All right, rabotai (gentlemen), we’re in the hakdamah (introduction) of Reshit Chochmah (Beginning of Wisdom), and we’re up to kaf gimmel. Uvederech zeh (and in this way), his basic theme there is asiyah. The main thing is that you’ve got to do mitzvot (commandments). It’s not enough just to learn; you’ve got to learn al menat (in order to). Even the fact that you’re learning al menat, Hashem considers it as if you did it, if you were ones (coerced).
Uvederech zeh omram elu benei adam shekiyyemu et haTorah me'alef ve'ad tav, vezeh davar nimna le'adam: How could you do kol hamitzvot (all the commandments)? How could you do all the mitzvot me'alef ve'ad tav (from alef to tav), when some of the 613 commandments depend on the Land? Some are mitzvot yibbum (levirate marriage)—that’s for someone who has a brother—and some are mitzvot get (Jewish bill of divorce), for someone divorcing his wife, and mitzvot mezuzah (doorpost parchment), for someone who has a house. So what does a homeless guy do?
Vechayotzeh harbeh, ela al derech hanidrash shekiyyemu kol ha'efshar beyad adam lekayyem. Whatever you were able to mekayyem, it’s as if you fulfilled all of them. Whatever you could do, you did; whatever you couldn’t do, you wanted to do, or you learned about it, however we say it.
Vere'ayah lapirush hazeh midivrei raboteinu: “You have taught us that whoever has more deeds than chochmah (wisdom), his chochmah mitkayyemet (is sustained),” as it says, “Na'aseh venishma” (we will do and we will hear). Na'aseh comes before nishma. Rabbeinu Yonah (Rabbi Jonah) writes—this is the wording: “The explanation is that a person who accepted upon himself, with a faithful heart, to observe the Torah and its commandments has the reward of all the commandments in his hand,” even if he hasn’t heard them. Therefore, his deeds are greater than his wisdom.
Vechen amru: “Vayelchu vaya'asu Bnei Yisrael.” When they collected money for the mishkan (Tabernacle), it says, “Vayelchu vaya'asu.” What do you mean, “Vayelchu vaya'asu”? It took them three months. It should say, “Vayelchu,” and then later they did it. Rashi says, “Vechi miyad asu? Vahalo lo asu ela be'arba'ah asar lachodesh.” They didn’t do it until the fourteenth of Tishrei (Tishrei). They didn’t collect the money or start the project until the fourteenth of Tishrei. They collected on the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth; when did they start building? On the fourteenth. But it says that right when they started collecting, “Vayelchu vaya'asu.” So the Gemara says, “Ela kevan shekiblu aleihem la'asot, ke'ilu asu miyad.” Once they accepted upon themselves to do it, it was as if they had done it immediately.
Sefer Chasidim (Book of the Pious), siman tat-kamach, also writes that the main engagement in Torah lishmah (for its own sake) is learning and fulfilling. This is its wording: “Haposek midivrei Torah ve'osek bedivrei sichah”—a guy is in the middle of learning and stops to chat—“ma'achilin lo gachalei retamim.” They feed him gachalei retamim. No, these guys won’t eat it. They’ll say, “Where is it? Yashan—is it…? Where do you get these gachalei retamim? Who gives the hechsher (kosher certification) on it?” You know, even then they’re going to give the Satan a hard time: “Hey, not these gachalei retamim. Who’s the…?” “Hakotfim malu'ach alei si'ach veshoresh retamim lachmam, ve'im mekayyem”—but if he fulfills what he was able to, “harei lishmah.”
So you see the point: What makes Torah lishmah or not lishmah? Learning and fulfilling. “Vegam lemattah meratzeh ma'ot miyado leyadah kedei lehistakkel bah.” A guy gives money—he goes to the counter, and he can go to the man or the lady. He went to the lady to pay so he could get a look, a glimpse. “Lo yinnatzel midinah shel Geihinnam (Gehenna).” They’re going to get you on that. “Vehu eino tzofeh venashim,” and he doesn’t look at women; therefore, “harei lishmah.”
So again, how is he learning here? “She'ikkar esek Torah lishmah hu halomed umekayyem”—the main engagement in Torah for its own sake is learning and fulfilling—“veharei lishmah. Aval im posek midivrei Torah ve'osek bedivrei sichah,” but if he stops learning Torah and engages in conversation, what does “ve'osek bedivrei sichah” mean? Either idle chat. “Vechen im tzofeh venashim, harei ye'anesh gam al mah shelamad.” He will be punished not only for the ma'aseh (deed) that he did, but also for what he learned. It’s like a prophet who transgressed what he was told. You read a prophecy in the Torah; the Torah said not to do it, so you’re in contempt of a prophecy. That learning is held against you.
“Tzofeh”—what were the words? “Tzofeh venashim”? “Vechen im tzofeh venashim”: he looks at the girl after he learned the halachah. Forget about the avon—the sin—of looking; now the learning is held against you because you heard a prophecy and didn’t listen to the prophet. “Harei ye'anesh gam al mah shelamad.” Better he hadn’t learned. “Dugmat navi she'avar al mah shene'emar lo.” That’s it: they tell the prophet to do something, and he doesn’t listen. Number one, he’s punished for doing the sin. Or, “o kegon oto sheshama divrei hanavi, ve'avar al devarav vehikkahu ari”—he heard the prophet, transgressed his words, and a lion struck him. So, too, the one who learns and doesn’t fulfill.
Umipenei sheyesh makom baZohar (Radiance) shenir'eh she'esek haTorah ikkar: in different places, the Zohar sounds as if learning is the main thing, even though his whole theory is what? Asiyah. Vehare'ayah shehaRashbi: what did they do? They moved away from the city, staying outside their homes in the villages to engage in Torah. And therefore they learned all day; they didn’t pray or do… Dehaynu bezeh derush al matkunto kefi hamuvan baZohar atzmo. He says you have to read it properly, kedei shelo latet makom leva'al din lachlok, in order not to leave room for someone to argue a contradiction here. We’re going to have to reconcile it.
Beparashat Vayeshev, Rabbi Yehudah patach: “Hayish'ag aryeh baya'ar” (Does a lion roar in the forest?), and so on. “Hayish'ag aryeh baya'ar. Ta chazei, kama it lon livnei nasha le'ashgacha befulchana deKudsha Berich Hu.” How much a person has to be involved in the service of Hashem. “Dechol man demishtadel be'Oraita uvefulchana deKudsha Berich Hu, dachalteih ve'eimateih al kula.” A person who learns Torah and is involved in the service of Hashem has yir'at Shamayim—fear of Heaven is on everybody.
The explanation: “Ta chazei, shekeshabriyot ro'ot deyukan adam”—when people see the image of a person, when they see someone who learns Torah and does ma'asim (deeds), “mizda'az'ot mimenu”; they’re afraid of him. “Harei ki deyukan adam eino nishlam ela al yedei Torah uma'aseh.” You see, you need ma'aseh; it’s not only Torah.
Od sham: “Ta chazei, bizmana dehavu Yisrael al ar'a kadisha.” When the Jewish people were in the Land of Israel, “la ishtakach bideyhu chova”—they had no sins. “Kema de'okmu, begin de'inun korbanin dehavu mekarvin bechol yoma.” They brought korbanot (sacrifices), so they never went to sleep with a sin, because the korbanot always atoned for everything. The tamid shel shachar atoned for everything right beforehand, and the tamid shel bein ha'arbayim for everything in between. So basically, you always got kaparah (atonement). “Dehavu mekarvin bechol yoma umechaper aleyhu.”
“Hashta de'itgalu Yisrael me'al ar'a veleit man deyichpar”: now we’ve gone into galut (exile), and we don’t have a korban. “Oraita hi mechaperet aleyhu, ve'ovadin dechashran”—the Torah atones for them, as do the mitzvot. “Begin deshchinta imhon begaluta”: the Shechinah is with us. “Uman de'ihu la mistakel be'orchoy deKudsha Berich Hu, garim lishchinta itkafya bego afra”—a person who doesn’t follow the ways of the Shechinah causes the Shechinah to be brought low, “tashpilena, yashpilena ad aretz,” and so on.
“Amar Rabbi Yitzchak: vehechin man demishtadel be'Oraita ve'ovadin dechashran”—the Zohar always says “ve'ovadin dechashran,” which means ma'asim tovim, good deeds—“garim liChneset Yisrael aramat reisha migo galuta.” You lift Bnei Yisrael, or Kneset Yisrael, out of galut. “Deha al kula zaka'ah cholkehon de'inun demishtadlei be'Oraita yemama veleilya (day and night).” So it says “be'Oraita ve'ovadin dechashran.” You see, you need two things: Torah and mitzvot.
Ve'im heyot she'amar besof hama'amar, “zaka'ah cholkehon de'inun demishtadlei be'Oraita yemama veleilya”—even though at the end of the passage it doesn’t say “Oraita ve'ovadin dechashran”—“lishna dekra nakat,” it uses the wording of the verse, and included in that are deeds as well. It doesn’t exclude the way of action, since you can do both at the same time: “sheya'asok baTorah ve'oteh betzitzit (ritual fringes) utefillin (phylacteries).” You have to learn Torah and wear a tallit and tefillin. So you do both: you’re doing mitzvot and Torah. When you learn with your tallit and tefillin on, you’re getting the best of both. There’s your ma'aseh, and there’s your learning. Nice pshat (plain meaning).
“Shekadmonim hayu zehirim bazeh harbeh.” The early ones were very careful about this. That’s why they did it, could be. Because you have to do a ma'aseh, so they were involved in a mitzvah from the start. Interesting. “Shelo hayu holchim daled amot belo tzitzit utefillin.” Why didn’t they go four cubits without tzitzit and tefillin? To do a ma'aseh. Right, have tzitzit on—bediyuk (exactly). So it’s a new pshat: you want to be involved, and ma'aseh is the main thing. You have to learn? Fine, but don’t give up the ma'aseh.
“Uchmo shehinachti beSha'ar HaKedushah (Gate of Holiness)”—we’re going to get to it—“harei bazeh mekayem Torah uma'aseh ke'echad.” In this way, he fulfills Torah and action together. Now I understand it. We all look at that and think, “Oh, it makes your Torah better,” you know what I mean, like Sha'ar HaKedushah with the Torah. No, put that aside: you’re doing a ma'aseh.
“Veta'am esek haTorah yomam valailah” (the study of Torah day and night) “hu lada'at amitut kiyum hamitzvot ugri'atam veyitrotam kara'uy.” The reason you have to study Torah day and night is to get to the depths of Torah. Vechen muvhach bereish parashat Miketz: “Ta chazei, kama it lon livnei nasha le'istakla befulchana deKudsha Berich Hu, velemishtadla be'Oraita yemama veleilya.” Why do you have to study day and night? “Deyinde'un veyistaklun befulchaneih deHakadosh Baruch Hu.” “Harei perush esek haTorah bayom uvlailah kedei sheyitchakmu lada'at darchei ha'avodah ha'ila'it.” The explanation is that Torah is studied day and night so that people will grow wise and know the exalted ways of service.
Vehata'am: he says we have a rule, “ki shigegat talmud olah zadon” (if you make a mistake in your learning, even though you made a mistake, it’s considered deliberate). We have a rule here: you can’t claim ignorance. We don’t say ignorance is bliss when it comes to Torah. You should have learned; study properly. “Shigegat talmud olah zadon.” Therefore, “tzarich hishtadlut yom valailah kedei shelo yavo lidei ta'ut.” You don’t have the right to say, “I learned it wrong; I made a mistake.” “Shigegat talmud olah zadon.” You didn’t try hard enough. That’s why he says, “tzarich hishtadlut yom valailah kedei shelo yavo lidei ta'ut.”
Ve'od: even if someone is a great scholar in the proper performance of the commandments, “kol od sheyitchakem baTorah, yeda sod tikun asyatam yoter veyoter.” The more he grows wise in Torah, the more he’ll know the esoteric meaning of how to perfect their performance. The mitzvot become more enhanced the more you learn. That’s why they want you to learn more. The deeper you learn, the more your mitzvot become perfected. You can do mitzvot on a simple level, but then you know the sodot of it; you have another inyan (aspect), another thing you find, and you keep building the mitzvah.
“Shehatachlit hayedi'ah”—what’s the tachlit of learning? “Lada'at sod shi'ur komah,” to know the sod of how you’re building the olamot (worlds). Ken dem perush vos er brengt es, azoy vi er shreibt dos: Mishlei (Proverbs), “Orach lechayim shomer musar, ve'ozev tochechat mat'eh.” And it says there that Rabbi Yishmael said that on the Day of Judgment they ask a person: “Im asakta bemikra?” Did you engage in Scripture? You know, Chumash and Rashi. “Ve'im yada'ta shita sidrei?” Did you know the six orders of Mishnah? “Yada'ta Torat Kohanim?” Did you know the Midrash on Vayikra? “Yada'ta Gemara?” Okay. This is its wording.
“Ba lifnei mi sheyesh beyado aggadah.” A guy comes along with aggadot, you know, Ein Yaakov (Jacob’s Well). Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to him, “Beni, Gemara lamah lo lamadeta?” My son, why didn’t you learn Gemara? “Shekol hanechalim holchim el hayam vehayam eineno malei.” All the rivers flow into the sea, but the sea is not full. “Ve'eizeh? Zeh Gemara.” That’s where the ocean is.
“Ba mi sheyesh lo Gemara.” Someone comes along who has learned Gemara. Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to him, “Beni, ho'il ve'asakta baGemara, tzafita bamerkavah? Ma'aseh merkavah (the Account of the Chariot), did you study? Tzafita bega'avati?” There is no pleasure in My world except when Torah scholars sit and study Torah. I have no pleasure, God says, when I see two rabbis learning. I have pleasure when they look and see and ponder this pillar: how does My Throne of Glory stand? I get a lot of pleasure when they work that out—the Throne of Glory, the chashmal, how does it stand? Bazak, how does it stand? Keruv, how does it stand? Greatest of all, the Throne of Glory—how does it stand? What spirit serves on Shabbat? “Vechi zeh kevodi? Lo zo gedulati? Zo hadar yofi, shebanai makirim et kevodi bemidah.” They understand the palace properly.
“Halomed bechachmato, mah rabu ma'asecha Hashem.” From here Rabbi Yishmael would say: “Ashrei talmid chacham shemeshamer limudo beyado, kedei sheyehei lo petach lehashiv lifnei Hakadosh Baruch Hu leyom hadin.” Happy is the Torah scholar who keeps his learning with him, so that he will have an answer before Hakadosh Baruch Hu on the Day of Judgment. It’s like we’re going to give you the fire when you get up there. And so it says, “Orach chayim shomer musar.” But if he abandons his learning, shame and disgrace will catch up with him on the Day of Judgment, because Hakadosh Baruch Hu distances him from before Him.
So the purpose of wisdom is to know ma'aseh merkavah and the other things that belong to it. If so, it has a benefit for action. What is the benefit for action? “Kedei lefaresh perush shekol hamitzvot, kulam teluyim lema'alah.” All the mitzvot are dependent on what is above. How is ma'aseh merkavah going to enhance your ma'aseh? If all the learning is for ma'aseh, and now you learn ma'aseh merkavah, which is esoteric, then look: all the mitzvot are connected to the upper worlds.
This is its wording: “Kol pikudei de'oraita mit'achadin begufa demalka. Minhon bereisha demalka, minhon begufa, minhon biydei malka, minhon beragloy.” Some of the mitzvot are on the head, some on the body, and some in the hands and feet of the King. Those are all the sefirot: keter, aseh and lo ta'aseh, manheget. That is the end of the quotation. According to his knowledge of wisdom, he knows how to perform the mitzvah properly and with affection—or according to the sod? Basically, if you learn Kabbalah, it will enhance your mitzvot, because now you know, “Oh, this is coming from this name and that.” As we know, what do we learn all of Sha'ar Hakavanot? To enhance the mitzvot. “Velo yusag ela al yedei esek haTorah yomam valaylah,” and so on. That means learning Kabbalah.
Now, for all the cynics: “Hey, I’m not a mekubal.” Are you at least a shomer Torah umitzvot? So why wouldn’t you want to do the mitzvah better, on a higher qualitative level? No, you just want to do it al da'at, al da'at, and veno'am, and I’m done. Achazek, you say leshem yichud? No. If you’re a shomer mitzvot, you want to do more mitzvot. Just as you read Mishnah Berurah (Clarified Mishnah)—beautiful, you learned the laws—and opened up Kaf Hachayim (Palm of Life) to add a little extra, and opened up Chacham Ben Tzion and all the tzadikim, Chacham Ovadia, why would you stop there? Continue, there’s more than that. They’re not learning to become a mekubal; you’re learning to be a shomer Torah umitzvot. It’s basic, Chumash im Rashi.
Besides that, even if you say, “I don’t do that,” don’t you do mitzvot? So you’re not a mehader bemitzvot if you don’t want to study these things? You stopped at the Mishnah Berurah. Why did you stop there? Rav Chaim had a seder with the Steipler; they learned Etz Chayim (Tree of Life) every Friday. What happened? “Oh, I’m not Rav Chaim.” Okay. So he says here: “Gam ein lehakshot shelo hayu oskim bigmilut chasadim.” Now maybe you’ll come and tell me, “Yeah, but they were learning; they didn’t do chesed.” Why should Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yehudah not do acts of kindness? “Velo karo Kriat Shema (recitation of the Shema)?”
This is its wording: “Amar, vadai hachi hu, veyoma da ishtadalna bahadi chatan vekalah, dela hava lehu tzorkeihu.” They were involved with a bride and groom who didn’t have what they needed. The rabbis went and collected, or built the chupah (wedding canopy). “Ve'avur mit'acharin le'izdavga.” And so they were delayed in getting married, because they didn’t have the money. “Velo havah bar nash de-ishtadal aleihu, va'anan ishtadalna behu velo karinan Kriat Shema.” Nobody was helping them, so we helped them and didn’t recite Kriat Shema. A real tzaddik. He gave up Kriat Shema to take care of the needs of the bride and groom. “Uman de'asik bemitzvah patur min hamitzvah” (one engaged in a commandment is exempt from another commandment). That is the end of the quotation.
Vechen muchech beSukkah, beperek Rebbi Nehorai, “shehayu bamidbar oskot baTorah vehayu va'im bachodesh hashevi'i lekayem mitzvat sukkah beyishuv.” Oh, wow, interesting. Rebbi Nehorai says that they were living in the wilderness, learning Torah. But when Sukkot came, they went back to town to build a sukkah. Rebbi Shimon bar Yochai—no, no, Rebbi Nehorai, Rebbi Meir. Ve'od Rebbi Elazar: you see they did mitzvot.
Ve'od Rebbi Elazar befarashat Vayishlach: “Rebbi Elazar veRebbi Yitzchak havu azlei be'orcha, umata zeman Kriat Shema. Vekam Rebbi Elazar vekara Kriat Shema vetzali.” They were going on the road, and the time for Kriat Shema came. Rabbi Elazar got up, recited Kriat Shema, and prayed. The rest of the incident is alluded to there, regarding action, but we won’t quote it because it’s lengthy. Many similar incidents are brought in the Zohar about their piety and deeds; there’s no need to elaborate. It seems to me that this follows Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
So now we’re back to Rabbi Shimon. Rabbi Shimon sounds like he just learned! Where’s the ma'aseh? “Be'inyan im talmud kodem lema'aseh, zeh leshono: keivan shenimnu ba'aliyat Beit Aris beLod, hatalmud kodem lema'aseh. Rabanan deKeisari amrei: hada deteimar kesheyeish sham mi sheya'aseh.” When do we say Torah study takes precedence over action? As long as there’s someone there who will do the ma'aseh. “Aval im ein sham mi sheya'aseh,” but if there’s nobody there to do it, then it’s mitzvah she'i efshar la'asot al yedei acherim, so you have to do it yourself. So it could be that Rabbi Shimon could do both. If he could do both, let him learn. But if it’s mitzvah she'i efshar la'asot, only on themselves, mitzvah shebegufo, then you have to stop learning. That’s a famous rule, right? Yeah, of course, but does that answer the question? It doesn’t answer it for Rabbi Shimon.
“Umah shehayu mitgarsheiin chutz levateihem ve'oskim baTorah baderech”—what about their leaving their homes and learning Torah on the road? “Perush baTikunim,” and also in parashat Vayeira—unless he holds this in a general sense, that since the mitzvot are going to be done by others, he can learn. Take account of this: the mitzvot aren’t going to be done by anybody in a place where there is no man.
“Umah shehayu mitgarsheiin chutz levateihem ve'oskim baTorah baderech, perush baTikunim,” like from the aravut or something, and also in parashat Vayeira: “Rebbi Yehudah veRebbi Yosei havu azlei be'orcha.” They were walking on the road. Rabbi Yehudah said to Rabbi Yosei, “Petach pumach”—open your mouth—and speak words of Torah. You can’t just walk on the road doing nothing. “Deha Shechinta ishtakchat.” The Shechinah is here. Whenever words of Torah are being spoken, the Shechinah comes to join you, and all the more so on the road, because the Shechinah comes before us and goes ahead of them. Without the protection of the Shechinah with them, the Holy One, blessed be He, is weighed against them. That is the end of the quotation. “Ve'od he'erachnu.”
Uve'onesh halomed ve'eino mekayem—the punishment of someone who learns but doesn’t fulfill—the Midrash has already told us: “Lishmor vela'asot et kol mitzvotai” (to observe and perform all My commandments). Rav Tachlifa said, “Kol mi shelamad divrei Torah ve'eino mekayem, onsho chamur mimishelo lamad kol ikar.” Anyone who learned words of Torah but doesn’t fulfill them has a harsher punishment than someone who never learned at all. Better not to learn.
“Lemah hadavar domeh? Lemelech shehayah lo pardes.” You’re looking at an orchard. “Vehechnis letocho shenei arisim.” He brought two workers into it. “Echad hayah notea ilanot umekatzetzan”—one was planting trees and cutting them down—“ve'echad lo hayah notea kol ikar.” The other didn’t plant at all. Which one did the king get angry at? The one who planted and cut them down! Better not to plant—why are you cutting them down? “Al mi ko'es? Lo al oto shehayah notea umekatzetz? Kach mi shelamad divrei Torah ve'eino mekayem, onsho chamur mimishelo lamad kol ikar.”
That’s why, I saw—I heard this from Rav Chaim Friedlander. Rav Friedlander said that it says, “Ve-yada'ta hayom vahashevota el levavecha.” These are two different things. “Ve-yada'ta hayom”—what is that? Learn. “Vahashevota el levavecha” means take what you learned and bring it down to your heart, which means into action. He says the distance between “ve-yada'ta hayom” and “vahashevota el levavecha” is very, very far. Just because you went to the shi'ur (class), that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to bring it down to your…
He said this was a chiddush: the yetzer hara (evil inclination) has less difficulty getting a guy to come to the shi'ur than getting him to keep what he learned. Why? The yetzer wants you to come to the shi'ur because he wants to make you a mezid (intentional transgressor). He says, “I got you to learn it.” Then he says, “I’ll get him on the second stage. I’ll get him to the ‘ve-yada'ta hayom.’ You can always get a guy to come to a class. But now to implement…” The yetzer says… How can it be so hard to come to class? Because he wants you to be a mezid. He knows that now you’ve learned it and you’re not fulfilling it; then he’s got you in more trouble. He trapped you. He set you up.
Okay. That’s the mussar (ethical instruction). Okay, now...