Yaakov Ovinu spent the last seventeen years of his life in
Egypt. At the end, before he passed from this world, he
blessed his sons. Yissochor's blessing was, "Yissochor is a
strong-boned donkey. He rests between the borders; he saw
that rest was good, and that the land was pleasant. Still, he
bent his shoulder to the burden and became an indentured
servant" (Bereishis 49:14-15).
Rashi explains why Yaakov Ovinu chose the donkey as the ideal
portrayal of his blessing to Yissochor; that Yissochor should
be like "a donkey with sturdy bones to bear the yoke of
Torah, just as a strong donkey hauls a heavy load." That is,
Yissochor was blessed with a personality that could assume
the yoke of Torah.
Rashi further explains that Yissochor was blessed to be,
"Like a donkey that travels day and night, and does not have
a night's sleep in a dwelling." Whether it is day or night,
the donkey catches some sleep whenever the opportunity
presents itself.
In order to show the wonderful results of this
brochoh, Rashi cites the posuk in Divrei
HaYomim I (12:32), "The descendants of Yissochor have
wisdom to understand the seasons, thus knowing what Klal
Yisroel should do." This means that Yissochor's
descendants became the heads of the highest courts, reaching
the peak of influence in Klal Yisroel. Yissochor's
offspring happily shouldered the responsibility of
formulating the yearly calendar. Consequently, Hakodosh
Boruch Hu gave them the wisdom that enabled them to
correctly establish the months and seasons.
All Klal Yisroel benefited from their Torah wisdom,
which was an outcome of Yissochor's persistence and stamina
in toiling happily in Torah. Because Yissochor was blessed
with the ability to easily bear a constant burden of Torah,
he was able to achieve accuracy and excellence in rendering
halachic decisions.
Yaakov Ovinu's blessing was designed to show Yissochor
exactly what qualities he should utilize to realize his full
potential. The Zohar, however, quotes the question of
Rabbi Elozor: "Why should Yissochor be called a donkey? If it
is because he is engrossed in Torah, let him be called a
horse, a lion or a leopard. Why a donkey?" A horse is faster
than a donkey, a lion is more powerful and a leopard is
bolder.
Of all the comparisons that could have been made, Yaakov
Ovinu picked the donkey as best reflecting those qualities
that gave rise to Yissochor's success in Torah. What virtue
does a donkey possess that outweighs all of these seemingly
more important characteristics of other animals?
The Zohar answers: "The donkey bears his burden
without kicking back at his master as would other animals. He
has no arrogance, and he is not concerned that he has no
proper place to sleep. Similarly, Yissochor, who is engrossed
in Torah, takes upon himself the yoke of Torah and does not
rebel against Hashem. He is not filled with pride . . . He
rests between the borders [of the fields], as it is said
[similar to the Mishnah in the sixth perek of
Ovos], `Sleep on the ground, live a life of
deprivation, and in Torah you shall toil.' "
In other words, Yaakov Ovinu's blessing to Yissochor was that
Yissochor should be devoted to Torah without ever complaining
about the hardships involved. He should be content, happy
with whatever comes his way. The minimum will suffice, and
everything does not have to be "just so" for him to be
satisfied with life. When he needs to rest, he should be
pleased with whatever place is available, and he should
gladly accept whatever he has, in all circumstances. This
attitude goes a long way in making a ben Torah.
The Zohar also explains what Yaakov meant by his
blessing, "He saw that rest was good, and that the
land was pleasant." Rest refers to the Written
Torah, and land refers to the Oral Torah. All good
that Yissochor found in life came solely from Torah, and we
see it was not just good but pleasant.
According to the Zohar, shouldering the burden of
Torah requires unceasing dedication to the study of Torah day
and night.
"Roughing it" and sustained efforts in Torah go hand in hand.
Diligence combined with lack of concern about physical
comforts produces the perfect expertise in Torah that leads
to truthful and accurate halachic decisions. This was the
essence of Yaakov Ovinu's blessing to Yissochor, and it
became, in turn, the legacy of Yissochor's tribe.
The gemora (Pesochim 49a) gives us a clue as to why
self-restraint and diligence are so essential for excellence
in Torah with the following advice, "A person should always
sell all he has to marry a daughter of a Torah scholar." The
gemora is apparently telling us that under all
circumstances, no matter what the cost, a person should sell
all he owns to marry the daughter of a Torah scholar. Even if
it would cost a million dollars or more, this is what he
should do.
It is not usually expected of a person to give up all his
wealth. Obviously, there must be a very special reason why
Chazal place such importance upon marrying a daughter of a
Torah scholar. The gemora therefore explains the
reason, "so that if he dies or is exiled, he can be assured
that his children will become Torah scholars." With the
father gone, the entire task of raising the children will
fall on the mother.
A daughter of a Torah scholar, having grown up in a Torah
home, understands the crucial importance of Torah and is
therefore well equipped for this task. Hence, even in the
absence of her husband, her home will continue to be imbued
with love for Torah and to be illuminated by the light of
Torah.
*
The Rambam in Hilchos Talmud Torah (3:13) writes,
"Though there is a commandment to learn during the day and
during the night, a person does not learn most of his wisdom
except at night. Therefore, one who wishes to merit the Crown
of Torah should be careful not to waste even one of his
nights with sleeping, eating, drinking, conversation and
other such things. . . "
With this statement, the Rambam is teaching us that though
sleeping, eating, drinking and the other necessities for good
health are important, nonetheless the precious time we are
given in this life should not be needlessly wasted.
Therefore, the Rambam urges us to spend our time at night,
"only in learning Torah and dialogues of wisdom."
Learning Torah is a privilege, and those of us who learn it
properly are like kings. The king's crown is far more than a
fancy hat. It represents the king's majesty and power. The
crown indicates the honor and respect that the king commands.
A king, by definition, lacks nothing; the entire kingdom is
his personal domain, and it serves him. Only royalty wear a
crown, the symbol of their unique status.
By virtue of the Torah he learns, a ben Torah is also
royal. He, too, has a crown — the crown of Torah. But
unlike a king, who is born to the throne and so by birthright
merits the crown, a ben Torah must earn his Crown of
Torah.
A ben Torah, like a king, can rule over a vast empire
if only he learns to slowly but surely replace his natural
desire to satisfy physical needs and pleasures with a greater
desire for Torah. Eventually, all material concerns will pale
in comparison to the gratification he gets from his efforts
in Torah. As a result, natural desires for food and rest
will, on their own, subside. All this is true, providing a
strong, steady and honest effort is made to cling to
Torah.
The Zohar concludes with the same message as the
mishna in the sixth perek of Ovos, "This
is the way of Torah: Eat bread with salt and drink water in
measure, sleep on the ground and live a life of deprivation,
and in Torah you shall toil. If you do this, you are
fortunate and it is good for you — ashrecho vetov
loch — you are fortunate in this world, and it is
good for you in the next."
We can understand how it will be good in the next world, but
how do we understand that one who leads this apparently
austere life is considered fortunate in this world?
On our own, we would not be so bold as to suggest that
sleeping on the floor is a good and fortunate life. However,
Chazal are teaching us that such a lifestyle will lead, as
the Rambam wrote, to the Crown of Torah. A Torah scholar's
home is filled with the light of Torah.
Therefore, Chazal wisely advise spending all one's wealth to
marry the daughter of a Torah scholar, a woman who all her
life has been privileged to experience and behold the
brilliance of the crown of Torah. Such a woman has seen how
her father's nights are filled with limud haTorah and
how none of them are wasted on trivial pursuits.
Such dedication to Torah brings many results. Honest and
consistent efforts to understand Torah give us fresh new
insights into the true meaning of its words. We develop a
heightened sensitivity to the subtle nuances between one
expression and another. These new insights and discoveries
are what spawn growth in Torah. We come to a greater and
deeper appreciation of Hashem and His Torah. Hence, through
Torah, our love for Hashem grows constantly.
It is impossible to think about trading all this in for some
tasty food, which really amounts to just a moment or two of
pleasure. The daughter of a Torah scholar sees all this with
her own eyes. It is true that her father has a bed in the
house, but she knows that if he did not have a bed on which
to sleep, the floor would suffice just as well.
Similarly, the donkey finds his sleep, "between the borders"
of the fields. He finds time for a little break on the way
from one town to the next. He bears his load without
complaint. This is not true for the ox. The ox is more
powerful than the donkey, but its nature is entirely
different.
The gemora cites a case about a violent ox that
attacks only on Shabbos (Bava Kama 37a). The whole
week goes by without incident. Only during Shabbos does the
ox go wild. Rashi explains that this happens since on Shabbos
the ox is free from work. Therefore, the ox has an
opportunity to become arrogant and aggressive. During the six
working days of the week, the ox feels the pressure of its
burdens and this keeps it in check. On Shabbos though, when
the ox finds freedom from its weekday burdens, it rebels.
In contrast, the donkey, with his submissive nature, is well
suited for his work. A donkey does not find life difficult or
bothersome because of its burdens. Thus, when Shabbos comes
and there is no work for him to do, even though the routine
becomes easier the donkey will not behave differently from
before. The donkey was never bothered by the burden in the
first place, so when the burden is removed, there is no urge
of defiance needing to express itself, because by nature the
donkey is not rebellious. If, while the donkey is working he
humbly finds rest during work, then on Shabbos, so much more
will he be content to rest peacefully.
*
The Vilna Gaon, in the sefer Even Shleimoh (2:9), is
quoted as saying, "It is not possible to serve Hashem except
after the elimination of worldly pleasure and desires . . .
And it is impossible to experience the sweetness of Torah
except through afflictions and detachment from physical
pleasures." True, this appears to be a very difficult goal to
reach. Yet, as long as a person is driven by the urges of his
desires, he will inevitably be turned away from truly
fulfilling the will of his Creator.
In addition, unless one sacrifices for Torah, he will not be
able to comprehend the beauty of arriving at a true
resolution of a Torah issue. Finally, after much effort,
everything fits into place; all doubts and questions are
dispelled. Developing the desire and the expertise takes many
years and is not easy, but in the end, it can be done. Then,
once achieved, no pleasure in the world surpasses it.
The Tanna Devei Eliyohu Rabba (26:20), Tosafos in the
gemora Kesuvos (104a) and Mesillas Yeshorim
(chap. 13) all teach us the same message: "Before a person
prays that Torah enter his body, he should pray that
delicacies do not enter his body."
We are clearly being taught an important lesson: not to let
the necessity of our eating and drinking influence our goal
of accepting the yoke of Torah. As indicated by these words,
prayer is the way to achieve this, for prayer opens many
doors to our spiritual success. Though it may seem difficult
and perhaps impossible to sacrifice our pleasures in this
world, nonetheless, if we try Hashem will help us, for it is
His will that we do so.
In our morning prayers, before reciting the Shema, we
ask Hashem, "Light up our eyes with your Torah." When the
light of Torah enters our lives we view the world from a true
perspective. The Torah guides us, and we become truly
fortunate — fortunate not to squander our lives in
wasteful, unthinking and aimless pursuit of physical
gratification.
Yaakov Ovinu, with great wisdom and foresight, gave his son
Yissochor a blessing that he would be able to wear a crown,
the Crown of Torah. As a king never feels his crown to be a
burden, he never tires of wearing his crown. Just as a king
views his crown as his glory, his pride and his joy —
so, too, does a ben Torah wear the crown of Torah.
This article, based on the series Nesivos Chaim: The
Torah Way of Life — HaRav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg on
Chumash, has been adapted for publication in the Yated
Ne'eman. Volumes Bereishis and Shemos have so
far been published by Jerusalem Publications and are
distributed by Feldheim Publishers.
