The Secret of the Sharp Mind: The Power of Perseverance and the Secret of the Melody
Lesson No. 54 | Early Monday morning, Parashas Shmini, 4th day of Chol HaMoed Pesach, 19 Nissan 5756
The lesson deals with the immense importance of perseverance in Torah study, which grants a person a sharp mind, strength, and holy energy. Through the stories of the Tannaim (Mishnaic sages), the danger of neglecting Torah study for even a single day is illustrated. Finally, the secret of the letters and the melody is explained, as they are the key to bringing about salvations and changing nature.
When they began settling the colonies in the Land of Israel, a great fear arose of the Arabs who would harass and attack the Jews. They asked one of the Torah giants of Israel, Rabbi Yehoshua of Kutno zt"l, what to do in light of the great fear that was preventing Aliyah (immigration to Israel). He replied with surprising advice: "Bring young men from Lithuania, 'Litvaks'. They are not idlers; they have a sharp mind and a sharp intellect."
Whoever has a sharp mind in Torah study is also strong and full of energy. Everything depends on the mind. A person whose mind is not working becomes an idler. It is a desecration of Hashem's Name when a person does not study Torah and looks pathetic and lifeless. Therefore, the directive is: Be "Litvaks"! A person who studies Gemara and understands his study partner, his mind is working and moving—this mind activates the entire body. In contrast, if the mind is dormant, the person cannot move. The Lithuanians, through the power of their Torah, are the ones who will establish the Land for us and truly establish the Torah.
A Twisted Thing That Cannot Be Made Straight
We must know that it is impossible to stop studying for even a single day. King Solomon says in Koheles (Ecclesiastes):
"A twisted thing that cannot be made straight, and a lack that cannot be counted" (Koheles 1:15).
The Gemara expounds this regarding a person who neglects Torah study. If you did not study for one day—you are lost, this is "a twisted thing that cannot be made straight." The moment you leave your studies, you become an idler. The Gemara tells of Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Elazar who studied together as partners. Rabbi Yehuda got married a few days before Rabbi Elazar. Because of the seven days of wedding celebrations, Rabbi Elazar pulled ahead of him in study by only seven days. The result was that for the rest of his life, Rabbi Yehuda tried to reach the level of Rabbi Elazar, and he could not succeed!
They did not wait for each other, because they knew that every day counts. One cannot say, "Let's wait another day and travel together to the yeshiva." What is another day? "If I leave you for one day—you will forget me for two." If you did not study for one day, the mind rusts, the mind degenerates and is lost. Even during Bein HaZmanim (yeshiva vacation) and Pesach, it is forbidden to stop studying. We open Gemaras, we open Likutey Halachos, and when the mind awakens, we see tremendous flashes of insight.
The Self-Sacrifice of the Tannaim
This is how they studied Torah in the past, with tremendous mesirus nefesh (self-sacrifice) and studying Torah for its own sake. Rabbi Chanina ben Chachinai did not want to wait for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai even during his seven days of wedding blessings. He hurried to go study Torah with Rabbi Akiva in Bnei Brak, which was the center of Torah. He sat there for thirteen consecutive years. Unlike the Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai), who sent letters home, Rabbi Chanina did not send a single letter.
After thirteen years, Rabbi Akiva saw through Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) and said: "Your daughter has come of age, travel home to marry her off." Rabbi Chanina returned to his city, but entered his home suddenly. His wife, who did not expect to see him after so many years, her soul departed from sheer shock. Immediately, Rabbi Chanina stood and prayed for her, and brought her back to life through the resurrection of the dead. The holy Tannaim, through the power of their Torah, knew the letters with which heaven and earth were created and could resurrect the dead.
The Secret of the Letters and the Melody
This immense power is hidden within the holy letters that we bring forth from our mouths. These letters are the very letters with which heaven and earth were created. Every letter we say can change all of nature and nullify all harsh decrees. But there is a fundamental condition: the words must be said with a melody!
The holy Zohar brings regarding the verse in Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs), that words without a melody are like a person without clothes. Words without cantillation notes and vowels are compared to a bride without jewelry. A person who says the words without a melody may have fulfilled his halachic obligation and is not a heretic, but it does not accomplish any tikkun (rectification) in the upper worlds.
Just as a person cannot go out into the street without clothes, so too, words without a melody cannot ascend and accomplish their purpose. In order to nullify decrees and bring about salvations, the letters must be adorned with melody and joy.
The Merit of Torah for Its Own Sake
When a person studies Torah for its own sake and sacrifices himself for it, he merits to see tremendous blessing in his offspring as well. The Gemara tells of Rabbi Chana bar Bizna who returned to his home after years of study. When he entered the Beis Midrash (study hall), his son, Rabbi Oshaya, arrived, having become a tremendous Torah scholar. The father stood up before him out of great respect for his Torah, until his wife asked him in wonder: "Is there a father who stands up for his own son?"
In the past, they studied Torah for its own sake, and therefore the sons grew and elevated themselves on their own. When a person directs all his actions solely for the sake of the holy Shechinah (Divine Presence), and is willing to be "cruel to himself" for the sake of Torah study, he merits that Heaven takes care of all his needs and the education of his children in the path of Torah.
Part 2 of 2 — Lesson No. 54
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