Monday, May 13, 2013
The 48 ways to Acquire Torah: Learning in order to Practice
10:00 PM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
The next of the 48 ways to acquire Torah is learning in order to practice. The purpose of what we learn is implementation. The acquisition of knowledge for knowledge sake but having no repercussions in my life is not Torah.
Learning Torah is about making myself a better person. Refining my character traits, making my mind sharper, helping me with my interpersonal skills and developing my connection to G-d.
Everybody has the ability to acquire knowledge in Torah but as we say everyday in the paragraph before we reach the Shema, we must learn, teach and give over that knowledge to others. The question is what happens if a person learns Torah for the sake of acquiring wisdom: is this an aspect of Torah?
In many ways we would say that this is not the case. In Torah, a person can acquire wisdom. The question is does this change a person? Does it make him want to do more mitzvos, help others or give charity? If the answer is no to these questions then what is a person learning Torah for?
On the other hand, there is a teaching that if I learn not for the sake of learning or for ulterior motives, then it can lead me to learn for the sake of heaven. This is true but that is not the standard we are looking to emulate.
We want to learn to help motivate ourselves to help others and work on character development. The most important thing is to do! We can't develop ourselves if we take this knowledge and leave it at that. It must be internalized and given over to others as well to help them in all their spiritual endeavors!
Everything we learn in Torah helps us in implementing that teaching. For example, if we learn about the laws of Shabbos, festivals, kashrut...it endears these things more to us. The knowledge itself gives us the information and shows the importance of that subject. This will lead to a more profound things that will expand what we know and make that mitzvah more beloved to us.
Learning Torah is about making myself a better person. Refining my character traits, making my mind sharper, helping me with my interpersonal skills and developing my connection to G-d.
Everybody has the ability to acquire knowledge in Torah but as we say everyday in the paragraph before we reach the Shema, we must learn, teach and give over that knowledge to others. The question is what happens if a person learns Torah for the sake of acquiring wisdom: is this an aspect of Torah?
In many ways we would say that this is not the case. In Torah, a person can acquire wisdom. The question is does this change a person? Does it make him want to do more mitzvos, help others or give charity? If the answer is no to these questions then what is a person learning Torah for?
On the other hand, there is a teaching that if I learn not for the sake of learning or for ulterior motives, then it can lead me to learn for the sake of heaven. This is true but that is not the standard we are looking to emulate.
We want to learn to help motivate ourselves to help others and work on character development. The most important thing is to do! We can't develop ourselves if we take this knowledge and leave it at that. It must be internalized and given over to others as well to help them in all their spiritual endeavors!
Everything we learn in Torah helps us in implementing that teaching. For example, if we learn about the laws of Shabbos, festivals, kashrut...it endears these things more to us. The knowledge itself gives us the information and shows the importance of that subject. This will lead to a more profound things that will expand what we know and make that mitzvah more beloved to us.
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