Friday, October 17, 2014

Simchas Torah/V'Zos HaBrachah/Bereishis: For the Love of it

Simchas Torah is a unique day in that we complete our yearly cycle of reading the Torah and start again right away. It would have been understandable to make one joyous occasion for the Siyum and a different Chag for the Haschlacha, the renewal.

The Torah ends with the word ישראל, which makes the final letter ל, and as we all know the Torah begins with the word בראשית, with the first letter being ב. Many of the Sefarim HaKedoshim teach that what links together the Torah in a cycle is its last letter reconnecting to its first. The result is that the hook that holds the whole Torah together is לב - heart. Chazal have already hinted to this through the famous adage of רחמנא לבא בעי, The Torah requires heart.

This is because the learning of Torah is qualitatively different than the acquisition of any other school of knowledge in the world. Each kind of study is an ends tרחמנאo a means. Therefore upon its completion the knowledge to sought to be applied. A law student completes his coursework and immediately enters the job market. The Torah certainly is practical, but learning is and ends not a means. The endeavour of Limud HaTorah is essentially valuable.

This requires love of the subject matter. The law student doesn't re-enter school when he graduates. But us, the עמא קדישא learn Torah out of love, out of a deep desire to connect to something real and holy. Thus, the moment we "complete our coursework" we begin it again.

This is why the hook of the Torah is לב. This is why רחמנא לבא בעי, the Torah requires heart. The completion of the Torah and the restarting of its study must come together. The learning of Torah needs to come from a place of love or there will be no inspiration to start again.

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