24 Jul VAESCHANAN: KEVIAS ITTIM FOR TORAH

Even those who work
many hours a day, they
can also attain
erudition and expertise
in Torah. If they devote
time to Torah each day,
they will be surprised by
how much Torah they
will acquire. One’s
age notwithstanding,
as the following story
demonstrates:
There were two
bachurim who were
both very successful
in their Torah studies.
The Beis Yisrael zt’l
once said about them, “It will be interesting
to see which one of them will end up being
a greater talmid chacham.”
Years later, these two men met. They
reminded one another what the Beis
Yisrael said. One of them said, “Nu, so
which of us ended up being more
successful in Torah?”
The other replied, “We aren’t finished yet.
We’re still in the middle.” Because
regardless of one’s age, with a good Torah

program, one can make great strides in
acquiring Torah knowledge.
Tzaddikim of Slonim zt’l described the
importance of designating times for Torah
study. They would say: Each hour of the
day that passes without Torah study is a
zero. Each hour of Torah study is a one. If
you place the “one” before all those zeros,
it becomes a huge number.
How does one place the one before the
zeros? Perhaps the zeros will come before
the one? The tzaddikim of Slonim zt’l
said, if the hour you designated for Torah
study is the most important hour of the day
for you, then that hour is counted first, and
all the zeros come after it, and it is like you
have a vast number. But if you find your
financial pursuits to be the primary part of
your day, you are left with many zeros,
and then the “one” comes at the end.
The Gemara debates whether the Torah
was given on the 6th or the 7th of Sivan.
But all opinions agree that the Torah was
given on Shabbos. This is hinting that just
as no one would consider desecrating
Shabbos, chalilah, so one mustn’t
desecrate the times set aside for learning
Torah. No financial gains should draw us

away from the times designated for Torah
study.
The Ramchal zy’a says one should
consider his set times for Torah as though
he is in the middle of Shemonah Esrei. He
simply cannot interrupt. (Similarly, when
you see others learning Torah, don’t
interrupt them, as you wouldn’t interrupt
someone who is davening Shemonah
Esrei.)
Reb Binyamin Rabinowitz zt’l was the
rosh yeshiva of Toldos Aharon. On Shiva
Asar b’Tamuz, a student saw Reb
Binyamin Rabinowitz learning for hours
straight, without interruption! Generally,
on a fast day, people are weaker, but he
was learning with hasmadah the entire
day, without taking any breaks. The
student was amazed, and he asked Reb
Binyamin how he did it. He replied:
“I didn’t begin studying eight hours
straight. I started with a kabbalah that I
wouldn’t interrupt my learning for five
minutes. I kept this kabbalah for several
months. Then I added another five minutes.
A few months later, I added another five
minutes. Now I’m an old man. Those five
minutes have accumulated. Now, I’m up

to learning eight hours straight, without
interruption.”
The father of the Shlah Hakodesh, Reb
Sheftel Ish Levi zt’l, teaches that just as
we daven each day, and we wear tefillin
each day, studying Gemara, Rashi, and
Tosfos each day is no less of an obligation.
A day shouldn’t pass when one isn’t
involved in Torah study.
Sometimes people feel that they need
every minute of their day to earn money,
and they don’t have time for Torah study.
We remind them of the Gemara (Avodah
Zarah 19) that says, “Whoever studies
Torah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu fulfills his
desires…. Whoever studies Torah, his
assets prosper.” Thus, Torah study is
mesugal for wealth and success.