16 May BAMIDBAR: TORAH M’TOCH HADCHAK

Reb Shmuel Salant zt’l
would often repeat the
following story:
There were two brothers,
one was a wealthy
businessman, and the
other was a scholarly but
poor talmid chacham.
The businessman
would periodically
give money to his
brother so that he
could devote himself
to studying Torah.
One day, the wealthy
man said, “Since I am
supporting you, it
would be proper that
we sign a Yissachar/
Zevulan agreement so that I can receive half
of your reward in Gan Eden.
The scholar replied that he wanted to ask Reb
Chaim Volozhiner before signing such a
document.
Reb Chaim Volozhiner told him that he could
sign the document, but he should tell his
wealthy brother that he was receiving half of
the reward even without the document.
Furthermore, Reb Chaim Volozhiner zt’l
said, “Tell your brother that although he will

receive reward with you, it won’t be divided
fifty-fifty. Your reward will be greater
because you study Torah m’Toch HaDchak,
amidst poverty and hardship. Your brother
can receive the reward of Torah study, but it
isn’t m’Toch HaDchak for him.”
Perhaps we can say that there are different
kinds of Torah m’Toch Hadchak. There is
studying Torah when one is financially poor,
and there is studying Torah when one isn’t in
the mood to do so, and there is studying
Torah when one doesn’t realize that his Torah
study is precious. (For example, when a
person only has a short period of time
available to learn, he therefore doesn’t think
his Torah study is significant to Hashem).
When one studies Torah at these times, it is
Torah m’Toch Hadchak because he forces
himself to study Torah. Therefore, his reward
is very great.
Reb Shmuel Salant would repeat this story to
emphasize the immense reward of those who
toil in Torah and study Torah even when it is
hard.
Chazal (Sotah 21:) say, “An aveirah
extinguishes the reward of a mitzvah, but an
aveirah can never extinguish the reward for
studying Torah.”
The Rebbe of Sokolov zt’l explains that this
is because mitzvos are performed without

toil. Even a goy, lehavdil, can hold an esrog
in his hands. It isn’t hard. Therefore, an
aveirah, which was also performed without
toil, can extinguish the reward of a mitzvah.
But Torah is acquired with toil. An aveirah,
performed without toil can’t extinguish
Torah acquired with toil. Therefore, the
merit of Torah remains eternally.
The Zohar (vol.3 28:) states, “Although an
aveirah can extinguish the reward of a
mitzvah, the mitzvos that chachamim
perform are never extinguished.
The Beis Yisrael zt’l explains that this is
because the chachamim perform mitzvos
with toil. Even when the mitzvah is easy to
perform, their minds are toiling, delving into
the deep thoughts that are associated with the
mitzvah. Thus, their mitzvos are performed
with toil, and an aveirah can’t put out its
light.
The truth is that the only way to acquire
Torah is through toil. By relaxing and
studying nonchalantly, one will never fully
acquire Torah.
Chazal (Megillah 6:) say, “If one says, ‘I
toiled in Torah and I succeeded in Torah,’
believe him. But if he says, ‘I didn’t toil in
Torah, and nevertheless I attained Torah’,
don’t believe him” because it is impossible to
acquire Torah without toil.

It states (Tehillim 116) He’emanti Ki Adaber,
Ani Anisi Me’od, the Mahrashah explains,
He’emanti, believe me, Ki Adaber, when I
say, Ani Anisi Me’od, that I toiled a lot in
Torah. Ani Amarti B’chafzi, but if I say I
studied quickly, without toil, and nevertheless
I acquired Torah, Kol Ha’adam Kozev, don’t
believe me because it is impossible to acquire
Torah without effort.
The Yismach Moshe (Tefillah LaMoshe,
Tehillim 119, 162) asks that the words, Yagati
Umatzasi don’t seem to go together. Because
Umatzasi, to find, is when one wasn’t
expecting to find the thing that he found.
How can one toil in Torah and then find it?
The Yismach Moshe answers that when one
toils in one section of Torah, he will be
granted understanding in other areas of
Torah. He will “find” the explanations for
those sugyos because he didn’t toil on those
sugyos.