Thursday, May 15, 2014
Parshas Bechukosai: Torah is My Life!
10:14 PM | 
Posted by
Rabbi Chaim Coffman |
"If you will follow my decrees and observe my commandments and perform the." (Leviticus 26:3)
Rav Yonasan Eibshitz z"l explains that the difference between an angel and a tzadik (righteous person) is that an angel cannot change his level of spirituality;he always stays at the same level; tzadikim even try and understand chukim (laws of the Torah that are beyond our grasp and a Divine decree) to the best of their ability to get to the essence of what the Torah means. This is what the Torah means that we should follow G-d's decrees even if they seem incomprehensible to us.
Rav Moshe Sternbuch Shlit'a explains in Ta'am V'Da'as this is what Rashi means that we should strive hard to understand Torah. The question is though if we are obligated to use all our strength to understand the Torah, why use the language of a chok, of something that we don't understand which is a decree from above?
Rav Moshe Shneider z"l the Rosh Yeshiva of Eitz Chaim in England and Rav Sternbuch's rebbe explained that striving in Torah means that even while you are walking or going somewhere, you should be thinking in Torah! Someone who learns Torah will be judged not only for how he studied but what preoccupied his thoughts as well!
Did he live by the words he learned? Did he speak words of Torah when not learning? How did he act outside the sacred walls of the study hall? Rav Shneider was very stringent that at all times either while the students were eating or walking around outside, their minds were filled with Torah thoughts.
This may seem a little extreme. Isn't there down time in Torah when we can relax? The answer is that our lives revolve around Torah. Every second of every day gives us the ability to learn and do mitzvos. Even when we can't be preoccupied in learning when we have other things to do, nonetheless our thoughts shoudl be in Torah.
Our lives should show that the Torah is the most important thing! This is demonstrated by how we speak, eat and deal with others. If we look at Torah as another subject to learn, G-d forbid, then the Torah has no significance for us. It is nothing more than mental gymnastics.
The essence of Torah is to envelop what we learn and make it part of us. This has the ability to influence our families and people around us bringing G-d's presence to this world.
Shabbat Shalom
Rav Yonasan Eibshitz z"l explains that the difference between an angel and a tzadik (righteous person) is that an angel cannot change his level of spirituality;he always stays at the same level; tzadikim even try and understand chukim (laws of the Torah that are beyond our grasp and a Divine decree) to the best of their ability to get to the essence of what the Torah means. This is what the Torah means that we should follow G-d's decrees even if they seem incomprehensible to us.
Rav Moshe Sternbuch Shlit'a explains in Ta'am V'Da'as this is what Rashi means that we should strive hard to understand Torah. The question is though if we are obligated to use all our strength to understand the Torah, why use the language of a chok, of something that we don't understand which is a decree from above?
Rav Moshe Shneider z"l the Rosh Yeshiva of Eitz Chaim in England and Rav Sternbuch's rebbe explained that striving in Torah means that even while you are walking or going somewhere, you should be thinking in Torah! Someone who learns Torah will be judged not only for how he studied but what preoccupied his thoughts as well!
Did he live by the words he learned? Did he speak words of Torah when not learning? How did he act outside the sacred walls of the study hall? Rav Shneider was very stringent that at all times either while the students were eating or walking around outside, their minds were filled with Torah thoughts.
This may seem a little extreme. Isn't there down time in Torah when we can relax? The answer is that our lives revolve around Torah. Every second of every day gives us the ability to learn and do mitzvos. Even when we can't be preoccupied in learning when we have other things to do, nonetheless our thoughts shoudl be in Torah.
Our lives should show that the Torah is the most important thing! This is demonstrated by how we speak, eat and deal with others. If we look at Torah as another subject to learn, G-d forbid, then the Torah has no significance for us. It is nothing more than mental gymnastics.
The essence of Torah is to envelop what we learn and make it part of us. This has the ability to influence our families and people around us bringing G-d's presence to this world.
Shabbat Shalom
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1 comments:
Thank you Rabbi for share.
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