HaRav Edelstein at the siyum
Speaking at the siyum of maseches Chulin at a kolel in Ramat Hasharon, HaRav Gershon Edelstein clarified some important concepts of support of Torah.
"It is well known that one who supports Torah acquires a share in the Torah that the avreich learns and it belongs to him! And this refers not only to the reward for the learning — but his soul actually absorbs the Torah itself.
"There was once someone who left a provision in his will to support Torah. He was a simple person. They bought a bookshelf for the yeshiva with the money from the will. The yeshiva was learning Gittin at the time. This person later came in a dream to someone and quoted a Rashba in Gittin. He had never learned Gittin in his life, and the one dreaming did not know that Rashba. But the departed one, who had contributed to the yeshiva learning Gittin, knew the Rashba.
"This means, how did he come to know? Since from his bequest they bought a bookshelf and learned Gittin, his neshomoh absorbed maseches Gittin and the Rashba in Gittin. While he was alive he could not do it, but afterwards his soul was without a body, and his neshomoh absorbed it. And it was a special merit that the neshomoh got permission to appear in a dream to the one who had taken care of the matters, and tell him what the neshomoh now knows.
"We see from here that if someone supports Torah and the avreichim learn, the Torah penetrates his soul. He may not sense it now, but it is already in his soul — all the Torah that was learned as a result of his actions.
"So here that they have learned Chulin, with Rashi and Tosafos and all the Rishonim, so everything they learned, the supporter already knows. It is not yet evident but it is in his neshomoh. This is the reward of those who support Torah and it cannot be calculated.
"The learning of the avreichim is life, as it says, You are fortunate in this world, and it is good for you in the World to Come. But supporters of Torah have the same thing. All the reward that the learners of Torah have, the supporters also have. It is the same thing. But it is not yet evident. We do not see it. But it is already in the neshomoh.
"With Hashem's help may we all merit to learn Torah, and to do what we should do, and with Hashem's help we will have a good and happy life!"
