One of the reasons why yissurin – afflictions – are so good for a person is because they bring him kapara for his avonot(transgressions). It is a great chesed of Hashem to give a person kapara with temporary suffering in this world rather than having to get it in the Next World which is eternal. However, there are many ways in which a person can gain kapara without needing any affliction. Rabbenu Yona in Sha’arehTeshuva (4:11), teaches us about one of those ways. He writes there, a person’s toil in the study of Torah as well as his loss of sleep over it will take the place of other forms of yissurin. As Chazal teach us on the pasuk אדם לעמל יולד - Everyone experiences hardships in this world, but אשרי מי שאילו בתורה – fortunate is the person who gets it in his toil in the study of Torah.

Rabbenu Yona writes further, toil in Torah is so great, it could atone even for the sin of chilul Hashem, as is apparent from the Gemara in masechet Rosh Hashanah (18). The Gemara in Yevamot says, even though there was a curse on the house of Eli HaCohen that his progeny would die young, Torah study breaks that decree and elongates their lives. Learning Torah with full focus is not easy, but the rewards are endless. And besides for all of the blessings Torah brings, we are learning today that it also takes away the need for a person to get yissurin. Even more importantly, when a person learns Torah, he brings Hashem so much satisfaction, as the Gemara says, אמר רבי יהודה: אשרי מי שאילו בתורה עושה נחת רוח ליוצרו

The Gemara in Masechet Gitin says that R’ Avyatar once saw Eliyahu HaNavi in the marketplace and he asked him what Hashem was doing at that time. Eliyahu answered, Hashem was involved in learning the sugya that he was involved in. Hashem was saying, אביתר בני כך הוא אומר; יונתן בני כך הוא אומר. Hashem loves the study of Torah so much, it is what He Himself is involved in. And therefore, if someone is looking to grow in his avodat Hashem, adding more Torah study to his day is the best way to do it.

Rav Yosef Karo, the author of the Bet Yosef and Shulchan Aruch, merited to have an angel come and learn with him once a week. The Rabbi wrote down everything the angel told him in a sefer called Maggid Mesharim. On one occasion, on the night of the 13th of Adar Sheni, during the week of parashat Vayakhel, the angel told the Beit Yosef that when he goes up to the Next World, Hashem is going to purify him from all the sins that he ever did, his neshama is going to come out pristine and go to the highest levels of Gan Eden with the kedoshim and the tehorim. And why was he going to merit this? Because of his toil in clarifying different opinions of the Rishonim. The angel told him the Rambam was so happy when he explained one of his opinions in the Bet Yosef, siman 199 in Yoreh De’ah, that had not been understood by the world until he revealed it. The angel went on to praise him for his efforts in clarifying other opinions. And then said, regarding all of the toil he put in in trying to explain a certain opinion of the Tur, Hashem took so much delight in it, although he was wrong in what he said. The beauty of Torah is that Hashem appreciates every effort we make, even if we don’t end up with the correct explanation. The angel concluded by saying, all of those efforts were going to be a zechut for the Bet Yosef to have three groups of malachei hasharet come to receive him when he goes up to Shamayim and escort him to the place Hashem has awaiting for him there.

When a person sits down in front of a Gemara or a Shulchan Aruch or a Tanach or a mishnah and puts his focus on trying to understand the meaning of the worlds in order to know what Hashem wants from him, he brings endless kedusha inside of him. He earns rewards in both worlds, he brings so much satisfaction to Hashem and he gains kapara, which will take the place of other forms of yissurin.

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