Mergers and Acquisitions

 How do you make something your own?  We know how to acquire things, but what about knowledge?  How do we take something written by someone else and really make it part of our lives? 

 

People spend a lot of time studying: in school, in college or Yeshiva, and all throughout life.  How much of what we study affects us deeply? A well-rounded education is considered important for success, but, once we graduate, most of what we learn is behind us.

 

Torah is different.  It is interesting to note the value that we place on Torah learning, way beyond any “utility” we get from it.  Law schools are full of law students who plan to use the law for their careers.  The same with medical school, engineering school, etc.  

 

But yeshivot are not full of rabbis.  While many yeshiva students become rabbis, and you do need a solid Torah education to become a rabbi, most yeshiva students are learning Torah for the sake of learning Torah.  Most will go on to fulfilling careers in various professions, but the Torah they learn stays with them, every day and at every moment. 

 

As opposed to math and science, we review the entire written Torah every year, with new insights each time.  For instance, we study the entire body of Jewish law in the annual cycle of Rambam study.

 

(Speaking of Rambam, have you heard of project 613? In just minutes a day you too can learn the entire Sefer Hamitzvot. Click here to join the Whatsapp group.)

 

A traditional Jewish day includes some Torah study morning and evening – Talmud, Chassidus, Halacha (law), Midrash and more, depending on each person’s abilities and choice of subject.  

 

The reason for this is that Torah is much more than a subject, it is our way of life. Our very identity is merged with the Torah, as the Zohar says: “The Jewish people are bound to the Torah and the Torah is bound to Hashem.”  

 

Going back to my original question, how do we make the Torah our own?  How do we see to it that it should not just be another bit of information that we add to our knowledge?

 

The answer is found in the first three words of this week’s Parsha, Bechukotai, and their interpretation by our Sages, as quoted by Rashi.  “Im Bechukotai Teleichu.”  The literal translation of these words is: If (or when) you walk (or go) in my statutes.  The next words say: “Ve’et Mitzvotai Tishmeru - and you observe my commandments.”  The verses continue with amazing blessings that follow. 

 

Rashi comments on the seeming redundancy of the first three words and the next three, and therefore translates “Im Bechukotai telechu'' as meaning “you will toil in Torah,” that is, you will study it. How does toiling in Torah relate to observing statutes, and how does “going” or “walking” translate to studying? 

 

The question is stronger when we realize that the word used for “statutes,” Chukotai, means those Mitzvot for which we have no logical explanation.  This does not seem to be compatible with study, which requires logical understanding.

 

As usual there are many ways to answer this question, and here is one.  The word chukah, (the root of bechukotai), has another meaning besides “statutes.”  It is also related to the word “chakikah” which means engraving.  

 

“Im Bechukotai Telechu,” Chassidus explains, means “if you engrave the Torah [on your heart and mind].”  The difference between writing a Torah scroll and engraving words on a stone is that when you write, the ink and the parchment are distinct and can be erased.  Engraved words are one with the stone and cannot be erased.

 

Rashi tells us that in order to make the Torah one with us, to make it part of our identity that cannot be separated, rather than just knowledge that we gain, we need to toil in Torah study.  This is vital to our continuity as a nation and to our individual growth as Jews.  

 

This is the meaning of “you shall go or walk.”  When we become one with Torah, we move forward and climb spiritually. 

 

It is a well-known axiom that spirituality does not remain static.  We either grow and climb or we slip.  Rather than just reading Torah superficially, it is important to really connect with what we are learning, to contemplate the message of the words and to internalize them so that they affect the way we live.  

 

The blessings we receive for engraving the Torah on our hearts and minds are great both materially and spiritually. 

 

This discussion is especially relevant now, a week or so before the holiday of Shavuot, when we will reaffirm our acceptance of Torah and the Torah lifestyle that Hashem gave us at Sinai.  

 

This is a great time to prepare for this momentous day by connecting to Torah study in a deep way, and to climb the ladder of Torah study and practice.  This will help us have a meaningful Shavuot, as the blessing goes: may you receive the Torah with joy and internalize it.