Simanim 27-28 - Laws of Torah Learning and Torah Books

 

ESTABLISHING FIXED TIMES FOR STUDY

 

For something as central to Jewish life as Torah learning, it is remarkable that the Kitzur Shulchan Arukh devotes so little space to it.  Nowhere does Rav Ganzfried discuss how much Torah one needs to learn; he says very little about which subjects one should learn; and he does not go on at length about the importance of Torah learning, which is weighed against all the commandments of the Torah.

 

The main theme of the Kitzur's treatment of Torah learning is the vital importance of COMMITMENT and CONSISTENCY.  In se'if 1, he does not indicate whether a person's morning study order should be five minutes or five hours, but he is adamant that it may never be omitted and may be curtailed only for the most pressing needs.  

 

In se'if 2, Rav Ganzfried begins by saying that each Jewish man must STUDY Torah, but when he reaches the details he writes that each man must ESTABLISH FIXED TIMES for study.  

 

In se'if 3, he talks about a person who can not make his learning his main pursuit, and he mentions that in the time such a person DOES set aside he should try and study things which have the most direct influence on his behavior.

 

This follows the approach of the sages of the Talmud, who indicated that the first aspect of Torah learning on which a person is judged is, Did you establish fixed times for study (1)?

 

Establishing fixed times emphasizes that we are servants of the Torah.  A person may study Torah all day long, just as a person may engage in any other activity which gives enjoyment or benefit.  But the mere quantitative fact of having spent so many hours learning does not express a sense of obligation and commitment.  Conversely, even five minutes set aside for Torah study each morning and evening demonstrates that Torah learning has first priority in our daily schedule.

 

We may compare this approach to Torah study to our relationship with the Beit HaMikdash.  The Temple in Jerusalem stood on only a few acres, and most people went there only occasionally - men on festivals, women when they gave birth or had another occasion to bring a sacrifice.  Even so, the Temple's aura of inviolability, reinforced by the strict rules of ritual purity required to approach and enter it, enabled it to serve as the vital spiritual center of the Jewish people all over the land of Israel and all over the world.

 

And this comparison should teach us that the special times we set aside for Torah study should be invested with a special sense of sanctity.  Even a person who is able to devote several hours a day to  study Torah should dedicate a shorter period of time in which he studies with the highest level of purity, joy, and devotion.  

 

TORAH STUDY FOR WOMEN

 

Rav Ganzfried emphasizes that every Jewish MAN has an obligation to study.  Our sages inferred from the verses of the Torah that women do not have an obligation to set fixed daily times for Torah study (2).

 

However, the importance of Torah study is not limited to the COMMANDMENT of Torah study.  No less important is the fact that Torah study is the means to a full Jewish life as a servant of HaShem.  Studying the written Torah (the scriptures) gives us a sense of who we are as a nation and where we come from, and of course reading the prophecies also helps giving the reader a sense of prophetic inspiration.  Studying the halakha enables us to fulfill our special obligations as Jews.  Studying Midrash and ethical works enables us to mold an authentic Torah personality.  And even a certain amount of in-depth study of legal works, which traditionally has not been a focus of women's study, can help give context and meaning to the more limited study of the do's and don'ts of halakha.

 

Rav Lichtenstein once explained the difference between men's and women's Torah study in the following way: There is such a thing as "Torat emet" (Malakhi 2:6) - the Torah of truth, and "Torat chesed" (Mishlei 31:26) - the Torah of lovingkindness.  The ruthless probing style traditional in Talmud study, applying maximal exertion to exactly define the nature of a particular law, is the "Torah of truth."  The branches of study which help us build character and good deeds are in the nature of the "Torah of lovingkindness."  Both aspects are part of human nature, and both kinds of study are appropriate for men and women alike.  Nonetheless, men's natural character and social role alike  tend more to the side of "emet" and those of women tend more to the side of "chesed," and the ideal Torah curriculum should reflect this balance (3).

 

LEARNING IN A GROUP, LEARNING ALOUD

 

Rav Ganzfried mentions that many cities have Torah study groups, and he considers it a duty to join these groups (se'if 1).  He also emphasizes the importance of learning aloud (se'if 5).  

 

These two injunctions constitute the two most distinguishing features of Torah learning as a distinct approach to study.  The vibrant hum of the Beit Midrash, with the many study pairs and study groups confronting and interacting with the text in fellowship, strikingly contrasts the hush of a university library, with each student absorbing the material in their books in a much more passive way.

 

It seems ironic that the university student, who is absorbing material in a much more uncritical way, feels so much freer to personally decide what to accept and what to reject from the subject matter.  Actually, the reverence the Torah student feels towards the sacred texts, and the instinctive acknowledgment of these texts as a source of authority and not merely of knowledge, is a direct result of the fact that the student is encouraged to confront and question them.  This confrontation enables each student to frame and assimilate the material in a way which is in harmony with his or her own approach and character; at the same time, in-depth study enables the student to perceive the true depth of the author's ideas, giving him or her more respect for them.

 

LEAVING A BOOK OPEN (se'if 4)

 

Rav Ganzfried mentions that one should not leave a book open when one is finished studying, as this leads to forgetfulness.

 

This rule is mentioned in the Talmud (4), and the reason given there is that it shows disrespect for the Holy Writ.  This disrespect is at one level material and practical, insofar as something exposed is readily soiled or ruined.  But there is also a personal element, almost a question of etiquette.  The unclosed book is opening itself up to us, offering us its riches.  Leaving it open in this way is like an insult to its entreaty; it seems like a deliberate snubbing of the Torah treasures that our holy books have to offer.  When we close the book, its riches are enclosed and covered in a dignified fashion - it is no longer lowered to "begging."

 

This is also relevant to what we discussed at the beginning of the siman regarding fixed times.  Setting fixed times means that I am subject to the Torah; leaving a book open seems to show that the Torah can wait for me, as though it were subservient.

 

Later sages mentioned the problem of forgetfulness (5).  This point is related, since a person readily forgets that which he does not esteem.  Something which I exert myself to acquire, I will likewise exert myself to retain; on the contrary, that which runs after me, is something which I will be less motivated to guard.

 

In siman 3 se'if 5, we discussed those acts which our sages warned could lead to forgetfulness, and suggested that a common denominator is a penchant for shortcuts.  That consideration is also relevant here.  The orderly way of doing things is to close the book with a book mark to show respect for the book and also to formalize the end of one study session, and then reopen the book when we are able to resume studying in earnest.  Leaving the book open so that I can afterwards "snatch" it when I return from another activity is a kind of short cut.

 

 

SIMAN 28 - WRITING A TORAH SCROLL AND ACQUIRING TORAH BOOKS

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1.  THE COMMANDMENT TO WRITE A SCROLL (se'if 1)

 

The Kitzur explains that there is a special commandment to write a Torah scroll (or to commission someone else to write one - since a person's agent is like himself).  The Talmud goes even farther, asserting: Anyone who writes a Torah scroll, or corrects a defective one, is accounted as if he received it from Mount Sinai (6)!

 

This reminds us of what we learned in siman 23.  There we explained that the public reading of the Torah scroll is a kind of reenactment of the giving of the Torah, and that this is due to the fact that each Torah scroll is not a mere copy of the original Torah written by Moshe but is actually a kind of offspring or continuation.  This is not true of printed books which are just a recording of the words of the law.  

 

2.  SELLING A TORAH SCROLL (se'if 1)

 

Rav Ganzfried explains that one may not sell a Torah scroll except in rare circumstances which he does not detail.  The two main purposes for which one may sell a Torah scroll are to study Torah and for a wedding dowry (7).

 

Surprisingly, it is considered improper to sell a Torah scroll even when the money is needed for minimal livelihood - a person should preferably accept charity.  Normally, our law is very strict about encouraging people to accept charity when it is possible to maintain the family some other way.  Even a degrading profession is considered preferable to relying on public funds (8).  Why is an exception made for a Torah scroll? After all, the one selling the scroll is not in any way disparaging it; the scroll will be used by some other Jew.

 

Perhaps this stricture derives from the rule that a person does not have to sell his basic household furnishings before turning to charity (9).  By placing a Torah scroll in the same category, the halakha emphasizes that experiencing the Torah at the highest level - with one's own personal Torah scroll - is a fundamental requirement of life.

 

On the other hand, by permitting the selling of a scroll in order to study Torah, we emphasize that participating PERSONALLY in the transmission of the law from generation to generation - learning from a Rebbe who received from his own teacher and so on through Moshe who learned directly from HaShem - takes precedence over the mere participation in the tradition merely through one's POSSESSIONS.

 

And of course, if it were not for the institution of the Jewish family, then the "mesora" - the transmission of Torah from generation to generation onward through history - would stop entirely.  So getting married takes precedence over holding on to a Torah scroll.

 

We could ask, why don't we suggest that a person accept charity for these purposes as well? Certainly most Jewish communities have special funds to support Torah learning, and to help marry off destitute brides and grooms.  It seems that Torah learning and married life demand a sense of dignity and independence which is extremely difficult to achieve when a person is economically dependent on strangers.

 

 

Endnotes:

 

(1)  Shabbat 31a.

(2)  Kiddushin 29b.

(3)  Rav Lichtenstein probably assumed that we were aware that the verse in Malakhi which refers to "Torat emet" is talking about the (male) Kohanim, whereas the verse in Mishlei which refers to "Torat chesed" is referring to the proverbial "woman of valor".

(4)  Eruvin 98a.

(5)  Magen Avraham on Yoreh De'a 277.

(6)  Menachot 30a.

(7)  Megilla 27a.

(8)  Bava Batra 110a, SA YD 255:1.

(9)  SA YD 253:1.