אלו דברים שאדם אוכל פירותיהן בעולם הזה והקרן קיימת לו לעולם הבא: כיבוד אב ואם, וגמילות חסדים, והבאת שלום בין אדם לחברו. ותלמוד תורה כנגד כולם (משנה פאה א:א)

These are the fruits a person eats from in this world which will carry over to the next world: honoring your father and mother, doing acts of kindness, and making peace between your fellow man. But the study of Torah is greater than them all (Mishnah Peah 1:1)

Dear Hevreh,

Today was a day of Torah learning. Not the kind you just get in a book, but the unique kind you get through conversations and the sharing of knowledge among friends. Just check out the Facebook updates on #LearnWithTheRabbi and #AskTheRabbi to get a taste. Richard (#LearnWithTheRabbi), Pastor Oscar, Matt Richter, and Ann Blog (#AskTheRabbi) were all great learning partners. I gained insight from each of them that left me feeling more knowledgeable, more fulfilled, and more yearning for…Torah.

Perhaps that is why Torah learning is considered greater than all mitzvot, including the hallowed three mentioned above — because the more Torah you get, the more you want. It fills you with a sense of empowerment and of energy that seems unquenchable. But what’s more, when you learn Torah with and from your friends and colleagues, you honor their presence, you deal with them kindly, and you make peace with them. Opening a text with someone — even if it’s just the text of our own stories — leads to feelings of good will. So let’s always keep our texts open to one another; let’s always make room for learning Torah together.

 

Kol Tuv,

 

Rabbi Ari Saks

 

Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
Tag : ask the rabbi Learn with the Rabbi Mishnah Peah 1:1 rabbi rabbi's journal Talmud Torah torah unique torah משנה פאה א:א תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם