In his comment on women’s Talmud study, Rabbi Michael Broyde makes a distinction between men and women for the Mitzva of Talmud Torah:
“The purpose of women's torah shebal peh learning…...is different from men's learning. Men learn because the learning itself is a mitzvah and like all mitzvot needs to be done because it is a mitzvah. (Thus, I learn even when I do not enjoy it, just like I daven even if I do not enjoy it.) …. Fun or not -- a religious Jew is an eved hashem and servants do not have fun all the time.â€
While technically correct, Rabbi Broyde’s words inadvertently misrepresent the nature of this Mitzva.
It is true that every Mitzva is an obligation and burden, but Talmud Torah is unique - the enjoyment and benefit of learning is an integral element of the Mitzva, and in absence of personal drive and motivation, the Mitzva is not properly fulfilled. The goal of Talmud Torah is for man to assimilate the Torah into every fiber of his being and to become one with G-d’s Will, and that can only be achieved by learning with singular focus, unhindered by conflicting motivations and interests.
Rabbi Broyde describes the eved hashem as one who is not having fun, but servitude is only one aspect of our relationship with the Torah – which is primarily that of “Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe MORASHA Kehilas Yaakov†– the Torah is our inheritance. Only a son merits Yerusha, not an Eved, and “Koh Amar Hashem Bni Bechori Israel†– Klal Israel, recipients of the Torah, are G-d’s firstborn.
This is a critical factor in education. A servant feels that the rules of his master are being imposed artificially - so for many of our students, who have been taught in this manner, the Torah is an external imposition upon their own will and desires. A son however, yearns to please his father, and he understands himself to be an extension of his father, both physically and existentially. He relates to the Torah as a means of self-fulfillment and realization. Rather than being coerced towards study, he lovingly savors every word, and indeed toils with diligence to discover his father’s will.
This description of Torah study as a loving relationship is described explicitly by the Rambam at the end of Hilchos Issurei Bi’ah and alluded to in his introduction to Moreh Nevuchim. There, the connection between man and Torah study is between man and wife, and just as the physical relationship must be exclusive, the ideal Torah student feels that only the Torah can render him whole and complete. It is precisely for these reasons that most Yeshivos focus exclusively on in-depth Talmud study and are loathe to introduce other interests into the daily curriculum.
Certainly, without all this in mind, it is highly doubtful if recent efforts at Talmud study for women (let alone their male counterparts) can succeed in establishing these integral relationships.
Heshy Grossman
Jerusalem
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2017 09:18PM by mlb.
