learns. It may be that communal people will come to him and will tell him there are many different matters that we need to deal with now. But he needs to know that this hour of his learning Torah needs to be in the manner of Shabbos. And when we're speaking about an hour, it doesn't mean necessarily exclusively only 60 minutes, but whatever time he designated for Torah. And this doesn't mean that he doesn't know that there is a world out there. He knows

07:45 there's a world out there, but kol malachte chasuya. On Shabbos it is accomplished on its own. And therefore, lo kil gimer oloy, he becomes a balabus on world. The Rebbe brings an interesting example from the Gemara in Shabbos, kuf yites alef 119a. As we see, b'negeir to a Talmud Chacham, a scholar is compared to Shabbos. It's a story that's told that Rabbi Bar Rab Huna once came as a guest to Rabbi Bar Rab Nachman. And he gave him a big meal. This was in the middle of the week. Rabbi Bar Rab Huna asked, how did you know I will be coming? So Rabbi Bar Rab Nachman answered, I didn't know. I prepared this for Shabbos. So the Rebbe asked the question, since he prepared it for Shabbos, so how did he give it away in the middle of the week to a guest? From this we understand that a Talmud Chacham is similar to Shabbos. And as it says in the Zeyar, volume 3, chaf tes alef, which is 29a, beferesh, that a Talmud Chacham is referred to as Shabbos. We will, im yirtzeh Hashem, continue in the next installment.