17 Sep KI SAVO: “DO YOU LEARN?” “WHENEVER I HAVE TIME”

This week’s parsha
contains the terrible
Tochacha – the 98
curses delineated in
graphic detail,
through which the
Almighty warns us of
what we will be
subject to if we do not
keep His Torah. Before the Tochacha begins,
the Torah provides some “good news”.
Namely, “If you will keep all my
commandments then you will have abundant
blessing…” [Devarim 28:1-14]
Immediately following the “good news”, the
Torah launches into a description of what will
happen “If we do not listen to the
commandments of the L-rd our G-d…” The
curses contain the mirror image of the
blessings. Rather than being “blessed in the
city and blessed in the country, blessed in our
coming in and blessed in our going out” we
will be “cursed in the city and cursed in the
country, cursed in our going in and cursed in
our going out”.
The Targum Yonasan Ben Uziel translates the
pasuk “Cursed will you be when you come in
and cursed will you be when you go out”
[28:19] as follows: “You will be cursed when
you come in” means “you will be cursed when
you come into the theaters and when you come

into the circuses – because you wasted your
time on frivolous entertainment rather than
spending it learning Torah.” “You will be
cursed when you go out” as “you will be
cursed when you go out to make a living”.
Rav Pam zt”l asked, what is wrong with
making a living? A Jew needs to support his
family and earn a living. This is implicit in the
pasuk “and you shall gather in your produce”
[Devarim 11:14]. We can understand the curse
associated with lewd or inappropriate forms of
entertainment, but what is the meaning of the
curse associated with one’s trying to earn a
living?
The Gemara in Gittin [34a] discusses the
concept of “Ones B’Gittin”. A person has
granted a conditional divorce (I hereby divorce
you with this ‘get’ document on the condition
that I do not return within 30 days) and then is
prevented by circumstances beyond his control
from returning. The Hafla-ah in Maseches
Kesubos writes that the whole discussion in
Tractate Gittin is only about a case where a
person wanted to return but was prevented
from doing so by external circumstances (e.g.
– an airline strike). However, in a case where
the person would not have come back anyway,
then the external circumstance that also
prevented him from returning is not a valid
claim to nullify the divorce.

Rav Pam zt”l said that there is nothing wrong
with earning a living and that earning a living
is not in and of itself ‘bitul Torah’, because one
is obligated to support a family. However,
people do not work 16 hours a day. What does
he do with his leisure time? If he spends his
free time learning, spending time with his
family, and helping around the house, that
demonstrates that he only spent time working
because he was forced to do so (ones).
However, if learning or attending a shiur is on
the bottom of the totem pole, it proves that the
time at work was also not just because he had
to but was because he would rather be doing
anything other than learning. He will find any
excuse not to learn. It is about such a person
that we say “Cursed are you when you come in
(to the theaters and circuses) and cursed are
you when you go out (even to earn your
living)”. A person must earn a living. However,
he must have the attitude that whenever I have
the opportunity to do so, I want to use my time
wisely from a spiritual perspective.
Rav Henkin, zt”l, once met the Chazon Ish
when they were both yet in Europe. At the
time, he did not even know the Chazon Ish and
he certainly did not realize his greatness. They
were both coincidentally in the parlor of a
certain Rabbi, waiting to see the Rav and
began talking with one another. Rav Henkin
asked the Chazon Ish “What’s your name?”

and he replied “My name is Avraham Yeshaya
Karelitz.” “What do you do? ” inquired Rav
Henkin. “I own a store”, replied Rav Karelitz.
(This was true because the Chazon Ish’s wife
ran a store and that is how he earned a living.”
Rav Henkin then asked, “Do you set aside
fixed times for learning Torah daily?” The
Chazon Ish responded, “When I have time I
learn.”
Later, when Rav Henkin got in to see the Rav
who he was waiting to talk to, the Rabbi told
him that he was about to leave his position for
several months and travel to Russia. He was
planning on leaving his community in the
interim with the gentleman in the parlor named
Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz, who was
proficient in all areas of Talmud.” What the
Chazon Ish told Rav Henkin was absolutely
true. Whenever he had time, he learned! That
is why he became the Chazon Ish.