Much ink has already been spilled to draw a distinction
between "bein hazmanim" in yeshivas, and "summer
break" for students or "vacation time" for employees. Yet
following the strident voices always heard calling on bnei
yeshiva to do military or civilian service or to do two
weeks of military training--perhaps restricted to bein
hazmanim alone--it is our task to shed more light on the
subject. Both these and similar ideas proposed in the past
have been staunchly opposed by gedolei Yisroel, whose
spokesmen have explained that the Torah world must not alter
the schedule and order that have been the norm for
decades.
Those who have not merited the light and joy of the Torah
find it difficult to comprehend the reasons behind this
opposition, since two weeks is indeed a relatively short
period. Thus we must clarify the matter for them--and for
ourselves.
Chazal taught, "Veyidaber Elokim leMoshe means, Ki
ho'oshek yeholeil chochom vi'abeid es leiv matonoh"
(Koheles 7:7). When the chochom is involved in various
activities, he loses his chochmoh. Vi'abeid es leiv
matonoh refers to the Torah given as a gift in the heart
of every man. Ki ho'oshek yeholeil chochom means that
he who engages in public service forgets his learning
(Tanchumoh, Os 8).
This speaks for itself. Those engaged in Torah study should
not pursue outside activities, even tasks imposed on the
general public. Here lies one of the basic and fundamental
conditions for achieving a kinyon in Torah. He who
engages in other pursuits loses his chochmoh. That is
darkoh shel Torah.
This lesson can also be found in Shochar Tov (119) on
the verse, Mo ohavti Torasecho: "The Torah is compared
to a barrel full of honey. If a revi'is of water is
placed within, a revi'is of sweet honey goes out.
[Words of Torah] are the same; if other things enter your
heart, divrei Torah go out. Thus it is written, Ki
le'olom hi li" (Tehillim 119:98).
*
The Torah demands total dedication. Ki le'olom hi li.
It does not tolerate parallel pursuits of any kind, no matter
how pressing they may be. The Chazon Ish wrote, "The concept
of shekeidoh does not depend on the length of time,
but on the personal dedication and giving-over of one's heart
to the indepth study of the Torah" (Kovetz Igros Part
III, 10).
Once, a delegation of gedolei Torah came to speak with
a government minister to dissuade him from initiating any
program to enlist bnei yeshivos. The minister asked
why the roshei yeshivos would not agree to even a limited
framework of military training within a chareidi unit, not
full enlistment in the army . . . What could be so bad?
HaRav Dovid Povarsky, who was part of the delegation, told
him the following anecdote: During the First World War when
the members of the yeshiva were exiled to Poltava where food
was scarce, the local authorities distributed a ration of oil
and a ration of bread to every refugee. The bread could be
eaten, but the bochurim had nothing to do with the
oil. Some of them came up with a scheme to sell the oil to
buy another piece of bread, while others decided not to get
involved in this enterprise, preferring to forego the extra
slice of bread and to use that time for Torah study instead.
Later it came to light that those who had avoided engaging in
the oil-for-bread trade continued to cleave to their Torah
study and became talmidei chachomim, while the
bochurim who sold the oil became businessmen and
traders.
Even those who engaged in this commerce did not intend to
grow rich through their enterprise, but only to satisfy their
hunger pangs, and only for a bit of the day; the rest of
their time was devoted to Torah study. But in their youth,
the commercial spirit clung to them -- the desire to engage
in other pursuits in addition to Torah. This inclination took
hold of them and grew until eventually they abandoned their
daled amos of halocho.
Rav Povarsky chose this anecdote in order to convey to the
minister that even the slightest bent during one's youth can
deter the ben Torah from his sacred goal. And even
though they did not pursue commercial enterprise out of a
desire to close the gemora but simply as a response to
pressing needs, nevertheless it eventually had an impact on
them. This is darkoh shel Torah, which is acquired
only by directing all of one's energy and drive to his
studies, without blending in any other thoughts or endeavors.
(Indeed, this heartfelt explanation had its effect and was
accepted by the minister.)
*
Bein hazmanim is a time when, due to yeridas
hadoros, the official yeshiva sedorim stop, but it
is certainly not a time to stop dedicating one's heart to
Torah and is not a vacation from the obligation to apply
one's heart to acquiring Torah.
Even those who want a "change of place" or to take excursions
around Eretz Hakodesh (with their family or through
the yeshiva, of course) only take such trips in order to
relax from the exhausting efforts amlei Torah make
throughout the year. Certainly the idea is not to relax from
spiritual tenseness or achievements made during the
zman, and kal vochomer not to engage in
pursuits outside the realm of Torah.
Rest is not detrimental to continuity, for it is not
considered a "pursuit" that takes hold of the heart.
Gathering one's strength is wholly unlike engaging in a task.
In fact, rest instills in the Torah scholar the message that
he is resting now in order to replenish his strength and to
return to his studies with renewed vigor. His sights are
already set on the next zman, which is his next
mission, his main ambition and his purpose in life.
Rest is not a kum ve'aseh pursuit, but shev ve'al
ta'aseh: rest up a little bit now to recover and to gird
all your strength for your studies in the months to come.
Rest is not a diversion.
This distinction may be lost on those who have never crossed
the threshold of a beis medrash, but anyone who is
suffused with Torah and who rises to higher levels and takes
pleasure in his studies understands this as a simple and
fundamental truth. Rest is actually vital to continuity
because it reinvigorates, while outside pursuits and engaging
one's emotional energy towards other ends, even for a very
short time, deal a major blow to one's ability to acquire
Torah.
On the verse, "Hayego'o guma belo bitzo" the Midrash
Yalkut Shimoni on Iyov (904) says, "Can this
depression increase without a swamp and without water, and
can this meadow live without water? Similarly Yisroel cannot
exist unless it is engaged in the words of Torah. And because
they withdrew from words of Torah, their enemy came upon
them, as is written, `vayovo Amolek.'"
If this is true of each and every generation, it applies even
more today when we encounter our enemy in every time and
place. We can only cling to our forefathers' occupation and
engage in divrei Torah continuously to spare ourselves
from the birth pangs of Moshiach, as the gemora says,
" . . . They asked R' Eliezer Hagodol what one should do to
be spared from the birth pangs of Moshiach. He told them to
engage in Torah and chessed" (Sanhedrin 97a).
In so doing, we also add merit to Klal Yisroel, as is
written, "Hakol kol Yaakov . . . " As long as the
voice of Yaakov can be heard, the hands are not the hands of
Eisov (Yalkut Yermiyohu 284).
