Droshos - Devotion to Torah

When a person learns Torah, he must elevate himself completely. How is this done? How does Torah elevate more than the brain? True, as the Sefer Charedim writes, if one learns the practical halacha (law) and acts upon his knowledge, he can elevate the various parts of the body that are involved in the mitzvos. But not all parts of the body can be included even in this manner. And if the body is not elevated, there will be a stark contrast between the elevated mind and the lowly body.

There is one mitzvah (besides Succah) which involves the entire person: mesirus nefesh (sacrificing one's life for Hashem). This applies not only to dying for Hashem, but also to devoting the self to Torah study in a way that the body is deprived of extra comforts and worldly interests, and thereby elevated by the Torah. Without this mesirus nefesh, the body cannot be elevated by the Torah. Our connection to Torah comes from har Sinai (Mt. Sinai). When the Torah was given there, the souls of the Jews left them for a time. Also, the people needed to separate from their wives three days before the event, which symbolized their detachment from the material world.

We, too, to truly receive the Torah, must give up our lives for it and detach from the world. Mesirus nefesh is not merely an added element to acquiring Torah; it is essential. Ignoring it is like trying to buy an item without paying the price. We must separate from the material world and be different from the other people.

You must realize that Torah and the material world are opposites. One who decides to be a Torah student and learn in a kollel must commit to be devoted to Torah with mesirus nefesh and detach from everything in the world.

What is this detachment? Avraham Avinu was considered separate from the entire world, as demonstrated by the description "ivri," which means to be on the other side. How was he separate? After all, his acts of kindness brought him into contact with many people. The answer is that he had a completely different outlook than the rest of the world. Through his mind, he was able to be separate.

How can we be separate? One example is that we have no need to follow the news (if we are not personally involved in communal decisions). Likewise, the Chafetz Chaim said that there is no reason for most people to read the newspaper.

When the Satmar Rebbe visited the Chazon Ish, he asked how we can fulfill the Rambam's words (De'os 6:1) that one who lives in a bad environment must leave it and live in the desert. The Chazon Ish answered that we do so by staying in the Bais Medrash (study hall). But this is only true if we treat the Bais Medrash like a desert, with no interest in anything around us. But if we retain a connection to the world through our cell phones and such, we are not living in a desert.

Rav Yechezkel Levenstein once remarked that the yeshivos in his time were not producing gedolim (great Torah leaders) because the yeshivos had public phones, and people used them to be connected to the outside world. What would he say of the situation nowadays, with all the cell phones? A yeshiva student has no need for a cell phone. In our situation, Torah study cannot protect the world, because it is not learned under the proper conditions. You cannot grow properly in this way. With our involvement with the world, we are not learning Torah the way it was learned throughout the generations.

I trust that this is not a chiddush (novel idea) to you. A chiddush is not remembered for a long time. People remember things that are part of their way of life, like washing their hands each morning. You must decide that you belong to the world of Torah, and that will become your identity. To deny this possibility is to deny the principle of free will. We certainly can change, although we will be different from other people. We must make a very clear commitment to be part of the world of Torah and to separate from the other world.

Why have we not improved greatly from our years of Torah study? The Chazon Ish wrote that Torah study enables one to daven (pray) properly. Why don't we find this to be the case? The answer is that we are not properly connected to Torah. It is not the tefillah that is the problem, it is our Torah! If our Torah would detach us from the world, the worst distractions we might have in tefillah would be Torah thoughts, but not thoughts of the world. If you want to determine your real spiritual level, notice what you think about when you are trying to daven!

Another sense in which the Torah and tefillah are interconnected, according to the Chazon Ish, is that one should daven to Hashem for help in understanding difficult points in Torah. In this way, the Torah will be connected to Hashem. Torah, in its true form, must be connected to the person and to Hashem.

A person must feel as if he is living in a desert. What if the news was all about the cats in your area? Would you care about them? The same is true with all the other people here. They have nothing to do with you. Inwardly, you might as well be in a desert. You have no need to know what's going on here. You will find out what you need to know. It is not difficult, but you need to change your habits.

We are separate from the nations and should not be interested in them. We should also not care about any internal Jewish politics. This has nothing to do with us!

Certainly, we must take care of our families, but we need not think about this too much. If we were not too connected to the world, we would find the worldly endeavors unpleasant, and our thoughts in tefillah would be simple and pure. "Hashem made man straight, but they have sought many calculations" (Kohelles 7:29).

Consider that you are in a desert, with all your needs provided for. You will not think about the rest of the world. Our world is not here; we are neshamos (souls)! The Bais Medrash is our world here.

These are not merely words of inspiration; this is about reality! Who are you, Who created you, and why? When you sense the answer, you will make the proper commitment, not unlike the commitment of marriage. In fact, the Torah is considered the betrothed of the Jewish people, and demands the same level of commitment.

When we approach Shavuos, we must attain a marriage with the Torah. We must make the total commitment to Torah, and then we can be worthy to attain this level. This must be considered a clear truth, and then it will have the right effect.