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CONCERNING THE LEARNING OF TORAH
BY
Rabbi Yosef Malka
In the Tractate of Shabbat of the Gemara [88], the sages expound on the verse from Sh'mot [Exodus]: "And they stood b'ta?at [usually translated as "at the foot of," but literally means "under" the mountain]." Rav Avdimei bar ?ama bar Ma?asi, this teaches that the mountain was inverted over them like a tub, and He compelled them, saying to them "If you accept the Torah, it is good, but if not, then there will be your graves." Rav A?a bar Ya`aqob taught that from here we learn that the Torah was accepted under duress. Rava said, however, that even so, in splendor it was received during the days of A?ashweros, as it is written, "They upheld and accepted." What does it mean, upheld and accepted, if it was already accepted?
Tosofot asks "Didn't they already say, "We will do and we will hearken," if so, what need was there for coercion?" They offer a possible solution to their question, that perhaps when they witnessed the great fire (consuming the mountain), they would retract their oath.
The Maharal [in Tiferet Yisrael, chapter 32] brings the words of Tosofot and questions them. How could Tosofot have written that once they saw the great fire they would retract their pledge? In essence, the acceptance of the Torah is a great merit. Why would they retract? And he offers a further difficulty that it would only be necessary to compel them with the mountain when they wanted to recant, but not at the current moment. He offers another possible explanation, that since that entire existence of the world depends on the Torah, and without the Torah, the world would return to total chaos, therefore it wasn't appropriate that the acceptance of the Torah will be dependant upon the choice of Yisrael, since the nature of Torah is that it is through its necessity that allows the existence of the world. He continues that it is not a difficulty that although they said, "We will do and we will hear," the mountain was inverted over them, because the actual reason that He inverted it over them wasn't due to a fear that they would retract, but instead it was to reveal the Torah imposes all of reality, and without it, the world could not exist. It is not appropriate that something which compels the existence of reality should be dependent on something that is only "possibility."
It seems that this clarifies a new understanding of the Sages aforementioned words. That it is known that several methods of Torah are learned from the way in which the Torah was accepted. For example: Just as Torah was accepted in fear and reverence, so too, the learning of Torah needs to be done in fear and reverence. And all of this we learn the adjoining of "And you shall tell them to your children and your children's children," to the verse, "the day in which you stand before HaShem, your God at ?orev." We learn that the parsha concerning our standing at ?orev instructs us in the way to teach Torah from generation to generation. It also seems that this form is also explained from the acceptance of the Torah. There are two ways in which received Torah and two ways in which we must learn it: Through desire, as they said, "We will do and we will hear," and through compulsion as represented by the fact that the mountain was inverted like a tub.
The two methods of receiving the Torah reflect two methods for learning Torah, with desire and through compulsion.
For further comprehension we should examine the words of "HaPa?ad Yits?aq," in the pamphlet "And This ?anukah [Dedication]." It is known that the halakha teaches that a man should only learn in a place in which his heart is happy, and the decision to learn Torah in such a place is a halakhic decision. This is not the case in the upholding of mitsvot, in which to perform a mitsvah in happiness is a personal decision and not a legal requirement.
To clarify the matter, it known all the senses act through some type of connection, the sense of the feeling operates through connection of force of touch, the sense of the hearing acts by means of a connection with sound waves. This is a judgment of logic it cannot become an action except by means of a connection of the eyes with the concept and a connection of the intellect that is made through the hidden delight of acquisition. The strength of the intellect without the action of delight is like the strength of the eye without light. Therefore, concerning the learning of Torah, the halakha teaches, "a man may not learn except in a place where his heart is happy." Further, that for the learning Torah, a special prayer of "w'`arev na [sweeten for us]," was designated, which is not the case with other mitsvot.
It comes out from the words of "Pa?ad Yits?aq," that desire and delight are both necessary for learning Torah, and this is expressed through "We will do and we will hear."
Yet, another halakha [law] of Torah, that of necessity, is also taught, for there are times when the power of delight does not compel one towards Torah, but to the other directions. And man is such that if he doesn't delight in receiving something in a particular form, that the form of the material cannot be sustained, then there must be another dimension to learning Torah. This is the sense of the mountain being inverted as tub, that is, that the man will be compelled to learn Torah, even when the power of desire is opposed.
It therefore seems that mountain had to be inverted as tub to teach the concept that learning Torah is built from will and also from necessity (compulsion). Further, that even the force of Torah that comes from necessity, must also act on the force of delight, which activates the intellect, for the soul of man delights in the words of Torah. This is the meaning of the words of the sages, when they say that the light returns for the better.
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